Gerrit Code Review vs PullRequest: What are the differences?

Introduction

In this article, we will explore the key differences between Gerrit Code Review and PullRequest, two popular code review tools used in software development.

1. Deployment and Integration: Gerrit Code Review is a self-hosted solution that requires setting up and maintaining a separate server infrastructure, making it more suitable for larger organizations with dedicated resources. PullRequest, on the other hand, is a cloud-based platform that integrates directly with existing code hosting platforms such as GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket, providing a more streamlined and easy-to-use solution for teams of all sizes.

2. User Interface and Workflow: Gerrit Code Review provides a web interface with a Gerrit-specific workflow, which includes features like code reviews, change tracking, and approvals. On the contrary, PullRequest integrates seamlessly with the familiar user interfaces and workflows of the code hosting platforms it supports, allowing developers to review code directly in their familiar environment without having to learn a new tool or workflow.

3. Cost and Pricing: Gerrit Code Review is an open-source tool that can be installed and used for free. However, as it requires dedicated server infrastructure, there are costs associated with hosting and maintaining the server. PullRequest, being a cloud-based service, has a subscription-based pricing model that varies depending on factors such as the number of repositories and the size of the team.

4. Automation and Quality Assurance: Gerrit Code Review provides extensive automation capabilities, including integration with continuous integration (CI) systems for automated testing and verification of code changes before they are merged. PullRequest also offers similar automation capabilities, but it takes a more hands-on approach by providing a dedicated team of experienced code reviewers who manually review each pull request, ensuring thorough code reviews and higher quality standards.

5. Collaboration and Feedback: Gerrit Code Review emphasizes a more asynchronous and distributed collaboration model, where code reviews can be done by multiple reviewers simultaneously. PullRequest, on the other hand, focuses on synchronous collaboration, with a dedicated team of reviewers providing feedback and engaging in real-time discussions with the developers to address any questions or concerns.

6. Access Control: Gerrit Code Review provides fine-grained access control mechanisms, allowing administrators to define detailed permissions and restrictions based on various criteria such as project, branch, or user roles. PullRequest, while offering some access control features, primarily relies on the access controls provided by the underlying code hosting platforms, making it easier to manage access permissions within the existing platform infrastructure.

In Summary, Gerrit Code Review is a self-hosted solution with a specific workflow, while PullRequest is a cloud-based platform with seamless integration into existing code hosting platforms. Gerrit offers extensive automation capabilities, while PullRequest emphasizes manual code reviews by experienced reviewers. Gerrit provides a more asynchronous collaboration model, whereas PullRequest encourages real-time discussions between reviewers and developers. Gerrit requires dedicated server infrastructure, whereas PullRequest is a subscription-based cloud service. Finally, Gerrit offers fine-grained access control, while PullRequest relies on the access controls provided by the code hosting platform.