GitHub Copilot

GitHub Copilot is an AI-powered code completion tool developed by GitHub in collaboration with OpenAI. It leverages machine learning models to assist developers by suggesting code snippets, entire functions, and even complex algorithms based on the context of the code being written.

Copilot is available:

  • In your IDE
  • In GitHub Mobile, as a chat interface
  • On the command line, through the GitHub CLI
  • On the GitHub website

Features

  • Code Suggestions: Provides real-time code suggestions as you type.
  • Function Generation: Can generate entire functions based on comments or partial code.
  • Multi-language Support: Supports a wide range of programming languages including Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Ruby, and more.
  • Context Awareness: Understands the context of the code to provide relevant suggestions.
  • Learning from Repositories: Trained on a vast dataset of public code repositories to offer high-quality code completions.

You can view the full feature list at GitHub Copilot Features.

Access

GitHub offers three different versions of Copilot. These are Individual, Business and Enterprise. Unfortunately, Imperial doesn’t have a subscription to Copilot Business or Enterprise. However, if you’re a student or teacher, you can request a free Copilot Individual license.

To apply for a free GitHub Copilot Individual license, you need to sign up for GitHub Education. To do this, please follow the instructions below. Once you’ve been approved, you can access GitHub Copilot under Profile > Copilot.

Students

Apply to GitHub Education as a student

Teachers

Apply to GitHub Education as a teacher

Further reading


Page last modified: 25 Nov 2024.