Apache Allura vs SourceHut
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted git hosting & forges options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
SourceHut
The hacker's forge, 100% free and open source
| Feature | Apache Allura | SourceHut |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Category | Git Hosting & Forges | Git Hosting & Forges |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 148 | ★ 2,000 |
| First released | 2012 | 2018 |
| Replaces | GitHub, SourceForge | GitHub, GitLab |
What are Apache Allura and SourceHut?
Apache Allura
Apache Allura is the software behind SourceForge, providing repository hosting, ticket tracking, wikis, and discussion forums. It supports Git, Mercurial, and Subversion repositories.
- Multi-VCS repository hosting
- Ticket tracking and wikis
- Discussion forums
- Pluggable tool architecture
SourceHut
SourceHut is a software development suite consisting of Git/Mercurial hosting, mailing lists, CI, bug tracking, and more. It is designed to be lightweight, JavaScript-free, and email-driven.
- Email-driven workflow
- No JavaScript required
- Git and Mercurial support
- Integrated CI builds
Apache Allura vs SourceHut: key differences
Both projects are written in Python. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Apache Allura versus AGPL-3.0 for SourceHut. SourceHut is the lighter option, starting around 1,024 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Apache Allura. Apache Allura is the more established project (first released 2012), while SourceHut arrived in 2018. SourceHut has the considerably larger community, at 2,000 GitHub stars versus 148. Apache Allura lists first-class Docker deployment; SourceHut does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Apache Allura if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Python
Choose SourceHut if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Active community (2k GitHub stars)
- Written in Python
Frequently asked questions
Is Apache Allura or SourceHut better?
Neither is universally better. SourceHut has the larger community; both share a hard setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Apache Allura and SourceHut free and open-source?
Yes. Apache Allura is licensed under Apache-2.0 and SourceHut under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Apache Allura and SourceHut with Docker?
Apache Allura: yes. SourceHut: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Apache Allura or SourceHut?
SourceHut has the smaller minimum footprint at 1,024 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Apache Allura. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.