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.

Not the right match-up?
FeatureForgejoGitBucket
CategoryGit Hosting & ForgesGit Hosting & Forges
LicenseGPL-3.0Apache-2.0
LanguageGoScala
Setup difficultyEasyEasy
Min. RAM256 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, binary, bare-metaldocker, binary, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 5,000★ 9,387
First released20222013
ReplacesGitHub, GitLabGitHub

Why pick each one

Choose Forgejo if…

  • Strong community governance
  • Lightweight and fast
  • Active development
Forgejo details

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
GitBucket details

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.

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