Question

What are the challenges of migrating from SVN or Mercurial to Git, and how can they be addressed?

Migrating version control systems (VCS) from SVN or Mercurial to Git often presents challenges like preserving history, handling large repositories, and retraining teams. This question explores these challenges and outlines strategies to ensure a smooth transition.

Answer 1

Preserving History: Use tools like git-svn or hg-fast-export to retain commit history.

Handling Large Repositories: Split monolithic repositories into smaller, manageable ones if needed.

Branching Differences: Educate teams on Git’s branching model, which differs significantly from SVN/Mercurial.

Tool Integration: Update CI/CD pipelines and tools to work with Git.

Training Teams: Conduct workshops or provide resources to help teams adapt to Git workflows.

Testing: Test migration in a staging environment before the final switch.