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.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 95 · Excellent | 91 · Excellent |
| 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 | ★ 15,259 | ★ 7,228 |
| First released | 2016 | 2021 |
| Replaces | GitHub, GitLab | GitHub |
What are OneDev and Soft Serve?
OneDev
OneDev is a self-hosted Git server with built-in CI/CD, issue tracking, and kanban boards in a single application. It targets small teams wanting an integrated platform without heavy resource use. It is deployed via Docker or a binary.
- Built-in CI/CD engine
- Kanban issue boards
- Code search and review
- Symbol navigation
Soft Serve
Soft Serve is a tasteful, self-hostable Git server with a built-in terminal UI accessible over SSH. It makes hosting Git repositories simple without a web interface.
- SSH terminal UI
- Single binary server
- Repository browsing in terminal
- Simple access control
OneDev vs Soft Serve: key differences
OneDev is written in Java, while Soft Serve is built with Go. Soft Serve is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for OneDev. OneDev is the more established project (first released 2016), while Soft Serve arrived in 2021. OneDev has the considerably larger community, at 15,259 GitHub stars versus 7,228.
Why pick each one
Choose OneDev if…
- All-in-one in one process
- Strong code navigation
- Lighter than GitLab
Watch out for
- Smaller community
- Java memory footprint
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 7.2k 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.
Which is lighter on resources, OneDev or Soft Serve?
Soft Serve has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for OneDev. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.