Version control is the backbone of any software development pipeline, enabling multiple users to simultaneously develop the same code base. It also acts as a single source of truth with a perfectly kept history of all the codebase changes.
There are different types of version control mechanisms in the market; the primary ones are Mercurial and Git. While both are solid version control methods, Git has gained wider adaptation in the industry due to its extensive feature set and configuration options. These configuration options enable Git to be easily integrated into projects at any scale.
One of the most important decisions any software development team needs to undertake is choosing a proper version control platform. This is a decision that should be finalized before starting the development, as migrating to a new platform during an active development can be a complex and time-consuming process. It will also negatively impact the complete development process.
In this post, we will discuss how to go about selecting a git-based version control platform and the current leading version control platforms.
(This article is part of our DevOps Guide. Use the right-hand menu to navigate.)
Choosing a version control platform
You have to consider multiple factors when selecting a version control platform. The primary factor is the requirements of the development team, which trumps all the other factors.
Even if the platform is the industry standard, if it does not satisfy particular requirements, it is always better to go with a product that is aligned with the user requirements.
After you’ve considered the user requirements, you can begin to consider the following factors.
Additional features/integrations
Version control platforms have evolved beyond simple source control functionality and offer a wide range of features from robust collaboration features to automation and even complete build pipelines. These extra features will become even more valuable with most organizations moving to DevOps methods.
Pricing
As with any organization, CapEx or OpEx directly impacts their bottom line. Therefore, pricing plays a major role in the final decision when introducing a new platform or tool.
If your organization is unable to afford a particular platform, that platform will be out of the selection process, no matter its features.
User experience/ease of use
This comes down to the usability of the platform, from configurations and setup process to flexibility offered when creating different workflows will be factors that determine the user experience of the platform. Even if a platform offers an excellent feature set, if it comes with complex configuration and usage requirements, users will prefer to go with a simpler platform.
Additionally, if the development team has previous experience in a particular tool, it will be a good idea to give preference to that tool as it will improve the platform adoption experience with fewer complications.
Support/community
All paid options come with some kind of official support with different payment options offering different levels of support. On the other hand, free services are limited to community-based support. As a general rule, the higher the cost, the greater the support will be.
User community plays an important part as they can be a wealth of knowledge regardless of if the tool is paid or free. Platform maturity also plays a vital role here as mature platforms will have a larger user base leading to greater community-based resources.
Summary
At their core, GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, and Azure DevOps are comparable when it comes to core version controlling functionality. Their true differentiating factors are the additional features and integrations offered by each platform that aid in the software development life cycle.
In the next sections, we will dive into each of these platforms to get a better understanding of their feature set.
