Frequently Asked Questions

GitRiver is a self-hosted git platform built with Rust. A single binary (~50 MB) combines 16 modules: Git hosting, CI/CD, Container Registry, Package Registry (6 formats), Issues with Kanban, Pull Requests, GitOps Deploy (RiverCD), Security, 8 notification channels, and more - all at ~100 MB RAM.

Yes, the Community edition is completely free with no limits on users, repositories, CI pipelines, Package Registry, or Container Registry. Community also includes GitOps Deploy (RiverCD), Merge Queue, backups, 8 notification channels, and branch protection. The Pro edition adds SAML/SCIM SSO, Custom Roles, DORA metrics, vulnerability scanning, license compliance, audit log, and IP restrictions.

GitRiver itself: 1 vCPU, 256 MB RAM (~100 MB idle), PostgreSQL 16+. With CI runner on the same host: 2+ CPUs, 4+ GB RAM, Docker 20.10+. For production with active CI: 8+ CPUs, 16+ GB RAM, 100+ GB SSD.

The quickest way is Docker Compose: clone the repository and run docker compose up -d. On first launch, a Setup Wizard opens (http://localhost:3000) where you create the administrator account. Database migrations are applied automatically.

GitRiver uses its own YAML format for CI/CD pipelines. Configuration is placed in .gitriver/workflows/ and supports jobs, needs (DAG), rules, artifacts, cache, service containers, matrix builds, retry, and scheduled pipelines.

Yes, GitRiver supports importing repositories from external services and arbitrary URLs. Issues, Pull Requests, Releases, labels, and milestones are imported. Pull and Push mirroring with configurable intervals is also supported.

No. GitRiver is fully self-hosted and works autonomously. Pro licensing also works offline after one-time activation (Ed25519 challenge-response). An optional 24-hour heartbeat is only needed for remote license revocation.

GitRiver's licensing model is per-instance with Pro Seats. Users register freely. Admins assign Pro Seats to specific users who need Pro features. Licenses stack: two 25-seat licenses = 50 seats. The number of seats depends on the plan.

RiverCD is a built-in GitOps controller for Kubernetes deployment. It supports Deployment, StatefulSet, DaemonSet, Job, CronJob, and CRDs. Features include Sync Waves, Drift Detection, Canary and Blue-Green deployments, Health Checks, Pod Logs from UI, and Multi-cluster. No external tools required.

Community: documentation, FAQ, and GitHub Issues. Pro: priority email support and a ticket system in your dashboard with guaranteed response time.