Last week Microsoft acquired GitHub, a source code repository with 27 million software developers working on 80 million repositories of code. This is bad news to the huge community of developers from all around the world who now depend on this single big corporation.

Blockchain is the emerging technology focusing on decentralization and transparency that has been changing different industries in the past year. It now offers a solution for all these developers, but first, let’s start from the basics.

Code repository

Simply put, a code repository is a storage location for a large amount of source code that could be kept privately or publicly. Various repositories support different features, including version control (meaning you can track all the changes made to the source code), bug tracking, and mailing lists. The most popular examples of hosted services are GitHub, BitBucket, and GitLab.

Advantages of independent code repositories

These services enable developers from all around the world to collaborate to bring projects to life. You must have heard of open source software where the original source code is made publicly available for different parties to reuse or improve upon. Code repositories allow developers to manage those changes efficiently. You can retract any version, comment, and show off your skills as a developer. Today, many repositories are more about community of developers rather than the projects.

With the recent news of Microsoft acquiring GitHub, we can see how privacy issues arise as the big companies look for ways to monetise the platform. Another consequence of this is for the sense of community to be easily lost.

Blockchain and code repositories

Version Control Systems (VCS) can be local, centralized and distributed. Local VCS was the first attempt to keep track of changes made to a file. The basic logic is to store just the difference between files on the local hard drive. Centralized VCS indicate that there is a central server that supplies the latest version of the work upon request and receives the latest changes. Distributed VCS are the closest to how blockchain operates: everyone has a local copy of the entire work and the change history. They are faster, more flexible and easier to work with. The most popular example of a Distributed VCS is Git.

TraXion is working to combine the core idea of “shared information” behind distributed repositories with the revolutionizing technology of the blockchain and help startups to transition to this technology in the Philippines, and other markets in the long term.

TraXion Hub

TraXion Hub — Manila’s hub for developing blockchain solutions on Hyperledger Fabric for financial institutions was established in early 2017. The goal is to fuel the growth of blockchain applications in the Philippines, targeting different areas for financial technology innovation. TraXion Hub outsources developers to different portfolio startups to collaborate, bringing down the operational cost of the member companies under manageable level and it also provides a faster way to accelerate revenue growth.

Collaboration has transformed the way software is developed. The open-source model has found vast support from developers community. New technologies like blockchain are introducing ever more reliable, transparent and accessible ways to collaborate and work on projects that matter.