Ledger / code hosting
Self-hosted alternatives to GitHub
Read 2026-11-14 · 5 projects · 4 pass
We read the repository pages of 5 projects that people put forward as a replacement for GitHub (code hosting). 4 pass all three checks: go-gitea/gitea, gogs/gogs, gitbucket/gitbucket, forgejo/forgejo. Left out of that list: theonedev/onedev (open source plus separately licensed parts).
| Project | License as read | License · Live · Active | Stars | Latest release / last push |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| go-gitea/giteaGo | MIT | licliveactive | 59,083 | v28.3.0 2026-11-01 pushed 2026-11-14 |
What it says it is Git with a cup of tea! Painless self-hosted all-in-one software development service, including Git hosting, code review, team collaboration, package registry and CI/CD Install In the repository: Dockerfile README mentions CI/CD, Actions, package registry, wiki, code review, pull request | ||||
| gogs/gogsGo | MIT | licliveactive | 47,934 | v0.14.4 2026-11-12 pushed 2026-11-14 |
What it says it is The painless way to host your own Git service Install In the repository: Dockerfile README mentions CI/CD, Actions, wiki, pull request, LDAP, mirror | ||||
| gitbucket/gitbucketScala | Apache-2.0 | licliveactive | 9,420 | 4.48.0 2026-09-20 pushed 2026-11-14 |
What it says it is A Git platform powered by Scala with easy installation, high extensibility & GitHub API compatibility Install No Dockerfile, compose file or Helm chart found in the top levels of the repository README mentions Actions, wiki, pull request, LDAP | ||||
| codeberg.org/forgejo/forgejoGo | GPL-3.0 | licliveactive | 5,828 | v17.0.1 2026-10-26 pushed 2026-11-14 |
What it says it is Beyond coding. We forge. Install In the repository: Dockerfile README mentions package registry, wiki, pull request, LDAP, OAuth Forge codeberg.org; stars and update time are counted there | ||||
| theonedev/onedevJava | MIT plus a commercial EE module | x licliveactive | 15,361 | v17.2.0 2026-11-11 pushed 2026-11-12 |
What it says it is The Unified and Autonomous Development Platform Install In the repository: Dockerfile, compose file, Helm chart README mentions CI/CD, package registry, wiki, code review, pull request | ||||
Checks per row: lic = one open-source license across the whole repository (a commercial option on request is allowed), live = not archived, active = a release or push within 90 days of 2026-11-14. A red x marks a failed check. Full definitions and limits: method.
Why 1 of 5 did not pass
- theonedev/onedev · MIT plus a commercial EE module
The license file (server-product/system/license.txt) says: “The EE module (file starting with "io.onedev.server-ee" under "lib" directory) is licensed under the commercial license described below” Repository
How they differ
Mentioned in some READMEs and not others
- CI/CD: go-gitea/gitea, gogs/gogs, theonedev/onedev
- Actions: go-gitea/gitea, gogs/gogs, gitbucket/gitbucket
- package registry: go-gitea/gitea, forgejo/forgejo, theonedev/onedev
- code review: go-gitea/gitea, theonedev/onedev
- LDAP: gogs/gogs, gitbucket/gitbucket, forgejo/forgejo
- OAuth: forgejo/forgejo
- mirror: gogs/gogs
Main language
- Go: go-gitea/gitea, gogs/gogs, forgejo/forgejo
- Scala: gitbucket/gitbucket
- Java: theonedev/onedev
Install files
- In the repository: Dockerfile: go-gitea/gitea, gogs/gogs, forgejo/forgejo
- No Dockerfile, compose file or Helm chart found in the top levels of the repository: gitbucket/gitbucket
- In the repository: Dockerfile, compose file, Helm chart: theonedev/onedev
From each README (first part) and file tree as read; a missing mention only means the README does not use the word.
Where people asked for this
- Ask HN: Alternatives to GitHub 649 points, 437 comments
- Ask HN: What alternatives to GitHub are you using? 91 points, 97 comments
Thread titles and counts as collected 2026-11-09. The original product: GitHub.