Git source control - what are the benefits?

[afielden]

I know that ServiceNow provides Git source control integration in Studio. But I'm trying to determine if it's worth using.

Most ServiceNow developers use update sets to provide a level of development isolation. And all changes are immediately committed to the database.

This seems to conflict with use of Git, where development occurs on feature branches. This allows any changes made on that branch to be reverted, or even abandoned. It's not as straightforward to back out changes made in an update set.

Also what are best practices in terms of multiple developers working on the same project? Again, in a more conventional software project, this is managed by feature branches, and merging of changes.

So my questions really are, do we gain any significant benefits from using Git source control in a ServiceNow project. There has clearly been a lot of work to integrate Git into Studio. I'm just interested in any views on best practices in terms of using it.

[Rafael Batistot]

Hi @afielden 

This is my opinion about 

• Git in ServiceNow tracks code artifacts (scripts, business rules, UI pages) and supports feature branches, merges, and rollbacks.
• Benefits: Better collaboration for multiple developers, version history, easier rollback, code review, and DevOps integration.
• Limitations: Some configuration items aren’t well-tracked in Git; update sets may still be needed.
• Best practices:
  
• Use Git for code, update sets for configurations.
• Work in feature branches and merge regularly.
• Keep commits small and atomic.
• Avoid direct edits on shared components when using Git.
• When it’s worth using: Multi-developer, code-heavy projects, or when integrating with CI/CD pipelines.

Git adds value mainly for collaboration, version control, and DevOps, but doesn’t fully replace update sets.

[afielden]

Thanks. We are indeed integrating with Gitlab CI/CD pipelines. Sounds like it may be worth pursuing. Encouraging that you mention easier rollback, that to me is a good benefit.