When it comes to managing a software development project in a digital workplace, which of the following – GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket – is the superior platform?
To enhance productivity and mitigate the likelihood of errors, it is imperative to take advantage of repository management services. Without a repository manager that facilitates version control, remote work of high quality is unattainable. This is particularly crucial for distributed teams, as it empowers them to review, modify, merge code, and monitor changes and comments. Additionally, a range of other practical tools – such as pull requests, two-factor authentication, repository cloning and forking, and issue tracking – are encompassed.
Amongst the most prevalent repository management services are GitHub, GitLab and Bitbucket. This article evaluates the similarities and distinctions of these three services, and highlights their significance in driving successful software development.
Could you provide an explanation of what Git entails?
As noted in its official description, Git is a potent and free distributed version control system that empowers users to effectively and rapidly manage projects of all scales.
Historically, developers would transfer their scripts to shared servers without generating a local copy. This approach resulted in a lack of transparency surrounding changes made to their code, as well as an inability to collaborate with others.
Initially launched in 2005, Git is a distributed version control technology that enables the monitoring of modifications made to computer files and source code over time. This technology empowers several teams to concurrently develop multiple branches, and facilitates live cooperation between developers situated in disparate geographical regions.
- Concisely speaking, Git encompasses the following crucial features:
- Replaying the past
- An open-source software that is free and easily accessible
- Non-linear, collaborative expansion
- Expanding without delays
- Scalable applications
- Enhanced forking
If your firm’s development team is involved in software development, it is recommended that they consider utilizing Git-based services. To that end, we will examine the top three options to determine the most fitting choice for your organization.
Comparing and Contrasting the Features and Functionalities of Github, Gitlab, and Bitbucket
GitHub
Since its inception in 2008, GitHub has become the leading code hosting service worldwide. It equips developers with the ability to oversee and manage modifications made to scripts as well as other exceptional features like cloning code, pull requests and repository forking. Moreover, its wiki functionality makes it the most efficient platform to produce and exchange content in several text formats. Software engineers can exploit GitHub to stock and collaborate on files in centralized and distributed repositories, allowing for real-time updates from other team members.
Additional Features of GitHub:
- Tracking system to find and report codebase-related issues to team members.
- Issue boards compatible with Kanban and Scrum methodologies for organizing work.
- The team can track its workflow using epics.
- Guidelines for managing the work of a distributed team.
- Collaborators and I estimated the time it would take to resolve each problem and deliberated on the specifics.
- Merged versions, GitHub issues, and pull requests should all be synchronized.
- Desktop applications for both Windows and Mac and a mobile app for Android are available.
- Support approximately two hundred different programming languages.
- Collaboration tools like Asana, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, and Code Climate are all compatible with GitHub.
- (Syntax highlighting is absent in BitBucket.)
- Flexible open-source communities
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How to Use GitHub on Your Computer
The platform’s user interface includes the following features:
- Group activity tagged changes: We recommend adding new writers to the project on their workstations. The desktop version of GitHub is an ideal platform for collaborative project work, making pair programming much easier.
- Check the status of your continuous integration builds and pull requests by examining branches with pending changes. You can identify active Pull Requests for repositories and monitor them in the same way as a local branch.
- The new GitHub Desktop now supports syntax highlighting for various programming languages in the diff viewer.
GitLab
GitLab became incredibly popular with the widespread adoption of CI/CD and DevOps.
Launched in 2023, GitLab is widely considered to be the leading alternative to current repository management software. In contrast to GitHub, GitLab provides both a free private repository and a free, open-source GitLab Community Edition.
Additional Features in GitLab:
- With audit events, compliance management, and subgroups, it is possible to restrict membership and monitor the compliance status of all members.
- With prebuilt checklists, preformatted issue descriptions, and management windows, you can easily track all issues that arise in your code.
- Through file sharing, discussion threads, version control, and labelling capabilities, teams can remain organized and make progress towards their objectives.
- Source code management that includes forking, merging, file locking, and reporting.
- Our range of free CI technologies includes parent-child pipelines, horizontal autoscaling, HTML artifact display, and protected variable support, all continuously integrated.
- Package processing in multiple languages, such as PHP, Node.js, Java, and more.
- Security tests and scans.
- Assembly and DevOps services.
GitLab User Interface
Source: GitLab
GitLab offers an engaging UI and a wide range of free DevOps and CI/CD tools. The dashboard provides access to the following data:
- The endeavour of looking for intricate code snippets has become effortless with the introduction of new search syntax options that filter by filename, file path, and file extension. This enables developers to swiftly and precisely find particular code elements.
- Generating reports on the security of both containers and the DAST pipeline at every stage of development is crucial. Although it’s impossible to predict when any vulnerabilities may appear, we must be ready for them. This feature helps developers comprehend the present security status of a specific branch.
- A redesign of the pipeline’s informational widget and merge request widget has been implemented as GitLab heavily relies on merge requests and the merge request widget.
- GitLab’s “Group” navigation menu allows for easy switching between users without disrupting ongoing tasks.
- Examine the merge request details in the online IDE. The description of the merge request records the history of each modification.
- The Development panel in JIRA is accessible to view and handle issues, pull requests, and branches in GitLab. Linking a JIRA instance to a GitLab organization is necessary to complete the integration process.
Bitbucket
Initially, BitBucket was created as a Mercurial version control system. Recently, it has incorporated Git support, allowing it to be used with the tools in the Atlassian suite. This allows unlimited code repositories to be hosted both publicly and privately. Users can create as many repositories as they require for free if they have less than five users. This feature allows developers to track Jira-related actions, measure productivity, and collaborate with shared code bases.
