Development made easy with Remote Development solutions: GitHub vs GitLab vs Gitpod vs DevPod

Unlock the secrets of streamlined software development by breaking free from the chaos of local setups. Discover how GitHub Codespaces, Gitpod, GitLab Workspaces and DevPod revolutionize the development landscape, offering clean, efficient, and collaborative solutions. From battle-tested GitHub Codespaces to cutting-edge newcomers, this guide compares and contrasts their key features, providing insights into production readiness for individuals and small teams. Say goodbye to local development mess and embrace the future of coding with these remote development environments

Table of contents

Local Development Mess

Developers, juggling multiple projects across diverse languages, often find themselves trapped in a local development labyrinth. Each project introduces a new set of dependencies, configurations, and potential conflicts. As the number of projects grows, the host computer becomes a chaotic ecosystem of lost packages, virtual machines, Docker images, and configuration files. This tangled mess not only slows down development but also poses a significant risk of version clashes and project-specific configuration issues.

While tools like Anaconda and even Docker provide a semblance of order by managing virtual environments and package dependencies locally, the developer still grapples with challenges. Local tools may offer isolation, but they can’t eliminate the entire spectrum of complexities associated with managing numerous projects concurrently, especially when trying to reduce the steps/tools to use in the process of isolating and managing different repositories.

Some of the challenges could be:

• Environment Discrepancies
• Dependency Hell
• Folder and file management
• IDE configurations
• Setup Onboarding Challenges
• Isolation and Collaboration Issues
• Scaling Problems
• Security Concerns

Remote Development Environments to the rescue!

Developers seeking refuge from the local development chaos can now embrace a cleaner and more efficient future with remote development. While local tools like Anaconda and even Docker serve a purpose, the full spectrum of challenges persists. In the upcoming sections, we’ll explore leading remote development solutions, guiding you through the transition to a centralized, remote coding haven. Revolutionize your development journey and bid farewell to the local development maze!

My approach is the following:

• The project repository should be centralized in a trusted Version Control System or Source Code Management service like GitHub, GitLab and BitBucket.
• The chosen Source Code Management service must provide WebIDE capabilities, so that local IDE instalation is completely optional
• Ideally, the integration between the WebIDE and the remote development environment should be an available option in the WebIDE or SCM.

Let’s dive into the available options.

Remote Development Solutions

Here you can see a quick comparison between the main solutions available:

I will create separate articles about the options that I think require more exploration, mainly the free and open-source ones:

• GitLab Remote Development (Beta) Review
• DevPod

But for now, let’s explore a bit all the available solutions.

GitHub Codespaces. The Leading Solution

GitHub Codespaces, introduced by GitHub, represents a transformative approach to development environments. It builds on the idea of making development more accessible and collaborative by providing an integrated development environment (IDE) directly within the GitHub platform. Codespaces was officially announced in 2020 and aimed to simplify the setup and configuration of development environments, allowing developers to code directly in the browser.

GitHub Codespaces has gained traction for its user-friendly approach, reducing the friction associated with setting up and managing development environments. It caters to both individual developers and collaborative teams, fostering a more efficient and accessible coding experience

While GitHub Codespaces offers a compelling solution to streamline development workflows, it comes with some notable drawbacks.

• One significant limitation is its proprietary nature, which means it is not open-source, and there is no option for a self-hosted mode. This proprietary aspect raises concerns about vendor lock-in, as users are reliant on GitHub’s infrastructure for hosting their development environments.
• Additionally, while GitHub Codespaces provides a range of pricing plans, the pay-as-you-go model might not align well with all usage scenarios. Users may find themselves constrained by pricing considerations, especially for resource-intensive projects or larger development teams.
• Furthermore, the seamless integration with GitHub, while advantageous for GitHub-centric workflows, may pose challenges for those seeking a more agnostic or diversified development environment.

These considerations highlight the importance of evaluating GitHub Codespaces within the context of specific development needs and the associated trade-offs tied to its proprietary nature and pricing structure.

Gitlab. Beta Solutions

GitLab, renowned for its open-source prowess in the software industry, extends its influence into remote development through two key products:

• GitLab Workspaces (Beta)
• GitLab Remote Development (Beta)

However, as we are going to see throughout this post, these two products seem to be far behind what other competitors in the field are offering, and this is probably the reason why GitLab has integrated the Gitpod alternative into its available Remote Development options.

GitLab Workspaces and GitLab Remote Development exhibit a close interconnection in their approach to facilitating remote development environments within GitLab. In essence, GitLab RD can be perceived as the simple service that establishes the link between the Gitlab WebIDE and the remote Docker container, forming the foundation for remote development. On the other hand, GitLab Workspaces shares a conceptual similarity with GitLab RD, but it takes a step further by incorporating Kubernetes. This addition allows GitLab Workspaces to automate the creation and management of containers (sandboxes) for remote development, offering a more sophisticated integration with repositories. While GitLab RD is currently in a free beta state with foundational capabilities, GitLab Workspaces enhances the remote development experience by providing advanced features, including streamlined container management and more seamless integration with GitLab repositories. Unfortunately

In any case, GitLab aims to enhance the developer experience by offering diverse tools for remote coding within its ecosystem. Whether developers opt for the cloud-based or self-hosted GitLab Workspaces, the streamlined coding experience with Gitpod, or the simplistic yet promising GitLab Remote Development, GitLab stands as a versatile solution that should satisfy remote development expectations in most cases.

