Flutter vs. React Native: The Best Choice for Your Project

The right tools in software development can make or break your setup fundamentals, especially when it comes to open-source control systems. If we take GitHub, it thrives as a collaborative hub for open-source innovation and hosts giants like TensorFlow and React. About 58% of GitHub users adopt third-party Actions. 

Meanwhile, GitLab attracts teams that value privacy and automation. About 73% of its users use the built-in CI/CD pipelines. 

But what is the difference between GitHub and GitLab on a deeper level, and why does this choice matter in 2025?

• Community: By late 2024, GitHub hit 4.5 billion contributions globally. For context, that’s 12,328 commits per minute.
• Trust: Over 90% of Fortune 100 companies use GitHub for key code. They appreciate its ecosystem for scalability and easy third-party integrations.
• Network: GitHub has over 1 million active monthly contributors from North America, Brazil, India, and China. This setup makes cross-border teamwork easy, which is great for distributed teams.
• Compliance: GitLab reduces audit prep time by 40% for regulated industries like healthcare.

This article breaks down the key features, security protocols, and real-world performance. It helps you choose the right platform for your 2025 strategy. Focus on what matches your goals, not just the latest trends.

Git vs GitLab vs GitHub: The Basics

Both platforms are made to streamline software development. They provide various tools for version control, continuous integration, and teamwork. Let's start with a closer look at each platform.

What is Git?

Git is a free and open-source distributed version control system used by teams worldwide. It works equally well for minor fixes and large projects. Unlike older systems, 

Git gives every developer a complete project copy, making teamwork faster and more flexible. Git runs smoothly even on basic computers, outperforming tools like Subversion and Perforce with features like cheap local branching, convenient staging areas, and multiple workflows.

Key Features of Git

• Distributed Development: Each developer has their full local copy of the repository and all its history. This allows offline work and eliminates reliance on a central server.
• Snapshots Over Diffs: Git keeps data as snapshots of the entire project. This method helps with efficient storage and quick retrieval.
• Branching and Merging: Git lets developers create lightweight branches. This way, they can experiment on their own. Later, they can merge changes easily into the main codebase.
• Performance: Git is optimized for speed, which makes operations like committing, branching, merging, and comparing versions highly efficient.
• Collaboration: Its distributed nature allows multiple developers to work simultaneously without conflicts. Changes can be reviewed, tracked, and merged quickly.
• Data Integrity: SHA-1 hashing checks every file change. This ensures the data stays intact and avoids corruption.

What Is GitLab?

GitLab is an open-source DevOps platform. Built on Git (the same system GitHub uses), it’s designed to help teams manage every step of creating apps or programs—from brainstorming ideas to launching updates. It offers project planning, continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD), security testing, and monitoring.

From conception to implementation, GitLab leads the way and helps teams reduce the development cycle from weeks to minutes. As a result, teams cut costs, accelerate time-to-market, and create more secure and standards-compliant software.

Who Created GitLab?

Frustrated by too complex or unreliable tools, GitLab co-founder Dmytro Zaporizhets decided to build something that just worked. In 2011, right from his home in Ukraine, Dmytro teamed up with Valeriy Sizov to create GitLab. Their first code commit on October 8, 2011, marked the start of a platform that would grow into a global DevOps powerhouse.

What began as a personal project to simplify collaboration has since transformed how teams worldwide build, test, and deploy software.

Many wondered—is GitLab owned by Microsoft? No, GitLab is not owned by Microsoft. The owners of GitLab Inc. include institutional investors, internal shareholders of the company, and a broad range of private investors. Microsoft acquired GitHub in 2018, one of the most popular code-hosting platforms. However, they remain independent companies despite GitLab and GitHub operating in a similar field. GitLab continues to operate separately, offering its own set of tools and services for DevOps.

Features of GitLab

• Planning. Powerful tools help unite all process participants. They set up work using epics, groups, stages, and roadmaps. You can also see progress in real-time.
• Maintenance. Built-in issue tracking and support system for continuous feedback within DevSecOps processes.
• Design Management. Centralized storage for project materials helps teams work together. It allows them to improve the product quickly during development.
• Requirements Control. Established requirements management system.
• Product Quality. Track testing, analyze results, and adjust processes directly on a single platform.
• Wiki. Each GitLab project comes with its own wiki. This allows users to easily create, store, and manage documentation alongside their code.
• Text Editors. GitLab offers two types of editors: Plain Text Editor (PTE) and Rich Text Editor (RTE). Both are key to the Knowledge Group's plan to turn GitLab into a full AllOps platform.
• Value Stream Management. The system tracks key metrics throughout all stages of development. It analyzes how efficient the process is and finds bottlenecks. Comparing best practices among teams helps improve workflows. This leads to faster, more valuable solutions for users.
• DORA Metrics. Tracking and visualizing DORA metrics helps teams make smart, data-driven choices. This boosts efficiency in their DevOps processes.
• DevOps Reports. GitLab’s flexibility makes it suitable for both small teams and large enterprises, providing simple and effective management from Waterfall to DevSecOps.

