Gentoo Linux Migration to Codeberg: A Stand for Open Source Autonomy

Gentoo Linux, a distribution synonymous with technical rigor and deep user control, has begun a headline-grabbing migration of its development mirrors from GitHub to Codeberg. This isn’t simply a change of hosting—it’s a declaration of independence from proprietary platforms, a pushback against AI code mining, and a case study in how major open source projects can prioritize privacy and autonomy. If you contribute to Gentoo, maintain a FOSS project, or care about the trajectory of open collaboration, you need to understand what this shift means for your daily workflow, your project’s governance, and the broader open source ecosystem.

Key Takeaways:

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• Gentoo is migrating its mirrors and contribution workflows from GitHub to the privacy-first, non-profit Codeberg platform
• This move is a direct response to concerns over AI code mining and the imposition of GitHub Copilot on open source repositories
• Codeberg is based on Forgejo and operated by a Berlin-based non-profit, offering a transparent, community-driven alternative
• Gentoo will maintain its own repositories, treating Codeberg as a mirror and contribution gateway, minimizing lock-in risks
• Developers must adapt to new contribution flows, authentication, and potential edge cases in CI/CD integrations

Why Gentoo Is Moving to Codeberg

Gentoo’s migration from GitHub is a highly principled response to a shift in how open source code is treated by major platforms. Specifically, Gentoo’s Council cited “continuous attempts to force Copilot usage for our repositories” and growing unease over the use of public FOSS code to train proprietary AI models (source). These changes, which have accelerated since 2025, have led to a re-evaluation of the risks and ethics of hosting on platforms like GitHub for foundational Linux projects.

Gentoo’s 2025 retrospective was explicit: “avoid Copilot scanning and AI training on its code” by seeking out new infrastructure. Enter Codeberg, a Berlin-based, non-profit platform running on the open source Forgejo stack (Gentoo News). Codeberg’s value proposition is clear:

• AI code mining concerns: Gentoo rejects the extraction of its codebase for AI training, especially by proprietary models whose outputs and data use are not transparent.
• Vendor independence: Gentoo aims to minimize reliance on commercial, US-based providers with shifting priorities and policies.
• Community governance: Codeberg e.V. is run by a non-profit, ensuring decisions are made in the public interest—not corporate shareholders.
• Data privacy and locality: Codeberg’s infrastructure is in Germany, benefiting from EU’s robust privacy laws (GDPR), which contrast with US-based platforms.

This isn’t just about source code hosting. It’s about reasserting open source values in a world where the definition of “public code” is being strained by AI and big tech. Other projects are watching closely, much as we’ve tracked the ripple effects of new protocols in our DeFi sector analysis.

According to recent reports, Gentoo’s move is gradual and pragmatic: Codeberg will function as a convenient mirror and contribution gateway, while Gentoo continues hosting canonical repositories on its own infrastructure. This hybrid strategy reduces lock-in and ensures operational continuity, even as the migration unfolds.

Codeberg Architecture and Contributor Workflow

Codeberg is built on Forgejo, a community-driven fork of Gitea, and is operated by the non-profit Codeberg e.V. Its architecture is designed for transparency, minimal resource consumption, and alignment with open source principles. The platform supports all major git workflows, but makes several conscious trade-offs compared to GitHub.

How Codeberg Differs from GitHub

For Gentoo, the biggest technical change is the move away from proprietary CI/CD (like GitHub Actions) to open, self-hosted runners. Codeberg supports:

• Pull requests (called merge requests) and issues, with full audit trails
• Federated login (including self-hosted and FOSS identity providers) or local accounts—no forced OAuth with Big Tech
• Self-hosted CI/CD tools such as Jenkins, Drone, or Woodpecker
• Mirroring from Gentoo’s canonical repositories, so the official source remains under Gentoo’s direct control

This model mirrors Gentoo’s earlier approach to GitHub—treating external platforms as mirrors and contribution points, not canonical sources. Contributors need to be aware of the distinction, especially for time-sensitive or security-related merges.

