OneDev vs Gitea: Which Should You Self-Host?

Quick Verdict

If you need CI/CD built into your Git platform without GitLab’s resource requirements, OneDev is the better choice — it includes visual pipelines, package registries, and automated Kanban boards at ~1-2 GB of RAM. If you only need Git hosting with pull requests and prefer minimal resource usage, Gitea at 200 MB of RAM is the lighter, more established option.

Overview

OneDev is a Java-based DevOps platform that bundles Git hosting, visual CI/CD pipelines, issue tracking with automated Kanban boards, code review, and package registries in a single container. It positions itself as a lighter alternative to GitLab CE that still includes built-in CI/CD.

Gitea is a Go-based Git forge focused on providing a fast, lightweight GitHub-like experience. It handles Git hosting, pull requests, issue tracking, and package management, but does not include CI/CD — you need a separate tool like Woodpecker CI for that.

Feature Comparison

Feature	OneDev	Gitea
Git hosting	Yes (HTTP + SSH)	Yes (HTTP + SSH)
Pull/merge requests	Yes	Yes
Issue tracking	Customizable workflows, Kanban, service desk	Labels, milestones, assignees
Built-in CI/CD	Yes — visual editor + YAML	No (Gitea Actions for GitHub Actions compat)
Package registry	Docker, NPM, Maven, NuGet, PyPI, more	Docker, NPM, Maven, NuGet, PyPI, more
Code search	Language-aware symbol navigation	Basic text search
Security scanning	Built-in dependency/container scanning	No (third-party)
Kanban boards	Yes — automated state transitions	Yes — basic project boards
Time tracking	Yes	Yes
Wiki	No built-in wiki	No built-in wiki
API	REST API	REST API (GitHub-compatible)
SSO/LDAP	LDAP, OpenID	LDAP, OAuth2, OIDC
Git LFS	Yes	Yes
License	MIT	MIT
Language	Java	Go

Installation Complexity

OneDev is a single container with an optional external database. The embedded HSQLDB works out of the box for small teams, so the simplest deployment is truly one container plus a volume. Configuration happens through environment variables or the web UI. The initial_* environment variables can skip the setup wizard for automated deployments.

Gitea is similarly simple — one container plus a database (SQLite works for small teams, PostgreSQL for production). Configuration uses an app.ini file. The Docker image is significantly smaller (~100 MB vs ~400 MB).

Both are straightforward to deploy. Gitea has a slight edge due to its smaller image and faster startup.

Performance and Resource Usage

Resource	OneDev	Gitea
Minimum RAM	~1 GB	~170 MB
Recommended RAM	2 GB	512 MB
CPU	2 cores (Java + background indexing)	1 core
Docker image size	~400 MB	~100 MB
Startup time	1-2 minutes (Java)	Seconds (Go)
Database	Embedded HSQLDB or PostgreSQL/MySQL	SQLite or PostgreSQL/MySQL

OneDev uses 5-10x more RAM than Gitea. This is the fundamental trade-off: you’re paying for built-in CI/CD, symbol-level code search, and security scanning with those extra resources.

Community and Support

OneDev has a smaller but active community (~13K GitHub stars). Documentation is comprehensive. The project is maintained by a dedicated developer (Robin Shen) with consistent releases. The community is centered on the official OneDev instance at code.onedev.io.

Gitea has a much larger community (~46K GitHub stars), more third-party integrations, and broader ecosystem support. Documentation is extensive. The Gitea Actions compatibility with GitHub Actions means a vast library of existing workflows is available.

Use Cases

Choose OneDev If…

• You want built-in CI/CD without managing a separate tool
• You value the visual pipeline editor over YAML-only configuration
• You need symbol-level code search and navigation
• You want automated Kanban boards that move cards based on commit/test/deploy status
• You need built-in security scanning (dependency, container, secrets)
• You have 2+ GB of RAM available

Choose Gitea If…

• You want the lightest possible Git hosting (~170 MB RAM)
• You prefer a larger community and more third-party integrations
• CI/CD is handled externally or via GitHub Actions-compatible workflows
• You’re running on resource-constrained hardware (Raspberry Pi, small VPS)
• You want the fastest possible startup and response times
• You’re already familiar with the GitHub UI and workflow

Final Verdict

OneDev and Gitea solve different problems. Gitea is the best lightweight Git server available — fast, resource-efficient, and familiar to anyone who has used GitHub. OneDev is the best mid-weight DevOps platform — it gives you integrated CI/CD, automated project management, and code intelligence at a fraction of GitLab CE’s resource cost.

If your team needs CI/CD and you don’t want to manage a separate Woodpecker CI or Drone deployment alongside Gitea, OneDev is the simpler path. If your team primarily needs Git hosting and you’ll handle CI/CD elsewhere (or not at all), Gitea at 200 MB is 10x lighter and perfectly capable.

Related

• How to Self-Host OneDev — full setup guide
• How to Self-Host Gitea — full setup guide
• How to Self-Host GitLab CE — heavyweight alternative
• Gitea vs Forgejo — comparing the lightweight options
• GitLab CE vs Gitea — full DevOps vs lightweight
• Best Self-Hosted Git Hosting — full category roundup