Pros and Cons of GitLab

GitLab vs GitHub remains among the best solutions for DevOps due to their extensive automation capabilities and user-friendly tools for efficient team collaboration.

What Is GitHub?

GitHub is a platform for code storage, collaboration, and version control. It allows you and other developers to collaborate on projects, coordinate changes, and improve the code. The GitHub website and app have version control, source code management, and change-tracking features.

The fundamentals of the platform are the Git system. GitHub serves as a space for developer to interact and share their projects. It remains the most popular version control system (VCS) in programming due to its user-friendly interface, open structure, and ease of use.

Who Created GitHub?

The idea of GitHub originated in 2005 thanks to Finnish-American software engineer Linus Torvalds. Looking for an efficient way to manage Linux code, he created Git, which took just over a week. Git became a distributed version control system with open-source code.

Unlike previous solutions that stored code in a single repository, Git allows each user, regardless of location, to view the source code, history of changes, bug fixes, and integration plans. GitHub developed this idea by creating a single open platform for developers to collaborate to view different projects and improve their code.

The gap between the creation of Git in 2005 and the launch of GitHub in April 2008 became a period when new users gradually learned the system. Their work was coordinated by the lead maintainer, Japanese programmer Junio Hamano. Torvalds acknowledges that Hamano made the most significant contribution to Git's improvements.

Features of GitHub

• Community: GitHub is known for its active developer community and many open-source projects.
• GitHub Copilot: GitHub offers an AI-powered code completion tool called GitHub Copilot that provides code suggestions directly in the editor, significantly increasing developer productivity.
• Packages: GitHub integrates package management into the platform, allowing users to host and manage software packages and use them as dependencies in other projects, all within GitHub.‍
• Security and code scanning: GitHub provides security tools like Dependabot for automated dependency update code and secret scanning.‍
• Integration with third-party tools: GitHub offers many integrations with popular development tools such as Slack, Trello, etc.
• Community: GitHub is known for its active developer community and many open-source projects.
• GitHub Copilot: GitHub offers an AI tool known as GitHub Copilot. It gives code suggestions right in the editor, which helps developers work faster and more efficiently.
• Packages: GitHub lets users manage packages right on the platform. You can host your software packages and keep them organized. Plus, you can use these packages as dependencies in other projects, all in GitHub.
• Security and code scanning: GitHub has tools like Dependabot. It automates updating dependencies and scans for secrets.
• Integration: GitHub easily connects with third-party tools like Slack and Trello.

Pros and Cons of GitHub

Let's consider the key differences between GitHub vs GitLab.

Git vs GitLab vs GitHub: Similarities

Both platforms from our GitLab vs GitHub comparison have a lot in common, making them popular choices for developers:

Thus, we conclude they have many similarities when comparing GitLab vs. GitHub.

Key Difference Between Git, GitHub, and GitLab

Are GitHub and GitLab the same? Despite the similarities, there is a critical difference between Git, GitLab vs GitHub:

Thus, consider these differences between Git vs GitHub vs GitLab when working on your project.

Git, GitHub, and GitLab Cost in 2025

Let's look at Git vs GitHub vs GitLab in 2025.

• Git—free, open source.
• GitHub is offered with plans starting from $4 per user per month.
• GitLab vs GitHub is the more expensive platform, with plans starting at $21 per user per month.

This price difference between GitHub and GitLab reflects GitLab's focus on integrated DevOps features and enterprise-grade solutions. That is why it is higher. However, it's important to note that GitLab offers a transition price of $24 per user per month for existing Premium customers renewing within the first year after the price increase.

Git vs GitLab vs GitHub: Which Is the Best Option?

In short, the choice between GitLab vs. GitHub depends on your project's specific needs. However, diving deeper, we will see that GitHub is widely favored for open-source projects, individual developers, and small to medium-sized teams. This is because of its large community, ease of use, and extensive third-party integrations. These features make it ideal for quick collaboration and straightforward workflows, particularly for those who put accessibility and a vibrant ecosystem first.

