In simple English
Gerrit is a website and a server for reviewing source code before it enters a project. It shows old code next to new code so people can spot mistakes easily. Reviewers leave notes on specific lines of text. Authorized users can push approved changes straight into the main storage without manual merging. It costs nothing in money under the Apache 2.0 licence, but it needs a dedicated server and ongoing maintenance.
What it is
Gerrit is a web-based code review system built for Git repositories that integrates directly with version control workflows. It uses a change-based review model where every patch is treated as an isolated change set for discussion and testing before acceptance.
What it is good for
Solo builders and teams who want strict, line-by-line code review gates before any code merges into their main repository, without relying on hosted commercial platforms.
- Provides a side-by-side display for comparing changes line by line.
- Allows reviewers to leave inline comments on any part of the code.
- Automates merging for approved changes once all checks pass.
- Heavy setup difficulty for a non-programmer due to Java and build tool requirements.
- High memory and server resource needs to run smoothly.
- Maintenance overhead of hosting and securing your own code review server.
GitHub Pull Requests
Git
- go-gitea/gitea59k stars
Gitea is a self-hosted Git service with built-in code review, offering a simpler overall package than Gerrit.
- gitbucket/gitbucket9.4k stars
GitBucket is a Git clone written in Scala that includes a pull request review system.
- HypothesisWorks/hypothesis9.1k stars
A Python library that generates test inputs and reduces any failure to the smallest example that still fails.
- wntrblm/nox1.6k stars
Runs your tests and other jobs in fresh isolated environments, described in an ordinary Python file.
git clone --recurse-submodules https://gerrit.googlesource.com/gerrit cd gerrit && bazel build release