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Merge pull request #53494 from Albertyang0/NEW-github-enterprise-server-developer-fundamentals
NEW Module: GitHub Enterprise Server Fundamentals for Developers
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‎learn-pr/github/github-enterprise-server-developer-fundamentals/1-github-enterprise-server-introduction.yml‎

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### YamlMime:ModuleUnit
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uid: learn.github.github-enterprise-server-developer-fundamentals.github-enterprise-server-introduction
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title: What is GitHub Enterprise Server?
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metadata:
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title: What is GitHub Enterprise Server?
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description: This content is a part of the GitHub Enterprise Server Fundamentals for Developers module.
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author: camihmerhar
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ms.author: camhernandez
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ms.date: 02/16/2026
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ms.topic: unit
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durationInMinutes: 5
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content: |
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[!include[](includes/1-github-enterprise-server-introduction.md)]

‎learn-pr/github/github-enterprise-server-developer-fundamentals/2-github-enterprise-server-cloud-differences.yml‎

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### YamlMime:ModuleUnit
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uid: learn.github.github-enterprise-server-developer-fundamentals.github-enterprise-server-cloud-differences
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title: GitHub Enterprise Server vs GitHub Enterprise Cloud
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metadata:
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title: GitHub Enterprise Server vs GitHub Enterprise Cloud
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description: This content is a part of the GitHub Enterprise Server Fundamentals for Developers module.
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author: camihmerhar
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ms.author: camhernandez
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ms.date: 02/16/2026
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ms.topic: unit
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durationInMinutes: 5
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content: |
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[!include[](includes/2-github-enterprise-server-cloud-differences.md)]

‎learn-pr/github/github-enterprise-server-developer-fundamentals/3-release-cadence-version-management.yml‎

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### YamlMime:ModuleUnit
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uid: learn.github.github-enterprise-server-developer-fundamentals.release-cadence-version-management
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title: Release cadence and version awareness
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metadata:
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title: Release Cadence and Version Awareness
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description: This content is a part of the GitHub Enterprise Server Fundamentals for Developers module.
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author: camihmerhar
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ms.author: camhernandez
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ms.date: 02/16/2026
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ms.topic: unit
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durationInMinutes: 5
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content: |
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[!include[](includes/3-release-cadence-version-management.md)]

‎learn-pr/github/github-enterprise-server-developer-fundamentals/4-github-enterprise-server-developer-experience.yml‎

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### YamlMime:ModuleUnit
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uid: learn.github.github-enterprise-server-developer-fundamentals.github-enterprise-server-developer-experience
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title: Developer experience on GHES
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metadata:
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title: Developer Experience on GHES
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description: This content is a part of the GitHub Enterprise Server Fundamentals for Developers module.
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author: camihmerhar
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ms.author: camhernandez
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ms.date: 02/16/2026
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ms.topic: unit
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durationInMinutes: 5
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content: |
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[!include[](includes/4-github-enterprise-server-developer-experience.md)]

‎learn-pr/github/github-enterprise-server-developer-fundamentals/5-github-connect-hybrid-scenarios.yml‎

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### YamlMime:ModuleUnit
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uid: learn.github.github-enterprise-server-developer-fundamentals.github-connect-hybrid-scenarios
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title: GitHub Connect and hybrid scenarios
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metadata:
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title: GitHub Connect and Hybrid Scenarios
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description: This content is a part of the GitHub Enterprise Server Fundamentals for Developers module.
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author: camihmerhar
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ms.author: camhernandez
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ms.date: 02/16/2026
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ms.topic: unit
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durationInMinutes: 5
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content: |
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[!include[](includes/5-github-connect-hybrid-scenarios.md)]

‎learn-pr/github/github-enterprise-server-developer-fundamentals/6-knowledge-check.yml‎