On the other hand, GitLab caters to large enterprises and teams that look for a robust, all-in-one DevOps platform. Its built-in CI/CD pipelines, self-hosting flexibility, and advanced project management tools streamline complex workflows. Plus, many organizations with intricate development and deployment needs hugely benefit from GitLab. 

Meanwhile, hosting options differ: GitHub operates exclusively in the cloud, while GitLab offers both cloud-based and self-hosted solutions, granting greater control over infrastructure.

GitHub’s strength lies in its vast array of third-party plugins and integrations, which simplify extending functionality. Meanwhile, GitLab emphasizes deep, native integration with DevOps tools, reducing reliance on external services. For open-source collaboration or rapid project initiation, GitHub remains the top choice. On the other hand, GitLab excels in managing advanced CI/CD processes and meeting enterprise-scale demands, positioning it as the go-to for teams needing end-to-end DevOps automation and customization.

After all, selecting a platform hinges on your project’s unique needs—not just features. Evaluate team size, integration requirements, and CI/CD workflows to choose the best fit.

GitLab and GitHub Alternatives

In fact, GitLab and GitHub are not the ones that thrive in the effective management of repositories. Some of the alternatives of GitLab and GitHub are:

• Bitbucket: Offers integration with Jira, making it convenient for teams that use this tool for project management. In addition, Bitbucket supports Mercurial, which can be helpful for teams using this version control system.‍
• SourceForge: This site is famous for open-source projects and has an extensive software archive. It allows users to host projects and provides tools for version management and code collaboration, which makes it attractive for open-source developers.‍
• Azure DevOps: This is a comprehensive platform for DevOps from Microsoft that provides a complete set of tools to manage application development, testing, and deployment. Azure DevOps integrates with other Azure services, making it an excellent choice for organizations already using Azure infrastructure.

Conclusion

Undeniably, both GitLab and GitHub stand as powerful tools for managing repositories that have transformed how software is developed and shared. 

GitLab excels with its DevOps toolkit and granular control, while GitHub offers a streamlined developer experience and unmatched open-source reach. In addition to these two popular options, it is worth mentioning other platforms such as Bitbucket, SourceForge, and Azure DevOps, each with its characteristics and advantages. 

To find out which will fit your needs perfectly, evaluate the specifics of your project, integration requirements, and number of participants. With the right choice of platform, you can boost the team's efficiency, ensure the final product's quality, and contribute to the success of your project as a whole.

Perhaps you are one of those people who believe that any experienced software engineer can be involved in any project. But in reality, it doesn’t work like that: depending on your task, you may need different expertise from the core members of your development team. Below, we will highlight existing types of software development and briefly consider their specifics.

Types of Software Development

The division of software development into types primarily depends on the platforms for which the created project is intended, that is, the user environment where it will be deployed. This could be a web browser, cloud, mobile, desktop, IoT, or embedded operating system. There are also platform-independent solutions that can be run on several operating systems without any restrictions. 

Ultimately, the deployment environment turns out to be one of the main factors influencing the choice of the project’s technology stack, and, therefore, the developers themselves, who have the appropriate expertise.  

Web Development

Web development involves creating different types of software—web applications and websites—that run through an Internet browser. Along with this, you have to understand that to implement your web solution, you will need several specialists at once whose scope of work will be concentrated within the following subtypes of web development.

Frontend Development

Frontend development concerns the creation of that part of the project with which the end user directly interacts. In particular, this consists of creating a user interface as well as functionality that is performed without the participation of a server and database.

Backend Development

Backend development lies in the implementation of the business logic of the project and its connections with the database/databases. This is its server part, which is hidden from the eyes of end users.

Full-Stack Development

Full-stack development involves a combination of frontend and backend development, but unlike them, it requires the participation of more general specialists who are well-versed in both server and browser technologies.

Mobile App Development

Mobile app development is aimed at the implementation of projects for mobile operating systems—usually iOS and Android. At the same time, there are also cross-platform projects that work equally well regardless of what OS is installed on the end user’s device.

iOS App Development

iOS app development involves creating applications completely tailored to work on the iOS operating system. Such projects require developers to have knowledge of Objective-C, Swift, and Java programming languages, as well as platform-native technologies and tools.

Android App Development

Similarly, Android app development is aimed at projects tailored to the specs of the Android mobile OS. To do this, developers need to have strong programming skills in Java and Kotlin, and be able to work with the Android Toolkit.

Cross-Platform App Development

Cross-platform development allows developers to cover several mobile platforms at once. In this case, they create a universal code base based on a single technology stack, regardless of which OS will run on user devices. From a business perspective, cross-platform projects allow you to achieve faster launch and lower budget since instead of several separate applications and teams that will work on them, you can hire just one that will create a software solution that can be simultaneously deployed on numerous platforms.

