Frequently Asked Questions

GForge is a self-hosted DevOps platform that combines project management, Git/SVN repositories, code review, CI/CD integration, wikis, document management, and team chat in a single application. It’s designed to replace disconnected tool stacks (GitHub + Jira + Confluence) with one integrated system.

GForge has been in continuous development since 2000, originally forked from SourceForge. Today it’s used by software teams in defense, aerospace, finance, and enterprise environments. Learn more about our history.

GForge is built for teams that need:

• On-premise or air-gapped deployment — defense contractors, government agencies, regulated industries
• Unified tooling — teams tired of managing and paying for multiple disconnected tools
• Predictable pricing — organizations that want one flat fee without per-feature add-ons
• Human support — teams that value talking to actual engineers, not ticket queues

See how defense and aerospace teams use GForge.

GitHub is primarily a code hosting platform. To get full DevOps coverage, you typically need GitHub + Jira + Confluence + additional tools for document management and team chat.

GForge includes all of this in one application: Git/SVN hosting, issue tracking, agile boards, wikis, document management, and integrated chat. One install, one login, one bill.

GForge also offers true self-hosting with no phone-home requirements, making it suitable for air-gapped and classified environments where GitHub Enterprise isn’t an option.

Full GitHub vs GForge comparison.

Everything. There are no feature tiers, no module add-ons, no storage fees.

Every user gets access to: project management, Git and SVN repositories, code review, CI/CD integration, wikis, document management, team chat, reporting, and API access.

For self-hosted licenses, the fee covers unlimited installations within your organization. See full pricing details.

No. The $6/user/month price is all-inclusive. There are no charges for:

• Storage (you control your own infrastructure)
• CI/CD minutes (bring your own Jenkins or GitLab Runner)
• Additional projects or repositories
• Premium features or modules

If you need professional services (custom integrations, migration assistance, training), those are quoted separately.

Self-hosted licenses are purchased annually based on user count. Your license key unlocks all features for the licensed number of users on a single production instance.

Need to run multiple instances (dev, staging, production, DR)? We offer enterprise licensing that covers unlimited installations within your organization. Contact us for enterprise licensing details.

Yes. GForge was built for self-hosting from the start. You can run it on your own servers, in your private cloud (AWS, Azure, GCP), or in fully air-gapped environments.

The installer uses Docker/Podman containers. Typical installation takes under 10 minutes. Download the installer.

Yes. We provide an offline installer (741MB) that includes all dependencies. No internet connection is required during or after installation.

GForge does not phone home, transmit telemetry, or require external license servers. Once installed, the application runs entirely within your network.

This makes GForge suitable for classified environments, SCIFs, and networks with strict egress controls. Download the offline installer.

Minimum requirements:

• Linux with Docker or Podman (RHEL, Ubuntu, Debian, etc.)
• 4GB RAM (6GB recommended)
• 60GB disk space

Windows: Supported via WSL2 with Docker. Requires 8GB RAM minimum (10GB recommended), 100GB disk.

GForge scales horizontally for larger teams. Contact us for sizing guidance on deployments over 500 users.

For self-hosted installations: nothing, unless you configure external integrations.

GForge does not collect telemetry, usage analytics, or error reports. There is no phone-home for license validation after initial activation.

If you choose to enable integrations (email notifications, SSO, external CI servers), only the data required for those integrations leaves your network — and you control what’s connected.

Yes. GForge includes:

• GitHub replacement: Git and SVN hosting, pull requests, code review, branch management
• Jira replacement: Issue tracking, agile boards, sprints, milestones, custom workflows
• Confluence replacement: Project wikis with full version history

Plus document management, team chat, and release tracking — features that would require even more tools in a typical stack.

See the full Atlassian comparison.

GitLab and GForge both offer integrated DevOps platforms. Key differences:

• Resource footprint: GForge runs on 4-6GB RAM. GitLab self-hosted recommends 8GB minimum, often needs 16GB+ in practice.
• Pricing model: GForge is $6/user/month for everything. GitLab tiers features across Free, Premium ($29/user), and Ultimate ($99/user).
• Upgrade complexity: GForge upgrades typically take minutes. GitLab upgrades can require careful version stepping and database migrations.

Full GitLab vs GForge comparison.

GForge integrates with your existing CI/CD infrastructure rather than replacing it. We provide native integration with Jenkins, including a GForge plugin that:

• Links builds to commits and tracker items
• Displays build status in the GForge UI
• Triggers workflows based on build results

This approach lets you use the CI/CD tooling your team already knows while keeping everything connected in GForge.

Yes. GForge supports both Git and Subversion repositories. You can run them side-by-side in the same project if needed.

This matters for teams in regulated industries where SVN is still required by process or legacy tooling, or where large binary files make Git impractical.

GForge logs all significant user and system actions:

• Authentication events (login, logout, failed attempts)
• Permission changes (role assignments, project access)
• Data modifications (tracker item changes, wiki edits, document uploads)
• Code operations (commits, merges, branch operations)
• Administrative actions (user management, system configuration)

Logs are stored in your database and can be exported for SIEM integration. Retention period is configurable.

Depends on what’s deleted:

• Tracker items: Permanently deleted. An audit log entry records the ticket number, who deleted it, and when. Recovery requires restoring from backup.
• Wiki pages: Version history preserved. Previous versions remain accessible.
• Documents: Moved to trash. Permanent deletion requires explicit admin action.
• Git commits: Standard Git behavior — commits remain in history unless explicitly purged via force push (which is logged).
• Projects: Can be archived (hidden but preserved) or deleted (requires admin confirmation).

All deletion events are logged for audit purposes.

GForge uses role-based access control (RBAC) at multiple levels:

• Site level: System administrators, regular users, restricted users
• Project level: Customizable roles (admin, developer, viewer, etc.) with granular permissions
• Component level: Per-tracker, per-repository, per-wiki permissions

Supports LDAP/Active Directory and SAML SSO for centralized authentication. MFA can be enforced at the organization level.

GForge supports the technical controls required by these frameworks, including:

• On-premise deployment (data never leaves your network)
• Role-based access control with audit logging
• Air-gapped operation with no external dependencies
• Configurable session timeouts and authentication policies

Certification is your organization’s responsibility, but GForge provides the technical foundation. Many defense contractors and aerospace companies run GForge in ITAR and CMMC-compliant environments.

Learn more about GForge for regulated industries.

Git repositories can be migrated by cloning and pushing — standard Git workflow. All history, branches, and tags transfer automatically.

For issue/tracker migration, we provide import tools and can assist with custom migrations from Jira, GitLab Issues, or GitHub Issues. This typically involves exporting to CSV or using the respective APIs.

Contact us to discuss your migration — we’ll help you plan the approach.

Yes. Every new customer gets:

• Assisted installation (we’ll walk you through setup or do it with you)
• Initial configuration review (workflows, permissions, project structure)
• Training sessions for admins and end users

This is included in your license — not an upsell. We’ve found that hands-on onboarding leads to better outcomes than leaving teams to figure it out from docs.

All licenses include email and ticket-based support from our engineering team — not outsourced help desk.

When you contact support, you’re talking to people who work on the product. Response times are typically same-day for production issues.

For organizations that need guaranteed SLAs or phone support, we offer premium support agreements. Contact us for details.

Yes, two ways:

• SaaS trial: Sign up at next.gforge.com for a free trial of the hosted version.
• Self-hosted evaluation: Download the installer and request an evaluation license. We’ll set you up with a 30-day key.

We’re also happy to do live demos where we can answer questions specific to your use case. Schedule a demo.