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Self-Hosting Woodpecker CI vs Gitea Actions: CI Comparison

Two CI/CD options for Gitea/Forgejo users. Woodpecker CI for flexibility, Gitea Actions for GitHub Actions compatibility.

woodpeckergiteaci-cdcomparison

The Two Options


If you use Gitea or Forgejo, you have two main CI/CD choices:


Gitea Actions

  • Built into Gitea/Forgejo
  • GitHub Actions compatible (YAML syntax)
  • Use existing GitHub Actions marketplace
  • Integrated with Gitea UI

    • Woodpecker CI

  • Separate service
  • Its own pipeline syntax
  • Plugin ecosystem
  • More flexible configuration

    • When to Choose Gitea Actions


  • You have existing GitHub Actions workflows
  • You want the simplest setup (built-in)
  • You want marketplace action compatibility
  • You prefer one less service to manage

    • When to Choose Woodpecker CI


  • You want more pipeline flexibility
  • You need matrix builds or complex workflows
  • You prefer Woodpecker's simpler YAML syntax
  • You want to decouple CI from your Git server

    • Resource Usage


  • Gitea Actions: No additional server (uses Gitea's resources)
  • Woodpecker: Separate server (~256 MB) + agents (~512 MB)

    • Conclusion


    Start with Gitea Actions. It's built-in and GitHub-compatible. Switch to Woodpecker if you need features Gitea Actions doesn't offer.