SORN GIT
Private Git server · free and open source

Your code belongs at home.

SORN GIT puts your repositories on a machine you own: a small VM, a mini PC on a shelf, an old laptop. One command installs it. Then it looks after itself.

$ curl -fsSL https://get.sorngit.com/install | sudo sh
Install on your server See how it works
Tested on Rocky Linux 9 and 10 and Ubuntu 24.04About 50 MB of memoryApache-2.0
Who it's for

For people who'd rather keep it close.

Solo developers, small studios, families with a box under the desk. Anyone who wants their work on hardware they can point at, without becoming a server admin to keep it there.

A developer working on her laptop at home in the evening
Solo developerSide projects stay yours.Every repository on a mini PC in the next room, reachable from anywhere.
Three colleagues laughing together around a laptop
Small teamClient code off other people's clouds.Accounts for everyone, read or write per repository, one place to look.
A father and his daughter drawing together at the kitchen table
At homeQuiet enough to forget about.Backs itself up, renews its own certificate, tells you only when it matters.
SSecure

Locked by default. Loud when it matters.

Two-factor sign-in for everyone, passkeys if you like them. The admin area opens only from your network or after a fresh code. Pushes with API keys in them are stopped at the door, and every action goes into a log nobody can quietly edit.

  • 2FA and passkeys
  • Secret scanning on push
  • Tamper-evident audit log
  • Email security notices
A developer reviewing code on two monitors late in the evening
OOnline

Your domain. Real HTTPS. Anywhere.

Give SORN GIT a domain and it gets its own certificate and renews it for you. Push from the office, read code on the train, clone over SSH on port 22 like everywhere else. On your home network it works too, with no internet needed.

  • Let's Encrypt, renewed for you
  • SSH and HTTPS
  • Works behind Cloudflare
  • Home network, no domain
A man reading code on his phone on a commuter train
RReliable

Backups you've proven work.

A backup every night. Every week SORN GIT restores it into a test folder and checks every commit, so you find out about a bad backup long before you need it. Copies go off-site, encrypted with a key only you hold. Updates are signed, and roll themselves back if something goes wrong.

EVERY NIGHTFull backupRepositories, files, settings
EVERY WEEKPractice restoreEvery commit checked
OFF-SITEEncrypted copyCloudflare R2 or any S3 storage
EVERY UPDATESigned, with rollbackNever left half-updated
An older man with a cup of coffee checking his laptop in the morning
NNetwork

Fits how you already work.

Bring repositories in from GitHub, keep mirrors in sync, copy every push somewhere else. Give AI coding agents their own accounts and branches, with one switch that pauses them all.

A small mini PC with a blue light on a wooden shelf at home
One small box. A mini PC, a Raspberry-class ARM board or a cheap VM is plenty.
ImportFrom GitHub or any HTTPS server, Git LFS files included.
MirrorPull on a schedule, or push every change elsewhere.
AI agentsTheir own branch area and limits, plus one kill switch.
Our promise

No backdoors. No secret calls home.

There is no backdoor, no hidden account, no hidden script and no tracking in SORN GIT. It never sends your code or your data to us, or to any cloud you didn't choose. Every line is open source, so anyone can check.

  • No telemetry or usage reports
  • No master password or support login
  • Your code leaves only where you send it
Every connection it makes, and why
  • Let's EncryptTo get and renew your HTTPS certificate. Only when you give SORN GIT a domain.
  • get.sorngit.comChecks for new signed releases once every 48 hours. A plain download: it sends nothing about you, your users or your code. Updates are signed, and you can turn automatic installs off.
  • Your email serverSecurity notices and alerts. Only if you set one up.
  • Your off-site storageNightly backups, encrypted on your server first with a key only you hold. Only if you set it up.
  • Addresses you enterImports and mirrors you create yourself, and nothing else.
How it works

Three steps to your first push.

No database to set up, no reverse proxy, no config file to edit first.

Run one command

On any Linux machine with systemd. It installs, starts and gets a certificate. Give it a domain, or use it on your home network.

$ curl -fsSL https://get.sorngit.com/install | sudo sh
Sign in from the browser

The installer prints your address and a setup code. Open it, enter the code, choose a password and turn on two-factor sign-in.

✓ Open https://git.your-domain.com/setup
New repository, then push

Click New repository, name it, and push from the project you already have. Backups start that same night.

$ git push -u home main
1command to install, HTTPS included
~50 MBof memory while running
0config files to edit before your first push
7 daysbetween practice restores, automatically
Compared

Does less, on purpose.

GitHub and GitLab are built for millions of people. SORN GIT is built for the few who use your server.

SORN GITGitHubGitLab (self-managed)
Where your code livesA machine you ownMicrosoft's cloudYour server
Setting upOne commandNothing to installSeveral services, 4 GB+ memory
BackupsNightly, restore tested weeklyTheirs, not yoursYou set them up
PriceFree, Apache-2.0Free tier, paid plansFree tier, paid plans

See the full comparison

Questions

What do I need to run it?

A Linux machine with systemd, from a small cloud VM to a mini PC at home. SORN GIT is tested on Rocky Linux 9 and 10 and Ubuntu 24.04, on both Intel/AMD (amd64) and ARM (arm64) processors. It uses about 50 MB of memory, so the system itself is the bigger part.

Does it work with my Git tools?

Yes. Any Git client over HTTPS or SSH, plus Git LFS for big files. There's nothing new to learn.

What does it cost?

SORN GIT is free and open source under the Apache-2.0 licence.

How is it different from Gitea or GitLab?

It does less, on purpose. There's no database to set up, no setup wizard and no reverse proxy: install, sign in, push. Backups, certificates and updates are built in and look after themselves. See the full comparison.

Can I use it without a domain?

Yes. Without a domain it runs on your home or office network with its own certificate, and the installer prints a one-line command that makes each of your computers trust it.