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GitLab vs SVN (Subversion): What are the differences?
GitLab and SVN (Subversion) are both widely used version control systems. Let's explore the key differences between them:
Distributed vs. Centralized: GitLab is a distributed version control system, which means that each developer has a complete copy of the entire repository. This allows for offline work and easy branching and merging. On the other hand, SVN is a centralized version control system, which relies on a central server that stores the repository. Developers need to be connected to the server to access and update files.
Branching and Merging: GitLab provides advanced branching and merging capabilities. Developers can create branches and work on them independently, making it easy to experiment and work on multiple features simultaneously. GitLab also offers powerful merging tools that allow for easy integration of changes from different branches. SVN, on the other hand, has a more limited branching and merging model. It follows a trunk-branch approach, where only one branch is typically used for development, and merging can be more challenging and error-prone.
Performance and Scalability: GitLab is known for its performance and scalability. It is designed to handle large codebases and repositories with millions of files and commits. GitLab's distributed nature also allows for faster operations as most tasks can be done locally without relying on a central server. SVN, on the other hand, may struggle with large repositories and can be slower when dealing with a high number of files and commits.
Integration and Tooling: GitLab offers a wide range of integrations and tooling support. It has a robust ecosystem of plugins and extensions, allowing seamless integration with other development tools and services. GitLab also provides an extensive API that can be used to automate tasks and build custom integrations. SVN, on the other hand, has fewer integration options and may require additional configuration to work with other tools.
Community and Collaboration: GitLab has a thriving community and is known for its strong emphasis on collaboration. It provides built-in features for code reviews, issue tracking, and continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD). GitLab also supports collaboration workflows with features like merge requests and code discussions. SVN, on the other hand, lacks some of these collaboration features and may require additional tools or plugins to achieve similar functionality.
Hosting and Cost: GitLab offers a cloud-based SaaS version, as well as a self-hosted version that can be deployed on-premises or on a private server. The self-hosted version of GitLab is free, open-source, and provides full control over the infrastructure. SVN, on the other hand, is typically self-hosted and requires server infrastructure to set up and maintain. This can result in additional costs for hardware, maintenance, and administration.
In summary, GitLab is a modern, distributed version control system designed for collaborative software development, offering features like branching, merging, and code review. SVN, or Subversion, is a centralized version control system, which is older and lacks some of the distributed features of GitLab, making it less flexible for modern development workflows.
Do you review your Pull/Merge Request before assigning Reviewers?
If you work in a team opening a Pull Request (or Merge Request) looks appropriate. However, have you ever thought about opening a Pull/Merge Request when working by yourself? Here's a checklist of things you can review in your own:
- Pick the correct target branch
- Make Drafts explicit
- Name things properly
- Ask help for tools
- Remove the noise
- Fetch necessary data
- Understand Mergeability
- Pass the message
- Add screenshots
- Be found in the future
- Comment inline in your changes
Read the blog post for more detailed explanation for each item :D
What else do you review before asking for code review?
Using an inclusive language is crucial for fostering a diverse culture. Git has changed the naming conventions to be more language-inclusive, and so you should change. Our development tools, like GitHub and GitLab, already supports the change.
SourceLevel deals very nicely with repositories that changed the master branch to a more appropriate word. Besides, you can use the grep linter the look for exclusive terms contained in the source code.
As the inclusive language gap may happen in other aspects of our lives, have you already thought about them?
One of the magic tricks git performs is the ability to rewrite log history. You can do it in many ways, but git rebase -i is the one I most use. With this command, It’s possible to switch commits order, remove a commit, squash two or more commits, or edit, for instance.
It’s particularly useful to run it before opening a pull request. It allows developers to “clean up” the mess and organize commits before submitting to review. If you follow the practice 3 and 4, then the list of commits should look very similar to a task list. It should reveal the rationale you had, telling the story of how you end up with that final code.
Out of most of the VCS solutions out there, we found Gitlab was the most feature complete with a free community edition. Their DevSecops offering is also a very robust solution. Gitlab CI/CD was quite easy to setup and the direct integration with your VCS + CI/CD is also a bonus. Out of the box integration with major cloud providers, alerting through instant messages etc. are all extremely convenient. We push our CI/CD updates to MS Teams.
Gitlab as A LOT of features that GitHub and Azure DevOps are missing. Even if both GH and Azure are backed by Microsoft, GitLab being open source has a faster upgrade rate and the hosted by gitlab.com solution seems more appealing than anything else! Quick win: the UI is way better and the Pipeline is way easier to setup on GitLab!
At DeployPlace we use self-hosted GitLab, we have chosen GitLab as most of us are familiar with it. We are happy with all features GitLab provides, I can’t imagine our life without integrated GitLab CI. Another important feature for us is integrated code review tool, we use it every day, we use merge requests, code reviews, branching. To be honest, most of us have GitHub accounts as well, we like to contribute in open source, and we want to be a part of the tech community, but lack of solutions from GitHub in the area of CI doesn’t let us chose it for our projects.
Pros of GitLab
- Self hosted508
- Free431
- Has community edition339
- Easy setup242
- Familiar interface240
- Includes many features, including ci137
- Nice UI113
- Good integration with gitlabci84
- Simple setup57
- Has an official mobile app35
- Free private repository34
- Continuous Integration31
- Open source, great ui (like github)23
- Slack Integration18
- Full CI flow15
- Free and unlimited private git repos11
- All in one (Git, CI, Agile..)10
- User, group, and project access management is simple10
- Intuitive UI8
- Built-in CI8
- Full DevOps suite with Git6
- Both public and private Repositories6
- Integrated Docker Registry5
- So easy to use5
- CI5
- Build/pipeline definition alongside code5
- It's powerful source code management tool5
- Dockerized4
- It's fully integrated4
- On-premises4
- Security and Stable4
- Unlimited free repos & collaborators4
- Not Microsoft Owned4
- Excellent4
- Issue system4
- Mattermost Chat client4
- Great for team collaboration3
- Free private repos3
- Because is the best remote host for git repositories3
- Built-in Docker Registry3
- Opensource3
- Low maintenance cost due omnibus-deployment3
- I like the its runners and executors feature3
- Beautiful2
- Groups of groups2
- Multilingual interface2
- Powerful software planning and maintaining tools2
- Review Apps feature2
- Kubernetes integration with GitLab CI2
- One-click install through DigitalOcean2
- Powerful Continuous Integration System2
- It includes everything I need, all packaged with docker2
- The dashboard with deployed environments2
- HipChat intergration2
- Many private repo2
- Kubernetes Integration2
- Published IP list for whitelisting (gl-infra#434)2
- Wounderful2
- Native CI2
- Supports Radius/Ldap & Browser Code Edits1
Pros of SVN (Subversion)
- Easy to use20
- Simple code versioning13
- User/Access Management5
- Complicated code versionioning by Subversion3
- Free2
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Cons of GitLab
- Slow ui performance28
- Introduce breaking bugs every release9
- Insecure (no published IP list for whitelisting)6
- Built-in Docker Registry2
- Review Apps feature1
Cons of SVN (Subversion)
- Branching and tagging use tons of disk space7
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What is GitLab?
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