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### YamlMime:ModuleUnit
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uid: learn.github.github-enterprise-server-developer-fundamentals.knowledge-check
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title: Knowledge check
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metadata:
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unitType: knowledge-check
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title: Knowledge Check
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description: Knowledge check for the GitHub Enterprise Server Fundamentals for Developers module.
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ms.date: 02/16/2026
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author: camihmerhar
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ms.author: camhernandez
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ms.topic: unit
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durationInMinutes: 5
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content: |
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quiz:
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questions:
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- content: "What is a defining characteristic of GitHub Enterprise Server (GHES)?"
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choices:
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- content: "It's a fully managed Software as a Service (SaaS) platform hosted by GitHub."
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isCorrect: false
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explanation: "Incorrect. GitHub Enterprise Server isn't an SaaS platform hosted by GitHub."
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- content: "It automatically updates with new features as soon as they are released."
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isCorrect: false
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explanation: "Incorrect. GitHub Enterprise Server follows a scheduled release cycle and doesn't update automatically with every new feature."
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- content: "It's self-hosted and managed by the customer."
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isCorrect: true
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explanation: "Correct. GitHub Enterprise Server is deployed on infrastructure owned and managed by the customer, providing full control over data and operations."
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- content: "It only supports public repositories."
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isCorrect: false
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explanation: "Incorrect. GitHub Enterprise Server supports private repositories and enterprise collaboration workflows."
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- content: "Why do new features often appear later on GitHub Enterprise Server than on GitHub.com?"
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choices:
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- content: "GHES is missing core GitHub functionality."
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isCorrect: false
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explanation: "Incorrect. GitHub Enterprise Server includes core functionality but follows a different release cadence."
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- content: "GHES follows a quarterly release cadence."
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isCorrect: true
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explanation: "Correct. GitHub Enterprise Server uses a structured quarterly release cycle to ensure stability for self-managed environments."
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- content: "GHES doesn't support modern development workflows."
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isCorrect: false
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explanation: "Incorrect. GitHub Enterprise Server supports modern development workflows."
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- content: "GHES updates are controlled by individual developers."
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isCorrect: false
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explanation: "Incorrect. Updates are managed through official enterprise releases."
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- content: "Which GitHub feature isn't supported on GitHub Enterprise Server?"
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choices:
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- content: "Pull requests."
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isCorrect: false
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explanation: "Incorrect. Pull requests are supported on GitHub Enterprise Server."
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- content: "GitHub Actions."
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isCorrect: false
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explanation: "Incorrect. GitHub Actions are supported on GitHub Enterprise Server."
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- content: "GitHub Codespaces."
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isCorrect: true
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explanation: "Correct. GitHub Codespaces is a cloud-only feature and isn't available on GitHub Enterprise Server."
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- content: "Issues."
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isCorrect: false
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explanation: "Incorrect. Issues are supported on GitHub Enterprise Server."
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- content: "You followed a GitHub.com tutorial that uses a feature you can't find in your GHES instance. What is the most likely next step?"
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choices:
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- content: "Assume the feature is broken and retry later."
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isCorrect: false
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explanation: "Incorrect. Feature availability depends on the deployed GHES version and configuration."
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- content: "Confirm your organization's GHES version and check the version-specific documentation and release notes."
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isCorrect: true
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explanation: "Correct. Checking the GHES version and version-specific documentation helps confirm feature availability and behavior."
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- content: "Create the feature manually using repository settings."
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isCorrect: false
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explanation: "Incorrect. Features cannot be manually enabled if they are not included in the deployed version."
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- content: "Switch to a public repository so the feature becomes available."
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isCorrect: false
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explanation: "Incorrect. Repository visibility doesn't affect feature availability in GHES."

‎learn-pr/github/github-enterprise-server-developer-fundamentals/7-summary.yml‎

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### YamlMime:ModuleUnit
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uid: learn.github.github-enterprise-server-developer-fundamentals.summary
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title: Summary
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metadata:
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unitType: summary
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title: Summary
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description: This content is a part of the GitHub Enterprise Server Fundamentals for Developers module.
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ms.date: 02/16/2026
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author: camihmerhar
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ms.author: camhernandez
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ms.topic: unit
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durationInMinutes: 1
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content: |
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[!include[](includes/7-summary.md)]

‎learn-pr/github/github-enterprise-server-developer-fundamentals/includes/1-github-enterprise-server-introduction.md‎

