Forgejo vs Gitea vs GitLab
Forgejo and Gitea are lightweight and closely related; GitLab is a large platform. On a small VPS that difference decides most of it. Last checked: .
The short version
- Forgejo: light, community-governed fork of Gitea. A good default for personal and small-team git.
- Gitea: the project Forgejo forked from. Also light, similar features, different governance.
- GitLab: the full platform with built-in CI/CD, a package registry and issue boards. Needs a much bigger server.
Side by side
| Forgejo | Gitea | GitLab | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resource use | Light; fine on a small VPS | Light | Heavy; plan for several GB of RAM |
| Database | SQLite works, or Postgres/MySQL | SQLite works, or Postgres/MySQL | Bundled Postgres and several services |
| CI/CD | Actions-style runners, run separately | Actions-style runners, run separately | Built in, very capable |
| Feature scope | Repos, issues, pull requests, packages, wiki | Similar | Everything, plus planning, security scanning and more |
| Governance | Community, non-profit hosted | Company-backed project | Company product with open and paid editions |
| Install | One container | One container | Large container or package with many components |
Pick Forgejo if
You want your own git host for personal projects or a few people, and you'd like it to stay small. It runs happily next to other apps, which is why it's in the Compose generator and the first apps list.
Pick Gitea if
You prefer a company-backed project or already use it. Day to day, it feels very similar to Forgejo, and the two have been moving apart over time, so check the features you need in each.
Pick GitLab if
You need integrated CI/CD, a container registry, security scanning or project planning in one tool and a team will use all of it. Give it a server with plenty of RAM, and don't try to squeeze it onto the same box as five other apps.
About CI runners
CI builds are CPU-heavy. Don't run them on the same small VPS as your git host. A separate runner machine, or a root server with dedicated cores, keeps builds from slowing everything else down. The VPS or root server quiz can help you decide.
Don't forget to back up the repositories. See restic backups.