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What is git.sr.ht?
git.sr.ht is the Git hosting component of Sourcehut, a software development platform often described as "the hacker's forge." It is designed for hosting Git repositories, with an emphasis on simplicity, speed, and a lightweight interface rather than the feature-heavy dashboards common on larger code-hosting sites.
Its stated features include public, private, and "unlisted" repositories, fine-grained access control that can extend to users without accounts, and software release management. Mercurial hosting is handled separately through Sourcehut's hg service, so git.sr.ht is specifically for Git projects.
Who it suits
- Developers who prefer a minimal, text-focused interface over a JavaScript-heavy web app.
- Maintainers who want precise control over who can read or write to a repository.
- Small teams or solo projects that want release management alongside Git hosting.
Practical considerations
The trade-off is ecosystem size and discoverability. If your workflow depends on a large social coding network, extensive third-party integrations, or built-in continuous integration tightly coupled to pull requests, Sourcehut's approach may feel different from what you are used to. Its emphasis is on doing the core hosting job well rather than matching every convenience feature of bigger platforms.
A useful next step is to compare it directly with the host you currently use: list the three things you rely on most (for example, issue tracking, CI, or code review) and check whether git.sr.ht and the wider Sourcehut suite cover them. If you mainly need reliable Git hosting with granular permissions and a stripped-down interface, it is worth evaluating. You can also look at Sourcehut for the broader platform context, or GitHub and GitLab if a larger integration ecosystem matters more to your team.
How do I create a repository on git.sr.ht?
To create a repository on git.sr.ht, you first need a sourcehut account. The page itself only offers "Register here or Log in to get started," so the creation step happens after you sign in, not from the public landing page.
What to expect once you're signed in
Git hosting on git.sr.ht covers public, private, and "unlisted" repositories, with fine-grained access control — including access for users who don't have accounts. That last point matters if you want to share a private repo with a collaborator who refuses to sign up: you can grant access without forcing them to register.
Practical steps
- Register or log in at git.sr.ht (the page links both).
- From your dashboard, create a new repository and choose its visibility: public, private, or unlisted.
- Set access rules if you need to share with specific people, including non-account holders.
- Push your existing code using the remote URL the service gives you after creation.
Choosing visibility
| Visibility | Who can find it | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Public | Anyone | Open-source projects, portfolios |
| Unlisted | Anyone with the link, not listed | Work-in-progress you don't want indexed |
| Private | Only you and granted users | Client work, secrets, early drafts |
If you're unsure, start unlisted: you can flip to public later without changing the remote URL.
A concrete scenario
Suppose you maintain a small internal tool and want two colleagues to review it before release. Create a private repo, grant both colleagues access, and keep it private until launch — then switch to public if it becomes open source. The fine-grained access control described on the page supports exactly this workflow.
Next step
If you already use a different forge, compare migration effort before committing: repositories, issues, and CI configuration rarely transfer cleanly. For a broader look at alternatives, see GitHub and GitLab, both of which offer comparable visibility controls and may already host your existing work.
Can I make a repository private or unlisted on git.sr.ht?
Yes. git.sr.ht supports public, private, and "unlisted" repositories, so you have three visibility options rather than a simple public/private toggle.
H3 What the options mean in practice
- Public: Anyone can find and view the repository.
- Unlisted: The repository exists and is reachable, but it is not listed publicly — useful when you want to share a link with specific people without advertising the project.
- Private: Access is restricted, and you control who can see it.
H3 Access control beyond visibility
git.sr.ht also offers fine-grained access control, including access for users who do not have an account on the service. That matters if you collaborate with someone who does not want to register just to read or contribute to a repository.
H3 How to decide
| Situation | Sensible choice |
|---|---|
| Open-source project you want discoverable | Public |
| Client work or draft you share by link only | Unlisted |
| Proprietary code or pre-release work | Private |
| Outside collaborator without an account | Private or unlisted, using fine-grained access |
H3 Next step
Register or log in on git.sr.ht, create the repository, and set its visibility when creating it or afterward in the repository settings. If you also work with Mercurial, note that sourcehut runs a separate hg service for that.
