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GitHub vs JitPack: What are the differences?
Introduction: GitHub and JitPack are both popular platforms used in software development, but they differ in several aspects. This markdown code will present the key differences between GitHub and JitPack.
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Integration with Gradle/Maven:
GitHub: It supports integration with Gradle and Maven build tools, allowing developers to easily manage dependencies and automate build processes. GitHub repositories can be added as dependencies in the build.gradle or pom.xml files.
JitPack: It focuses solely on building Java libraries hosted on GitHub. Instead of using a dedicated repository manager like Maven or Gradle, JitPack directly reads the build files from GitHub repositories and builds the required dependencies on demand.
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Package Manager:
GitHub: It does not have its own package manager. Developers need to manually manage dependencies by including the required JAR files or modules in their projects.
JitPack: It acts as a package manager for Java libraries hosted on GitHub. Developers can easily include JitPack dependencies by specifying the GitHub repository and the version of the library they want to use.
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Caching and Versioning:
GitHub: It relies on Git for version control, allowing developers to track changes in the source code and manage different versions of the project. However, GitHub does not provide built-in caching mechanisms for dependencies.
JitPack: It offers caching and versioning capabilities. Once a library is built for a specific commit/tag, subsequent requests for the same commit/tag can be served from the cache, reducing build time and load on the build infrastructure.
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Continuous Integration (CI) Integration:
GitHub: It provides integration with various CI tools like Travis CI, Jenkins, and CircleCI. Developers can easily set up automated build and testing processes using these CI tools.
JitPack: It does not have built-in CI integration. Developers can integrate JitPack with their preferred CI tool by configuring the build process to include JitPack dependencies and use the JitPack REST API for triggering builds.
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Support for Other Languages:
GitHub: It supports a wide range of programming languages, making it suitable for projects written in different languages like Java, Python, JavaScript, Ruby, etc.
JitPack: It is primarily focused on Java libraries and does not officially support other programming languages. However, it may be possible to build non-Java projects using JitPack by manually configuring the build process.
In Summary, GitHub offers a more general-purpose platform with support for various programming languages, integration with popular CI tools, and a wide range of features. On the other hand, JitPack specializes in simplifying the dependency management and building of Java libraries hosted on GitHub, providing caching and versioning capabilities.
Pros of GitHub
- Open source friendly1.8K
- Easy source control1.5K
- Nice UI1.3K
- Great for team collaboration1.1K
- Easy setup867
- Issue tracker504
- Great community487
- Remote team collaboration483
- Great way to share449
- Pull request and features planning442
- Just works147
- Integrated in many tools132
- Free Public Repos122
- Github Gists116
- Github pages113
- Easy to find repos83
- Open source62
- Easy to find projects60
- It's free60
- Network effect56
- Extensive API49
- Organizations43
- Branching42
- Developer Profiles34
- Git Powered Wikis32
- Great for collaboration30
- It's fun24
- Clean interface and good integrations23
- Community SDK involvement22
- Learn from others source code20
- Because: Git16
- It integrates directly with Azure14
- Standard in Open Source collab10
- Newsfeed10
- Fast8
- Beautiful user experience8
- It integrates directly with Hipchat8
- Easy to discover new code libraries7
- It's awesome6
- Smooth integration6
- Cloud SCM6
- Nice API6
- Graphs6
- Integrations6
- Hands down best online Git service available5
- Reliable5
- Quick Onboarding5
- CI Integration5
- Remarkable uptime5
- Security options4
- Loved by developers4
- Uses GIT4
- Free HTML hosting4
- Easy to use and collaborate with others4
- Version Control4
- Simple but powerful4
- Unlimited Public Repos at no cost4
- Nice to use3
- IAM3
- Ci3
- Easy deployment via SSH3
- Free private repos2
- Good tools support2
- All in one development service2
- Never dethroned2
- Easy source control and everything is backed up2
- Issues tracker2
- Self Hosted2
- IAM integration2
- Very Easy to Use2
- Easy to use2
- Leads the copycats2
- Free HTML hostings2
- Easy and efficient maintainance of the projects2
- Beautiful2
- Dasf1
- Profound1
Pros of JitPack
- Because uploading to maven central is a ball ache12
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Cons of GitHub
- Owned by micrcosoft55
- Expensive for lone developers that want private repos38
- Relatively slow product/feature release cadence15
- API scoping could be better10
- Only 3 collaborators for private repos9
- Limited featureset for issue management4
- Does not have a graph for showing history like git lens3
- GitHub Packages does not support SNAPSHOT versions2
- No multilingual interface1
- Takes a long time to commit1
- Expensive1