Forgejo: A Beginner-Friendly, Open Source Git Server (with Podman Installation Guide)

Introduction to Forgejo

If you’re looking for a free and open-source alternative to GitHub or GitLab, Forgejo is a great choice. Built on Forgejo, Forgejo is a community-driven Git server that you can self-host for full control over your repositories and development workflows.

Whether you’re working solo, teaching students, or managing a small team, Forgejo can be easily installed and run using lightweight container technologies like Podman or Podman Compose.

In this post, I’ll walk you through a basic installation of Forgejo using Podman, and share how I can help you get started with Git, Forgejo setup, or repository migration.

Why Forgejo?

• Open-source (AGPL-3.0 licensed)
• Lightweight and fast
• Easy to install with container support
• Great for personal, team, or educational use
• Active community and regular updates

How to Install Forgejo Using Podman

Step 1: Create a Directory for Forgejo

Copymkdir -p ~/forgejo/{data,config}
cd ~/forgejo

Step 2: Create a podman-compose.yml File

Copyversion: "3"

services:
  forgejo:
    image: codeberg.org/forgejo/forgejo:12.0.4-rootless
    container_name: forgejo
    ports:
      - "3000:3000"
      - "222:22"
    volumes:
      - ./data:/data
    restart: always

Save this as podman-compose.yml.

Step 3: Start Forgejo

Copypodman-compose up -d

Once it’s up, visit http://localhost:3000 in your browser to complete the setup wizard.

Screenshots and Screencast Tutorial

Need Help with Git, Forgejo, or Programming?

I am Edward Ojambo, and I offer the following:

• Programming books on Git, Linux, C++, and more
• Online programming courses tailored to beginners and intermediate learners
• One-on-one tutorials for Git, Forgejo, Linux, and development tools
• Forgejo/Git installation and migration services – get up and running fast

Conclusion

Forgejo is a fantastic, free, and open-source Git hosting solution that gives you full control over your codebase. With Podman, getting started is quick and easy – and if you ever need help, I’m just a click away.