Github Collaborators

Recall that in Creating a Github repository, you had the option to create a private repository. Private repositories allow you to work on projects without having the source code be publicly available such as when you are building an closed source project.

However, if you just created a private repository, your friends cannot join the repository and contribute to it. To allow them to view and contribute to the repository, you will need to add them as a collaborator to the project.

To do so, navigate to the "Settings" tab and under "Access" > "Collaborators", you will see this page:

Then, select "Add people" and enter your friend's Github username. They will receive an email notification about the invite which they have to accept. Once done, they will be able to view the private repository.

You can also add collaborators for public repositories. However, collaborators are a MUST for private repositories for them to view the source code.