GitHub vs BitBucket: Who Takes the Top Spot?

Days of lonesome coding are history now. There is no denying the fact that if you want a pitch-perfect product, you need a more optimized and sophistically written code for its execution. And nothing serves the purpose better than a version control software environment.

Not all developers rely on version control software environments for code collaboration and repository management, but many developers do make the most of it when they are provided access to it. What does a version control software platform do, you may be wondering? It allows users to push files (preferably codes) of a project into a repository which tracks all changes in real-time. In case, you are planning to make some improvements to the code files, these software control environments can adapt to these changes and allow other users to pull new customized codes directly from the repository.

With the advent of cloud computing and networking, one can find myriad version control software on the web. It becomes somewhat difficult to decide which caters best to your needs. Therefore today, I am going to conduct a comparative analysis between the two global giants of the trade:

• GitHub
• BitBucket

I hope when we are done, you will be able to decide which one is the right fit for you. Let’s begin:

About GitHub

Technically speaking, GitHub is the source platform which allows you to host your Git repositories. The main version control software is known as Git. It enables you to design codes for small, medium and large projects in an efficient and faster way. Git as a network connects through nodes. Each node of the Git acts as a peer which contains as a reservoir of repositories. These repositories serve as distributed back-ups. Even though Git is devoid of a central server, the nodes work as standalone entities which make them centralized version control system servers on their own.

GitHub was founded way back in the year 2008, under the supervision of Thomas “Tom” Preston-Werner. It was a collaborative effort and the other two noteworthy members who contributed towards bringing it to the frontline are Chris Wanstrath and PJ Hyett. Unfortunately, the co-founder and CEO of GitHub had to step down from his position as the CEO of GitHub because of false accusations from a former employee. He termed his resignation as a lack of judgment.

Written on Ruby and Erlang, the purpose of creating Git was to develop inter-team collaboration for development teams so they can code in unity. People could highlight and attach a comment to code files to post reviews and help others. Some of the most noteworthy features of Git are listed below:

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All the More Reasons to Use GitHub

• It comes with an integrated issue tracker which can help you track issues within your project in real-time.
• It contains milestones and labeling features which can greatly assist users in tracking information changes.
• It offers branch comparison views to review the state of your repository across commits, tags, and timescales.
• One of the best things about GitHub is that it supports over 200 different programming languages.
• You can also host and publish your codes on the GitHub platform across theSSL, SSH or https environment.
• A standard feature for all Github users is the ability to highlight syntax, which is something no other platform offers.

Features

• Frictionless Context Switching
• Role-Based Code-lines
• Feature-Based Workflow
• Disposable Experimentation
• Benchmarks
• Multiple Backups
• Subversion-Style Workflow
• Integration Manager Workflow
• Dictator and Lieutenants Workflow
• Data Assurance
• Staging Area
• Free and Open Source

Specifications

Supported Integrations

Integrations allow users to code efficiently across the GitHub platform. Following are some of the integrations which GitHub includes within its platform.

• JetBrains
• io
• JIRA
• Redmine
• FogBugz on Demand

System Compatibility

Git is compatible across all major operating systems, including Windows, Android, Linux, Mac, Web-based, etc.

Supported Languages

Unlike other Git repositories available on the Internet, Git is multilingual and supports over 10languages, including Chinese, Japanese, Indian, German and Latin.

Pricing Plan

GitHub offers a free trial, but in accordance with a new structured paid plan, users can now create unlimited repositories for only $7/month (personal) and $9/month (corporate). For other plans at Github, please refer to the list below:

About BitBucket

If you are looking for a version control system with a fantastic UI, including a host of stellar features enabling you to tweak the code in a hassle-free manner, look no further than BitBucket. It brings you straight off the charts quality coding experience and is equally potent in comparison with other top version control systems available across the market.

However, when weighted next to GitHub, BitBucket lacks recognition and specific features, but all that BitBucket offers its customers is indeed well-polished. Built for distributed version control systems, it is the only platform that allows you to produce collaborative Git solutions on a massive scale.

But unlike GitHub, Bitbucket has a few extra perks to offer its customers. For example, BitBucket provides unlimited private repositories to its customers so that they can create as many repos as they fancy. But, it only works best for teams of 5 or less. Otherwise, you need to cough up some bucks.

Also, I think it’s worth mentioning here that you can easily break down big pull-requests in the code review process; this greatly helps your teammates comprehend and implement some of the best practices during application or software development.

Let’s see what more BitBucket has in store for you.

All the More Reasons to Use BitBucket

• BitBucket allows you to create an internal issue tracker within your repository so that you can track down bugs in real-time.
• BitBucketgives you access to control features which allow you to regulate access permissions for different people involved in the project.
• BitBucketincorporatestwo deployment models. You can either place the code in a cloud environment or you can launch a separate in-house server.
• One of the greatest advantages of using BitBucket is that it offers both Git VCS and Mercurial.
• The BitBucket interface is user-friendly and minimalistic, allowing for ease of navigation and search.
• BitBucket can help you migrate your code from old repositories somewhere else to new repositories of BitBucket.
• Although it doesn’t offer the highlight feature, BitBucket still comes with the inline feature to add comments and launch threaded discussions.

Features

• Git repository hosting
• Pull requests
• Branch permissions
• JIRA software integration
• Collaborative Projects
• Latest and Updated APIs
• Multiple 3rd party integrations
• Fill Support for Large Files
• Code Clustering
• Smart mirroring
• Mercurial repository hosting
• Snippets

Specifications

Supported Integrations

BitBucket provides support for a wide range of integrations. However, some of the most popular ones include:

• HipChat
• Bamboo
• JIRA
• IO
• Trello

System Compatibility

BitBucket supports the following operating systems:

• Windows
• Linux
• Mac
• Web-based

Supported Languages

BitBucket only supports English.

Pricing Plan

While BitBucket doesn’t entail you to pay up to avail all the important services if you have a small team. But, if your project requires additional advanced features and is based on larger teams, you get to choose between two packages; the $10/month one or the $25/month plan.

The Final Showdown

So, we have broken down all the pertinent information on the two version control systems. I hope that after reading them, you will be pretty convinced about which of the two version control systems you should be using in order to create the ultimate code repository.

In my opinion, GitHub is one such platform that holds a greater number of repositories and offers multiple interesting features. As far as the package is concerned, GitHub falls a bit on the pricier end of the spectrum in comparison to BitBucket and also promises a bigger community. However, having more number of people translates into more critics and coding accurately can become a challenging task. In case, if you like to work in an environment with only a few numbers of people, BitBucket can be your platform.

So, both have their own perks, but when weighed across other attributes and features, there is no denying the fact that GitHub takes the top shelf. GitHub is irrefutably the best version control repository out there.

Coding is no child’s play, but why do you want to get your hands dirty, when we are there to shoulder your burden. Have you talked to one of our consultants at Branex yet? Get connected today. Let us help you build a brand that resonates with the modern world 🙂