Use AES with a Git source control repository

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated March 12, 2026
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Use AES with a Git source control repository

    App developers using App Engine Studio (AES) can effectively manage their data repository through integration with Git source control. Once linked, developers can import applications, pull changes, commit local modifications, create tags, and manage branches for version control. Note that only checked-in changes are visible to other developers.

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    Key Features

    • Application Management: Developers can link applications to Git, allowing for easy management of application files.
    • Source Control Operations: AES supports actions such as committing changes, applying remote updates, creating branches, and switching between them.
    • File Management: Developers can move application files within the Git repository and edit them outside of AES, with proper paths defined in the properties file.
    • Checksum Validation: The system uses checksum files to validate changes made outside AES, ensuring integrity during source control operations.
    • MID Server Support: Existing MID Servers can be used to connect to source control repositories, enabling access behind firewalls.
    • Conflict Resolution: Developers can resolve conflicts by selecting versions of app files when applying changes.
    • Commit History: AES allows viewing the commit history for better tracking of changes.

    Key Outcomes

    By utilizing Git with AES, developers can streamline collaboration and version control, ensuring that application development is efficient and well-organized. The integration enables effective tracking of changes, management of multiple versions, and easier collaboration among team members, ultimately leading to improved application quality and delivery timelines.

    App developers working in App Engine Studio (AES) can manage their data repository in numerous ways.

    After your admin has linked an application to Source control, all application developers on a non-production instance can perform these actions:
    • Import applications from a Git repository.
    • Pull and apply remote changes from a Git repository.
    • Commit all local changes on the instance to a Git repository.
    • Create tags to permanently link to a given version of an application.
    • Create branches to maintain multiple versions of an application simultaneously.
    Note:
    If you’re using source control to collaborate with other developers, only changes that have been checked in are available to other developers. For example, if an admin creates a new flow for an app that’s linked to Git, the new flow won’t be available in the app for other AES users until the admin checks the flow into Git.

    Options available from App Engine Studio

    After an application has been linked to source control, application developers can use App Engine Studio to manage the repository. From App Engine Studio, developers can:
    • Edit the application repository credentials.
    • Commit all local changes on the instance.
    • Apply remote changes from the repository.
    • Create a branch.
    • Switch branches.
    • Import an application from a remote repository.

    Source control integration does not support managing applications on a production instance. Instead, you can manage applications on a production instance using the application repository, an update set, or App Engine Studio. For more information about managing applications on a production instance, see Application sharing.

    Options available from a Git repository

    The ServiceNow platform offers limited support for modifying linked application files outside of an instance. From Git, developers can:
    • Move application files to a different Git directory structure.
    • Edit application files outside of App Engine Studio.

    The system generates a properties text file called sn_source_control.properties at the root level of the repository. To move application files to a different Git directory structure, application developers can set the path parameter to specify the subfolder path containing their application files. For example, if you moved your application to the src/app subfolder, set the path to path=src/app.

    The system generates a checksum.txt file in the Git repository to determine if any application files have been changed outside of App Engine Studio. When the checksum value from the file matches the current checksum value, the integration skips the validation and sanitization process. When the checksum values do not match, the integration validates and sanitizes the application files as part of the source control operation. The sanitization process:
    • Creates upgrade log entries for each sanitization action taken.
    • Removes unsupported folders and files from the repository.
    • Aborts all source control operations when a system application file fails XML schema validation. For example, if a database dictionary record fails XML schema validation, the system aborts all operations.
    • Skips the current source control operation when a non-system application file fails XML schema validation.

    The source control integration sanitizes only content within the application path listed in the sn_source_control.properties file. Repository content outside the application path is ignored.

    MID Server support

    Use an existing MID Server to connect to a source control repository. Accessing an application through a MID Server enables access to repositories behind a firewall.