Self-Host Forgejo: Open Source GitHub Alternative 2026

Q: Forgejo vs Gitea: Which to Choose?

Both are excellent. The practical differences in 2026: Choose Forgejo if: Open source governance matters to you (GPL 3.0, community non-profit) You want to contribute and ensure no future corporate pivot You prefer Codeberg.org as a codebase/community hub Choose Gitea if: You want the larger community and more third-party integrations MIT license preferred Enterprise support is on your roadmap Either works. Both share the same original codebase, both run the same Docker workflow, and both fully

TL;DR

Forgejo is a community-governed fork of Gitea — a self-hosted Git platform with repositories, issues, pull requests, Actions CI/CD, package registry, and Pages. GPL 3.0, ~10K stars. Forgejo was created in 2022 after Gitea's governance controversy (Gitea Ltd incorporated without community input). If you're choosing between Forgejo and Gitea in 2026: Forgejo has stronger community governance, Gitea has the more active codebase. Both run the same Docker image format and are 99% compatible.

Key Takeaways

Forgejo: GPL 3.0 (true open source), ~10K stars, Forgejo e.V. community governance
Forgejo vs Gitea: Same codebase origin; Forgejo focuses on community/open governance, Gitea on enterprise features
Actions: Full GitHub Actions-compatible CI/CD via forgejo-runner
Packages: Container registry, npm, PyPI, Maven packages
Resources: ~100MB RAM idle — runs comfortably on a $6/month VPS
Migration: Import repos from GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket with one click

Forgejo vs Gitea vs GitLab

Feature	Forgejo	Gitea	GitLab CE
License	GPL 3.0	MIT	MIT
Governance	Community (e.V.)	Gitea Ltd	GitLab Inc
GitHub Stars	~10K	~46K	~24K
RAM (idle)	~100MB	~100MB	2–4GB
Actions CI/CD	✅ (forgejo-runner)	✅ (act_runner)	✅ (GitLab Runner)
Container registry	✅	✅	✅
Pages	✅	✅	✅
Wiki	✅	✅	✅
Issue tracker	✅	✅	✅
Code review	✅	✅	✅
Merge trains	❌	❌	✅
RBAC	Basic	Basic	Advanced

GitLab vs Forgejo: GitLab CE is full-featured but needs 4–8GB RAM minimum. For small teams and personal use, Forgejo is far more resource-efficient.

Part 1: Docker Compose Setup

# docker-compose.yml
version: '3.8'

services:
  forgejo:
    image: codeberg.org/forgejo/forgejo:9
    container_name: forgejo
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "3000:3000"     # Web UI
      - "2222:22"       # SSH (map to non-standard host port to avoid conflict)
    environment:
      USER_UID: 1000
      USER_GID: 1000
      FORGEJO__database__DB_TYPE: postgres
      FORGEJO__database__HOST: db:5432
      FORGEJO__database__NAME: forgejo
      FORGEJO__database__USER: forgejo
      FORGEJO__database__PASSWD: "${DB_PASSWORD}"
      FORGEJO__server__DOMAIN: git.yourdomain.com
      FORGEJO__server__SSH_DOMAIN: git.yourdomain.com
      FORGEJO__server__ROOT_URL: https://git.yourdomain.com/
      FORGEJO__server__SSH_PORT: 2222
      FORGEJO__server__SSH_LISTEN_PORT: 22
    volumes:
      - forgejo_data:/data
      - /etc/timezone:/etc/timezone:ro
      - /etc/localtime:/etc/localtime:ro
    depends_on:
      db:
        condition: service_healthy

  db:
    image: postgres:16-alpine
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      POSTGRES_DB: forgejo
      POSTGRES_USER: forgejo
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: "${DB_PASSWORD}"
    volumes:
      - forgejo_db:/var/lib/postgresql/data
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD-SHELL", "pg_isready -U forgejo"]
      interval: 10s
      timeout: 5s
      retries: 5

volumes:
  forgejo_data:
  forgejo_db:

# .env
DB_PASSWORD=strong-database-password

docker compose up -d

Visit http://your-server:3000 → complete the setup wizard (admin account, instance settings).

Part 2: HTTPS with Caddy

git.yourdomain.com {
    reverse_proxy localhost:3000
}

After adding Caddy, update your Forgejo app.ini (or Docker env vars) to reflect the HTTPS URLs.

Part 3: SSH Configuration

SSH is how Git push/pull works over SSH protocol. With port mapping 2222:22:

# Clone via SSH:
git clone ssh://git@git.yourdomain.com:2222/username/repo.git

# Add SSH key to Forgejo:
# Profile → Settings → SSH / GPG Keys → Add Key
# Paste your ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

SSH Config Shortcut

Add to ~/.ssh/config:

Host forgejo
    HostName git.yourdomain.com
    Port 2222
    User git
    IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

Then clone with:

git clone forgejo:username/repo.git

Part 4: Add forgejo-runner (Actions CI/CD)

Forgejo Actions is GitHub Actions-compatible — your existing .github/workflows/ files work with minor path adjustments.

