Git

    Gitea vs GitLab


    Overview

    Hosting

    • Gitea: Primarily self-hosted (Docker/binary). Hosted via Gitea Cloud (paid).
    • GitLab: Self-hosted (Community Edition free) or cloud-hosted (gitlab.com). Enterprise on-prem available.

    Cost

    • Gitea: Completely free (MIT license). Only infrastructure costs for self-hosting.
    • GitLab: Community Edition free; Premium/Ultimate tiers ~$29–$99/user/month for advanced features (e.g., AI, advanced security).

    Resource Usage

    • Gitea: Extremely lightweight: ~200–300MB RAM idle; runs on Raspberry Pi or low-end VPS.
    • GitLab: Resource-heavy: 8–16GB+ RAM recommended; can idle at 12GB+.

    Performance

    • Gitea: Fast and responsive due to Go-based architecture.
    • GitLab: Powerful but slower on modest hardware; scales well in HA setups.

    Core Features

    • Gitea: Git hosting, issues, PRs, wikis, package registry, and basic project boards.
    • GitLab: All Gitea features + advanced: container registry, Kubernetes integration, security scanning, value stream analytics.

    CI/CD

    • Gitea: Gitea Actions (GitHub Actions-compatible YAML; introduced 2023, improving but less mature).
    • GitLab: Mature, built-in GitLab CI/CD (own YAML syntax; highly robust, scheduled pipelines, artifacts).

    User Interface

    • Gitea: Clean, minimalist, GitHub-like.
    • GitLab: Modern, feature-rich, customizable dashboards.

    Integrations

    • Gitea: Plugins and webhooks; good but limited ecosystem.
    • GitLab: Vast native integrations (Jira, Slack, etc.); extensive marketplace.

    Security & Compliance

    • Gitea: Community-driven; basic features.
    • GitLab: Enterprise-grade: SAST/DAST, secret detection, compliance dashboards (premium).

    Community & Popularity

    • Gitea: Strong self-hosting community (higher GitHub stars: ~52k vs GitLab's ~24k repo). Fork: Forgejo.
    • GitLab: Massive adoption (used by Fortune 500); professional support available.

    Best For

    • Gitea: Personal use, small teams, home labs, and low-resource environments need simplicity.
    • GitLab: Medium/large teams, enterprises requiring a full DevOps lifecycle in one platform.

    Gitea Pros:

    • Ultra-low resource footprint and easy setup (single container often suffices).
    • 100% free with no feature paywalls.
    • Fast performance and full data control.
    • Growing Actions ecosystem compatible with GitHub workflows.

    Gitea Cons

    • CI/CD (Gitea Actions) is newer and less feature-rich than competitors.
    • Fewer built-in advanced tools; relies on external integrations for complex needs.
    • Smaller ecosystem for plugins/actions.

    GitLab Pros

    • All-in-one DevOps platform: seamless CI/CD, security, and project management.
    • Excellent for scaling teams with built-in registries and analytics.
    • Strong support and frequent updates.

    GitLab Cons

    • High resource demands make it unsuitable for low-end hardware.
    • Some advanced features are locked behind paid tiers.
    • More complex setup and maintenance.

    When to Choose Which?

    • Choose Gitea for lightweight, cost-free self-hosting where you just need solid Git management (e.g., home labs, small projects). It's ideal if you want something quick and efficient without "enterprise bloat."
    • Choose GitLab if you need a comprehensive DevOps solution with mature CI/CD, security tools, and scalability (e.g., professional teams or organizations).

    Many users mirror repos between both for backups/redundancy. Gitea is often praised in self-hosting communities as the top lightweight alternative, while GitHub remains the industry standard for cloud hosting.

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