Git - Third-Party Hosting Options



We have the option to use third-party hosting services if we find that dealing with our own Git server is too difficult.

Numerous hosting choices are available, each with unique features, such as collaboration tools, effective issue tracking, continuous integration, and much more.

But first we must understand when we need a third party hosting service. Some of the pointers are explained below:

  • Usability − Maintaining an infrastructure and complex setup, what makes one look for an easier and simpler option. The third-party hosting platforms are easy to use and maintain.

  • Collaboration − These platforms provide effective mediums and tools for code review, issue tracking, and project management, making them a great choice for collaborative working environment.

  • Scalability − These platforms can easily scale up with the increasing size of your team. Thus providing additional resources, integrations, and security measures needed.

  • CI/CD Integration − These third-party tools/platforms have in-built continuous integration and continuous delivery tools (CI/CD). It helps in streamlining the process of testing, building, and developing code.

Viable Third-Party Hosted Git Options

Some of the popular third-party host Git options are as follows:

GitHub

One of the most popular platforms is GitHub. Features such as an intuitive web interface, code review tools, built-in CI/CD tools, pull requests, wikis, etc. are provided by the GitHub.

URLhttps://github.com

Key Features

  • Public and private repositories are available.

  • Collaboration features such as code review, pull requests, and wikis are provided by GitHub.

  • GitHub actions for CI/CD.

  • Issue tracking and project boards are integrated.

GitLab

A feature-rich Git hosting platform, with continuous focus on DevOps and CI/CD. It has both the offers, hosted (GitLab.com) and self-hosted (GitLab CE/EE) options.

URLhttps://gitlab.com

Key Features

  • Full CI/CD integration is available.

  • Effective issue tracking and project management facility.

  • Free public and private repositories to refer to.

  • Built-in Docker registry alongwith Kubernetes integration.

  • Code review, merge requests, and wiki features are available.

BitBucket (by Atlassian)

It is Atlassian's Git repository hosting service, which works closely with Atlassian tools such as Jira and Confluence. The teams that are already using these products, benefit from this platform.

URLhttps://bitbucket.org

Key Features

  • Free public and private repositories to refer to.

  • Built-in CI/CD with BitBucket pipelines.

  • Issue tracking and project management using the integration with Jira.

  • Code review and collaboration using pull requests and inline comments.

  • It is free for small teams (upto 5 users it is free).

SourceForge

It is a platform for hosting open-source projects. It supports Git repositiories and also provides some basic project management tools, though not as popular as other Git hosting options.

URLhttps://sourceforge.net

Key Features

  • Provides public and private repositories to refer to.

  • Basic project management tools or features are available.

  • Bug tracking, support forums, and wiki support is provided.

  • Provides free hosting for open-source projects.

Gitea

It is an open-source and lightweight Git service, which is easy to deploy. Many cloud providers such as DigitalOcean and Linode offer one-click installations of Gitea. This helps you to host your own Git platform in the cloud.

URLhttps://gitea.io

Key Features

  • Open-source and lightweight Git service.

  • Can be deployed on various cloud platforms.

  • Provides full web interface for management of repositories and code review.

  • In terms of user experience, it is very similar to GitHub.

  • Gives more control over hosting.

Every platform has its key strengths and features, which one to choose, will depend on team's requirements, such as integration with other tools, cost, usability, feature set, etc.

Advertisements