Deploy forgejo-runner

# Add to docker-compose.yml:

  forgejo-runner:
    image: codeberg.org/forgejo/runner:6
    container_name: forgejo-runner
    restart: unless-stopped
    volumes:
      - ./runner:/data
      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock   # For Docker-in-Docker jobs
    environment:
      CONFIG_FILE: /data/config.yml
      FORGEJO_INSTANCE_URL: "https://git.yourdomain.com"
      FORGEJO_RUNNER_TOKEN: "${RUNNER_TOKEN}"
      FORGEJO_RUNNER_NAME: "docker-runner"
    depends_on:
      - forgejo

Get Runner Token

In Forgejo: Admin Panel → Runners → Create new runner
Copy the registration token
Add to .env: RUNNER_TOKEN=your-registration-token

Workflow Example (GitHub Actions-compatible)

# .forgejo/workflows/ci.yml  (or .github/workflows/ci.yml — both work)
name: CI

on:
  push:
    branches: [main]
  pull_request:

jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: docker
    container:
      image: node:20-alpine

    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Install dependencies
        run: npm ci

      - name: Run tests
        run: npm test

      - name: Build
        run: npm run build

  docker-build:
    runs-on: docker
    needs: test
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Build and push Docker image
        run: |
          docker login git.yourdomain.com -u ${{ github.actor }} \
            -p ${{ secrets.FORGEJO_TOKEN }}
          docker build -t git.yourdomain.com/${{ github.repository }}:latest .
          docker push git.yourdomain.com/${{ github.repository }}:latest

Part 5: Container Registry

Forgejo includes a built-in container registry at git.yourdomain.com:

# Login to Forgejo registry:
docker login git.yourdomain.com \
  -u your-username \
  -p your-access-token    # Create in Profile → Settings → Applications

# Tag and push:
docker tag myapp:latest git.yourdomain.com/username/myapp:latest
docker push git.yourdomain.com/username/myapp:latest

# Pull:
docker pull git.yourdomain.com/username/myapp:latest

Enable in Forgejo admin: Administration → Configuration → Packages → Enable.

Part 6: Migrate from GitHub

Forgejo supports one-click migration from GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket:

Explore → Create New Migration
Select GitHub
Enter GitHub personal access token (needed for private repos)
Select repositories to migrate
Options: migrate issues, pull requests, labels, milestones, wiki, releases

After migration, update your local git remotes:

# Update remote URL:
git remote set-url origin ssh://git@git.yourdomain.com:2222/username/repo.git

# Verify:
git remote -v

Mirror a GitHub Repository (keep in sync)

Explore → New Repository → Migration → Mirror

Forgejo pulls updates from GitHub on a schedule — useful for having a backup of public repositories you depend on.

Part 7: Webhooks and Integrations

Forgejo webhooks integrate with external services:

Repository → Settings → Webhooks → Add Webhook

Webhook to n8n/Slack on Push

Payload URL: https://n8n.yourdomain.com/webhook/forgejo-push Events: Push events, Pull request events

Deploy on Push (Watchtower-style)

# Simple deploy webhook:
curl -X POST 'https://your-app-server/deploy' \
  -H 'X-Forgejo-Signature: ...' \
  -d '{"ref": "refs/heads/main"}'

Part 8: Forgejo Pages

Host static sites directly from Forgejo repositories:

Create a repo named username.yourdomain.com or enable Pages in repo settings
Push a gh-pages branch or configure source branch
Site available at https://pages.yourdomain.com/username/repo

Requires: Setting FORGEJO__server__PAGES_DOMAINS=pages.yourdomain.com in config.

App.ini Configuration

For full control, mount a custom app.ini:

[server]
DOMAIN           = git.yourdomain.com
HTTP_PORT        = 3000
ROOT_URL         = https://git.yourdomain.com/
SSH_DOMAIN       = git.yourdomain.com
SSH_PORT         = 2222
DISABLE_SSH      = false
OFFLINE_MODE     = false

[database]
DB_TYPE  = postgres
HOST     = db:5432
NAME     = forgejo
USER     = forgejo
PASSWD   = your-password

[service]
REGISTER_EMAIL_CONFIRM            = false
ENABLE_NOTIFY_MAIL                = false
DISABLE_REGISTRATION              = true     # Disable after setup!
REQUIRE_SIGNIN_VIEW               = true     # Private instance
DEFAULT_KEEP_EMAIL_PRIVATE        = true
DEFAULT_ALLOW_CREATE_ORGANIZATION = true

