# Gitiles

> simple repository browser for Git repositories

**Wikidata**: [Q111038621](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q111038621)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/gitiles

## Summary  
Gitiles is a free and open‑source web application that provides a simple, read‑only browser for Git repositories. Developed by Google and built on JGit, it presents source code via a clean HTML interface without requiring authentication or write permissions.

## Key Facts  
- **Developer:** Google (the original creator and primary maintainer).  
- **Initial release:** Early versions existed before 2022; the project follows semantic versioning.  
- **Current stable version:** **1.6.0** (released 2025‑02‑26) – marked as the preferred release.  
- **License:** Apache Software License 2.0.  
- **Programming languages:** Java and Starlark.  
- **Based on:** JGit, the pure‑Java implementation of Git.  
- **Primary goal:** Simplicity – a lightweight, read‑only repository viewer.  
- **Access model:** No access control or write access; it serves only public read operations.  
- **Web presence:** Official site <https://gerrit.googlesource.com/gitiles/> (English).  
- **Source code:** Hosted at <https://gerrit.googlesource.com/gitiles/> (primary) and mirrored on GitHub at <https://github.com/google/gitiles>.  

## FAQs  
### Q: What does Gitiles do?  
A: Gitiles renders Git repositories as browsable web pages, letting users view files, commit histories, and diffs without needing a local clone or authentication.  

### Q: Who maintains Gitiles and under what license?  
A: Google maintains Gitiles, and it is released under the Apache Software License 2.0, allowing free use, modification, and distribution.  

### Q: Can I push changes to a repository through Gitiles?  
A: No. Gitiles is intentionally read‑only; it does not provide write access or any access‑control mechanisms.  

### Q: Where can I find the source code and report issues?  
A: The main repository is <https://gerrit.googlesource.com/gitiles/>; a GitHub mirror exists at <https://github.com/google/gitiles>. Issues are tracked at <https://github.com/google/gitiles/issues>.  

### Q: Which programming languages are used in Gitiles?  
A: The core is written in Java, with configuration and build scripts in Starlark.  

## Why It Matters  
Gitiles fills a niche for teams and projects that need a lightweight, zero‑configuration way to expose Git repositories over HTTP. By leveraging JGit, it avoids the overhead of full‑featured Git servers while still delivering a familiar browsing experience—complete with commit graphs, file diffs, and syntax‑highlighted source views. Its read‑only design eliminates security concerns around accidental writes, making it ideal for public open‑source projects, documentation sites, or internal code reviews where only inspection is required. Because it is open‑source and licensed under Apache 2.0, organizations can embed or extend Gitiles without licensing fees, and the use of semantic versioning ensures predictable upgrade paths. The combination of simplicity, language‑agnostic hosting (any web server can serve the generated pages), and tight integration with Google’s Gerrit ecosystem has made Gitiles a reliable component in many continuous‑integration pipelines and code‑hosting platforms.  

## Notable For  
- **Read‑only simplicity:** Provides a clean, authentication‑free view of Git repos.  
- **Built on JGit:** Offers a pure‑Java implementation, easing deployment on JVM environments.  
- **Semantic versioning:** All releases follow a clear major.minor.patch scheme, facilitating dependency management.  
- **Dual hosting:** Primary Gerrit source and an official GitHub mirror ensure accessibility and community contributions.  
- **Apache 2.0 license:** Enables unrestricted commercial and non‑commercial use.  

## Body  

### Overview  
Gitiles is a web application that renders Git repositories as navigable HTML pages. It is classified as free and open‑source software, a web application, a repository web interface, and a source‑code‑repository browser. Its core purpose is to provide a simple, read‑only interface without requiring authentication or write capabilities.

### Architecture  
- **Base library:** JGit (Java implementation of Git).  
- **Languages:** Java for the server‑side logic; Starlark for build and configuration scripts.  
- **Goal:** Simplicity—minimal configuration, no access‑control layers.  

### Licensing and Versions  
- **License:** Apache Software License 2.0.  
- **Version history (selected releases):**  
  - 1.0.0 – 2022‑02‑08  
  - 1.1.0 – 2023‑01‑19  
  - 1.2.0 – 2023‑06‑14  
  - 1.3.0 – 2023‑09‑29  
  - 1.4.0 – 2024‑01‑10  
  - 1.5.0 – 2024‑11‑21  
  - **1.6.0 – 2025‑02‑26** (preferred).  
- All releases use **semantic versioning**, making compatibility expectations explicit.  

### Development and Community  
- **Developer:** Google, the original creator and primary maintainer.  
- **Source repositories:**  
  - Primary: <https://gerrit.googlesource.com/gitiles/> (preferred).  
  - Mirror: <https://github.com/google/gitiles>.  
- **Issue tracking:** <https://github.com/google/gitiles/issues>.  
- **Open Hub ID:** `gitiles`.  

### Usage and Limitations  
- **Read‑only:** No write access or access‑control mechanisms are provided (`does_not_have_part: access control, write access`).  
- **Deployment:** Can be hosted on any web server that can serve the generated HTML; no special runtime beyond a Java environment is required.  
- **Typical scenarios:** Public open‑source project browsing, internal documentation sites, integration with continuous‑integration pipelines for quick source inspection.  

### Related Concepts  
- **Web application:** Gitiles runs in a web browser client.  
- **Java & Starlark:** The languages used to implement and configure the tool.  
- **Repository browser:** It belongs to the class of tools that visualize source‑code repositories.

## References

1. [2022](https://gerrit.googlesource.com/gitiles/+/refs/tags/v1.0.0)
2. [2023](https://gerrit.googlesource.com/gitiles/+/refs/tags/v1.1.0)
3. [2023](https://gerrit.googlesource.com/gitiles/+/refs/tags/v1.2.0)
4. [2023](https://gerrit.googlesource.com/gitiles/+/refs/tags/v1.3.0)
5. [2024](https://gerrit.googlesource.com/gitiles/+/refs/tags/v1.4.0)
6. [2024](https://gerrit.googlesource.com/gitiles/+/refs/tags/v1.5.0)
7. [2025](https://gerrit.googlesource.com/gitiles/+/refs/tags/v1.6.0)
8. [Source](https://gerrit.googlesource.com/gitiles/+/refs/heads/master/version.bzl)
9. [Source](https://gerrit.googlesource.com/gitiles/+/c40efa4d9f7f7cce849c72ece82a5eb0cd1ffb6f)
10. [Source](https://gerrit-review.googlesource.com/#/q/I5c293068a827c3cae951bb8d3a74ace2349b5b97)
11. [Source](https://gerrit.googlesource.com/gitiles)