Gerrit Code Review vs Phabricator: What are the differences?

Introduction:

Here, we will discuss the key differences between Gerrit Code Review and Phabricator, two popular code review tools used in the software development industry.

1. Integration with Git: Gerrit Code Review is tightly integrated with Git, making it a popular choice for teams utilizing Git as their version control system. On the other hand, Phabricator supports multiple version control systems, including Git, Mercurial, and Subversion, providing more flexibility for teams using different version control systems.

2. User Interface: Gerrit Code Review provides a simple and minimalistic user interface, focusing primarily on the code review process. In contrast, Phabricator offers a more comprehensive user interface with additional features, such as task management, project management, and documentation, making it a versatile tool for both code review and project management.

3. Workflow: Gerrit Code Review follows a stricter workflow, where developers submit changesets for review, which then go through a series of approvals and reworks before being merged into the codebase. Phabricator, on the other hand, offers a more flexible workflow that allows users to create different review and approval processes based on their team's needs.

4. Extensibility: Phabricator is known for its extensibility, with a wide range of built-in and third-party extensions available to enhance its functionality. Gerrit Code Review, although extensible, may not provide as many options for customizations and integrations compared to Phabricator.

5. Code Browsing: Gerrit Code Review focuses primarily on code review, providing features like side-by-side code diffs, inline comments, and code history. Phabricator, on the other hand, offers additional code browsing capabilities, including code search, browsing through repository history, and visualization of code ownership.

6. Integration with CI/CD: Phabricator provides native integration with various Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) systems, such as Jenkins, allowing seamless integration of code review with the deployment process. While Gerrit Code Review also supports CI/CD integration, it may require more customization or additional plugins to achieve similar functionality.

In summary, Gerrit Code Review is a tightly integrated and streamlined code review tool with a focus on Git integration and code review process, whereas Phabricator offers a more comprehensive platform with additional project management features, support for multiple version control systems, and extensibility through various built-in and third-party extensions.