Codebahn vs self-hosting Forgejo

Codebahn is the private GitHub alternative: fast Git and CI for developers and teams. Your code is stored and served. Not scanned, not trained on, not tracked. Swedish company, EU-only infrastructure, every sub-processor EU-incorporated. Built on Forgejo, easy to leave.

Codebahn runs Forgejo. You can run it yourself on a Hetzner CX23 for a few euros a month. Here is what you get for €9/seat/month + €10/mo team fee instead.

Codebahn has no AI training infrastructure and no telemetry (details). All of Codebahn's sub-processors are EU-incorporated, and daily encrypted backups go to a separate provider in a separate EU region, verified weekly (sub-processor list).

What Codebahn adds

Managed CI runners. Pick a runner size, Codebahn provisions an isolated, ephemeral VM on EU infrastructure. No runner binary to install, no Docker host to manage, no registration tokens. Jobs start in about 40 seconds cold, 2 seconds warm. Runner specs.

GitHub Actions workflow syntax. Your .github/workflows/ directory works without renaming. The runner image follows the GitHub Actions layout with pre-cached Go and Node toolchains. actions/setup-go and actions/setup-node resolve offline. New commits auto-cancel in-progress runs on the same branch.

Container registry. The built-in OCI registry lives at codebahn.net. In CI, the job token authenticates automatically. Every image is private. Registry docs.

Built-in MCP server. AI assistants connect to codebahn.net/mcp with OAuth. No binary to install. Covers repos, branches, issues, pull requests, and CI. MCP setup.

Deployment environments. A callback-driven system turns PaaS webhooks into commit statuses and PR comments. Works with common providers out of the box. Environment docs.

Bot identity for CI. Each job receives a short-lived, repo-scoped token under a dedicated bot user. Tools like Renovate can open PRs that trigger CI, which the built-in Actions token cannot do. Token details.

GitHub App import. Install the Codebahn app on GitHub, pick repos, and import up to 100 at once with full history, issues, PRs, labels, milestones, and releases. Converts to ongoing mirrors if you want both remotes. Migration guide.

Action mirrors. Common GitHub Actions (checkout, setup-go, setup-node, and others) are pre-mirrored on the platform. Workflows that reference actions/checkout@v4 resolve without manual mirror setup. Mirror list.

CLI. A dedicated command-line tool for repo management, CI status, and pull requests. Also ships the MCP server for AI coding assistants. CLI docs.

What you stop managing

Security patches. TLS certificates. Email deliverability. Database backups. Monitoring. Disk space. Runner updates. DNS. For from €19/month, those become our problem. None of it is hard. All of it recurs: patch windows, backup checks, runner upgrades, and the day something breaks. Full pricing comparison.

Daily encrypted backups to a separate EU region. Verified weekly. One-click export any time. All infrastructure is EU-only. If something breaks, you email us and a person answers.

The privacy controls are documented and the code is open source. No AI training, no telemetry, no third-party tracking. See what private means.

What stays the same

Everything not listed above is stock Forgejo: repository management, the REST API, OAuth providers, package formats, and admin. Your workflows, your data, your Git remotes. Upstream Forgejo docs cover all of it.

What Codebahn disables

Codebahn is private-only and opinionated. A few stock Forgejo features are disabled or restricted to enforce tenancy and simplicity.

• Public repos. All repos are private. No anonymous pull. Open source belongs on a public forge.
• Explore pages. Users, organizations, and code search are not browsable across tenants.
• Wiki and projects. Disabled. Use a docs site, Notion, or Linear.
• Stars and time tracking. Disabled.
• Gravatar. Disabled. Avatars are local uploads only.
• OpenID sign-in. Disabled. Use email or OAuth.
• Federation. Disabled. Tenant isolation requires it.

See What Codebahn adds for the full technical diff.

What changes when you move

Import from your instance carries repos with full history, issues, and pull requests: migrate from Forgejo. Runners you already operate can stay; bring your own alongside the hosted ones. Update remotes, add SSH keys, invite your team.

When to self-host instead

You want full control over the server. You need public repos, anonymous pull, or features listed above. You prefer running your own infrastructure. Forgejo on Hetzner is a fine choice. The Forgejo installation guide walks you through it, and our self-host Forgejo guide covers a full setup with CI. For a broader comparison of self-hosting vs managed options, see Managed Forgejo hosting.