Embedded Software Development

Embedded software development involves creating solutions to control machines or devices that are more primitive than computers, called embedded systems. This software development model is completely tailored to the specific hardware on which the software solution runs and has significant restrictions on the consumption of its resources.

Desktop Application Development

Desktop application software development consists of creating applications that are used to work offline on user PCs and laptops. Instead of applying the computing power of servers on the hosting provider's side, they rely entirely on the resources of the user device on which they are installed.

DevOps and Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD)

DevOps is a set of interaction practices between developers, testers, and other IT specialists in a project team needed to increase their performance and improve the quality of the work results. Typically, DevOps is applied to launch new versions of software regularly. In turn, CI/CD is one of the DeOps techniques, which consists of automating the software development process to ensure a recurrent development life cycle with a continuous delivery of the program code.

IoT (Internet of Things) Development

IoT development, also called M2M development, is aimed at creating software for systems where devices exchange data with each other without human intervention. These could be physical security systems, smart home and smart city solutions, logistics systems, and so on.

Cloud Development

Cloud development involves creating software that is run on a remote web server using a subscription-based delivery model. From the point of view of end users, this approach ensures the high availability of such software products since they only need to have access to the Internet.

Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) Development

While the development of augmented reality solutions involves using the camera of a smartphone or tablet on the user's device (this is necessary to overlay digital objects in the user's real environment), virtual reality solutions also need the use of special wearable devices, such as VR glasses. 

Blockchain Software Development

Blockchain software development involves the creation of decentralized platforms, consensus protocols, smart contracts, and other blockchain-related solutions. Although this type of development became popular thanks to crypto projects, today, it covers a long list of niches, from logistics and healthcare to insurance and finances.

API Development

API development is the creation of software tools that allow independent software components to interact with each other using a set of definitions and protocols. Typically, APIs are used to integrate systems, services, and applications to ensure seamless and secure data exchange between them.

Choosing the Right Development Type

At the very beginning of the article, we already indicated that the deployment environment is the main factor influencing the types of software products that you should focus on creating. However, there are also a number of other aspects that will help you make the correct choice. These may include the following:

• Project needs and objectives—they will help your team to define not only the tech stack but also the most suitable software development methodologies (usually, they are related to Agile)
• Your business niche—it can be finance, healthcare, entertainment, e-commerce, industrial, education, logistics and supply chain, or something else
• The resources you have—the specialists you’ve already hired, the project budget, access to data that will operate your software solution, etc.

As for small projects, they are usually dedicated to web development, mobile development, or desktop development—in such software development types, the talent pool is usually wide, and you will be able to choose specialists with the optimal ratio between expertise and rates. However, don't forget that choosing development services that are too cheap may mean you end up having to redo the project from scratch because it doesn't meet your expectations.

Trends in Software Development

Finally, let's take a brief look at the technologies that will be trending in the coming years and which ultimately can provide a strong competitive advantage to your project:

• Artificial intelligence and machine learning—today, these technologies find a wide variety of applications, from personalized search results and chatbots to smart analytics and forecasting
• Augmented and virtual reality—we have already mentioned these two trends above, so we would like to emphasize that their implementation becomes more and more affordable to project owners 
• Internet of Things—we also talked about this trend above; its relevance is explained by the possibility of on-site data collection from devices to which the user does not have physical access
• Personalized user experience—in general, it can be achieved not only with the help of machine learning but also through predefined algorithms
• Blockchain—it’s needless to say that the number of blockchain software development projects is growing every day, and currently, they cover not only the crypto industry

Conclusion

Now, after reading this article, you will be able to understand what type of project you can classify as and what specialists you will need in your project team. At the same time, whichever of the above-described examples of software development you choose, you can always contact us, and we are guaranteed to implement your business idea according to your requirements.

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In the world of business and analytics, data plays a crucial role in making important decisions. Visualization tools such as charts, graphs, and dashboards are used to understand data better and make informed decisions. 

What types of dashboards and charts exist

Charts and dashboards are graphical representations of data that can be used to show trends, compare data, or show relative proportions. Some of the most common types of charts include:

• Line charts—are used to show changes in the values of a variable over time. They are often used to show trends, such as changes in sales over time.

• Bar charts—are used to compare the values of a variable between several categories. For example, you can use bar charts to compare sales of different products in your company.

• Pie charts—used to show relative shares. For example, a pie chart might show what percentage of sales were made in a particular region.

Dashboards are sets of graphs, charts, and tables that show key performance indicators of a company. They allow you to visualize data and provide a broader view than individual charts. It can be used to monitor performance, track goals, and plan business strategies.