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GitHub Enterprise Server is a self-hosted deployment of GitHub, designed for organizations that require full control over their source code, metadata, and development workflows. Unlike GitHub.com, which is delivered as a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) offering, GHES runs entirely within infrastructure owned or controlled by the customer.
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This infrastructure may be on-premises, in a private cloud, or hosted with a supported hypervisor. Regardless of where it runs, GHES places security, isolation, and control at the center of the platform.
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### In this unit, you'll learn
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- What GHES is and how it differs architecturally from GitHub.com
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- Why enterprises choose self-hosted GitHub deployments
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- What "self-managed" means for developers and platform teams
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- How GHES fits into regulated and security-sensitive environments
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### Core characteristics of GHES
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GitHub Enterprise Server provides:
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- Complete data isolation
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All repositories, issues, pull requests, and metadata live entirely within your organization's environment.
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- Self-managed operations
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Your organization controls installation, upgrades, backups, monitoring, and disaster recovery.
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- Enterprise-grade security controls
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Features such as subdomain isolation, outbound web proxies, and network segmentation are built in.
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- Near feature parity with GitHub Enterprise Cloud
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Most GitHub features are available, though often delayed due to release cadence.
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> [!IMPORTANT]
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> GHES does not automatically receive updates. Each upgrade is a deliberate operational event, typically planned and executed by a platform team.
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### Why organizations use GHES
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Organizations typically choose GHES when they need:
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- Data residency guarantees
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Source code and metadata must remain within specific geographic or network boundaries.
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- Regulatory compliance
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Industries such as finance, healthcare, defense, and government often require self-hosted systems.
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- Custom security posture
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Network-level controls, outbound proxies, and strict access segmentation.
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- Operational sovereignty
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Full control over uptime, maintenance windows, and system configuration.
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Developer takeaway: GHES prioritizes control and predictability over speed of feature delivery.
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### What "Self-Managed" means for developers and platform teams
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In a self-managed GitHub Enterprise Server environment, responsibility for operating GitHub shifts from GitHub to the customer.
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- Platform team ownership
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Platform teams manage installation, upgrades, security patching, backups, monitoring, and availability of the GHES instance.
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- Developer dependencies on platform teams
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Developers rely on internal teams for enabling features, configuring integrations, and resolving infrastructure-related issues.
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- Infrastructure-driven limitations
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Some capabilities-such as GitHub-hosted runners or cloud-native services-are unavailable, requiring developers to adapt workflows.
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- Operational awareness
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Developers must be aware of system constraints, maintenance windows, and version differences that affect day-to-day work.
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### How GHES fits into regulated and security-sensitive environments
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GHES is designed for organizations with strict control, compliance, and security requirements.
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- Data isolation
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All code, metadata, and logs remain within the organization's network or approved infrastructure.
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- Regulatory alignment
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GHES supports compliance requirements common in regulated industries such as finance, healthcare, government, and defense.
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- Controlled network access
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Organizations can enforce outbound proxies, restricted connectivity, and network segmentation.
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- Auditability and traceability
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All user activity is recorded locally, supporting internal audits and compliance reporting.
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Key takeaway: GHES provides a GitHub experience that feels familiar, but it is operated and secured like an enterprise platform-updates, availability, and features are managed by the organization, not delivered continuously by GitHub.
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Now that you understand what GHES is and why organizations choose it, the next unit compares GHES with GitHub Enterprise Cloud so you can recognize which behaviors and assumptions change between platforms.

‎learn-pr/github/github-enterprise-server-developer-fundamentals/includes/2-github-enterprise-server-cloud-differences.md‎

