What git server should I use?

July 15, 2014 [git, Tech]

At work we are considering whether we can use Git for our source control. I am a big fan of Git, so I'd like to see this happen.

We only need to work against a central repository most of the time, so I'm looking at what servers might work for us.

Update: This StackExchange question may help: Self-hosted replacement for Github.

Update: Added software from the StackExchange answers to the list.

Features we will need:

Features we might want:

Most of my use of Git so far has been against large servers like GitHub (which I really like) and SourceForge, but recently I set up a test Git server using gitolite and gitweb, which gives me my 4 "needs" above but not my 3 "wants". It also requires command-line use of git to administer SSH keys for users, so might not suit our system administrators or all our developers.

So, lazyweb, what server should I recommend?

Here is my research so far:

Free git server software

GitLab - looks a lot like GitHub, and appears to satisfy all 4 of my needs and all 3 of my wants. Might be a bit decentralised (ironically) for our usage e.g. the docs talk about using merge requests for code review whereas I'd expect we'd want a commit-gating style which is what I believe Gerrit provides.

SCM-Manager - looks very corporate. Likely it could satisfy my needs and my wants.

Gerrit + Gitblit - lots of code review features, used by major projects including the Android open source project. Weird that Gerrit doesn't include a code browser and you have to add something like Gitblit. I think this will give me all 4 of my needs and all 3 of my wants.

Gitolite + gitweb - this is what I am using at the moment, and it works well, satisfying the needs above, but not the wants. Gitolite configuration is done by editing config files and pushing them into a special git repository on the server. Adding users means adding a user's SSH key to the config repository, so requires tech-savvy users and admins. gitweb is fast and clear. My only complaint is that you don't seem to be able to control the amount of context you see in a diff (often I want to see the full files).

Gitorious - the software behind a mature public site that some people really like. Doesn't appear to do LDAP authentication, and may not integrate with issue tracking.

tuleap - project planning, chat, issue tracking, builds, document management, discussion board, news all in one product. Includes Gerrit for code reviews, Jenkins for build management. Supports LDAP and OpenID authentication.

Phabricator - code hosting and review, issue tracking, wiki, alerts, message boards, blogs, Q&A, polls all in one product. Supports LDAP and OAuth authentication.

GitPrep - explicitly a clone of GitHub. Seems to look nice, but a young project and not talked about much on the Internet yet.

GitBucket - explicitly a clone of GitHub. Couldn't find much information beyond that.

GitList - only a repository viewer, but could possibly be used with gitolite instead of plain gitweb - may have more features such as full-file diffs, but I'm not sure. Looks pretty, and doesn't have much documentation.

CGit - only a repository viewer, but definitely allows specifying the amount of context in diffs (and if you edit the URL directly you can ask for as much as you want). Very plain interface, and minimal documentation. Claims to be fast.

Cydra - may turn out to be good but no web site at the moment, so probably not mature enough to consider.

Gitosis appears to be a dead project.

Very unlikely that we will pay for anything, but here are the options I have found so far:

Atlassian Stash - one-time payment e.g. $6,000 for 100 users.

GitHub Enterprise - apparently they do in-house installations but I couldn't find any information. GitHub has an excellent interface and features.

Microsoft Team Foundation Server - a larger system that offers Git integration as a feature.

RhodeCode - 50 users for $199/month, supports LDAP and Active Directory authentication, and code review. Claims to be highly secure.