Fossil 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.
Not the right match-up?
Fossil
Distributed version control with built-in wiki and bug tracking
VS
Gitiles
Simple repository browser for Git repositories
| Feature | Fossil | Gitiles |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Developer Tools & Git | Developer Tools & Git |
| License | BSD-2-Clause | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | C | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | binary, bare-metal | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 600 | ★ 600 |
| First released | 2006 | 2013 |
| Replaces | GitHub, Git | GitHub |
Why pick each one
Choose Fossil if…
- Released under the BSD-2-Clause license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- 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 Fossil or Gitiles better?
Fossil is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Gitiles if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Fossil and Gitiles free and open-source?
Yes. Fossil is licensed under BSD-2-Clause and Gitiles under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Fossil and Gitiles with Docker?
Fossil: check the project docs for container support. Gitiles: check the project docs for container support.