Other Notable BitBucket Features:
- The Pipelines CI/CD service displays and monitors the entire product development life cycle.
- Permission to branch out into a different repository with limited access.
- Integration with various third-party applications, such as Slack, Bamboo, Jenkins, HipChat, and Crucible.
- Bit Beaker is available for download on Android devices and is also compatible with Macs.
- Generating code snippets is made easy with BitBucket Snippets.
- Archiving and collaborative editing (wiki); (unchanged)
- Search bar for codebase navigation.
- Several Atlassian Extensions.
Mapping Internet Protocol (IP) Addresses to BitBucket
BitBucket Source Code
- Code reviews are a crucial element in developing top-quality software. The provided dashboard simplifies the approval of pull requests, enables the creation of checklists, and facilitates private discussions.
- With Bitbucket Pipelines and Deployments, you can establish integrated CI/CD that enables you to build, test, and develop for frequent deployments.
- Incorporate security into the development process from the beginning: Real-time detection of security flaws in your code, scripts, and containers, as well as identification of remedies and post-deployment risk monitoring, are all possible.
2023: A Crucial Year for Comparing the Three Major Version Control Systems – Github, Gitlab, and Bitbucket
As per Google Trends data, the competition between GitHub, GitLab, and BitBucket persists.
The chart illustrates that GitHub is the most prevalent platform, whereas GitLab’s user base has been steadily growing. In contrast, BitBucket has the fewest users.
- With over 40 million users, GitHub is the foremost platform for private and open-source collaboration. Git and GitHub, despite their similar names, are easy to confuse. To clarify, Git is a framework that enables real-time tracking and management of code changes, while GitHub is a software solution that uses Git to provide secure hosting services and other benefits. The platform hosts popular open-source projects like Flutter, Visual Studio Code, Azure Documentation, Tensor Flow, and Kubernetes, with Microsoft/vscode leading the pack with over 19,100 contributors.
- GitLab’s case studies showcase Drupal, Ticketmaster, and BI Worldwide as enterprises that utilize the platform for development project management. GitLab places a higher value on scientific research and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as opposed to larger corporations. Although there is no available data to confirm, an estimated 200,000 to 500,000 businesses and developers are thought to use this service.
- Jira has played a critical role in BitBucket’s increasing success. While the open-source community using it remains relatively small, it is still utilized by prestigious companies such as Slack, Accenture, Figma, and Paypal. In terms of BitBucket’s user base, users outside of the Atlassian ecosystem and open-source groups make up a minority. The platform recently reported having 10 million programmers using it.
Cost Comparison: Github, Gitlab, and Bitbucket
GitHub’s features and functionalities are associated with a cost that may be prohibitive for some businesses. Depending on company size and resources, GitLab and Bitbucket may be more favorable options.
Let’s take a look at the sign-up process for each of them:
Bitbucket’s build minutes are only available for Bitbucket Pipelines, while its file storage is dedicated to Git’s Large File Storage and is available to all users.
The chart displays the different range of services available and their associated features. For teams with multiple remote engineers, Bitbucket provides the most economical option. GitLab is well-suited for small teams since mid-sized projects do not have a minimum user requirement. For projects requiring a single remote developer, GitLab is the most budget-friendly alternative.
Remote teams store most of their data in the cloud. Consequently, the costs listed pertain to cloud-hosted repositories, rather than server-hosted repositories.
Visit the websites of GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket to learn about the features and pricing tiers available, including options for cloud and self-hosting.
Assessment of Collaboration Tools for Remote Teams: Github, Gitlab, and Bitbucket
After reading this overview of each repository management service, we can determine which one would be best suited for your project.
Let’s begin by discussing Bitbucket. Unless a high level of integration is required, GitHub or GitLab are typically more preferable options than Atlassian solutions. Both GitLab and Bitbucket provide competitive pricing, albeit the user interface of Bitbucket has garnered mixed feedback. While some users have praised its capability to manage their professional and personal tasks in one location, others have found it challenging to grasp the system.
Bitbucket’s main advantage lies in its ability to simplify project management. The integration of repository files with Jira can save time for business owners and project managers by utilizing Jira’s reporting and collaborative features.
Secondly, GitHub is the indisputable leader in this realm. The majority of programmers are likely well-versed in it. GitHub provides a plethora of features, including Gists (for sharing code snippets), browser-based file editing, robust searching, and LDAP and JIRA integration. This makes it an ideal option for distributed teams. Moreover, it offers syntax highlighting, which is not available in feature-rich BitBucket.
It is worth considering GitLab as a viable alternative to GitHub. In contrast, Bitbucket only allows for up to five members and does not impose charges for private repositories. Unlike these two, GitLab is open-source and completely free. If a team comprises 100 members and a thousand repositories, then GitLab and Digital Ocean would be the best option. Furthermore, because of its open-source nature, other developers have created numerous integrations and features, thereby reducing the time required for developing new features. Finally, any hardware, operating system, and configuration manager can be deployed on a server, whether it’s in the cloud, a VM, or the server itself.
Hence,
Bitbucket is a superb option for managing remote teams, particularly for those familiar with Atlassian’s product range. GitHub is an excellent choice for those who prefer a well-known platform. Alternatively, GitLab provides top-tier features at competitive prices, making it an ideal option for start-ups and organizations with limited budgets.
Concluding Thoughts
When making a decision, it is crucial to consider not only the platform and cost but also the team’s organizational structure. Adapting to new technologies can improve the development team’s efficiency and attentiveness, so it is advisable to consult with those who will be utilizing them in the project before making a final decision.
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