Gerrit Code Review

Gerrit Code Review
Name	Gerrit Code Review
Developer	The Gerrit community
Released	2008
Programming language	Java
Operating system	Cross-platform
License	Apache License 2.0

Gerrit Code Review Gerrit Code Review is a web-based code review tool built around Git (software), used by numerous OpenStack contributors, Android (operating system) developers, and teams at Google and Qualcomm. It combines change tracking, access control, and continuous integration hooks for projects like Chromium (web browser), LibreOffice, and Eclipse Foundation initiatives. The system coordinates peer review, automated testing, and repository management across organizations such as Linux Foundation, Apache Software Foundation, and European Space Agency projects.

Overview

Gerrit Code Review provides a centralized review workflow atop Git (software), enabling developers from Red Hat, IBM, Intel, Nokia, and Samsung to propose, discuss, and approve changes. It integrates with continuous integration platforms like Jenkins (software), GitLab CI/CD, Travis CI, CircleCI, and Azure DevOps to gate commits and enforce quality gates used by Mozilla and Facebook. Administrators leverage access control features similar to systems used at Oracle Corporation and HP to manage repositories for projects such as Kubernetes, Ceph, and OpenStack Nova.

History

Origins trace to work by developers at Google and contributions from engineers involved with Android (operating system) and Chromium (web browser). Early adoption occurred among contributors to OpenStack and Eclipse Foundation projects, with subsequent governance influenced by organizations like the Linux Foundation. Major releases added features inspired by practices at Apache Software Foundation projects and tooling used at Qualcomm research teams. The community of maintainers includes contributors who previously worked at Red Hat, IBM, Nokia, and Intel.

Architecture and Components

The platform is implemented primarily in Java (programming language), runs on servlet containers used by Apache Tomcat and can store data in backends such as NoteDb (Git-based notes) and traditional SQL stores; administrators often deploy it alongside PostgreSQL, MySQL, or MariaDB. Core components include the web UI used by reviewers from Mozilla and LibreOffice, the change-indexing engine comparable to systems at Elastic (company) projects, and a plugin framework adopted by teams at Google and Red Hat. Integration points expose hooks for Jenkins (software), Zuul (software), GitLab (software), and Kubernetes clusters managing CI runners for projects like OpenStack.

Workflow and Features

Developers push topic branches from clients such as Git (software) or IDEs used by engineers at JetBrains and Eclipse Foundation into review; reviewers from Linux Foundation projects and corporate teams apply labels, comments, and votes. The change review model supports patch set uploading, inline comments, and automated verification similar to workflows at Chromium (web browser), Android (operating system), and Kubernetes. Access control and project rules mirror strategies used by Apache Software Foundation projects and enterprise teams at IBM and Oracle Corporation, while dashboards and activity feeds resemble interfaces preferred by GitHub and GitLab users. Merge strategies, submit rules, and topic branches are configured to interoperate with CI systems like Travis CI and CircleCI.

Integration and Extensibility

A plugin architecture allows extensions developed by contributors from Red Hat, Google, and Intel to add authentication modules for LDAP (software), OAuth 2.0, and SAML providers used by Microsoft and Okta. Integrations for issue trackers such as JIRA (software), Bugzilla, and Phabricator facilitate cross-references for projects maintained by Mozilla and LibreOffice. Many organizations pair Gerrit with orchestration tools like Jenkins (software), Zuul (software), and Tekton for gating, while adapters enable interactions with repository hosts such as GitHub, GitLab (software), and Bitbucket.

Deployment and Administration

Operators deploy Gerrit on platforms ranging from virtual machines managed by VMware and OpenStack to containers orchestrated with Docker and Kubernetes clusters used by Google and Red Hat. Backup and scaling strategies use replication and sharding patterns similar to databases managed by PostgreSQL and MySQL administrators at Canonical and SUSE. Authentication, audit logging, and project-level policies are administered through ACLs and group management interoperable with LDAP (software) directories and identity providers like Okta and Azure Active Directory.

Security and Governance

Security practices for deployments follow guidance used by Linux Foundation and OpenStack operators: role-based access control, signed commits using OpenPGP, transport security with TLS, and review audit trails for compliance frameworks adopted by European Space Agency and NASA projects. Governance of the upstream project is community-driven with contributors from Google, Red Hat, Intel, and Qualcomm coordinating releases and maintaining the plugin ecosystem. Vulnerability disclosure and patching processes align with policies used by Apache Software Foundation projects and enterprise vendors such as IBM and Oracle Corporation.

Category:Code review tools Category:Version control systems