Every developer knows just how important it is to share work with a coworker. If you are working on a critical feature in a crunch, prompt peer reviews and instant feedback can mean the difference between a secure contract and an angry client. So it follows that when the infrastructure we rely on to work stops working, it’s infuriating. Recently I’ve seen a large number of GitHub alerts notifying me every other hour that a service has gone down.
I don’t use GitHub for my current project, but I do empathize with those who are affected by this. So, in solitude with my fellow developers, I’ve compiled a quintessential GitHub alternative list that may be useful in these trying times.
GitHub Alternative 1: Homemade 50 Petabyte Data Center
If you happen to have a few spare million dollars burning a hole in your pocket, this is the perfect starter investment. The first on this list is a homemade 50 petabyte data center, thanks in part to the sheer storage space. You can buy storage racks supporting as much as 192 terabytes of data each.
If you’re doing some quick maths, you’ll surmise that 192TB is not quite 50PB. It so happens that you can buy 261 of these, which will place you just over that requisite 50,000TB number. I’m sure that with a little searching and some bulk discounts, you can acquire all of these hard drive racks. From there, it’s just a matter of connecting them via a RAID controller, acquiring adequate cooling, and you’re on your way! This is the perfect GitHub alternative, and may even become a mainstay in your career.
I suspect this solution may be a little overkill due to the amount of storage, so I’ll propose some other ideas.
GitHub Alternative 2: 64 Gigabyte USB Stick
Sometimes, you just need to go back to the basics. Next up as a possible GitHub alternative is a simple, oft-overlooked solution: A USB stick. With 64 gigabytes of storage at your disposal, all you have to do is slap it on a table and say “This bad boy can fit so many projects”.
Now I just inspected my own project folder, and for my current work, our entire project ecosystem takes up no more than 8 gigabytes. That is to say, I could fit all our work into this solution eight times over. Straightforward, and more importantly, just the right amount of space. What’s not to love?
GitHub Alternative 3: 2 Terabyte External Hard Drive
This one’s for the developers who need to work on something really complex. In third place is another basic one: The 2TB hard disk. For this one, we’re trading speed for space and financial stability. While it might not process as quickly as an SSD can, this option has more digital space than a 64GB thumb drive does. It’ll also cost less money, and for those who like a little old-school, this would be a great “rustic” GitHub alternative.
On the downside, however, I will acknowledge that this and the previous solution pose one problem. In the development world, synchronization with changes is crucial to speed and efficiency. This, along with the thumb drive, don’t particularly afford developers that benefit. You should consider that tradeoff.
Should that be critical, though, you may like this next solution.
GitHub Alternative 4: OneDrive
Why leave the ecosystem? OneDrive is a fantastic GitHub alternative. For one, you may not even need to switch accounts between the two very often. Secondly, and more importantly, OneDrive affords developers the synchronization that we so often rely on to get work done. Not to mention the complete elimination of CLI usage. If you choose to integrate OneDrive with your machine, all you need to do is save your changes. OneDrive handles the rest – your changes are automatically uploaded, and other developers see your changes in real time.
In addition to this incredible benefit, OneDrive also has virtually unlimited storage. For just a small monthly or annual fee, development teams can acquire all the cloud storage they need – way more than just 64GB. With all of that space and the power of cloud computing on your side, resuming work will be a breeze.
That said, it’s possible that attempting to use OneDrive on some devices may pose a problem. For that, I have one final proposal to suggest.
Honorable Mention: Airdrop
I forgot about this method until I recalled an ingenious solution in which a database was airdropped. For this GitHub alternative, developers can consider airdropping their entire codebase into another’s machine. This is the perfect solution if, like myself, you and your coworkers work using Apple devices.
While this may slightly complicate the process of merge resolutions, a few handmade scripts may be able to solve this problem. Simply autodetect when a codebase has had changes overwritten, and automatically detect what’s new and what needs to be replaced. Alternatively, you could simply overwrite your existing project repository, simply pulling in the latest changes from your desk neighbor.
So tell me – which one of these alternatives works for you? I’m personally considering the first one.
Afterword
If it didn’t come across as such, this is a joke. In my experience, GitHub alternatives worth their salt include services like Azure, which is a paid service. GitHub as a whole is fantastic to use, and their services are split to avoid massive outages. There is a reason it is an industry standard.
That said, it is quite frustrating when the things we rely on decide to break. I have learned during these instances it is best not to stress too much, and have a little fun in the process. We’ll be back to work soon. In the meantime, enjoy the process. At the end of the day, we’re convincing rocks to think — shouldn’t it at least be fun?