Agola vs Forgejo Runner
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted git hosting & forges options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Agola | Forgejo Runner |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | Git Hosting & Forges | Git Hosting & Forges |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Go | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, binary | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,624 | ★ 300 |
| First released | 2019 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Drone, GitHub Actions | GitHub Actions |
What are Agola and Forgejo Runner?
Agola
Agola is an open-source CI/CD platform that integrates with Git providers and runs reproducible pipelines in containers or virtual machines. It also offers internal Git hosting features.
- Reproducible pipelines
- Runs on Docker or Kubernetes
- User direct runs
- Git provider integration
Forgejo Runner
Forgejo Runner executes Forgejo Actions workflows on self-hosted infrastructure. It brings GitHub Actions-compatible automation to the community-governed Forgejo platform.
- GitHub Actions-compatible
- Host and Docker execution
- Lightweight runner
- Auto-registration with Forgejo
Agola vs Forgejo Runner: key differences
Both projects are written in Go. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Agola versus MIT for Forgejo Runner. Forgejo Runner is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Agola. Agola is the more established project (first released 2019), while Forgejo Runner arrived in 2023. Agola has the considerably larger community, at 1,624 GitHub stars versus 300.
Why pick each one
Choose Agola if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Active community (1.6k GitHub stars)
Choose Forgejo Runner if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Go
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Agola or Forgejo Runner better?
Neither is universally better. Agola has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Agola and Forgejo Runner free and open-source?
Yes. Agola is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Forgejo Runner under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Agola and Forgejo Runner with Docker?
Agola: yes. Forgejo Runner: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Agola or Forgejo Runner?
Forgejo Runner has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Agola. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.