Popular Remotes#
Remote services are platforms that host Git repositories on servers accessible over the internet. These services provide additional features that enhance collaboration, project management, and continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD). They allow multiple users to work on the same project simultaneously, track changes, and manage versions efficiently.
Remote Service |
Founded |
Acquired/Owned by |
Popularity |
Key Features |
Costs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GitHub |
2008 |
Microsoft (2018) |
Widely used by open-source communities and enterprises. |
- Repository hosting |
Free for public repositories, paid plans for private repositories and additional features. |
GitLab |
2011 |
- |
Popular among developers and enterprises. |
- Repository hosting |
Free tier, paid plans for additional features and support. |
Bitbucket |
2008 |
Atlassian |
Popular among enterprises and small teams. |
- Repository hosting (supports both Git and Mercurial) |
Free for small teams, paid plans for larger teams and additional features. |
Remote Services in Detail#
GitHub#
GitHub is a leading platform for hosting and managing code repositories, enabling collaboration, issue tracking, and CI/CD workflows. Founded in 2008 and acquired by Microsoft in 2018, it is known for its user-friendly interface and extensive community support.
Pros:
User-friendly interface
Extensive community support
Robust features and integrations
Cons:
No private repositories in the free tier
Dependency on Microsoft’s ownership
Enterprise Version: Offers advanced security, compliance, and project management tools, making it ideal for organizations to host private repositories and manage development workflows.
GitLab#
GitLab is a popular, open-source platform for hosting and managing code repositories, offering comprehensive DevOps features for collaboration, issue tracking, and CI/CD workflows. Founded in 2011, GitLab is compared to GitHub fully open-source and provides a similar feature set that supports the entire software development lifecycle but has a stronger focus on self-hosted and on-premise installations.
Pros:
Open-source platform
Comprehensive DevOps features
Strong CI/CD integration
Cons:
Can be complex to set up and manage
Some advanced features require a paid plan
Self-Managed Version: GitLab offers a self-managed version that allows organizations to host their repositories on-premise or in the cloud, providing greater control over security and compliance.
Bitbucket#
Bitbucket is a platform for hosting and managing code repositories, with a strong focus on integration with Atlassian tools like Jira1Jira: A powerful project management tool that helps teams plan, track, and manage agile software development projects. and Confluence2Confluence: A collaboration tool used to create, share, and manage documentation and knowledge bases within teams.. It supports Git and Mercurial version control systems and offers features for collaboration, issue tracking, and CI/CD workflows. Founded in 2008, Bitbucket is part of the Atlassian suite of products, making it a popular choice for teams already using Atlassian tools.
Pros:
Strong integration with Atlassian tools (Jira, Confluence)
Supports both Git and Mercurial
Comprehensive CI/CD with Bitbucket Pipelines
Cons:
Some advanced features require a paid plan
Less community support compared to GitHub and GitLab
Self-Managed Version: Bitbucket offers a self-managed version called Bitbucket Server, which allows organizations to host their repositories on-premise, providing greater control over security and compliance.
Remote Services at the University#
I-MATH GitLab Server#
For members of I-MATH#
Use your regular ‘I-MATH’ account to login. git.math.uzh.ch/users/sign_in -> Tab ‘MATH User’
For members of UZH (not I-MATH)#
Open your I-MATH account (based on your UZH Webpass account) under math.uzh.ch/account Then log-in as ‘MATH User’ at git.math.uzh.ch/users/sign_in -> Tab ‘MATH User’
For non UZH persons#
If you like to collaborate on a project which is hosted on git.math.uzh.ch, you have to request a git.math.uzh.ch account.
Best is to ask a project member affiliated with I-MATH to request the account via math.uzh.ch/support.
You will then receive an email for validation and first-time login at git.math.uzh.ch/users/sign_in -> Tab ‘Standard’
UZH GitLab Server#
Requirements#
This service requires a SWITCH edu-ID linked to your UZH-AAI identity:
If you don’t have a SWITCH edu-ID, create one with the “Create with AAI” option and link it to your AAI account.
If your SWITCH edu-ID is not yet linked to your UZH-AAI identity, do this after logging in to your edu-ID (under Linked Identities).
External Users#
External users must also register for a SWITCH edu-ID and log into the UZH GitLab server with this ID:
External users (those whose SWITCH edu-ID is not linked to a UZH-AAI identity) are marked as external in GitLab and must be invited to projects.
External users cannot create projects themselves.
UZH GitHub#
UZH members can use their UZH email address to sign up for a GitHub account. This account can be used for both private and public repositories. GitHub offers free plans for public repositories and paid plans for private repositories and additional features.
UZH has no official GitHub Enterprise license for the entire university. However, some departments or research groups may have their own licenses. Please check with your IT department or supervisor for more information.
GitHub Education#
The UZH itself is accepted by GitHub as an educational institution. Any user with a UZH email address can get verfied as at github.com/education and get access to the GitHub Student Developer Pack. This pack includes free access to various tools and services for students and educators.