humanacollabora/forge_comparison.md

Directory of forges

The following forges have no significant ethical issues:

forge	registration publicly open	software	Tor-hostile	Cloudflare MitM	forced re/hCAPTCHA	forced execution of non-free software	notes
git.disroot.org	✅	Forgejo 1.19.0-2	n	n	n	n	SSH over Tor works; based in NL
sloyd.work	❌	Forgejo 1.19.0-2	n	n	n	n
(onion)	✅	Gitea	n	n	n	n	Focused on human rights
git.fsfe.org	✅	Gitea	n	n	n	n	Access intended only for FSFE projects and very small projects; SSH port: 22
git.fuwafuwa.moe(onion)	✅	Gitea 1.13.6	n	n	n	n	SSH port: 22; SSH over Tor broken; HTTPS over Tor works
dev.sum7.eu	✅	Gitea 1.14.0⚠	n	n	n	n
forge.april.org	❌	Gitea 1.15.6⚠	n	n	n	n	French is the primary language; no registration form; access is for April members -- but perhaps April membership is open to all?
git.nixnet.services	❌	Gitea 1.15.6⚠	n	n	n	n	formerly git.nixnet.xyz
git.nogafam.es(onion)	✅	Gitea 1.15.6⚠	n	n	n	n	SSH disabled; large repos are git-inaccessible over Tor; onion site is down
git.safemobile.org	✅	Gitea 1.15.6⚠	n	n	n	n
opendev.org	✅	Gitea 1.15.6⚠	n	n	n	n	SSH port: 22
git.pofilo.fr	❌	Gitea 1.16.1⚠	n	n	n	n	no registration link
git.kescher.at	✅	Gitea 1.16.5⚠	n	n	n	n
git.redxen.eu	❌	Gitea 1.16.5⚠	n	n	n	n
git.platypush.tech	✅	Gitea 1.16.8⚠	n	n	n	n
git.slipfox.xyz	✅	Gitea 1.17.2⚠	n	n	n	n
git.veen.world	❌	Gitea 1.20.4	n	n	n	n
framagit.org	✅	Gitlab (CE 13.10.2)	n	n	n	n	may become more restricted in mid-2021
git.jami.net	✅	Gitlab (CE)	n	n	n	n	possibly restricted to Jami efforts; acces to help page blocked to non-members so CE/EE unknown
gitlab.gnome.org	✅	Gitlab (CE)	n	n	n	n	possibly restricted to Gnome efforts
gitlab.tails.boum.org	✅	Gitlab (CE)	n	n	n	n	possibly restricted to Tails efforts but no AUP says otherwise
gitlab.torproject.org	✅	Gitlab (CE)	n	n	n	n	open registration; repo creation possibly restricted; Google reCAPTCHA is allegedly used, but not at registration time; it’s possible to create an anonymous bug report
source.small-tech.org	❌	Gitlab (CE)	n	n	n	n
notabug.org(onion)	✅	Gogs	n	n	n	n	based on liberated fork of Gogs; supports Tor (the onion web UI is currently disabled in response to attack but the onion site accepts git connections); supports SSH keys and SSH over Tor to NAB's onion service; no e-voting; NAB doesn't associate PGP keys to users, so PGP signed commits may be unavailable or more manual work needed.
launchpad.net	✅	Launchpad	n	n	n	n	It's unknown whether it functions without JavaScript; no wiki
gitee.com	✅	OSCHINA	n	n	n	n	based in China; registration over Tor with throwaway email works; no automatic mirror (unlike Gitea); some areas written in simplified chinese
code.netlandish.com	❌	Sourcehut	n	n	n	n	Access restricted to staff of the company working on the hosted projects
sr.ht	✅	Sourcehut	n	n	n	n	javascript-free; supports patches sent by email; offers an IRC bouncer; recognizes the harm of Cloudflare and takes an ethical stance against it
0xacab.org/(onion)	✅	gitlab	n	n	n	n

Graylist

These forges are not as seriously flawed as the blacklisted ones, but they should still be avoided if possible. Non-Cloudflare sites that use a Cloudflare NS server pose a risk for disruptions because they can trivially and spontaneously flip a switch and route all your traffic through Cloudflare, potentially cutting access to some of your contributors. Sites that are dead or previously dead are also graylisted because if they come back online, they are known to be unreliable. Resource deprived instances are graylisted because they may become unstable or unreliable in the future, or if your repo is resource heavy you may be asked to leave. Codeberg is graylisted for falsely accusing a repository of illegal conduct and deleting the content of all forks from that project without evidence or redress.

