Mercurial

What Mercurial is

Mercurial is free distributed source control software for managing changes to development projects. Each developer keeps a complete local copy of a project’s history, so work can continue without a network connection or central server. The distributed model suits teams that want developers to work independently and later share changes. Mercurial is designed for projects of any size, with fast diffs, commits, branches, and merges. It runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux, and binary releases are also available for Solaris 11 Express and other platforms. Installation instructions cover system packages, winget on Windows, Homebrew, PyPI tools, and source builds. The software is open source under the GNU General Public License version 2 or later. Python extensions can add commands, modify existing commands, and access core functions. Official extensions connect Mercurial with tools and workflows such as Bugzilla hooks, Git command mapping, email notifications, and external diff programs. It also supports sparse checkout and nested repositories; large-file handling is available through an extension. The acl extension can control write access to branches and paths when changesets arrive. Mercurial is coordinated by community committers and reviewers under a steering committee, with help available through Matrix, IRC, and its mailing list.

Who it suits

Mercurial suits developers and teams who want distributed version control and the ability to work from a full local project history. It is also relevant to users seeking an open source tool with Python extensions, sparse checkout, nested repositories, and self-hosted deployment.

Limits

Large-file handling is provided through an extension. Git subrepositories are disabled by default; the documentation warns that carefully constructed ones can enable code execution during cloning.

Getting started

1. Open the Mercurial website.
2. Choose an installation route from the official instructions, such as a system package, winget, Homebrew, PyPI tool, or source build.
3. Install Mercurial on Windows, macOS, Linux, or another supported platform.
4. Use Mercurial locally or with a self-hosted deployment.

Verdict

Choose Mercurial if you want free, open source distributed source control that lets developers work without a central server. Its extension system and broad installation options give teams room to adapt it. Review the documented Git subrepository security limitation if your workflow involves those repositories.