Gitea vs GitLab: Which Self-Hosted Git Platform Should You Choose?

Own Your Code Repository

GitHub is convenient, but your code lives on Microsoft's servers. For private projects, homelab configurations, and sensitive work, self-hosting your Git repositories gives you complete control and privacy.

Two platforms dominate self-hosted Git: Gitea and GitLab. Let's compare them to help you choose.

Gitea: Lightweight and Fast

Gitea is a painless, self-hosted Git service written in Go. It's designed to be lightweight while providing essential features.

Pros:

• Minimal resources: Runs on 512MB RAM, uses ~100MB disk
• Fast: Single binary, instant startup
• Simple: Easy to install, configure, and maintain
• GitHub-like UI: Familiar interface for GitHub users
• Actions support: CI/CD with Gitea Actions (GitHub Actions compatible)

# Gitea Docker Compose
services:
  gitea:
    image: gitea/gitea:latest
    container_name: gitea
    ports:
      - "3000:3000"
      - "2222:22"
    volumes:
      - ./data:/data
    environment:
      - USER_UID=1000
      - USER_GID=1000
    restart: unless-stopped

GitLab: Full DevOps Platform

GitLab is a complete DevOps platform with integrated CI/CD, issue tracking, container registry, and much more.

Pros:

• Feature-rich: CI/CD, registry, wiki, issues, security scanning
• Enterprise-ready: LDAP, SSO, audit logs
• Integrated: Everything in one platform
• Active development: Monthly releases with new features

Cons:

• Resource hungry: Requires 4GB+ RAM minimum, recommends 8GB
• Complex: Many moving parts, steeper learning curve
• Slow startup: Can take several minutes to fully start

Resource Comparison

| Resource    | Gitea          | GitLab CE       |
|-------------|----------------|-----------------|
| RAM         | 256MB-512MB    | 4GB-8GB         |
| CPU         | 1 core         | 2-4 cores       |
| Disk        | 100MB          | 2.5GB           |
| Startup     | Seconds        | Minutes         |
| Database    | SQLite/MySQL/PG| PostgreSQL      |

Our Recommendation

Choose Gitea if:

• You have limited resources (Raspberry Pi, small VPS)
• You primarily need Git hosting with basic CI/CD
• You prefer simplicity over features
• You're hosting personal or small team projects

Choose GitLab if:

• You need a full DevOps platform
• You have a team requiring project management features
• You need advanced CI/CD with container registry
• You have the resources to run it properly

For most homelab users, Gitea is the better choice. It provides everything you need for version control without the overhead, leaving resources for other services.