Iris GitCompare / Hashtree Git
Iris Git vs GitHub
GitHub brings hosting and development tools together in a managed platform. Iris Git puts a browser interface over Git repositories published through Nostr and Hashtree, with keys and storage you can manage yourself.
Written by the Iris Git project. “Hashtree Git” refers to the underlying Git remote helper and storage, while Iris Git is the browser app.
Choose Iris Git when…
You want production Git hosting built for developers and coding agents. Use standard Git commands, automate clone, fetch, and push without a separate platform API, and control your signing identity and storage.
Choose GitHub when…
You want integrated project management, code review, automation, and organization controls. Its managed service is a practical fit for teams already relying on GitHub workflows.
The practical differences
| What matters | Iris Git / Hashtree Git | GitHub |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | Nostr signing keys. The CLI can create an identity locally; no GitHub account is needed. | A GitHub account for hosting and contributing. Public code can be browsed without signing in. |
| Hosting | Content-addressed data on Blossom storage servers or peers. Signed Nostr events publish repository roots. | GitHub-hosted repositories; GitHub Enterprise Server is a separate self-hosted option. |
| Command line | Normal Git commands with the additional git-remote-htree helper and htree:// URLs. | Normal Git commands over HTTPS or SSH. |
| Collaboration | Browser support for issues, pull requests, forks, and releases. Nostr is used for collaboration events. | Issues, pull requests, reviews, releases, and project planning in one platform. |
| Private code | The Git helper supports public, link-visible, and author-only private repositories. These are different from team access roles. | Private repositories with account and team access controls; advanced controls vary by plan. |
| Automation | The app displays Hashtree CI results from configured runners. Evaluate runner setup and workflow support before migrating. | GitHub Actions with GitHub-hosted or self-hosted runners. |
| Costs | Open-source software. Storage, relay, and runner providers may have their own costs and limits. | Free and paid plans; metered services and limits depend on usage and plan. |
| Availability | Depends on reachable relays and copies of the data. A content hash alone does not keep a repository online. | Managed by GitHub for its cloud service, or by your organization for Enterprise Server. |
You can use both
A Hashtree remote can sit beside a GitHub remote. Start with a public test repository, push a branch, then clone it into a fresh directory and compare the history. This lets you evaluate Hashtree without moving your entire project.
What does not transfer with Git?
Pushing commits transfers Git history. It does not migrate GitHub issues, review discussions, project boards, secrets, access rules, or Actions configuration into a working replacement. Plan these separately if you move a project.
Is decentralized storage automatically private?
No. Public repository keys are shared so others can read the code. Link-visible repositories can be read by anyone holding the secret link; author-only private repositories use a different access model. Avoid sharing a signing key among collaborators.
Sources and scope
This compares the current Iris Git browser app and Hashtree helper with GitHub’s documented services. It is not a performance benchmark or a claim of feature parity.