Why private git server on DO

November 25, 2013 2.5k views
m73mitchell
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m73mitchell
Reading this article about setting up a private git server on DO https://www.digitalocean.com/community/articles/how-to-set-up-a-private-git-server-on-a-vps, I'm wondering why one would do it. The article says, "This can be a great option if you want to keep your code private while you work. While open-souce tends to be the status quo, there are some times when you don't want to have your code freely available." However, github has private repos (which ou'd have to pay for). However, since you pay for the DO server, is there an advantage I'm not aware of ?
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2 Answers
pablo November 25, 2013
Advantage? Probably not huge. I would compare it to asking for the advantage of Burger King over McDonalds.

What's the cost per GB on GitHub? Also, I vaguely remember some rumblings of GitHub going down and being inaccessible a while back; bolstering the point that one should not put all their eggs in one basket and have a backup Git server.

Just some random thoughts...
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ryansechrest November 26, 2013
Hosting your own Git server is an attractive option if you want or need full control over the software and some control over the hardware that stores your data. As Pablo mentioned, I've also seen GitHub go down once or twice in the middle of a deployment, which was less than convenient. In addition, enterprise companies usually try to keep everything in-house, which means using a host that you have more control over or hosting the Git server internally all together. As a side note, GitLab is a really nice product: https://www.digitalocean.com/community/articles/how-to-set-up-gitlab-as-your-very-own-private-github-clone
How To Set Up GitLab As Your Very Own Private GitHub Clone
by Nik van der Ploeg
GitLab provides a simple but powerful web based interface to your Git repositories a la GitHub. Only you can host it on your own cloud server, control access as you see fit, and repo size is limited only by how much storage space your server has. This tutorial will walk you through setting up a DigitalOcean VPS as a GitLab server.
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