Running git init is one of the first steps we take when starting a software development project. Version Control Systems (VCS) like git enable us to maintain history of a codebase, experiment freely on isolated branches, and support better collaboration by merging branches together. It’s a safe and popular way for software teams to collaborate, and we set out to create a similar experience for teams building applications in Retool.

We’re excited to announce Retool Source Control: branch-based editing workflows in Retool, compatible with git . In this post, you’ll learn why we did it, how it works, and where we’re going.

Source Control live workshop: Join us and our customer, Axle Payments, on June 1st to learn how they use branch-based editing in Retool to ship apps faster. Register for your spot today.

Building at Scale

Why bring Source Control to Retool? It’s how developers want to work. Most developers today are familiar with version control systems like git and platforms like GitHub and GitLab, which are critical to enabling collaboration around code and shipping confidently.

We want to provide you with a robust infrastructure to sustain and improve the velocity and quality of your development on Retool, especially as your userbase and development teams grow. With Source Control, we can version control more than just applications (what we called “Protected Applications”). It sets the stage for us to support version control for other objects including resources, themes, queries, and more.  

With Source Control, you can:

• Edit an application on branches without overwriting your teammate’s edits—even while end-users continue using the live in-production app
• Review code changes with pull requests from the current branch to the main branch on source-controlled apps
• Easily isolate and promote changes in different Retool instances (dev, staging, QA, and production)

Overall, Source Control is a much better development experience fo