{"id":31118,"date":"2026-06-12T16:32:18","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T14:32:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/contabo.com\/blog\/?p=31118"},"modified":"2026-06-12T16:32:25","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T14:32:25","slug":"gitea-vs-gogs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/contabo.com\/blog\/gitea-vs-gogs\/","title":{"rendered":"Gitea vs Gogs 2026: Which Lightweight Git Server Should You Run?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Gitea and Gogs are the two minimalist, Go-based self-hosted Git servers \u2014 both ship as a single binary, both run on tiny hardware, and they share a common ancestor, because Gitea began as a fork of Gogs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The short answer for most new setups is Gitea: it has the same small footprint but far more features and a much more active community. Gogs still earns its place where absolute minimalism is the goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading uagb-block-8f7ff527\"><h2 class=\"uagb-heading-text\">Quick Verdict<\/h2><\/div>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Choose Gitea for active development, modern features (Actions CI\/CD, package registry), and a large community \u2014 on hardware that&#8217;s still very modest.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Choose Gogs if you want the absolute smallest, simplest Git server and don&#8217;t need CI\/CD or packages.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>For most people deploying today, Gitea is the safer default; the resource saving from Gogs is small while the feature gap is large.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading uagb-block-1b05e1b1\"><h2 class=\"uagb-heading-text\">Side-by-Side Comparison<\/h2><\/div>\n\n\n\n<style>\n.gg-compare{width:100%;border-collapse:collapse;margin:1.5em 0;font-family:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,\"Segoe UI\",Roboto,sans-serif;font-size:15px;line-height:1.5}\n.gg-compare caption{caption-side:top;text-align:left;font-weight:600;font-size:1.05em;margin-bottom:.5em;color:#1a1a1a}\n.gg-compare thead th{background:#0b3d2e;color:#fff;text-align:left;padding:12px 14px;font-weight:600;border-bottom:2px solid #0b3d2e}\n.gg-compare tbody th{background:#f4f6f8;text-align:left;padding:12px 14px;font-weight:600;color:#1a1a1a;width:28%;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e7eb}\n.gg-compare tbody td{padding:12px 14px;border-bottom:1px solid #e3e7eb;vertical-align:top;color:#2a2a2a}\n.gg-compare tbody tr:nth-child(even) th,\n.gg-compare tbody tr:nth-child(even) td{background:#fafbfc}\n.gg-compare tbody tr:nth-child(even) th{background:#eef1f4}\n.gg-compare .yes{color:#0b7a3e;font-weight:600}\n.gg-compare .no{color:#a32a2a;font-weight:600}\n@media (max-width:600px){\n  .gg-compare,.gg-compare tbody,.gg-compare tr,.gg-compare th,.gg-compare td{display:block;width:100%!important}\n  .gg-compare thead{display:none}\n  .gg-compare tbody tr{margin-bottom:1em;border:1px solid #e3e7eb;border-radius:6px;overflow:hidden}\n  .gg-compare tbody th{border-bottom:1px solid #e3e7eb}\n  .gg-compare tbody td{padding-left:14px}\n  .gg-compare tbody td::before{content:attr(data-label);display:block;font-size:.8em;text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:.05em;color:#6a737d;margin-bottom:2px;font-weight:600}\n}\n<\/style>\n<table class=\"gg-compare\">\n  <caption>Gitea vs Gogs \u2014 Side-by-Side Comparison<\/caption>\n  <thead>\n    <tr><th scope=\"col\">Dimension<\/th><th scope=\"col\">Gitea<\/th><th scope=\"col\">Gogs<\/th><\/tr>\n  <\/thead>\n  <tbody>\n    <tr><th scope=\"row\">Origin<\/th><td data-label=\"Gitea\">Forked from Gogs in 2016<\/td><td data-label=\"Gogs\">Original project<\/td><\/tr>\n    <tr><th scope=\"row\">Best for<\/th><td data-label=\"Gitea\">Active, modern self-hosted Git<\/td><td data-label=\"Gogs\">Minimalist, single-maintainer simplicity<\/td><\/tr>\n    <tr><th scope=\"row\">Built-in CI\/CD<\/th><td data-label=\"Gitea\">Gitea Actions<\/td><td data-label=\"Gogs\">None (needs external CI like Woodpecker\/Drone)<\/td><\/tr>\n    <tr><th scope=\"row\">Package registry<\/th><td data-label=\"Gitea\"><span class=\"yes\">Yes<\/span><\/td><td data-label=\"Gogs\"><span class=\"no\">No<\/span><\/td><\/tr>\n    <tr><th scope=\"row\">OAuth provider<\/th><td data-label=\"Gitea\"><span class=\"yes\">Yes<\/span><\/td><td data-label=\"Gogs\"><span class=\"no\">No<\/span><\/td><\/tr>\n    <tr><th scope=\"row\">Development pace<\/th><td data-label=\"Gitea\">Very active, large community<\/td><td data-label=\"Gogs\">Slower, primarily one maintainer; still maintained<\/td><\/tr>\n    <tr><th scope=\"row\">Typical RAM<\/th><td data-label=\"Gitea\">Very low (hundreds of MB)<\/td><td data-label=\"Gogs\">Very low (marginally leaner)<\/td><\/tr>\n    <tr><th scope=\"row\">License<\/th><td data-label=\"Gitea\">Open-source (MIT)<\/td><td data-label=\"Gogs\">Open-source (MIT)<\/td><\/tr>\n  <\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading uagb-block-fc9e0488\"><h3 class=\"uagb-heading-text\">Shared Roots<\/h3><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Gitea was forked from Gogs in 2016, when contributors wanted a faster pace of development than the original single-maintainer model allowed. Both are written in Go, both distribute as a self-contained binary, and both are released under the MIT license. That shared DNA is why they feel similar to install and run \u2014 and why the comparison comes down to how much each has grown since the split.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading uagb-block-89d8daaa\"><h3 class=\"uagb-heading-text\">Features<\/h3><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>This is where the two have separated. Gitea has moved well ahead: it added Actions-based CI\/CD, a built-in package registry, project boards, OAuth provider capabilities, and signed-commit verification, among others. Gogs has stayed close to its original scope \u2014 repositories, issues, pull requests, a wiki, webhooks, and Git access over SSH and HTTP \u2014 and notably has no built-in CI and is not an OAuth provider. If you need pipelines or package hosting, Gogs would require bolting on an external tool, while Gitea includes them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading uagb-block-1f80ae24\"><h3 class=\"uagb-heading-text\">Project Activity<\/h3><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Gitea is actively developed by a large community, with frequent releases. Gogs is still maintained \u2014 it continues to receive updates every few months \u2014 but development is slower and driven primarily by its creator. That difference matters most for security: a more active project tends to ship fixes faster. Gogs isn&#8217;t abandoned, but if steady, rapid maintenance is a priority, Gitea has the edge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading uagb-block-fcbc6568\"><h3 class=\"uagb-heading-text\">Resource Footprint<\/h3><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Both are famously light; either will run on a small server with only a few hundred megabytes of RAM, and both have been run on single-board computers and NAS devices. Gogs is marginally leaner at the extreme low end, which can matter on very constrained hardware. For almost everyone else, the footprint difference is too small to be the deciding factor \u2014 especially set against the feature gap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading uagb-block-6a562259\"><h3 class=\"uagb-heading-text\">Which Should You Choose?