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  1. Stackups
  2. DevOps
  3. Build Automation
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  5. Fork vs Visual Studio Team Services

Fork vs Visual Studio Team Services

OverviewDecisionsComparisonAlternatives

Overview

Azure DevOps
Azure DevOps
Stacks2.7K
Followers2.9K
Votes249
Fork
Fork
Stacks197
Followers258
Votes126

Fork vs Visual Studio Team Services: What are the differences?

Introduction

In this article, we will compare the key differences between Fork and Visual Studio Team Services (VSTS), two popular tools for code management and collaboration.

  1. Workflow and Feature Set: Fork is an open-source Git client that provides a simple and intuitive interface for working with Git repositories. It focuses on providing a lightweight and responsive user experience, making it suitable for individual developers or small teams. On the other hand, VSTS is a comprehensive solution that offers a wide range of features including version control, project management, continuous integration, and deployment. It is designed to support large development teams and complex projects.

  2. Hosting and Deployment: Fork relies on external hosting platforms like GitHub or GitLab for repository management and hosting. Developers using Fork can choose their preferred hosting service, leveraging its features and scalability. In contrast, VSTS provides an all-in-one hosting and deployment solution. It offers a built-in Git repository hosting and supports automatic deployment and integration with Azure services.

  3. Collaboration and Team Management: Fork offers basic collaboration features such as code reviews, pull requests, and issue tracking. However, it lacks some advanced features for team management and collaboration found in VSTS. VSTS provides features like team dashboards, customizable work item tracking, and advanced permission settings, allowing teams to efficiently manage and collaborate on projects.

  4. Build and Release Pipelines: VSTS offers robust capabilities for building and releasing software applications. It includes a powerful visual editor for defining build and release pipelines, enabling teams to automate their build, test, and release processes. Fork, on the other hand, does not have built-in support for build and release pipelines.

  5. Integration with Microsoft Ecosystem: As a Microsoft product, VSTS integrates seamlessly with other Microsoft tools and services. It provides tight integration with Visual Studio IDE, Azure DevOps, and Azure services, enhancing developer productivity. Fork, being an open-source tool, does not have the same level of integration with Microsoft's ecosystem.

  6. Pricing and Licensing: Fork is free and open-source, making it accessible to developers and teams of any size. VSTS, however, offers different pricing tiers depending on the chosen plan and the number of users. It provides flexible licensing options to accommodate different organization needs.

In summary, Fork is a lightweight and intuitive Git client suitable for individual developers or small teams, while VSTS is a comprehensive solution for large development teams with advanced features like team management, build/release pipelines, and integration with Microsoft tools and services.

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Advice on Azure DevOps, Fork

Stefan
Stefan

Jan 19, 2020

Decided

I explored many Git Desktop tools for the Mac and my final decision was to use Fork. What I love about for that it contains three features, I like about a Git Client tool.

It allows

  • to handle day to day git operations (least important for me as I am cli junkie)
  • it helps to investigate the history
  • most important of all, it has a repo manager which many other tools are missing.
198k views198k
Comments

Detailed Comparison

Azure DevOps
Azure DevOps
Fork
Fork

Azure DevOps provides unlimited private Git hosting, cloud build for continuous integration, agile planning, and release management for continuous delivery to the cloud and on-premises. Includes broad IDE support.

Manage your repositories without leaving the application. Organize the repositores into categories. Fork's Diff Viewer provides a clear view to spot the changes in your source code quickly.

Agile Tools: kanban boards, backlogs, scrum boards; Reporting: dashboards, widgets, Power BI; Git: free private repositories, pull requests; Continuous Integration: automated builds and diagnostics; Cloud build agents: cross-platform agents for Windows, Mac and Linux; Testing Tools: unit testing, load testing, manual, exploratory and user acceptance testing; Release Management: automate deployments, gated approval workflows, audit trails; Marketplace: extensions for the Visual Studio family of products; Package Management: host npm and NuGet packages; IDE Support: Eclipse, IntelliJ, Xcode and Visual Studio; Integration: link code and releases to work items, builds, and test results
-
Statistics
Stacks
2.7K
Stacks
197
Followers
2.9K
Followers
258
Votes
249
Votes
126
Pros & Cons
Pros
  • 56
    Complete and powerful
  • 32
    Huge extension ecosystem
  • 27
    Azure integration
  • 26
    Flexible and powerful
  • 26
    One Stop Shop For Build server, Project Mgt, CDCI
Cons
  • 8
    Still dependant on C# for agents
  • 5
    Many in devops disregard MS altogether
  • 5
    Half Baked
  • 4
    Not a requirements management tool
  • 4
    Jack of all trades, master of none
Pros
  • 19
    One of the easiest and fastest git GUIs
  • 14
    Nice UX
  • 13
    Fast, Great support, Does-it-all, blazing fast
  • 13
    Does the job way better than others
  • 11
    Dark theme
Cons
  • 2
    Poorly written license
  • 1
    Merges that require interactive user decision
  • 1
    Stability is fragile when looking deeply into history
Integrations
GitHub
GitHub
Visual Studio
Visual Studio
Docker
Docker
Slack
Slack
Trello
Trello
Git
Git
IntelliJ IDEA
IntelliJ IDEA
Jenkins
Jenkins
Octopus Deploy
Octopus Deploy
Eclipse
Eclipse
Git
Git

What are some alternatives to Azure DevOps, Fork?

Trello

Trello

Trello is a collaboration tool that organizes your projects into boards. In one glance, Trello tells you what's being worked on, who's working on what, and where something is in a process.

SourceTree

SourceTree

Use the full capability of Git and Mercurial in the SourceTree desktop app. Manage all your repositories, hosted or local, through SourceTree's simple interface.

Asana

Asana

Asana is the easiest way for teams to track their work. From tasks and projects to conversations and dashboards, Asana enables teams to move work from start to finish--and get results. Available at asana.com and on iOS & Android.

GitKraken

GitKraken

The downright luxurious Git client for Windows, Mac and Linux. Cross-platform, 100% standalone, and free.

Basecamp

Basecamp

Basecamp is a project management and group collaboration tool. The tool includes features for schedules, tasks, files, and messages.

Confluence

Confluence

Capture the knowledge that's too often lost in email inboxes and shared network drives in Confluence instead – where it's easy to find, use, and update.

Redmine

Redmine

Redmine is a flexible project management web application. Written using the Ruby on Rails framework, it is cross-platform and cross-database.

Taskulu

Taskulu

Taskulu is a collaborative project planning service. It combines task management, real-time chat and time tracking into a single interface.

Notion

Notion

A new tool that blends your everyday work apps into one. It's a unified and collaborative workspace for you and your team

Tower

Tower

Use all of Git's powerful feature set - in a GUI that makes you more productive.

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