Azure DevOps vs GitHub: Which DevOps tool is better?

Software development is a battleground of ever-emerging technologies, aiming to improve collaboration.

It seems surreal that developers across the world are striving hard to improve their workflow with collaboration tools.

However, in the changing technical advancements, the onus goes to efficient collaboration tools to address market demands.

The most prominent and exclusive cloud-based solutions Azure DevOps vs GitHub are creating a stir in the market.

Despite being owned by Microsoft, these tools have significant differences and similarities, leading to confusion- which one is better?

In this blog, we are going to spill the secret beans.

Let’s find out together…

What is Azure DevOps?

Azure is a robust tool with a comprehensive set of services.

It is designed to streamline the software development process by enabling developers to plan, collaborate, communicate, and deploy new projects.

Sounds interesting!

With this tool, developers can work efficiently and effectively, leading to improved productivity rate, and this all happens without compromising the quality.

Due to its exceptional capabilities this tool has become a go-to choice for developers.

What is GitHub?

Well, many of us know it as a website portal, but it is also a widely used cloud-based service!

Surprised???

With this tool, it has become an easy task for the developers to store, share, and collaborate effortlessly.

It holds an intuitive interface, enabling developers to track and manage their code changes hassle-free.

At the same time, GitHub encourages open-source collaboration wherein developers can contribute to publicly available repositories and get assistance from the global developer community.

There are a myriad of features that can be beneficial to any DevOps team.

Here’s a comparative analysis of the features and benefits of both platforms.

Azure DevOps- Features & Functionalities

Project Management

With Azure DevOps, developers get essential tools to manage their projects, handle backlogs, and sprint execution while tracking and managing the development lifecycle.

It offers Agile tools for seamless collaboration, and task prioritization for defined timelines.

Source Control

You should know that Azure DevOps uses Git as its source control system.

This enables developers to branch and merge code while managing the codebase effectively.

With this functionality, developers can create branches and work on bug fixes which further can be merged into the main codebase.

As a result, this flexibility ensures an organized development process and mitigates any chances for conflicts.

Build and Release Management

It allows developers to build continuous integration and deployment pipelines for automated build & release processes.

Utilizing such pipelines, teams can implement an efficient workflow where developers can write high-quality code.

Businesses can leverage this tool to enhance their productivity rate, reduce manual errors, and accelerate the time to market.

Testing and Analytics

Indeed, with Azure DevOps, there comes a wide range of tools and services and one of those is testing tools.

Testing is paramount with software and cannot be nudged off. With Azure DevOps developers get a consolidated platform, enabling them to run tests efficiently.

This allows teams to automate and manage tests and ensure the overall software quality is improved.

GitHub- Features & Functionalities

Open Source Community

The first on this list is GitHub becoming a central hub for developers across the globe.

It has a wider range of open-source projects powered by the largest community who constantly improve the code quality and address any type of challenges.

With this platform, developers can share their knowledge and expertise boosting innovation.

Collaboration

It offers a platform for seamless collaboration across teams so teams are not annoyed while sharing code, tracking issues, and managing projects under one roof.

This unified platform ensures improving productivity & efficiency with a streamlined development process.

Security

It offers robust security features that help in encrypting data with secured access controls, threat scanning.

With such a foul-proof plan, it becomes easier for developers to code which is no longer vulnerable to cyber threats.

Furthermore, it allows developers to collaborate and share code securely, as they don’t need to be worried about the potential threats that can violate their codes.

Integrations

GitHub can easily be integrated with other tools and services. This flexibility allows developers to streamline the development process.

Such types of integrations ensure a seamless collaboration, automate repetitive tasks, and improve overall productivity for better outcome.

It can be integrated easily with popular project management tools such as Jira or Trello, and with continuous integration and deployment tools- Travis CI or Jenkins.

It ensures that the complete process is automated for development, testing and deployment, with no to minimal human intervention at large.

Comparison- Azure DevOps VS GitHub

Now that we have looked at the features and benefits of Azure DevOps and GitHub, and know there is a huge number of benefits to entail from them.

However, there is always a confusion as to which platform supersedes another on the basis of their core functionalities.

Thus, below we have outlined a few important features which are compared with each other to gain better understanding.

Pricing

Azure DevOps is free for up to 5 users with an unlimited number of private repositories to boot. There is also a free trial available allowing developers to download and try the product.

