The Difference Between a Stream and a Depot in Helix Core

Streams and Depots serve different purposes when using Helix Core. Here is my quick rundown on what they’re all about and why they hold significant importance.

Perforce Depots

A Depot is a container for related files in Helix Core. Depots are used to store and manage the versioned files in Helix Core. When you create a Depot in Helix Core, you essentially create a logical repository for files you want to version control with Helix Core. Depots can be of different types, such as local or remote, and can be configured to use different storage mechanisms.

Perforce Streams

On the other hand, Streams in Helix Core are a way to manage the development and release of a set of related files over time. Streams provide a hierarchical organization of files, similar to how branches work in other version control systems. Streams organize development efforts, enabling teams to work on different features or projects in parallel while keeping the code consistent.

Streams are flexible enough to accommodate many branching strategies and development models. It is both lightweight and powerful. It organizes code lines to allow users to see where changes should flow and how they will be propagated between branches. This helps to eliminate obstacles for developers and increase productivity. 

Developers can be instantly productive primarily because Streams provide a high level of automation and visual cues to prevent common errors in branching and merging.

Admins, project managers, and DevOps teams benefit from Streams by simplifying their build environment.

Depots vs Streams

In summary, Depots are containers for files, whereas Streams manage the development and release of those files. Depots are where your files are stored and managed, while Streams are where your development work happens.

Hopefully, you now understand the differences between Depots and Streams in Helix Core and how and why they are used more.

As always, if you have any questions, any questions at all, please email me at montana@assembla.com.

Happy Perforcing & Assemblaing!

Montana Mendy – Solutions Engineer