What is git.sr.ht?

Updated

git.sr.ht is the Git hosting service of sourcehut, described on the site as "the hacker's forge." It hosts Git repositories as part of a broader suite of sourcehut services, and it supports public, private, and "unlisted" repositories. If you want to use it, the site provides Register and Log in entry points to get started.

What git.sr.ht provides

Based on the service's own description, git.sr.ht focuses on Git repository hosting with a few notable capabilities:

  • Repository visibility options: public, private, and "unlisted" repositories.
  • Fine-grained access control, including access for users who do not have accounts.
  • Software release management.
  • Part of a wider forge: it is the Git service within sourcehut, with a separate hg service for Mercurial support.

Who it is for

git.sr.ht is aimed at people who want Git hosting inside the sourcehut ecosystem rather than as a standalone product. The "hacker's forge" framing and the access-control features suggest it is oriented toward developers who care about controlling who can read or write to a repository, including granting access to people without accounts.

If you need Mercurial instead of Git, the site points to sourcehut's hg service rather than git.sr.ht.

How to get started

  1. Go to git.sr.ht.
  2. Choose Register to create an account, or Log in if you already have one.
  3. Once in, you can create and manage repositories with the visibility and access settings the service offers.

The landing page itself only provides the Register and Log in paths; specific setup steps happen after you enter the service.

Key things to know before choosing it

  • It is Git-specific. Mercurial users are directed elsewhere within sourcehut.
  • Visibility is not just public or private: "unlisted" is a third option, which matters if you want a repository reachable but not listed.
  • Access control extends to users without accounts, which is unusual and useful for sharing with collaborators who do not want to register.
  • Release management is built in, so you do not necessarily need a separate tool for publishing software releases.

The source material does not state pricing, storage limits, or login requirements beyond the presence of Register and Log in links, so those details would need to be confirmed on the site itself.