<\/h3><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Choose Gitea if you want active development and modern features on a small server \u2014 which describes most deployments. Choose Gogs if you want the absolute minimum: the simplest possible Git server, on the leanest possible footprint, with no need for CI\/CD or packages. For the typical user, Gitea wins, because you get everything Gogs offers plus a great deal more, at nearly the same resource cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading uagb-block-5d2ce43c\"><h3 class=\"uagb-heading-text\">How to Self-Host Your Pick on a VPS<\/h3><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Both run happily on a small virtual private server \u2014 they&#8217;re among the lightest Git servers you can self-host. A VPS gives you full control over your repositories, root access to install either binary, and EU data-residency options. Contabo&#8217;s Core VPS line offers strong RAM-per-Euro value that suits these lightweight workloads well; even the smaller plans have ample headroom. For a step-by-step deployment, the linked Gitea Docker guide below covers the most common path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-advanced-heading uagb-block-25200d3a\"><h2 class=\"uagb-heading-text\">FAQ<\/h2><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"schema-faq wp-block-yoast-faq-block\"><div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1780480123649\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">What is the difference between Gitea and Gogs?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Gitea is a fork of Gogs with far more features \u2014 including Actions CI\/CD, a package registry, and OAuth provider support \u2014 and a much more active community. Gogs stays minimal, covering core Git hosting without built-in CI or packages. Both are lightweight, Go-based, and MIT-licensed.<\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1780480156899\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">Is Gitea a fork of Gogs?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Yes. Gitea was forked from Gogs in 2016, when contributors wanted faster development than the original single-maintainer model allowed. The two share a common codebase ancestry, which is why they&#8217;re similar to install and run, but Gitea has grown considerably since.<\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1780480171405\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">Which uses less RAM, Gitea or Gogs?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Both run on very little RAM \u2014 often just a few hundred megabytes. Gogs is marginally leaner at the extreme low end, which can matter on very constrained hardware like single-board computers. For most servers the difference is negligible compared with the feature gap.<\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1780480186086\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">Is Gogs still maintained?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Yes. Gogs still receives updates every few months and is not abandoned, though development is slower and driven mainly by its creator. Gitea, by contrast, has a larger community and a faster release pace, which can mean quicker security fixes.<\/p> <\/div> <\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gitea and Gogs are the two minimalist, Go-based self-hosted Git servers \u2014 both ship as a single binary, both run on tiny hardware, and they share a common ancestor, because Gitea began as a fork of Gogs. The short answer for most new setups is Gitea: it has the same small footprint but far more [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":78,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[1535],"tags":[1544,4458,4455,4446,4456,4448,602,4445,3178,894],"ppma_author":[4285],"class_list":["post-31118","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-comparisons","tag-devops","tag-git-repository","tag-git-server","tag-gitea","tag-gitea-vs-gogs","tag-gogs","tag-open-source","tag-self-hosted-git","tag-self-hosting-2","tag-vps"],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Jie Guo","author_link":"https:\/\/contabo.com\/blog\/author\/jieguo\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Gitea and Gogs are the two minimalist, Go-based self-hosted Git servers \u2014 both ship as a single binary, both run on tiny hardware, and they share a common ancestor, because Gitea began as a fork of Gogs. The short answer for most new setups is Gitea: it has the same small footprint but far more&hellip;","authors":[{"term_id":4285,"user_id":78,"is_guest":0,"slug":"jieguo","display_name":"Jie Guo","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4e0d981b06988d6d456834e9d55bc9e713e918fa8444325543d14f448154106b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","author_category":"","user_url":"","last_name":"Guo","first_name":"Jie","job_title":"","description":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/contabo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31118","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/contabo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/contabo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/contabo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/78"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/contabo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31118"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/contabo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31118\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31121,"href":"https:\/\/contabo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31118\/revisions\/31121"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/contabo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31118"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/contabo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31118"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/contabo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31118"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/contabo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=31118"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}