What is the difference between a GitHub App and the REST API for GitHub?

Question

What is the difference between a GitHub App and the REST API for GitHub? Why would you need a GitHub App if you can just use the REST API, without setting any environment up?

The REST API should just be a collection of endpoints that accept a POST along with access tokens. But the GitHub App requires cloning an entire repo written in Ruby, that has nothing to do with my app.

I am not looking for users to integrate with my repo, I want them to be able to connect their own repo to the application.

Answer 1

But the GitHub App requires cloning an entire repo written in Ruby, that has nothing to do with my app.

I don't believe this is true.

GitHub Apps make the process of integrating 3rd party tools into your GitHub repositories smoother.

GitHub Apps are installed by organizations and granted access to specific repositories via GitHub. For example, CodeClimate is a tool which performs checks on pull requests. Rather than granting them OAuth access to my repositories, I can install the CodeClimate GitHub App on my organization and configure which repositories they have access to. I can see all the apps installed and what their permissions are.

Note that "installing" a GitHub App does not install any code. "Installing" gives the app permissions for the service to access your organization and repos. A GitHub App is a wrapper around an existing service.

If you want users to connect their repos to your application, consider a GitHub App.

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This is covered in About apps .

An OAuth App acts as a GitHub user, whereas a GitHub App uses its own identity when installed on an organization or on repositories within an organization.

GitHub Apps are the officially recommended way to integrate with GitHub because they offer much more granular permissions to access data, but GitHub supports both OAuth Apps and GitHub Apps.

GitHub Apps are first-class actors within GitHub. A GitHub App acts on its own behalf, taking actions via the API directly using its own identity, which means you don't need to maintain a bot or service account as a separate user.

GitHub Apps can be installed directly on organizations and user accounts and granted access to specific repositories. They come with built-in webhooks and narrow, specific permissions. When you set up your GitHub App, you can select the repositories you want it to access. For example, you can set up an app called MyGitHub that writes issues in the octocat repository and only the octocat repository. To install a GitHub App, you must be an organization owner or have admin permissions in a repository.

GitHub Apps are applications that need to be hosted somewhere. For step-by-step instructions that cover servers and hosting, see "Building Your First GitHub App."

Differences between GitHub Apps and OAuth Apps has a complete breakdown.