Create a GitHub account

To use OpenSAFELY, you must have a GitHub account. GitHub is a widely-used website for storing and collaborating on software, using the version control software git. GitHub is where your open, reproducible research will be published.

This tutorial also uses GitHub Codespaces to work with OpenSAFELY.

Creating a GitHub account

Note

If you already have a GitHub account, you can use that account.

If you do not already have a GitHub account, you should create one first.

Visit GitHub and click the "Sign up" button. You will have to provide an email address and password. GitHub will also send you a confirmation email containing a link that you need to visit to confirm your account.

Securing your GitHub account

We recommend that you secure your GitHub account with two-factor authentication.