OneDev — Self-Hosted Git Server with Built-In CI/CD and Kanban

Introduction

OneDev combines a Git server, CI/CD engine, issue tracker, and Kanban board into one self-contained package. It is designed for teams that want a lightweight GitLab or Gitea alternative with deep CI integration and no external database requirement.

What OneDev Does

• Hosts Git repositories with pull requests, code review, and fine-grained permissions
• Runs CI/CD pipelines defined in YAML with container-based or bare-metal executors
• Provides a built-in issue tracker with custom fields, state transitions, and boards
• Offers a symbol search engine for navigating code across all repositories
• Supports Kubernetes-based build agents for scalable pipeline execution

Architecture Overview

OneDev is a single Java application backed by an embedded H2 or external database. The CI engine schedules build jobs that run in Docker containers, Kubernetes pods, or directly on the host. Its web UI is built with Apache Wicket and serves repository browsing, diff review, and issue management from one process.

Self-Hosting & Configuration

• Single binary or Docker image with embedded Jetty server and H2 database
• Supports external MySQL or PostgreSQL for production deployments
• System configuration is managed via the web admin panel under Administration > System Setting
• SMTP, LDAP, SSO (OAuth2/OIDC), and webhook integrations are configurable from the UI
• Backup is a simple database export plus the repositories directory

Key Features

• Zero external dependencies: ships with embedded database, search, and web server
• Built-in CI/CD with YAML pipelines, caching, matrix builds, and artifact management
• Code intelligence with language-aware symbol navigation and cross-repository search
• Fine-grained security with project hierarchies, branch protection, and mandatory reviewers
• Import from GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, and Gitea with issues and pull requests

Comparison with Similar Tools

• GitLab — Feature-rich but resource-heavy; OneDev delivers 80% of GitLab's value at a fraction of the RAM
• Gitea — Lightweight Git hosting but lacks built-in CI; OneDev includes full pipelines out of the box
• Drone CI — CI-only; OneDev bundles Git hosting, issues, and boards alongside CI
• GitHub — SaaS with no self-hosting option; OneDev gives full control on your own servers

FAQ

Q: How much memory does OneDev require? A: OneDev runs comfortably on 1 GB RAM for small teams. Larger instances with many concurrent builds benefit from 4+ GB.

Q: Can OneDev run CI builds in Kubernetes? A: Yes. OneDev supports Kubernetes executors that spin up pods for each build step, allowing elastic scaling.

Q: Does OneDev support Git LFS? A: Yes. Git LFS is supported natively with configurable storage backends.

Q: Is there a migration path from Gitea or GitLab? A: OneDev provides built-in importers for GitHub, GitLab, Gitea, and Bitbucket that transfer repos, issues, and PRs.

Sources

• https://github.com/theonedev/onedev
• https://docs.onedev.io/