Why Choose Gogs Over GitLab? A Lightweight Self‑Hosted Git Solution

Gogs Introduction

Gogs is an extremely easy‑to‑deploy self‑hosted Git service written in Go, boasting over 40k stars on GitHub and supporting Linux, macOS, Windows, and ARM platforms, even running on a Raspberry Pi.

Installation

Gogs can be installed in a Docker environment with just two commands.

Pull the Docker image:

<code>docker pull gogs/gogs:latest</code>

Run the container:

<code>docker run -p 10022:22 -p 3000:3000 --name=gogs \
    -v /mydata/gogs:/data \
    -d gogs/gogs:latest</code>

The

10022

port maps to Gogs' SSH service,

3000

to its HTTP service, and the

/mydata/gogs

directory on the host stores persistent data.

Configuration

After starting, visit

http://192.168.3.101:3000

to access the initial setup page.

Use the built‑in SQLite3 database for simplicity; other databases require manual setup.

Set the domain, SSH port, and application URL as needed.

Usage Example

Using a SpringBoot3 + Vue e‑commerce project (mall) as a practical example.

Project Overview

The mall project is a SpringBoot3 + Vue e‑commerce system with a microservice architecture, deployed via Docker and Kubernetes, covering features such as products, orders, carts, permissions, coupons, members, and payments.

Boot project: https://github.com/macrozheng/mall

Cloud project: https://github.com/macrozheng/mall-swarm

Video tutorial: https://www.macrozheng.com/video/

Repository Migration

Use the “Migrate external repository” option to import the mall project from Gitee (https://gitee.com/macrozheng/mall). After migration, the repository page remains clean and simple.

Cloning

Click the copy‑link button to obtain the clone URL, then use IDE’s Git checkout feature to clone locally.

Issue Management

Gogs provides an Issue‑like feature; click “Create Issue”, fill in title, content, and labels, then submit.

User Management

Admins can create new accounts via the user management interface and assign appropriate permissions.

Collaborator Management

In repository settings, add collaborators by entering their usernames and setting access rights.

Gogs vs. GitLab

Compared with GitLab, Gogs has a much smaller Docker image (~100 MB vs. ~1500 MB), faster startup (seconds vs. minutes), lower hardware requirements (can run on a Raspberry Pi), and a simpler feature set, while GitLab offers richer functionality but consumes more resources.

Conclusion

Gogs is a solid, lightweight self‑hosted Git service suitable for most code‑hosting needs; pairing it with CI/CD tools like Drone or Jenkins can provide additional capabilities while keeping the system lean.

Project Repository

https://github.com/gogs/gogs