cgit
Hacker ApprovedRanked 2 of 3 Git web interfaces by recommenders
People recommend cgit as a simple, easy-to-deploy browsable web view for git repositories, especially for read-only sharing. Critics say it is CPU-heavy on crawlers and large repos.
People recommend cgit as a simple, easy-to-deploy browsable web view for git repositories, especially for read-only sharing. Critics say it is CPU-heavy on crawlers and large repos.
22 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 18
- criticize it
- 4
- approval share
- 82%
Recommended in 10 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 18 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 4.5 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 10 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Simple browsable web view for repos
“I think cgit is the simplest one that provides a browsable http version of the repository if that's what you want.”
Comment from 21 Jun 2026 in “Ask HN: Due to spam on GitHub, what platforms can I move my projects?” “If you ever find yourself wishing for a web UI as well, there's cgit”
Comment from 30 Nov 2025 in “Migrating Dillo from GitHub” “Add _cgit_ if you need to be able to view the repos online”
Comment from 9 Oct 2026 in “Ask HN: What do you run on a $5 VPS that's worth keeping online 24/7?” - Comment from 8 Feb 2026 in “Vouch”
Good for read-only code sharing
“Even a self-hosted cgit or static page git browser will do it for read-only.”
Comment from 18 Aug 2026 in “GitHub Has an Availability Problem. Is It Time to Look Elsewhere?” “For read-only code sharing, I would say use cgit and a VPS.”
Comment from 20 Jun 2026 in “Ask HN: Due to spam on GitHub, what platforms can I move my projects?” “cgit is pretty good for exporting repos”
Comment from 18 Aug 2026 in “Ask HN: Alternatives to GitHub” Pairs with gitolite for repo hosting
“switched to gitolite and CGit primarily because Gitea (and Forgejo) force you into a flat organization/project structure”
Comment from 14 Nov 2025 in “Meeting notes between Forgejo and the Dutch government via Git commits” “use git + cgit for collaboration and they manage just fine”
Comment from 10 Apr 2026 in “We've raised $17M to build what comes after Git” “use gitolite with cgit, or alternatively gitweb.”
Comment from 27 Apr 2026 in “GitHub is having issues now”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
CPU-heavy on static pages and large repos
“why is cgit scanning 340 MB to answer this question? Is cgit not using good indexes?”
Comment from 31 Aug 2026 in “Creepy Crawlies” “it's got to be a lot less intensive than having cgit generate it every single time”
Comment from 30 Aug 2026 in “Creepy Crawlies” “burning a ton of CPU power on purely static pages”
Comment from 31 Aug 2026 in “Creepy Crawlies”
Other Git web interfaces people recommend
The two most recommended other Git web interfaces, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
See all 3 Git web interfaces, rankedWhat people said
24 of the 26 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Add _cgit_ if you need to be able to view the repos online”
“that's too basic and there's no built-in support for private repos”
“has much less surface area for this kind of issue”
“cgit is ubiquitous and easy to deploy.”
“why is cgit scanning 340 MB to answer this question? Is cgit not using good indexes?”
“burning a ton of CPU power on purely static pages”
“it's got to be a lot less intensive than having cgit generate it every single time”
“Even a self-hosted cgit or static page git browser will do it for read-only.”
“cgit is pretty good for exporting repos”
“That works, but I'd like it to support multiple tags/labels for that.”
“I think cgit is the simplest one that provides a browsable http version of the repository if that's what you want.”
“For read-only code sharing, I would say use cgit and a VPS.”
“If you can have a complete repo browser without JS (cgit), most web applications can survive without it too.”
“you could use cgit and the like”
“use gitolite with cgit, or alternatively gitweb.”
“use git + cgit for collaboration and they manage just fine”
“Even better: cgit or stagit”
“I've also always loved the look of cgit.”
“Ugh, exposing it with cgit is why.”
“Just set up a Bugzilla instance and a cgit frontend”
“They just infinitely crawl the cgit pages forever unless I block them!”
“If you ever find yourself wishing for a web UI as well, there's cgit”
“switched to gitolite and CGit primarily because Gitea (and Forgejo) force you into a flat organization/project structure”
“I wish there was something a little better than cgit”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.