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GitHub offers two enterprise-grade offerings: GitHub Enterprise Cloud (GHEC) and GitHub Enterprise Server (GHES). While they share many core concepts, they differ significantly in how they are operated, updated, and secured.
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Understanding these differences helps developers avoid incorrect assumptions when switching between platforms.
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### In this unit, you'll learn
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- How GHES and GHEC differ in architecture and operations
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- What features may behave differently or arrive later on GHES
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- How privacy and visibility are handled across offerings
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- What Enterprise Managed Users (EMUs) change in cloud environments
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| **Feature** | **GitHub Enterprise Cloud (GHEC)** | **GitHub Enterprise Server (GHES)** |
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| --------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------- |
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| Hosting model | SaaS offering hosted by GitHub | Self-hosted on customer infrastructure |
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| Feature delivery | Continuous feature delivery | Quarterly release cadence |
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| Operational overhead | Lower operational overhead | Infrastructure and upgrades managed by the customer |
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| Repository visibility | Public and private repositories supported | All repositories are private by default |
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| Privacy and isolation | Privacy controlled at enterprise, org, team, or repo level | Full network and security isolation |
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Both offerings are highly secure. However, customers with strict data residency requirements typically choose GHES when they require self-hosting and network isolation, or when enterprise policy limits the use of public cloud services.
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### Enterprise managed users (Cloud Only)
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When using GitHub Enterprise Cloud with Enterprise Managed Users (EMUs):
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- Users are provisioned and managed via the customer's identity provider
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- Users cannot move code from private repositories to personal accounts
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- All activity is centrally logged in GitHub audit logs
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It is important to distinguish between **GitHub Enterprise Cloud (GHEC)** and **GitHub Enterprise Cloud with Enterprise Managed Users (GHEC-EMU)**.
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GHEC-EMU does not allow interaction with GitHub.com personal accounts or any public repositories. Users are fully managed within the enterprise boundary, and code cannot be transferred outside of that managed environment.
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Standard GHEC, by contrast, allows interaction with GitHub.com, including collaboration with personal accounts and public repositories, subject to enterprise policy.
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GHES achieves similar control by default because all users and data exist only within the GHES instance, and access is governed by the organization's chosen identity and network controls.
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### Feature availability considerations
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Although GHES aims for near parity with GitHub Enterprise Cloud, some differences remain:
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- New features typically appear on GHES one or more quarters later
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- Some cloud-native features may never arrive on GHES
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- Certain integrations require outbound internet access
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From a developer perspective, the key is to treat feature availability as environment-specific. If you learned a workflow on GitHub.com, verify it is supported and enabled on your GHES instance before relying on it.
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Key takeaway: GHES and GHEC use similar GitHub concepts, but they differ in who operates the platform, how quickly features arrive, and which cloud-native capabilities are available.
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Now that you can compare the platforms at a high level, the next unit focuses on GHES release cadence and version awareness-one of the most important practical differences for developers.

‎learn-pr/github/github-enterprise-server-developer-fundamentals/includes/3-release-cadence-version-management.md‎

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One of the most important concepts for GHES developers is version awareness. Unlike GitHub.com, which updates continuously, GHES follows a structured release model.
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### In this unit, you'll learn
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- How GHES releases are scheduled and delivered
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- Why feature timing matters for developers
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- How to find version-specific documentation
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- How to avoid building workflows that depend on unavailable features
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### GHES release model
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GitHub Enterprise Server follows a quarterly release cadence (for example, versions 3.17, 3.18, and 3.19), rather than continuous delivery.
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Each release typically includes:
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- New features that have already proven stable on GitHub.com and are ready for self-hosted environments
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- Security patches and performance improvements required for enterprise-grade reliability and compliance
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- Deprecations and behavior changes that may affect APIs, workflows, or integrations
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Because upgrades are customer-managed:
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- Some organizations intentionally remain on older versions to meet validation, compliance, or change-control requirements
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- Feature availability can vary significantly between enterprises, even when they all use GHES
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### Version-specific documentation
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GitHub Enterprise Server documentation is versioned, and developers must always reference the documentation that matches their deployed version.
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For example, GHES 3.19 documentation is available at:
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- https://docs.github.com/en/[email protected]
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GitHub.com documentation often describes features that do not yet exist in your GHES environment.
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Using the wrong documentation can lead to:
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- Incorrect assumptions about available features
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- Broken workflows or unsupported configurations
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- Confusion during troubleshooting or implementation
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### Developer impact of version lag
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Features commonly affected by GHES version differences include:
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- GitHub Actions enhancements, such as new workflow syntax or job features
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- Security scanning improvements, including updates to CodeQL or secret scanning behavior
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- API changes and preview features, which may be unavailable or behave differently
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- User interface and workflow refinements that improve usability on GitHub.com first
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Practical guidance for developers:
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- Always confirm your organization's current GHES version before designing workflows or automation
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- Review the release notes for your version to understand what is supported and what is not
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- Plan solutions that work within the constraints of your deployed environment, not the latest cloud features
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Practical advice: Before designing workflows or automations, confirm your GHES version and check release notes.
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Key takeaway: GHES version awareness is a core developer skill-features, APIs, and behavior depend on what your organization has deployed, not what is available on GitHub.com today.
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Now that you understand how release cadence affects feature timing, the next unit looks at how these differences show up in day-to-day developer experience, including automation, integrations, and tooling constraints.

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