Woodpecker CI

Simple, community-run, container-based CI/CD engine for self-hosting.

Open sourceSelf-hostableCI/CD and code hosting platforms

Verified facts: 3 of 3
Alternatives ranked: 5
Approved reviews: 0
Visits sent from here: 0

About Woodpecker CI

Woodpecker is a lightweight CI/CD engine that began as a community fork of Drone after Drone's licence changes. Pipelines are YAML files in your repository where each step runs in a container, so any tool available as a Docker image can be used, and plugins are simply images with settings. A small server coordinates agents that run on Docker, Kubernetes or the local machine, and it integrates with Forgejo, Gitea, GitHub, GitLab and Bitbucket. It is the CI used by Codeberg and is popular with self-hosters running Gitea or Forgejo who want something much lighter than Jenkins or GitLab. The feature set is intentionally modest: matrix builds, cron jobs, secrets and multi-workflow pipelines are covered, but enterprise reporting and advanced test analytics are not. It is free and open source under the Apache 2.0 licence, and runs on Linux, with agents on other platforms.

Best for: Self-hosters running Gitea or Forgejo who want light, container-based CI.

What works

Very light server and agents
Every step runs in a container
Works with Forgejo, Gitea, GitHub and GitLab

Why people leave

Modest feature set
Community-run with no commercial support
Fewer plugins than larger CI systems

Top Woodpecker CI alternatives

See all 5

1
Jenkins
Far more plugins and flexibility, at the cost of maintenance.
66.5
2
Gitea
Gitea Actions gives built-in CI with GitHub-style workflows.
62.6
3
Forgejo
Forgejo Actions provides CI built into the forge.
59.6
4
Concourse
Container-based, self-hosted CI with a resource-driven model.
57.2
5
GitHub Actions
Hosted CI with a huge action marketplace.
55.3

Why people left Woodpecker CI

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Woodpecker CI: common questions

Is Woodpecker CI free?

Yes. Woodpecker CI is free, open-source software that you can host yourself.

Is Woodpecker CI open source?

Yes. The source code is on GitHub at woodpecker-ci/woodpecker. You can also run it on your own server.

What platforms does Woodpecker CI run on?

Woodpecker CI is available for Self-hosted and Linux.

What are the best alternatives to Woodpecker CI?

The highest-ranked Woodpecker CI alternatives right now are Jenkins, Gitea and Forgejo. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

See all 5 Woodpecker CI alternatives

Woodpecker CI facts

3 of 3 verified

License: Apache-2.0; Checked Oct 25, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab); “License: Apache-2.0 (Apache License 2.0).”
Price: Free; Checked Oct 25, 2026woodpecker-ci.org(opens source in a new tab); “Woodpecker Tutorial - 5min ⏱️ OpenSource and free Woodpecker is and always will be totally free.”
Execution: Docker containers; Checked Oct 25, 2026woodpecker-ci.org(opens source in a new tab); “Based on docker containers Woodpecker uses docker containers to execute pipeline steps.”