forge	registration publicly open	software	Tor-hostile	Cloudflare MitM	forced re/hCAPTCHA	forced execution of non-free software	notes
(onion)	❌		n	n	n	n	dead site
gitea.shuishan.net.cn	❌	Gitea	n	n	n	n	dead site
gitnet.fr	✅	Gitea	n	n	n	n	Forge is resource deprived. The admin (simonv) had to ask a project to leave his forge for performance reasons
yerbamate.dev	❌	Gitea	n	n	n	n	dead site
de.edumat.io	❌	Gitea 1.5.2	n	n	n	n	dead site; no SSH
git.teknik.io	❌	Gitea 1.9.0	n	n	n	n	Cloudflare NS server (they can route all traffic via CF at the flip of a switch)
git.openprivacy.ca(onion)	✅	Gitea 1.12.4	n	n	n	n	Tor users get 404 - suspected botnet if visiting the clearnet site from a browser that does not act on the “onion-location” header; listed as a Cloudflare supporter for spontaneously deleting the repo of an anti-Cloudflare project without warning.
gitea.it	✅	Gitea 1.12.4	n	n	n	n	Cloudflare NS server (they can route all traffic via CF at the flip of a switch)
git.kiwifarms.net	✅	Gitea 1.13.1	n	n	n	n	Cloudflare NS server (they can route all traffic via CF at the flip of a switch)
codeberg.org	✅	Gitea 1.14 customized⚠	n	n	n	n	Based in Germany; censored an anti-Cloudflare project in a reckless and destructive manner; functions without any JavaScript and the JavaScript that exists is all 1st-party (ref); devs make foolish decisions (improving performance by breaking some browsers, when the performance improvement only affects those they broke.)
git.sdf.org	✅	Gitea 1.14.1⚠	n	n	n	n	git.sdf.org censored the deCloudflare project without warning, reason, or recourse. So git.sdf.org apparently unwelcoming of projects driven by privacy, netneutrality, or anti-tech-giant types of activism. Performance is sluggish and the website often times out (perhaps because SDF is also tar-pitting many Tor IPs in defense of attack & it’s unclear if this is a temporary measure); SSH over Tor broken but HTTPS over Tor works
git.passageenseine.fr	✅	Gitea 1.14.2⚠	n	n	n	n	Was previously down for a lengthy period thus considered unreliable.
git.eta.st	✅	Gitea 1.15.0⚠	n	n	n	n	Cloudflare NS server (they can route all traffic via CF at the flip of a switch)
git.slashdev.space	❌	Gitea 1.15.4⚠	n	n	n	n	dead site; SSH port: 22; SSH over Tor broken (try HTTPS over Tor)
try.gitea.io	✅	Gitea 1.16.0⚠	n	n	n	n	Cloudflare NS server (they can route all traffic via CF at the flip of a switch); Intended only for Gitea experimentation; no expectation of future availability
forge.chApril.org	✅	Gitea 1.16.6⚠	n	n	n	n	Censorship: spontaneously deletes people’s repos without warning, reason, or recourse. Forge is unsuitable for activism. French UI.
git.exozy.me	✅	Gitea 1.18.0⚠	n	n	n	n	silently deletes repos without notice; supports federated issues
git.shivering-isles.com	❌	Gitlab (CE)	n	n	n	n	Cloudflare NS server (they can route all traffic via CF at the flip of a switch); Registration is open but broken-- requires 2FA using a device that can QR-scan, and the email verification link is DoA: That stale link error triggers even when accessed immediately.
git.stuxhost.com	❌	Gitlab (CE)	n	n	n	n	dead site; Cloudflare NS server (they can route all traffic via CF at the flip of a switch)
git.hardenedbsd.org	✅	Gitlab (EE)	n	n	n	?	Cloudflare NS server (they can route all traffic via CF at the flip of a switch); possibly restricted to BSD efforts
mypdns.org	✅	Gitlab (EE)	n	n	n	?	Previously down-- sudden death of website without warning to repo admins. Came back online months later but people’s accounts and repos were mysteriously gone; Was home of the deCloudflare and /Right to be Offline/ projects; It was open reg but considered a “private system” whereby the option to create a new repo was not immediately available.
source.puri.sm	✅	Gitlab (EE)	n	n	n	?	open registration but activity is restricted to puri.sm efforts; accounts are subject to spontaneous unjustified bans (apparent censorship): ; no CAPTCHA (confirmed March 2021); is the JavaScript non-free with the enterprize edition?

Blacklist

These forges have severe ethical or trust issues and should be boycotted:

forge	registration publicly open	software	Tor-hostile	Cloudflare MitM	forced re/hCAPTCHA	forced execution of non-free software	notes
github.com	❌ (exclusive walled garden)		y	n	n	☣	access granted or denied based on national origin; copious ethical issues
sourceforge.net	❌ (exclusive walled garden)		n	n	n	☣	access granted or denied based on national origin; Important site functionality does not work without non-free JavaScript
bitbucket.org	✅	Bitbucket Server	n	n	n	☣	Amazon AWS-hosted; needs non-free javascript that clusterfucks uMatrix; has some relationship with Netlify; access to source code restricted
libregit.org	❌	Gitea	n	y	n	n	reg by invite only
git.feneas.org	✅	Gitlab (CE)	n	n	⚒	☣	reCAPTCHA impedes registration and imposes non-free s/w
gitlab.freedesktop.org	✅	Gitlab (CE)	n	n	⚒	☣	possibly restricted to Freedesktop efforts; reg. blocked by reCAPTCHA
salsa.debian.org	✅	Gitlab (CE)	n	n	⚒	☣	forced h/reCAPTCHA; possibly restricted to Debian efforts; serves as an alternative to Debian's email-only bug tracker
gitlab.com	❌ (exclusive walled garden)	Gitlab (EE)	n	y	⚒	☣	flagship instance running the Enterprise Edition; uses both hCAPTCHA & reCAPTCHA; heavily restricted with discriminatory policies; copious ethical issues

⚠ Gitea versions note: Gitea 1.13.8 breaks emoji in some browsers. The developers believe that by not supplying fonts to the web visitors who need them, they are improving server performance. Of course the server load is only reduced when talking to a browser that does not have the needed fonts. The idiots could also simply arbitrarily deny service to users at random to get a performance increase. Obviously they have misunderstood the point of performance in the first place: availability!

The best Gitea version ATM is 1.13.7 but there are no known instances of this.