Source Control integration

Enable application developers to integrate with a Git Source Control repository. Save and manage multiple versions of an application from a non-production instance.

Linking an application to Source Control enables all application developers on a non-production instance to:

• 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.

Integration requirements

To link an application to source control:

• The user must have the admin role.
• The non-production instance must have network access to the Git repository.
• Each application must be within its own Git repository.
• The repository user credentials must grant read and write access.

Note:

All application developers on the instance share a single set of credentials per repository.

Options available from ServiceNow Studio

After linking an application to Source Control, application developers can use ServiceNow Studio to manage the repository. From 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.

It is not recommended to use Source Control to manage applications on a production instance, deploying to production may lead to unintended consequences, see Production deployment tips. Instead, you can manage applications on a production instance using the application repository, an update set, or the ServiceNow Store. 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 ServiceNow 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 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. Linking or importing an application through a MID Server enables access to repositories behind a firewall.

Configure MID server for source control integration

Configure a MID server for Source Control Integration to enable communication and the movement of data between a ServiceNow instance and external applications, data sources, and services.

• Add "bundle" extension to glide.attachment.extensions properties.
• If the MID Servers must go through a proxy to access the remote git repository, do as follows:
  • Add the following line to agent\conf\wrapper-override.conf file:
  • wrapper.java.additionial.3=-Dhttps.proxyHost=<proxyHost>
  • wrapper.java.additionial.4=-Dhttps.proxyPort=<proxyPort>
  • Restart the MID
  • Add a new entry in "MID Security Policy":
  • Name: <proxy host name>
  • Check "Active" only

Denoise source control commits

Skip unloading into XML files of noisy update fields for any metadata record in source control.

• Production deployment tips
  When you develop customizations to applications on the ServiceNow® platform, you deploy them via the application repository to a production instance. This topic examines and provides cautions for the tradeoffs between installing an application from the application repository versus Git repository with source control.
• Available source control operations
  The source control integration primarily supports operations from Studio, but can also support some operations directly from the GIT repository.
• Import application or application-customization from source control
  Import an application or application-customization from a source control repository to continue developing it on this instance.
• Link an application or application-customization to source control
  Linking an application or application-customization to source control allows application developers to manage changes from a Git repository.
• Migrate completed update set history to Source Control
  When linking to Source Control, this feature allows application developers the choice of migrating the information in completed update sets to Source Control history.
• Edit a Git repository configuration
  You can edit a Git repository to change the network protocol selection, credentials or other field entries.
• Apply remote changes
  Application developers can pull changes from a linked GIT repository to apply remote changes to the local instance.
• Commit changes
  Application developers can commit their changes on the instance to the linked Git repository. You can either select a few changes to commit, or commit all changes on the instance at once.
• Stash local changes
  Application developers can remove and save changes locally to apply them later.
• Switch branch
  Application developers can switch to a different repository branch to work on another version of the application.
• Create branch
  Application developers can create a branch to work on a new version of an existing application.
• Set default branch
  Set a default branch when you want to use a branch other than main for new changes or for your main development repository.
• Manage stashes
  Application developers can apply or delete stashed changes from Studio.
• Resolve conflicts
  Application developers can choose which application file version to use when applying remote or stashed changes.
• View commit history
  Application developers can view the commit history of applications linked to a source control repository.
• Move application files in a GIT repository
  Move application files linked to source control to any folder of the repository. Allow application developers to store supporting content such as automated tests in the same repository as the applications they support.
• Collision avoidance
  Avoid modifying an application file across different update sets to ensure seamless experience during the commit process.
• Delta loading
  "Delta loading" is an optimized way to load an application from a Git repository.
• Denoise your source control commits
  As a source control developer, you can merge the Git branches, without getting noise from the fields that are auto-updated by the system.