Today we will look at Git vs GitHub vs GitLab. Well, Git is not a new term for techies to hear, it is one of the most essential tools in software development. Although some people just starting out don’t completely understand the meaning of Git or the differences between different services like GitHub and GitLab, it may seem confusing at first, but Git, GitHub, and GitLab don’t really pose any problems once you get started. you understood. understand what they are and how they work.
In this article, we will discuss the meaning of these three elements, learn the basic ideology behind them, and understand the differences that make them different.
Git – Version control system
Git, which is a distributed version control system or VCS, is used by organizations as well as individuals to track their code. Team members can collaborate on code and coordinate with other programmers for software development. It excels at tracking code changes, allowing multiple developers to work on the same project simultaneously and enabling seamless code merging. Here are some key things to know about Git:
- Local version control: Git runs entirely on your local machine, this way you will have your own repositories and changes can be tracked without the need for a centralized server.
- Distributed development: Git facilitates distributed development, making it an ideal choice for open source projects. You can work offline, commit changes, and then sync with remote repositories when you have an Internet connection.
- Flexibility: Git is not tied to a specific hosting service, making it a versatile choice for version control.
If at any point things go wrong, you can easily undo your changes to return to the previous sequence of your code. It really helps in making the software development process smooth. Unlike other version control systems, Git allows you to work on different branches and merge them if necessary. Git can be a good way to debug your projects because you can track different versions when you encounter a bug.
GitHub
GitHub is a cloud-based platform for software development where developers around the world store their code in terms of repositories and push changes, test and collaborate together. GitHub is built on top of git, so it uses git as a VCS and provides users with a set of features to host their code on the cloud and track issues, pull requests, etc.
Additionally, GitHub has a marketplace where you can find a wide range of apps and tools to improve your development workflow. You can also work with others on their project because GitHub consists of public repositories, so you can contribute to other projects. This makes GitHub a sort of social platform for tech professionals.
On GitHub, you can do the following:
- Fork repositories through which you can copy other people’s repositories and modify them with new lines of code.
- Create a Pull Request that helps the repository owner merge your features into their code.
- Clone and check out the repository to your local computer for code changes.
- Contribute to open source and gain credibility.
Note that GitHub doesn’t have built-in CI/CD integration, you have to take care of that on your end. If you’re a student or looking for a job, a decent GitHub profile and open source contribution can add a huge edge to your CV.
GitLab
GitLab is an end-to-end DevOps platform that combines version control (git) with continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) capabilities. GitLab is often a great choice for organizations looking for an integrated approach to software development. Just like GitHub, GitLab also allows you to contribute and collaborate using git’s version control capabilities.
Although GitHub is very popular among developers and GitLab is less mature than GitHub, this does not negate the fact that GitLab offers DevOps and CI/CD features that GitHub does not. It depends on the organizations what type of platform suits them best.
Well, GitLab can be self-hosted on your own infrastructure, providing full control over your data and security. A cloud-hosted version is also available for added convenience. It offers a single application for the entire DevOps lifecycle, including project planning, source code management, monitoring, and more.
Git vs. GitHub vs. GitLab
Appearance | Git | GitHub | GitLab |
---|---|---|---|
Type | Version control | Git hosting | DevOps Platform |
Local/remote operation | Local | Remote | Remote |
Distributed development | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Collaborative features | Limit | Extensive | Extensive |
CI/CD integration | Limit | Third party | Integrated |
Self-hosting | No | No | Yes (available) |
Project management | Basic | Advance | Advance |
Conclusion
In this article, we looked at the main differences between Git, GitHub and GitLab. So now you may have a good understanding of their differences, let’s take a look at them last time. Git is a version control system, software that allows developers to track changes to their code, while GitHub is a web platform where users can host their code and collaborate with other developers, and GitLab is an end-to-end DevOps platform. with built-in CI/CD features that make it different from GitHub, but remember that GitHub and GitLab are built on top of Git, which means they use Git as the underlying technology to track code changes.