First, to address the keyword "free": It is released under an Open Source MIT License. There are no paid features hidden inside the application itself. The costs associated with GitHub come from the platform (private repositories, advanced team features), not the desktop client.
While GitHub offers official builds for macOS and Windows, Linux users were originally left to use the command line or third-party Git clients. Because GitHub Desktop is open source , a developer named began maintaining a fork that specifically supports Linux.
sudo apt install wget curl gpg software-properties-common apt-transport-https -y Use code with caution. Step 3: Add the Shiftkey Repository
GitHub Desktop is an open-source, Electron-based application that provides a graphical user interface (GUI) for Git and GitHub. It allows developers to perform common version control tasks like staging changes, committing, branching, merging, and syncing with remote repositories without using the command line. github desktop deb free
wget -qO - https://shiftkey.dev | gpg --dearmor | sudo tee /usr/share/keyrings/shiftkey-packages.gpg > /dev/null Use code with caution. Next, add the repository to your system’s sources list:
This method adds the GitHub Desktop repository to your system, allowing you to install and update using apt —just like native Debian software.
Sometimes dpkg will complain about missing libraries. Run: First, to address the keyword "free": It is
sudo apt update sudo apt upgrade -y
Your browser will open to authorize the application. Log in with your free GitHub account.
sudo apt update sudo apt install github-desktop While GitHub offers official builds for macOS and
# Navigate to your Downloads folder cd ~/Downloads # Install the package using apt (this resolves dependencies automatically) sudo apt update sudo sudo apt install ./GitHubDesktop-linux-*.deb Use code with caution.
This method is preferred because it keeps the software updated automatically via your system's package manager.