← Back to Blog

How Can I Run Notebooks of a Github Project in Google Colab

As a software engineer you may have come across Github projects with interesting machine learning models or data analysis notebooks that you would like to run and experiment with However running these notebooks locally on your machine may not always be the best option due to hardware limitations or software dependencies Luckily Google Colab provides a solution to this problem In this blog post we will explore how to run notebooks of a Github project in Google Colab
By Saturn Cloud | | Miscellaneous | Updated:

How to Run GitHub Project Notebooks in Google Colab

Are you a software engineer interested in trying out machine learning models and data analysis notebooks from GitHub projects? Running them locally may not always be the best option due to hardware or software constraints. Fortunately, Google Colab offers a solution. In this post, we’ll guide you through running GitHub project notebooks in Google Colab.

Google Colab: A Quick Overview

Google Colab, or Google Colaboratory, is a cloud-based platform for writing and running Jupyter notebooks using Google’s cloud resources. It provides free access to CPUs, GPUs, and TPUs, making it ideal for resource-intensive tasks like machine learning and data analysis.

Advantages of Using Google Colab

Why should you consider running notebooks in Google Colab?

  1. Powerful Hardware: Colab offers access to robust hardware resources, enabling you to run demanding models that may not be feasible on your local machine.
  2. Collaboration: It allows for easy sharing of your notebooks with others, making it an excellent tool for collaboration.
  3. Language Support: Colab supports multiple programming languages, including Python, R, and Julia, making it a versatile platform for running notebooks.

How to Run GitHub Project Notebooks in Google Colab

Follow these simple steps:

Start by copying the link to the GitHub repository containing the notebook you want to run. Visit the GitHub repository, click the green “Code” button, and select “Copy” to copy the repository link.

Step 2: Access Google Colab

Open Google Colab in your web browser at colab.research.google.com. Sign in to your Google account if you’re not already logged in.

Step 3: Connect to the GitHub Repository

In the Colab interface, click “GitHub,” enter the GitHub URL, and hit the search icon.

Github googlecolab notebook

Step 4: Open the Notebook

Select the repository, the branch and the Jupyter notebook you want to open.

Step 5: Run the Notebook

With the notebook directory open, you can run the notebook cells just as you would in a local Jupyter notebook.

Google Colab result

Conclusion

Running GitHub project notebooks in Google Colab is a straightforward and efficient way to experiment with machine learning models and data analysis notebooks. By following these steps, you can easily clone a GitHub repository and run its notebooks in Google Colab. This provides you access to powerful computing resources and a collaborative platform for sharing your work.

About Saturn Cloud

Saturn Cloud is your all-in-one solution for data science & ML development, deployment, and data pipelines in the cloud. Spin up a notebook with 4TB of RAM, add a GPU, connect to a distributed cluster of workers, and more. Request a demo today to learn more.

Start for free