[mailer]
ENABLED = true
FROM    = forgejo@yourdomain.com
PROTOCOL = smtp
SMTP_ADDR = smtp.yourdomain.com
SMTP_PORT = 587
USER     = forgejo@yourdomain.com
PASSWD   = smtp-password

[security]
INSTALL_LOCK = true
SECRET_KEY   = generate-with-openssl-rand-hex-32

Maintenance

# Update Forgejo:
docker compose pull
docker compose up -d

# Backup:
# Database:
docker exec forgejo-db pg_dump -U forgejo forgejo | \
  gzip > forgejo-db-$(date +%Y%m%d).sql.gz

# Repository data:
tar -czf forgejo-data-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz \
  $(docker volume inspect forgejo_forgejo_data --format '{{.Mountpoint}}')

# Run admin tasks:
docker exec -u git forgejo forgejo admin user list
docker exec -u git forgejo forgejo admin generate-secret SECRET_KEY

Forgejo vs Gitea: Which to Choose?

Both are excellent. The practical differences in 2026:

Choose Forgejo if:

Open source governance matters to you (GPL 3.0, community non-profit)
You want to contribute and ensure no future corporate pivot
You prefer Codeberg.org as a codebase/community hub

Choose Gitea if:

You want the larger community and more third-party integrations
MIT license preferred
Enterprise support is on your roadmap

Either works. Both share the same original codebase, both run the same Docker workflow, and both fully replace GitHub for self-hosted use.

Why Self-Host Forgejo?

The case for self-hosting Forgejo comes down to three practical factors: data ownership, cost at scale, and operational control.

Data ownership is the fundamental argument. When you use a SaaS version of any tool, your data lives on someone else's infrastructure subject to their terms of service, their security practices, and their business continuity. If the vendor raises prices, gets acquired, changes API limits, or shuts down, you're left scrambling. Self-hosting Forgejo means your data and configuration stay on infrastructure you control — whether that's a VPS, a bare metal server, or a home lab.

Cost at scale matters once you move beyond individual use. Most SaaS equivalents charge per user or per data volume. A self-hosted instance on a $10-20/month VPS typically costs less than per-user SaaS pricing for teams of five or more — and the cost doesn't scale linearly with usage. One well-configured server handles dozens of users for a flat monthly fee.

Operational control is the third factor. The Docker Compose configuration above exposes every setting that commercial equivalents often hide behind enterprise plans: custom networking, environment variables, storage backends, and authentication integrations. You decide when to update, how to configure backups, and what access controls to apply.

The honest tradeoff: you're responsible for updates, backups, and availability. For teams running any production workloads, this is familiar territory. For individuals, the learning curve is real but the tooling (Docker, Caddy, automated backups) is well-documented and widely supported.

Server Requirements and Sizing

Before deploying Forgejo, assess your server capacity against expected workload.

Minimum viable setup: A 1 vCPU, 1GB RAM VPS with 20GB SSD is sufficient for personal use or small teams. Most consumer VPS providers — Hetzner, DigitalOcean, Linode, Vultr — offer machines in this range for $5-10/month. Hetzner offers excellent price-to-performance for European and US regions.

Recommended production setup: 2 vCPUs with 4GB RAM and 40GB SSD handles most medium deployments without resource contention. This gives Forgejo headroom for background tasks, caching, and concurrent users while leaving capacity for other services on the same host.

Storage planning: The Docker volumes in this docker-compose.yml store all persistent Forgejo data. Estimate your storage growth rate early — for data-intensive tools, budget for 3-5x your initial estimate. Hetzner Cloud and Vultr both support online volume resizing without stopping your instance.

Operating system: Any modern 64-bit Linux distribution works. Ubuntu 22.04 LTS and Debian 12 are the most commonly tested configurations. Ensure Docker Engine 24.0+ and Docker Compose v2 are installed — verify with docker --version and docker compose version. Avoid Docker Desktop on production Linux servers; it adds virtualization overhead and behaves differently from Docker Engine in ways that cause subtle networking issues.

Network: Only ports 80 and 443 need to be publicly accessible when running behind a reverse proxy. Internal service ports should be bound to localhost only. A minimal UFW firewall that blocks all inbound traffic except SSH, HTTP, and HTTPS is the single most effective security measure for a self-hosted server.

Backup and Disaster Recovery

Running Forgejo without a tested backup strategy is an unacceptable availability risk. Docker volumes are not automatically backed up — if you delete a volume or the host fails, data is gone with no recovery path.

What to back up: The named Docker volumes containing Forgejo's data (database files, user uploads, application state), your docker-compose.yml and any customized configuration files, and .env files containing secrets.

Backup approach: For simple setups, stop the container, archive the volume contents, then restart. For production environments where stopping causes disruption, use filesystem snapshots or database dump commands (PostgreSQL pg_dump, SQLite .backup, MySQL mysqldump) that produce consistent backups without downtime.

