Git

Git is a distributed version control system created by Linus Torvalds in 2005 for Linux kernel development. Unlike centralized systems, every Git clone is a full repository with complete history, enabling offline work and fast local operations. The branching model is lightweight — creating and merging branches is a core workflow, not an exceptional event. Git is the de facto standard for version control across the industry. GPL v2.

Open-source Git forges for self-hosted collaboration:

Forgejo — community-governed fork of Gitea, focused on remaining 100% free software. Lightweight, easy to install. Used by Codeberg. No feature gating, no commercial entity. GPL v3.

Gitea — self-hosted Git service with built-in CI/CD (Actions), package registry, and project management. Core is fully open; separate enterprise edition exists. MIT.

GitLab CE — full DevOps platform with Git hosting, CI/CD, issue tracking, and container registry. Community Edition is self-hostable. Premium features in paid tiers. MIT.

Sourcehut — minimalist, email-driven forge. No JavaScript required. Built for developers who prefer mailing-list workflows and simplicity. AGPL v3.