cgit vs Gitiles
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted developer tools & git options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | cgit | Gitiles |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Category | Developer Tools & Git | Developer Tools & Git |
| License | GPL-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | C | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 800 | ★ 600 |
| First released | 2006 | 2013 |
| Replaces | GitHub | GitHub |
What are cgit and Gitiles?
cgit
cgit is a hyperfast web frontend for Git repositories written in C. It provides a read-only browsing interface ideal for publicly publishing source code.
- Extremely fast browsing
- Tiny resource footprint
- Caching layer for big repos
- Read-only repository viewer
Gitiles
Gitiles is a lightweight, read-only Git repository browser built by the Gerrit team. It renders Markdown, browses trees, and shows commit history without write access.
- Read-only repository browsing
- Markdown rendering
- Integrates with Gerrit
- Fast commit navigation
cgit vs Gitiles: key differences
Cgit is written in C, while Gitiles is built with Java. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for cgit versus Apache-2.0 for Gitiles. Cgit is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Gitiles. Cgit is the more established project (first released 2006), while Gitiles arrived in 2013.
Why pick each one
Choose cgit if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Choose Gitiles if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Written in Java
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is cgit or Gitiles better?
Neither is universally better. cgit has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are cgit and Gitiles free and open-source?
Yes. cgit is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Gitiles under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run cgit and Gitiles with Docker?
cgit: check the project docs for container support. Gitiles: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, cgit or Gitiles?
cgit has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Gitiles. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.