The practical answer is to use the simplest workflow that gives you safe collaboration and understandable history.
A strong default for beginners
For most beginners, the best default is:
- Git in the terminal
- GitHub in the web UI
- a branch-based workflow with pull requests
That combination covers the important concepts without forcing too many tools into the learning path at once.
Why this is the right default
The terminal is the clearest place to learn core Git commands.
The GitHub web UI is the clearest place to learn:
- repository browsing
- pull requests
- review
- issues
- workflow status on checks
That division of responsibility keeps the mental model simpler.
What not to optimize for first
At the beginning, do not optimize for:
- the shortest possible command sequence
- advanced history rewriting
- mastering every GitHub feature
- replacing the web UI with extra tooling too early
A clean, understandable workflow is more valuable than an advanced one you do not fully control yet.
Final recommendation
Start with:
- Git fundamentals locally
- GitHub for shared collaboration
- branches, pull requests, and review as the default path for integrating work
Once that workflow feels normal, adding extra tools and shortcuts becomes much easier.