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Dev Toolsdocker-ready100% FOSS🟢 Lightweight · ~256MB

Forgejo: Open Source alternative to GitHub in 2026

Forgejo is Gitea's community fork focused on open, non-commercial governance: Git repositories, issues, PRs and built-in CI/CD (Forgejo Actions) in one lightweight binary.

Alternative to GitHubAlternative to GitLab
License GPL-3.0-or-later6k stars(estimated)Website GitHub Repository

Audit Snapshot

  • License — Not verifiable on GitHub

  • GitHub — No live data

  • Latest release — Not available

  • Docker Compose — Not verified

  • Production — Not production-tested by AltFreeStack

Forgejo vs. GitHub

Pros

  • An alternative to Gitea for those who prefer a project with no corporate backing

Things to consider

  • Smaller community and plugin ecosystem than GitLab
  • Recently moved from MIT to GPL-3.0+ (August 2024): check the implications if you distribute a modified version

Quick Docker installation guide

Copy this docker-compose.yml, adjust the example passwords and run docker compose up -d on your server. See the full step-by-step guide →

💡 Official SaaS or self-hosted with AltFreeStack?

  • On the official cloud: a recurring monthly fee and usage limits on GitHub.
  • On your own VPS: 100% free software on your own server, with no artificial row, project or user limits.
docker-compose.yml
services:
  forgejo:
    image: codeberg.org/forgejo/forgejo:latest
    environment:
      USER_UID: 1000
      USER_GID: 1000
    ports:
      - "3000:3000"
      - "222:22"
    volumes:
      - forgejo_data:/data
volumes:
  forgejo_data: {}

🚀 Deploy in 1 command

Recommended for beginners

Copy this single command and paste it into your freshly created VPS's console (Vultr, DigitalOcean...). It downloads the script, prints it to your screen so you can see exactly what it's about to do (never a blind direct pipe), and only then installs Docker if needed, writes the files with secrets already generated, and starts everything — no nano, no pasting code blocks.

curl -sSL ".../api/deploy?stack=forgejo" -o deploy.sh && cat deploy.sh && bash deploy.sh
See what this script does →

We couldn't read the repository's recent activity from GitHub right now.

This docker-compose not working for you? Report it on GitHub →

Technical profile

License
GPL-3.0-or-later
Category
Dev Tools
Replaces
GitHub, GitLab
Tech stack
GoSQLite/PostgreSQL

Key features

  • Forgejo Actions, compatible with GitHub Actions syntax
  • Very lightweight, a single binary
  • 100% community governance, no company behind it

Preview

Forgejo interface preview

Public image provided by Forgejo on its own website.

💾 Backups in 3 steps (Day 2)

As long as the ./data folder (the "volume" mapped into the container) exists on your server, your data survives any restart or container update — that's the only thing you need to back up.

1. Create a compressed backup on the server

tar -czvf backup-$(date +%F).tar.gz ./data

2. Download it to your computer

From your computer's terminal (not your server's):

scp root@YOUR_IP:~/app/backup-*.tar.gz ./

3. Restore in case of emergency

tar -xzvf backup-file.tar.gz
🌐 Connect your domain with free SSL

Step 1 — Set up the DNS

In your domain registrar's dashboard (Cloudflare, Namecheap, GoDaddy...), create a record:

Type
A
Name/Host
@ (root domain) or a subdomain, e.g. app
Content/Value
Your server's public IP

Wait 5 to 15 minutes for the record to propagate across the internet.

Step 2 — Automatic reverse proxy with Caddy

One single file, no Nginx config or manual certificates — Caddy issues and renews Let's Encrypt HTTPS on its own.

Create a file called Caddyfile:

yourdomain.com {
    reverse_proxy localhost:3000
}

Start Caddy with this command (pulls the image and runs it in the background):

docker run -d -p 80:80 -p 443:443 --name caddy --restart always -v $PWD/Caddyfile:/etc/caddy/Caddyfile -v caddy_data:/data caddy