Russian and International Git Systems: Why Businesses Shouldn’t Depend on a Single Platform

Even the world’s largest services can become temporarily unavailable because of technical errors, network issues, or other factors. There is also always a risk that access to foreign resources may be restricted. The main lesson from situations like these is clear: businesses should not rely on a single platform to store their source code.

Today, Git systems are much more than code repositories. They are a critical part of the software development infrastructure. They hold not only source code but also revision histories, approval workflows, tools for team collaboration, and often the systems used to automate application builds, testing, and deployment. For businesses, the availability of this infrastructure directly affects development continuity and how quickly products can be released. Even a temporary inability to access a Git platform can therefore become a serious problem, particularly for large companies with extensive development teams and complex production workflows.

At the same time, completely abandoning foreign Git platforms is hardly a sensible strategy. GitHub and other international services remain an important part of the global open-source development ecosystem. Millions of projects are hosted there, international teams collaborate on code, and popular libraries and frameworks continue to evolve. Russian developers actively contribute to these efforts, and artificially restricting such collaboration would be counterproductive. In my view, the goal should not be to give up foreign services, but to use them in a way that prevents outages from turning into critical business problems.

For Russian developers who actively use GitHub and other foreign Git services, we recommend setting up repository mirrors on Russian platforms such as GitFlic or other domestic alternatives. This makes it possible to retain access to source code even if the primary platform experiences problems, reducing dependence on foreign infrastructure. Developers can still contribute to international projects, publish open-source code, and benefit from the global developer community.

Businesses, particularly large companies and organizations with heightened information security requirements, should take a somewhat different approach: use Russian Git platforms as their primary environment for source code storage and team development. For the greatest control over infrastructure, the most reliable option is to deploy an in-house repository management system within the company's own IT environment (on-premises). This allows businesses to manage access to source code themselves, control where data is stored, and minimize dependence on external cloud services and any restrictions those providers might impose.

Using in-house infrastructure does not mean cutting ties with the international ecosystem. Companies can continue working with foreign Git services wherever doing so is genuinely necessary, for example, to contribute to open-source projects, publish publicly available software, or collaborate with international partners. Individual repositories can also be mirrored to foreign platforms when needed. The key is to set the right priorities: source code that is critical to the business and its core development processes should remain within infrastructure the company controls. External services should complement that infrastructure, not become its single point of dependency.

Ultimately, this is not about choosing between Russian and foreign platforms. It is about managing risks effectively and ensuring technological independence. Russian and international Git systems can readily coexist within a single development strategy. What matters is building workflows so that the temporary unavailability of one service does not bring development teams to a halt, cut off access to source code, or disrupt business operations. In my view, this is the most sensible approach for Russian companies today.

Author: Maxim Kozlov, Chief Technology Officer of the GitFlic platform (part of Astra Group)