For a complete automated backup workflow that ships snapshots to S3-compatible object storage, see the Restic + Rclone backup guide. Restic handles deduplication and encryption; Rclone handles multi-destination uploads. The same setup works for any Docker volume.

Backup cadence: Daily backups to remote storage are a reasonable baseline for actively used tools. Use a 30-day retention window minimum — long enough to recover from mistakes discovered weeks later. For critical data, extend to 90 days and use a secondary destination.

Restore testing: A backup that has never been restored is a backup you cannot trust. Once a month, restore your Forgejo backup to a separate Docker Compose stack on different ports and verify the data is intact. This catches silent backup failures, script errors, and volume permission issues before they matter in a real recovery.

Security Hardening

Self-hosting means you are responsible for Forgejo's security posture. The Docker Compose setup provides a functional base; production deployments need additional hardening.

Always use a reverse proxy: Never expose Forgejo's internal port directly to the internet. The docker-compose.yml binds to localhost; Caddy or Nginx provides HTTPS termination. Direct HTTP access transmits credentials in plaintext. A reverse proxy also centralizes TLS management, rate limiting, and access logging.

Strong credentials: Change default passwords immediately after first login. For secrets in docker-compose environment variables, generate random values with openssl rand -base64 32 rather than reusing existing passwords.

Firewall configuration:

ufw default deny incoming
ufw allow 22/tcp
ufw allow 80/tcp
ufw allow 443/tcp
ufw enable

Internal service ports (databases, admin panels, internal APIs) should only be reachable from localhost or the Docker network, never directly from the internet.

Network isolation: Docker Compose named networks keep Forgejo's services isolated from other containers on the same host. Database containers should not share networks with containers that don't need direct database access.

VPN access for sensitive services: For internal-only tools, restricting access to a VPN adds a strong second layer. Headscale is an open source Tailscale control server that puts your self-hosted stack behind a WireGuard mesh, eliminating public internet exposure for internal tools.

Update discipline: Subscribe to Forgejo's GitHub releases page to receive security advisory notifications. Schedule a monthly maintenance window to pull updated images. Running outdated container images is the most common cause of self-hosted service compromises.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Container exits immediately or won't start

Check logs first — they almost always explain the failure:

docker compose logs -f forgejo

Common causes: a missing required environment variable, a port already in use, or a volume permission error. Port conflicts appear as bind: address already in use. Find the conflicting process with ss -tlpn | grep PORT and either stop it or change Forgejo's port mapping in docker-compose.yml.

Cannot reach the web interface

Work through this checklist:

Confirm the container is running: docker compose ps
Test locally on the server: curl -I http://localhost:PORT
If local access works but external doesn't, check your firewall: ufw status
If using a reverse proxy, verify it's running and the config is valid: caddy validate --config /etc/caddy/Caddyfile

Permission errors on volume mounts

Some containers run as a non-root user. If the Docker volume is owned by root, the container process cannot write to it. Find the volume's host path with docker volume inspect VOLUME_NAME, check the tool's documentation for its expected UID, and apply correct ownership:

chown -R 1000:1000 /var/lib/docker/volumes/your_volume/_data

High resource usage over time

Memory or CPU growing continuously usually indicates unconfigured log rotation, an unbound cache, or accumulated data needing pruning. Check current usage with docker stats forgejo. Add resource limits in docker-compose.yml to prevent one container from starving others. For ongoing visibility into resource trends, deploy Prometheus + Grafana or Netdata.

Data disappears after container restart

Data stored in the container's writable layer — rather than a named volume — is lost when the container is removed or recreated. This happens when the volume mount path in docker-compose.yml doesn't match where the application writes data. Verify mount paths against the tool's documentation and correct the mapping. Named volumes persist across container removal; only docker compose down -v deletes them.

Keeping Forgejo Updated

Forgejo follows a regular release cadence. Staying current matters for security patches and compatibility. The update process with Docker Compose is straightforward:

docker compose pull          # Download updated images
docker compose up -d         # Restart with new images
docker image prune -f        # Remove old image layers (optional)

Read the changelog before major version updates. Some releases include database migrations or breaking configuration changes. For major version bumps, test in a staging environment first — run a copy of the service on different ports with the same volume data to validate the migration before touching production.

Version pinning: For stability, pin to a specific image tag in docker-compose.yml instead of latest. Update deliberately after reviewing the changelog. This trades automatic patch delivery for predictable behavior — the right call for business-critical services.

Post-update verification: After updating, confirm Forgejo is functioning correctly. Most services expose a /health endpoint that returns HTTP 200 — curl it from the server or monitor it with your uptime tool.

See all open source GitHub alternatives at OSSAlt.com/alternatives/github.

The SaaS-to-Self-Hosted Migration Guide (Free PDF)