# GitLab availability and preservation of VTK’s community history
**URL:** https://discourse.vtk.org/t/gitlab-availability-and-preservation-of-vtk-s-community-history/16533
**Category:** Support
**Tags:** proposal, community, infrastructure
**Created:** [September 15, 2026, 5:05pm UTC](https://discourse.vtk.org/t/gitlab-availability-and-preservation-of-vtk-s-community-history/16533 "2026-09-15T17:05:11Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@lassoan](https://discourse.vtk.org/u/lassoan)
#### Post date: [September 16, 2026, 7:58pm UTC](https://discourse.vtk.org/t/gitlab-availability-and-preservation-of-vtk-s-community-history/16533/21 "2026-09-16T19:58:21Z")
Issue trackers, review management systems, etc. change so much over decades that not all data can be kept around forever in a meaningful way. In contrast, source code history is simple and migrations between source code management systems are expected to be lossless.
Therefore, I would propose a very simple solution: **store all information that we really care about in the git repository**. The full VTK revision history is replicated on computers of tens of thousands of people throughout the world, so it should survive unprecedented disasters. All the rest is just nice to have.
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### Author:  [@ben.boeckel](https://discourse.vtk.org/u/ben.boeckel)
#### Post date: [September 16, 2026, 8:02pm UTC](https://discourse.vtk.org/t/gitlab-availability-and-preservation-of-vtk-s-community-history/16533/22 "2026-09-16T20:02:29Z")
We migrated from Mantis to GitLab with preserved issue numbers. The issues linked to Mantis and we copied contents over as needed (e.g., the issue got relevant activity). We have many references to issues and MRs in the history, so keeping those around would be very useful.
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### Author:  [@banesullivan](https://discourse.vtk.org/u/banesullivan)
#### Post date: [September 16, 2026, 8:05pm UTC](https://discourse.vtk.org/t/gitlab-availability-and-preservation-of-vtk-s-community-history/16533/23 "2026-09-16T20:05:20Z")
> [@lassoan](#):
>
> All the rest is just nice to have.
Oh do I disagree. Merge requests with the discussions and reviews around design decisions are just as important as the code itself. Issues debating architectures are incredibly important in understanding why a specific architecture is in place in the code. I could write a manifesto on this but will spare you all… though it does raise a concern for me:
A lot of VTK was paid for by the public, through NSF grants, SBIR awards, and national lab contracts, and those awards come with strings.
Under [2 CFR 200.315(b)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-D/subject-group-ECFR8feb98c2e3e5ad2/section-200.315) the funding agency reserves a royalty-free, nonexclusive, irrevocable right to reproduce, publish, or otherwise use work developed under an award and to authorize others to do so, including the right to require that it be made available **through an agency-designated public access repository.** [FAR 52.227-14](https://www.acquisition.gov/far/52.227-14) gives the government unlimited rights in “data first produced in the performance of the contract,” and _ **data there means recorded information in any form, not only source code.** _ [2 CFR 200.337](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-D/subject-group-ECFR4acc10e7e3b676f/section-200.337) gives the agency and its Inspector General access to _ **any records pertinent to the award, for as long as those records are retained.** _
## Merge request reviews, issue threads, and design discussions read to me like records pertinent to those tax-payer funded awards.
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### Author:  [@banesullivan](https://discourse.vtk.org/u/banesullivan)
#### Post date: [September 16, 2026, 8:13pm UTC](https://discourse.vtk.org/t/gitlab-availability-and-preservation-of-vtk-s-community-history/16533/24 "2026-09-16T20:13:07Z")
I don’t think Uncle Sam is going to vibe with “eh the code is cloned to tons of peoples machine around the world”
* * *
Sorry @lassoan, that comment got me fired up! 🤸♂️
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### Author:  [@banesullivan](https://discourse.vtk.org/u/banesullivan)
#### Post date: [September 16, 2026, 8:18pm UTC](https://discourse.vtk.org/t/gitlab-availability-and-preservation-of-vtk-s-community-history/16533/25 "2026-09-16T20:18:03Z")
> [@will.schroeder](#):
>
> Here’s one statistic that I like: Kitware has successfully hosted VTK for 28 years 🙂.
This is truly an impressive accomplishment!! Let us not gloss over that! And I’m proud to have had the opportunity to work at Kitware with the brilliant people and rich history influencing how Open Source is done around the world!
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### Author:  [@lassoan](https://discourse.vtk.org/u/lassoan)
#### Post date: [September 16, 2026, 8:18pm UTC](https://discourse.vtk.org/t/gitlab-availability-and-preservation-of-vtk-s-community-history/16533/26 "2026-09-16T20:18:28Z")
> [@banesullivan](#):
>
> Oh do I disagree. Merge requests with the discussions and reviews around design decisions are just as important as the code itself.
It’s OK, we don’t need to agree in this. I just shared why I’m not worried.
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