Development
Codeberg or your own Forgejo: what suits your team?
Short answer
Codeberg is a Git platform run by a German non-profit, built on Forgejo and meant for free and open source projects. For an open source project it is an excellent European alternative to GitHub. It is not meant for a company's closed source code. For that, your own Forgejo server is the logical choice: the same software, on a server that only your organisation uses.
Who is Codeberg made for?
For developers of free software who are looking for a home that does not belong to a big tech company. Codeberg was founded in 2019 and has grown strongly since, especially among projects that left GitHub after Microsoft bought it.
It is an association. Members share in decisions, the accounts are public and there is no owner who can sell it.
What do you get on Codeberg?
- Git repositories with issues and pull requests;
- CI/CD, within the limits of what a non-profit can offer;
- a pages service for static sites;
- a community of like-minded people.
For an open source project it costs nothing. A donation or membership is appreciated.
Where are the limits for a business?
| Subject | Codeberg | Your own Forgejo |
|---|---|---|
| Meant for | Free and open source projects | Whatever you put on it |
| Closed company code | Not the intention | No restriction |
| Computing power for builds | Shared and limited | As much as you agree |
| Who manages the server | Volunteers and a small team | You, or your host |
| Agreements on availability | None | What you put in a contract |
| Data processing agreement | Not aimed at businesses | With your host |
| Cost | Free, donations welcome | Server and management |
The point is not that Codeberg would be bad for businesses. It is not made for them, and it would be unreasonable to lean on it commercially.
When is Codeberg the right choice?
When you make open source. A library, a tool, a project others contribute to. On Codeberg you sit among the public you are looking for, and you support a platform that fits what you do.
A company can also put its open source projects on Codeberg and keep the rest elsewhere. That is a clean split.
When do you host yourself?
When the code belongs to the company and is not made public. When builds need access to internal systems. When a client or regulator asks where the source code is and who can reach it. Or when you want agreements on availability and backups.
Your own Forgejo gives the same way of working as Codeberg: the same screens, the same workflows. The difference is that the server is yours.
Can you do both?
Yes. Forgejo can mirror repositories. A company can work internally on its own server and have a project pushed to Codeberg automatically once it goes public. Contributions from outside then arrive there.