{"id":396,"date":"2026-10-14T02:31:07","date_gmt":"2026-10-14T02:31:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.scmgalaxy.com\/tutorials\/2014\/12\/10\/top-10-website-to-host-git-repository-online\/"},"modified":"2026-10-14T02:31:08","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T02:31:08","slug":"top-10-website-to-host-git-repository-online","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/top-10-website-to-host-git-repository-online\/","title":{"rendered":"Online Git Repository Hosting: Revisiting the 2014 Top 10 with a Modern Selection and Migration Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Originally published on 2014-12-10; fully revised and updated.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The original post listed ten websites for hosting Git repositories, but provided almost no technical context. This version keeps those source links intact and adds what DevOps teams usually need: a clear decision process, evaluation criteria, and practical migration commands.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Top<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The original 2014 top 10 Git hosting links (preserved)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The source article was primarily a link gallery. The table below preserves the original destinations and adds a practical verification checklist you can use before adoption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rank<\/th>Service<\/th>Original link<\/th>What to verify now<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
1<\/td>Assembla<\/td>assembla.com\/home<\/a><\/td>Current Git hosting plans, access controls, and integration options.<\/td><\/tr>
2<\/td>Beanstalk<\/td>beanstalkapp.com<\/a><\/td>Repository limits, user model, and deployment workflow compatibility.<\/td><\/tr>
3<\/td>BetterCodes<\/td>bettercodes.org<\/a><\/td>Service availability and current product scope.<\/td><\/tr>
4<\/td>Bitbucket<\/td>bitbucket.org<\/a><\/td>Plan limits, branch permissions, and CI\/CD integration fit.<\/td><\/tr>
5<\/td>Codebase<\/td>codebasehq.com<\/a><\/td>Project governance features, API coverage, and export options.<\/td><\/tr>
6<\/td>Fog Creek Kiln<\/td>fogcreek.com\/kiln<\/a><\/td>Whether this product\/URL is still active and what replacement exists.<\/td><\/tr>
7<\/td>GitHub<\/td>github.com<\/a><\/td>Org policy controls, auditability, and required marketplace integrations.<\/td><\/tr>
8<\/td>Gitorious<\/td>gitorious.org<\/a><\/td>Whether service is active or requires migration to an alternative.<\/td><\/tr>
9<\/td>SourceRepo<\/td>sourcerepo.com<\/a><\/td>Current service availability, support model, and data export path.<\/td><\/tr>
10<\/td>Unfuddle<\/td>unfuddle.com<\/a><\/td>Git capabilities, permission model, and automation endpoints.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A practical workflow to choose a Git hosting platform<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\nflowchart TD\n    A[Define team and repository needs] --> B[Set hard requirements]\n    B --> C{Need strict self managed control}\n    C -- yes --> D[Shortlist platforms with self managed options]\n    C -- no --> E[Shortlist cloud hosted platforms]\n    D --> F[Run security and workflow trial]\n    E --> F\n    F --> G{Meets policy and developer experience}\n    G -- no --> H[Refine shortlist and retest]\n    G -- yes --> I[Plan migration and cutover]\n<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Comparison checklist for any Git hosting option<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Evaluation area<\/th>Why it matters in DevOps<\/th>What to test<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Identity and access<\/td>Controls who can push, merge, and administer repositories.<\/td>SSO support, role granularity, branch protection behavior.<\/td><\/tr>
Pull request workflow<\/td>Defines code review quality and release safety.<\/td>Required reviewers, merge checks, policy enforcement.<\/td><\/tr>
CI\/CD integration<\/td>Connects commit activity to build, test, and deploy pipelines.<\/td>Native pipelines, webhooks, runner\/agent flexibility.<\/td><\/tr>
Audit and compliance<\/td>Supports incident analysis and regulated delivery processes.<\/td>Audit logs, retention controls, exportability.<\/td><\/tr>
Backup and portability<\/td>Reduces vendor lock-in and outage impact.<\/td>Mirror push support, repository export, API completeness.<\/td><\/tr>
Scale and performance<\/td>Affects large monorepos and globally distributed teams.<\/td>Clone\/fetch behavior, LFS support, concurrency limits.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Git commands for repository audit and migration<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Use these commands to inventory a repository, mirror it to a new host, and verify that refs were copied correctly.<\/p>\n\n\n
# 1) Inspect current remotes and refs<\/span>\ngit remote -v\ngit branch -a\ngit tag -l<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> PHP<\/span> (<\/span>php<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n
# 2) Mirror-clone from old host<\/span>\ngit clone<\/span> --mirror https:\/\/old-host.example.com\/team\/repo.git<\/span>\ncd repo.git\n\n# 3) Add destination and push all refs<\/span>\ngit remote add new<\/span>-origin https:\/\/new-host.example.com\/team\/repo.git<\/span>\ngit push --mirror new<\/span>-origin<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> PHP<\/span> (<\/span>php<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n
# 4) Verify heads and tags on destination<\/span>\ngit ls-remote --heads new<\/span>-origin\ngit ls-remote --tags new<\/span>-origin<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> PHP<\/span> (<\/span>php<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
Command options compared: clone modes for migration<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Command<\/th>Best for<\/th>Important behavior<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
git clone URL<\/code><\/td>Normal development checkout<\/td>Creates a working tree; not ideal for full-host migration.<\/td><\/tr>
git clone --bare URL<\/code><\/td>Server-side repository copy<\/td>No working tree; includes Git database for hosting use.<\/td><\/tr>
git clone --mirror URL<\/code><\/td>Host-to-host migration<\/td>Copies refs and remote-tracking data for near-complete replication.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Common pitfalls<\/h2>\n\n\n\n