GitLab vs Mercurial: What are the differences?

Introduction

GitLab and Mercurial are both version control systems that enable teams to collaborate on software development projects. While they serve a similar purpose, there are several key differences between the two.

1. Language and Protocols: GitLab is primarily written in Ruby and uses Git as its underlying version control system. It supports protocols such as HTTP, SSH, and GitLab's own proprietary protocol. On the other hand, Mercurial is written in Python and uses Mercurial as its underlying version control system. It supports protocols like HTTP, SSH, and its own wire protocol.

2. Hosting and Self-hosting: GitLab offers both a cloud-hosted service and a self-hosted option. The cloud-hosted service is provided by GitLab itself, offering a convenient setup for teams that don't want to manage infrastructure. The self-hosted option allows organizations to host GitLab on their own servers, giving them more control over their data and environment. In contrast, Mercurial does not provide a cloud-hosted service like GitLab but allows for self-hosting of repositories.

3. Branching and Merging: GitLab offers powerful branching and merging capabilities that allow teams to work on different features or bug fixes simultaneously. Its fast and lightweight branching model makes it easy to create, merge, and manage branches. Mercurial also supports branching and merging, but its branching model is more centralized and heavier compared to GitLab's.

4. Issue Tracking: GitLab comes with built-in issue tracking functionality, allowing teams to create, assign, and track issues directly within the platform. This integrated approach simplifies project management and improves collaboration among team members. In contrast, Mercurial does not have built-in issue tracking, so teams using Mercurial might need to rely on external tools or plugins for issue tracking.

5. Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD): GitLab has a comprehensive built-in CI/CD system that enables teams to automate the testing, building, and deployment of their software. It provides a pipeline-based approach, allowing teams to define, run, and monitor their CI/CD processes in an intuitive way. Mercurial, on the other hand, does not have native CI/CD capabilities, so teams using Mercurial might need to rely on third-party tools or plugins for this functionality.

6. Community and Ecosystem: GitLab has a large and vibrant community, with a wide range of plugins, extensions, and integrations available to enhance its functionality. It also offers a marketplace where users can find and share these community-contributed tools and extensions. Mercurial, while still actively maintained, has a smaller community compared to GitLab, which means there might be fewer third-party tools and integrations available.

In summary, GitLab offers a more comprehensive and integrated solution for software development compared to Mercurial. It provides better support for branching and merging, built-in issue tracking, CI/CD capabilities, and a larger community ecosystem. Mercurial, on the other hand, is simpler and more lightweight, making it a good choice for teams looking for a more straightforward version control system.