Atlassian Stash vs Bitbucket: What are the differences?

Introduction:

Atlassian Stash and Bitbucket are both version control repositories that are widely used in software development projects. They offer similar functionalities but have several key differences that set them apart.

1. Hosting options: One of the key differences between Atlassian Stash and Bitbucket is the hosting options they offer. Stash can only be hosted on-premises, meaning it requires a dedicated server within the organization's infrastructure. On the other hand, Bitbucket offers both on-premises and cloud-based hosting options, providing more flexibility for users.

2. Scalability: Scalability is another significant difference between Stash and Bitbucket. Stash is known for its limited scalability as it relies on the hardware resources available on the on-premises server. In contrast, Bitbucket is designed to scale effortlessly in the cloud, allowing teams to handle increasing workloads and accommodate rapid growth.

3. Integration with Atlassian products: As both Stash and Bitbucket are developed by Atlassian, they integrate seamlessly with other Atlassian products. However, Bitbucket offers deeper integrations with a broader range of Atlassian tools, such as Jira, Bamboo, and Confluence. This integration allows for better visibility, collaboration, and traceability across the development lifecycle.

4. Pricing models: Pricing is an essential consideration for organizations when choosing between Stash and Bitbucket. Stash follows a traditional perpetual licensing model, where users pay upfront for the software licenses. In contrast, Bitbucket has a subscription-based pricing model, which allows users to pay on a monthly or yearly basis. This difference in pricing models allows organizations to choose the option that suits their budget and scalability requirements.

5. Code review capabilities: Both Stash and Bitbucket offer code review functionality, but there are some differences in their approach. Stash provides a more traditional code review process, where reviewers need to approve or reject changesets. Bitbucket, on the other hand, offers a more collaborative and flexible code review process, allowing reviewers to provide inline comments and suggestions directly on the code.

6. Third-party integrations: While both Stash and Bitbucket support integrations with various third-party tools, Bitbucket has a more extensive ecosystem of integrations. Bitbucket Marketplace offers a wide range of plugins and extensions that users can utilize to enhance their development workflow. Stash, although it supports some third-party integrations, has a more limited selection.

In summary, the key differences between Atlassian Stash and Bitbucket lie in hosting options, scalability, integration with Atlassian products, pricing models, code review capabilities, and third-party integrations. Bitbucket offers more flexibility, scalability, and extensive integrations, making it a preferred choice for many organizations.