Related sourcehut services: sourcehut and hg.sr.ht.
How does git.sr.ht handle access control for users without accounts?
git.sr.ht supports fine-grained access control that can extend to people who do not have a sourcehut account. In practice, this means repository owners can grant read or write access to specific individuals by other means (such as an email address or access token) rather than requiring every collaborator to register.
H3 Who this suits
- Maintainers who want a contractor, reviewer or occasional contributor to reach a private or unlisted repository without creating an account.
- Teams that prefer to keep external access narrow and explicit instead of making a repository public.
H3 Trade-offs to weigh
- Account-free access is convenient, but it shifts identity management to the repository owner: you must track who holds each grant and revoke it yourself.
- It can be harder to audit than access tied to named accounts, so pair it with clear naming and a removal checklist.
If you are setting this up, decide first whether the person needs read-only or write access, then grant the narrowest scope and record an expiry or review date. For a broader comparison of forges, see sourcehut and GitHub.
Does git.sr.ht support Mercurial repositories?
No. git.sr.ht hosts Git repositories only. The page itself points Mercurial users to sourcehut's separate hg service rather than offering Mercurial support here. So if your project is in Mercurial, git.sr.ht is not the right service on sourcehut for it.
What git.sr.ht does offer
Based on the page, the Git hosting service includes:
- Public, private, and "unlisted" repositories
- Fine-grained access control, including access for users without accounts
- Software release management
How to choose
If your project is already in Git, git.sr.ht is the appropriate sourcehut service. If it is in Mercurial, look for sourcehut's hg service instead. If you are starting fresh and have no strong reason to use Mercurial, Git is the safer default here because it is the service git.sr.ht is built around.
Practical next step
Check whether your local repository uses Git or Mercurial before registering. If you need Mercurial, use sourcehut's hg service; if you need Git, create an account on git.sr.ht and set repository visibility and access rules when you push your first project.
How do I manage software releases on git.sr.ht?
git.sr.ht includes software release management as a built-in feature of the service. Once you have a repository hosted there, you can publish releases directly rather than treating distribution as a separate concern handled by another tool.
What this means in practice
Release management on git.sr.ht sits alongside the Git hosting itself, so the same service that stores your source also handles the artifacts and metadata you attach to a version. The site describes the service as the Git hosting component of sourcehut, aimed at developers who want their forge to cover the full project lifecycle rather than just code storage.
For a typical maintainer, the workflow looks like this: finish work on a branch, tag the version, then attach release files and notes through the repository's release interface. The value is that contributors and users can find the download and the changelog in the same place they read the code.
Who benefits most
- Maintainers of small to mid-sized projects who want releases and source in one account, without wiring up a separate artifact host.
- Projects that already use other sourcehut services, since releases live next to the repository they belong to.
- Teams that care about access rules: the service advertises fine-grained access control, including access for people without accounts, which matters when release downloads should be public while repository write access stays restricted.
Trade-offs to weigh
- Release management here is tied to the sourcehut ecosystem. If your contributors or CI pipelines live elsewhere, you may end up duplicating release steps.
- The feature set is deliberately focused. If you need complex binary distribution, package signing infrastructure, or analytics on downloads, you may want a dedicated release platform in addition.
- Repository visibility is flexible — public, private, and "unlisted" — so decide early which visibility each project needs, because it affects how releases are discovered.
A concrete first step
Register or log in, create or push a repository, then open that repository's release section and publish a tagged version with notes and any files you want to distribute. Compare the result against how you currently ship releases; if the built-in flow covers your needs, you can drop a separate release tool.
For Mercurial projects, note that sourcehut runs a separate hg service, so Git and Mercurial releases are handled on different parts of the platform.
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