I'm curious about the feasibility of having just one engineer to manage a production-grade GitHub or GitLab server for our team of 2000 developers. My organization isn't open to hiring additional hands. Has anyone navigated this setup before? Is it realistically manageable for just one person?
5 Answers
Honestly, it's a little wild that you have 2000 developers and no budget for another engineer. Sounds like a classic case of being penny-wise and pound-foolish. You’ll probably run into a lot of ticket requests and issues without proper backup.
Totally agree! If development teams manage their own issues, it could ease the burden on that one engineer.
It all comes down to how savvy your developers are. If managing the server isn't their main job and they're good at problem-solving, it might be alright. But if they'll just flood you with issues, you might want to push for more resources.
Do you think it’s worth asking for additional help then?
Managing GitLab isn't too tough at first. Just create proper structures for teams, and they'll mostly manage themselves. Just keep an eye on updates and new features—they might need some help integrating those.
Is backing up data a hassle? I'm really worried about losing critical info.
Hosting it yourself can be a challenge. Have you asked if using the SaaS version is an option? It could save a lot of headaches!
Unfortunately, compliance requires self-hosting.
Solid planning is key! You'll need more than just a version control system. Think redundancy, failover, and a solid structure. Make sure to enforce strict guidelines and create a ticketing system from day one to avoid chaos later.
DEVELOPERS! DEVELOPERS! DEVELOPERS!