GitHub allows all public open-source projects to be hosted free of charge with private repositories at a cost.
Developers can pick from paid plans that start at $7/month for personal use + unlimited private repositories, for enterprises it charges $21 per user/month with a pack of 10 users, and is billed annually.

API and Extensibility

Azure DevOps’ REST API is based on OAuth, JSON, and service hooks. They give remote user/account access, build functions, Git repository actions, dashboards, etc.

GitHub has a well-documented REST API that helps in interacting with and manipulating various platform resources. These APIs give access to HTTPS with data sent/received in JSON format.

User Interface

Azure DevOps has a modern and intuitive interface that makes it easy for both beginners and experienced developers.

GitHub also has an intuitive design which is easy to navigate across the functions.

3rd Party Integration

GitHub offers multiple integrations to use 3rd party tools from chat solutions like Slack and HipChat to CI/CD offerings such as Travis CI and Semaphore.

Azure DevOps gives a host of extensions such as Slack, Octopus Deploy, and even GitHub.

Ease of Use

GitHub has collaborative/social functions with a basic command of Git.

On the other hand, Azure DevOps has IDEs like Visual Studio, Eclipse, IntelliJ, and Android Studio.

Capability

Azure DevOps offers a plethora of tools and services facilitating software project creation, development, testing, and management.

GitHub brings advanced features for team-based software development such as project issue tracking, code review, and various social features have made it the platform of choice for countless organizations/projects.

Community Support

Indeed, in this segment GitHub is leading the race, as its offered community support is beyond imagination even, and this size of community is ever increasing in every passing minute.

On the other side, Azure DevOps has a large but fragmented community base, and can be found easily on Stack Overflow.

Release Frequency

Azure DevOps releases regular updates largely for bug fixes and product updates. However, in terms of frequency it is limited to twice a month over the last several years.

GitHub ensures releasing multiple updates monthly and leads the race here as well. It covers all security breaches with new feature addition.

Security

Not many of us know that Azure DevOps website has a number of shortcomings such as absence of HTTP strict transport security, secure cookies, and an insecure SSL/TLS version.

And GitHub has secured a security rating of 808 out of 950, which is quite impressive.

Is GitHub Succeeding Azure DevOps?

It is a million-dollar question, and everyone waiting to get the answer!

So the answer is that both platforms are equally valuable and their selection is primarily based on your project needs.

Confused???

Let us explain a bit!

As we all know, GitHub is a known platform due to its range of functionalities which are hard to ignore.

But at the same time, it is not going to replace Azure DevOps as they complement each other in multiple ways.

On project management capabilities offered by Azure DevOps, GitHub has a long way to go.

In a similar fashion, GitHub is a player in collaboration and sharing, whereas Azure DevOps is more about project planning, tracking, and deployment.

The crux of the point is that Azure DevOps and GitHub are both widely used tools.

Despite serving similar purposes, these both are powered by distinct differences catering to different needs. However, one must remember that these two platforms are not interchangeable and must be picked based on the project’s needs.

To conclude it can be stated that GitHub is the go-to option for developers who are looking forward to building open-source projects, as its features give accessibility to the open-source community. On the flip side, for closed-source projects, Azure DevOps is the right choice for the developers, as it offers a robust set of features to streamline collaboration and communication among teams.

How Hidden Brains Can Help

Azure DevOps brings features that help in managing the development lifecycle with source control, automated builds, continuous integration, and deployment.

GitHub, on the other hand, has already carved a niche for itself as a phenomenal platform for collaboration and version control.

At Hidden Brains, we have extensive experience and expertise in GitHub and Azure DevOps platforms.

With our skilled team, we have enabled global brands to navigate through data-driven decision-making.

If you are confused in selecting between these two, or ready to proceed ahead with either of them, we are here to help you.

We ensure our skills in Cloud – DevOps Development Services align with your business objectives to get the most out of your project in an efficient manner.

Frequently Asked Questions

Confused about which DevOps tool is right for your team? Here are the answers to the most common questions about Azure DevOps and GitHub.

Related Posts

How AI-driven Cloud Services Are Transforming Business Application Development

Why is DevOps as a Service the Smartest Move for Startups?

Cloud Computing for Small Businesses Why It’s a Game-changer in 2025

azure devopsCloud servicesdevops architecturedevops solution

Don't Forget to share this post!

Albert Smith

Albert Smith, Marketing Manager at Hidden Brains, drives brand growth with innovative strategies in web, mobile app, and software development.