name: Forgejo FinOps
description: Forgejo is Free and Open Source Software with no software licensing costs. All financial considerations relate to self-hosting infrastructure or voluntary contributions to the project. This FinOps guide covers infrastructure cost patterns, donation channels, and cost optimization for self-hosted Forgejo deployments.
url: https://forgejo.org
created: '2026-06-13'
modified: '2026-06-13'
softwareCost:
  model: free-open-source
  licensingFee: 0
  currency: USD
  license: GPL-3.0-or-later
  notes: Forgejo source code is freely available. No per-seat, per-repo, or usage-based software fees exist.
infrastructureCosts:
  description: Costs are entirely determined by the operator's chosen hosting environment. Forgejo is designed to be lightweight and run on modest hardware.
  minimumRecommended:
    cpu: 1 vCPU
    ram: 512 MB
    storage: 10 GB (expandable based on repo/package storage needs)
    notes: Forgejo can run on a Raspberry Pi or entry-level VPS. Actual requirements scale with number of users, repositories, and Actions runner usage.
  typicalVPSCost:
    lowEnd:
      description: Small team or personal use on entry-level VPS
      monthlyCostUSD: 4-10
      examples:
        - Hetzner CX22 (~4 EUR/month)
        - DigitalOcean Droplet Basic (4 USD/month)
        - Linode Nanode (5 USD/month)
    mediumScale:
      description: Team of 10-50 developers with active CI/CD
      monthlyCostUSD: 20-60
      examples:
        - 2-4 vCPU, 4-8 GB RAM VPS
        - Separate storage volume for repositories and packages
    largeScale:
      description: Organization-wide deployment with many repositories and Actions runners
      monthlyCostUSD: 100-500+
      notes: Dedicated Actions runner machines, object storage for packages, and database scaling add to base costs.
  storageConsiderations:
    - Git repository data (scales with codebase and history)
    - LFS (Large File Storage) objects
    - Package registry artifacts (Docker images, npm packages, etc. can be large)
    - Actions artifacts and logs
    - Recommended to use object storage (S3-compatible) for packages and LFS at scale
donations:
  description: Forgejo is sustained by community donations. Contributions support infrastructure, development, and the Codeberg e.V. non-profit.
  channels:
    - name: Liberapay
      url: https://liberapay.com/forgejo
      description: Primary recurring donation platform for Forgejo project
    - name: Codeberg e.V. Membership
      url: https://codeberg.org
      description: Join Codeberg e.V. as a supporting member to help fund the non-profit that stewards Forgejo
costOptimization:
  tips:
    - Use a lightweight VPS or even a Raspberry Pi 4 for small teams
    - Enable Git object packing and periodic git gc to reduce storage
    - Use external S3-compatible storage for package registry to separate compute and storage costs
    - Self-host Actions runners only when needed; scale down during off-hours
    - Use Forgejo's built-in quota management (soft-quota feature) to control storage per user/org
    - Consider Codeberg.org as a free option for small open-source projects
  referenceURL: https://forgejo.org/docs/latest/admin/
comparisonToAlternatives:
  notes: Forgejo's self-hosted model eliminates per-seat SaaS fees common in GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket Cloud. Total cost of ownership (TCO) is typically 80-95% lower than SaaS alternatives for teams above ~5 users when accounting for SaaS subscription costs vs. infrastructure costs.