Forgejo vs GitBucket
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted git hosting & forges options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Forgejo
Community-driven self-hosted software forge
VS
GitBucket
Git platform powered by Scala with GitHub-like UI
| Feature | Forgejo | GitBucket |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | Git Hosting & Forges | Git Hosting & Forges |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | Scala |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, bare-metal | docker, binary, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,000 | ★ 9,403 |
| First released | 2022 | 2013 |
| Replaces | GitHub, GitLab | GitHub |
What are Forgejo and GitBucket?
Forgejo
Forgejo is a community-governed fork of Gitea providing a self-hosted Git forge with issues, pull requests, and CI. It targets developers wanting a fully community-controlled code platform. It is deployed via Docker or a single binary.
- Community-governed Gitea fork
- Forgejo Actions CI
- Federation in development
- Lightweight single binary
GitBucket
GitBucket is a Git hosting platform written in Scala that offers a familiar GitHub-style interface, plugin system, and easy installation as a single WAR file. It includes issues, wiki, and pull requests.
- Single WAR deployment
- Plugin ecosystem
- Built-in wiki and issues
- GitHub API compatibility
Forgejo vs GitBucket: key differences
Forgejo is written in Go, while GitBucket is built with Scala. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Forgejo versus Apache-2.0 for GitBucket. Forgejo is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for GitBucket. GitBucket is the more established project (first released 2013), while Forgejo arrived in 2022.
Why pick each one
Choose Forgejo if…
- Strong community governance
- Lightweight and fast
- Active development
Watch out for
- Smaller ecosystem than Gitea
- Federation still maturing
Choose GitBucket if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 9.4k GitHub stars
Frequently asked questions
Is Forgejo or GitBucket better?
Neither is universally better. GitBucket has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Forgejo and GitBucket free and open-source?
Yes. Forgejo is licensed under GPL-3.0 and GitBucket under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Forgejo and GitBucket with Docker?
Forgejo: yes. GitBucket: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Forgejo or GitBucket?
Forgejo has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for GitBucket. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.