Soft Serve vs Apache Allura
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?
Soft Serve
Self-hostable Git server for the command line
VS
Apache Allura
Open-source forge for managing source code and projects
| Feature | Soft Serve | Apache Allura |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Git Hosting & Forges | Git Hosting & Forges |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 7,136 | ★ 148 |
| First released | 2021 | 2012 |
| Replaces | GitHub | GitHub, SourceForge |
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
Choose Apache Allura if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Python
Frequently asked questions
Is Soft Serve or Apache Allura better?
Soft Serve is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Apache Allura if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Soft Serve and Apache Allura free and open-source?
Yes. Soft Serve is licensed under MIT and Apache Allura under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Soft Serve and Apache Allura with Docker?
Soft Serve: yes. Apache Allura: yes.