OneDev vs Soft Serve
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?
OneDev
Self-hosted Git server with CI/CD and kanban
VS
Soft Serve
Self-hostable Git server for the command line
| Feature | OneDev | Soft Serve |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Git Hosting & Forges | Git Hosting & Forges |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Java | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 15,145 | ★ 7,136 |
| First released | 2016 | 2021 |
| Replaces | GitHub, GitLab | GitHub |
Why pick each one
Choose Soft Serve if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 7.1k GitHub stars
Frequently asked questions
Is OneDev or Soft Serve better?
Neither is universally better. OneDev has the larger community, while Soft Serve is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are OneDev and Soft Serve free and open-source?
Yes. OneDev is licensed under MIT and Soft Serve under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run OneDev and Soft Serve with Docker?
OneDev: yes. Soft Serve: yes.