Many dashboards include financial, sales, marketing, operations, and others. Each type is designed to display a company's specific performance metrics.

For example, a financial dashboard might contain information about financial metrics such as profits, losses, budgets, and cash flows. A sales dashboard might show the number of sales, average checks, conversion rates, etc. A marketing dashboard can include information about traffic, conversions, cost of customer engagement, etc. An operational dashboard can display data on production capacity, resource efficiency, latency levels, etc.

Regardless of the type of chart or dashboard used, the key is to present the data intelligently. Data visualization should be clear and easy to interpret to facilitate decision-making. Therefore, when creating charts and dashboards, you need to consider the audience, purpose, and context in which these tools will be used.

The functions they perform

On the technical side, charts and dashboards are tools for visualizing data and presenting information in a clear and user-friendly format.

Charts are usually created using specialized libraries and software tools that allow you to generate graphical elements such as charts, graphs, pie charts, etc. Chart data can come from various sources, including databases, Excel files, APIs, etc.

On the other hand, dashboards are usually created using specialized software tools that allow you to combine data from various sources and display it in a user-friendly format. Dashboards can include multiple widgets such as graphs, tables, text boxes, etc., which can be customized and linked to quickly display data.

Regarding function, charts and dashboards can perform different tasks depending on business needs. They can be used to monitor performance, track sales, manage resources, predict trends, etc. In addition, they can be configured to automatically alert users of potential problems and delays in processes, allowing you to react quickly and correct the situation.

What problems do charts and dashboards solve

Charts and dashboards are powerful tools that help businesses solve many problems. Here are some of them:

‍Resource Management: Dashboards and charts can help businesses manage their resources, such as money, time, people, etc. That allows a company to use its resources more efficiently and increase productivity.

Planning and Strategy: They can help businesses develop plans and strategies based on data analysis. Also, their use can help identify trends, predict future events, and make fact-based decisions.

Identifying potential problems: They can help businesses identify potential problems and risks. That allows the company to take steps to prevent them or reduce their possible impact.

Improve communication: Dashboards and charts can help improve communication within a business by allowing employees to share information quickly and efficiently. They can also help enterprises to understand customer needs and expectations better.

Workflow automation with advanced charts and dashboards

In today's dynamic business environment, workflow automation is becoming increasingly necessary for businesses of all sizes. By automating repetitive tasks and streamlining business processes, companies can save time, reduce costs and increase efficiency. It's also a convenient way to display and process collected data.

The first step in automating a workflow is identifying which one can be automated. The workflow should be well-defined, with clear inputs and outputs. Defining the metrics that need to be tracked is also important. Metrics such as time-to-completion, task completion rate, and error rate can help businesses measure the effectiveness of the workflow.

The next step is to choose the right tools for automating the workflow. There are several advanced charts and dashboard applications available in the market, each with its own features and capabilities. Businesses should choose a tool that meets their specific needs and is easy to use. Some popular advanced chart and dashboard applications include Tableau, Power BI, and Google Data Studio.

When it comes to developing custom charts for a finished product or business idea from scratch, it's important to understand what requirements they must meet. Selecting appropriate chart types and configuring data visualizations are important to ensure that the insights generated by the dashboards are easy to understand and act upon. For example:

• Ease of use
• Compatibility with existing systems
• Cost
• Customization options
• Support and training
• Which metrics are most important?
• Which chart types will best represent the data?
• What colors and visualizations will be used?
• What level of detail is required?

The next step is to connect data sources to the advanced charts and dashboards. This stage can involve integrating existing systems or importing data from spreadsheets or databases. Once the data sources are connected, the application can start to generate real-time insights into the workflow. It is important to ensure that the data is accurate and up-to-date.

The dashboards should be monitored in real-time to ensure the workflow runs smoothly. The metrics generated by the dashboards can help businesses make informed decisions and take corrective action if necessary. Real-time monitoring can also help identify issues or bottlenecks in the workflow, allowing them to make changes quickly.

To ensure the success of workflow automation with advanced charts and dashboard applications, businesses should follow some best practices. These include regularly reviewing the workflow and its metrics to identify areas for improvement, ensuring that the dashboards are easy to understand and act upon, and involving stakeholders in the automation process.

Summary

Automating workflows with advanced charts and dashboard applications can help businesses save time, reduce costs, and improve efficiency. By following the steps outlined in this guide and adopting best practices, businesses can make the most of workflow automation and gain valuable insights into their data. By automating repetitive tasks and streamlining business processes, they can focus on critical tasks, improve productivity, and stay ahead of the competition.