Why Zig Is Leaving GitHub for Codeberg: Performance, AI Concerns, and Funding Shifts

Zig has completed its migration from GitHub to Codeberg, with the GitHub repository now set to read‑only; issues and pull requests have not yet been moved. The new repository URL is https://codeberg.org/ziglang/zig.git.

Andrew Kelley, Zig's lead developer, explained the move by pointing to deteriorating service quality on GitHub, poor performance, and unreliable GitHub Actions, which he described as "completely ignored" and seemingly random. He also opposes GitHub's push toward artificial‑intelligence features, which conflicts with Zig's policy prohibiting large‑language‑model use in issues, pull requests, or comments.

Codeberg is a non‑profit Git hosting service based in Berlin that runs the open‑source Forgejo software. It hosts over 320,000 projects and offers free hosting for open‑source repositories, while allowing private repositories only in limited cases such as storing confidential information or pre‑release work, unlike GitHub's free private repos for commercial use.

GitHub Sponsors accounted for the Zig Foundation's largest single source of income in 2024, exceeding $170,000. Kelley wants sponsors to redirect contributions to other channels like Every.org, a non‑profit platform.

GitHub, acquired by Microsoft in 2018, was originally positioned as an independent platform for developers, but after the departure of CEO Thomas Dohmke in August, it became part of Microsoft's CoreAI division, emphasizing AI‑driven developer tools.

The community response is mixed: some criticize GitHub for its UI performance and intrusive AI features, while others view Zig's migration as another misstep, questioning Codeberg's performance and noting that even prominent open‑source projects may not inspire widespread adoption of alternative hosts.