GitLab Workspaces (Beta)

This solutions aims to be the equivalent of GitHub Codespaces but for the GitLab ecosystem. So it has the same drawbacks as the github counterpart:

• Vendor lock-in - GitLab
• Pricing model is a bit different than GitHub Codespaces, since only paid Premium and Ultimate plans are allowed to use this solution instead of being based on pay-as-you-go model.

However, in this case the Open-Source nature of most GitLab solutions allows the self-hosting of this product, which constitutes one of the key differences when compared to the GitHub Codespaces competing product.

GitLab Remote Development (Beta)

GitLab Remote Development holds the promise of delivering a truly open-source and seamlessly integrated remote development experience within the GitLab ecosystem. As I delve into this solution in more detail in a separate post GitLab Remote Development (Beta) Review, it’s evident that GitLab Remote Development may serve as an alternative for those seeking a free and open-source option. However, it’s essential to note that, at its current beta stage, the product appears somewhat neglected, lacking many features offered by its competitors so bringing almost no perceptible and significant benefits.

Key Points:

• Promising Open-Source Approach: GitLab Remote Development, in its beta phase, is positioned as an open-source solution, aligning with GitLab’s commitment to fostering a collaborative and accessible development environment.
• Integration within Free GitLab: The potential allure of GitLab Remote Development lies in its integration within the GitLab Personal tier, offering a cost-effective solution for those exploring remote development on a budget.
• Cautionary Considerations: However, it’s crucial to approach GitLab Remote Development with a cautious optimism. The product appears to be in a deep beta state, with limited features compared to other established competitors. Its development activity and roadmap may raise questions about its long-term viability and the level of support it might receive. Especially when GitLab Workspaces seems to be receiving the majority of the efforts.

For a comprehensive exploration of GitLab Remote Development, including its features, limitations, and potential use cases, please refer to this other post: GitLab Remote Development (Beta) Review.

Gitpod. Complete and Independent Solution

Estabished in 2020, Gitpod has emerged as a specialized force in refining cloud-based development environments. Unlike expansive source code management platforms, Gitpod concentrates its efforts on enhancing the landscape of remote development.

In its role as a robust competitor to GitHub Codespaces, Gitpod distinguishes itself by adopting an agnostic approach, seamlessly integrating not only with GitHub but also with GitLab and BitBucket.

Gitpod offers developers a binary choice:

• Gitpod Cloud: environments hosted by Gitpod
• Gitpod Dedicated: self-hosted environments in users’ clouds, but with Gitpod handling the management reins.

The emphasis on becoming a top-notch cloud solution has, unfortunately, dented Gitpod’s reputation as an open-source project. For instance, hosting Gitpod independently, without any cloud provider and outside the Gitpod environment, is currently impossible. Despite this drawback, Gitpod’s pioneering and agnostic approach positions it as a leader in the remote development environment industry.

DevPod. Truly Open-Source Solution

Born from a commitment to genuine open-source principles, DevPod emerged with a clear mission: to provide developers with a seamlessly integrated, platform-agnostic remote development solution. Unlike some counterparts in the field, DevPod stands out as a truly open-source project, supporting any Git-based Source Code Manager and accommodating any hosting provider, whether local or in the cloud. This level of agnosticism and freedom from vendor lock-in sets DevPod apart, allowing developers to shape their remote development environments without constraints.

One of the fundamental concepts driving this product is its exclusive client-based nature. This implies that it comes bundled with a lightweight desktop application compatible with Windows, Linux, macOS, and even a command-line interface (CLI). Remarkably, there’s no requirement for server-side installations, as the remote workspace is deployed by providers. Notably, there are two distinct types of providers. On one side, we have the machine providers, which essentially provision virtual machines for running development containers, often seen with cloud providers. On the other side, we have the non-machine providers, where the need for provisioning machines is eliminated. Instead, this provider type relies on technologies such as Docker, Kubernetes, and even SSH for seamless deployment.

In summary, armed with a robust feature set, seamless integration capabilities, and flexible deployment options, DevPod solidifies its position as the go-to open-source project for remote environments, standing out as the natural choice for developers seeking a powerful and adaptable solution.

Conclusion

In summary:

• If truly open-source spirit, self-hosting posibilities, agnostic SCM integration and even agnostic cloud/local provider integration are the most important features for you, then choose DevPod. Especially when you have a devops team or similar capable of taking full advantage of this open-source product.
• If you value an agnostic SCM integration with a remote environment solution, then choose Gitpod 🔒 or DevPod 🗽. Choosing one or the other will depend on the the maturity, support and configuration overhead you are willing to accept.
• If GitHub is your only SCM and you trust Microsoft/GitHub, then choose GitHub Codespaces.
• If GitLab is your only SCM, then choose Gitpod integration; only if you trust and have experience with GitLab configuration/management, which in my opinion is the most powerful DevSecOps platform, I would consider its native alternative (GitLab Workspaces Beta). But please, do your own research first given all the configuration overhead, lack of features and costs this decision might entail.

I hope this post has provided valuable insights into various remote development environments, equipping you with the knowledge needed to make informed decisions. While we’ve covered significant platforms, it’s worth noting the existence of Coder as an alternative that merits exploration. Additionally, keep an eye on emerging solutions like the experimental Docker Dev Environment, showing promise for future inclusion in this document or in subsequent posts. The dynamic landscape of remote development continually evolves, and embracing innovative tools ensures you stay at the forefront of efficiency and collaboration. Happy coding!