Contributor Workflow Example

For a developer contributing to Gentoo via Codeberg:

1. Register for a Codeberg account (or federated login)
2. Fork the Gentoo Codeberg repository
3. Clone your fork and create a feature branch for your change
4. Push your branch and open a pull request on Codeberg
5. Wait for review and automated CI results, then rebase/merge as needed

For developers used to the GitHub ecosystem, the main differences are in authentication, fewer marketplace integrations, and the need to self-manage CI/CD runners.

Real-World Example: Migrating a Pull Request

# Clone the Gentoo mirror from Codeberg
git clone https://codeberg.org/gentoo-mirror/gentoo.git
cd gentoo

# Create your own fork on Codeberg and add it as a remote
git remote add myfork https://codeberg.org/your-username/gentoo.git

# Work on a feature branch
git checkout -b systemd-doc-update

# Make changes, commit, and push
git add README.md
git commit -m "Update documentation for systemd migration"
git push myfork systemd-doc-update

# Open a pull request (merge request) on Codeberg via the web interface

This workflow is nearly identical to standard git-based processes, but the review and automation layers are where most adaptation is required.

Additional Code Example: Setting Up a CI/CD Pipeline

# Example .drone.yml for a basic CI/CD pipeline
kind: pipeline
name: default

steps:
  - name: build
    image: golang:1.26
    commands:
      - go build ./...

  - name: test
    image: golang:1.26
    commands:
      - go test ./...

Another Code Example: Using Git to Manage Branches

# Create a new branch for your feature
git checkout -b new-feature

# Make changes and commit
git add .
git commit -m "Add new feature"

# Push the branch to Codeberg
git push origin new-feature

Practical Guide: Migrating Gentoo Workflows

Prerequisites

• git 2.30+ installed (git --version)
• Gentoo contributor account or Codeberg account
• Familiarity with PR/merge request workflows and rebasing
• Basic understanding of CI/CD pipelines and YAML configuration

CI/CD Integration Considerations

One of the most impactful changes is the need to move away from proprietary automation. Codeberg does not include built-in CI/CD like GitHub Actions. This means:

• You must integrate with external runners (Jenkins, Drone, Woodpecker, etc.)
• Triggers for builds/tests are defined in project YAML files, not a proprietary UI
• Results are reported back via webhooks, APIs, or external dashboards

Example .drone.yml for basic Go testing, echoing practices discussed in our recent Go modernization post:

kind: pipeline
type: docker
name: default

steps:
  - name: test
    image: golang:1.26
    commands:
      - go test ./...

For more complex pipelines, you can chain steps, define secrets, and integrate notifications via open APIs. This “bring your own automation” model increases transparency and auditability, but places more setup responsibility on project maintainers.

Maintaining Sync Between Mirrors and Official Repositories

Gentoo will continue to maintain its own canonical repositories, just as it did during its period of GitHub mirroring. Codeberg is used as a convenience mirror, so:

• Mirrors may lag behind official Gentoo repositories by a few minutes to an hour, depending on sync frequency
• Security-sensitive or urgent changes should always be coordinated with core maintainers
• Long-lived feature branches should be rebased frequently to avoid conflicts and minimize mirror drift

This setup minimizes lock-in and gives Gentoo a rapid rollback option if platform policies shift again in the future.

Implications for Open Source and AI

Gentoo’s move to Codeberg is more than a technical migration—it’s a challenge to the default model of “public code as AI training data.” Codeberg’s privacy-by-default approach, non-profit governance, and insistence on open software offer a compelling alternative to the commercial, AI-mined status quo of platforms like GitHub (BigGo coverage).

For practitioners and open source leaders, this means:

• Data control: You decide if your code is used for AI training—Codeberg will not opt you in by default
• Reduced lock-in: Open standards and federated identity make it easier to migrate, fork, and preserve project autonomy
• Community governance: Policy decisions are made by the Codeberg e.V. membership, not dictated by commercial priorities
• Transparency: All platform code is open, auditable, and forkable

This migration may prompt other foundational projects to rethink their hosting in response to AI trends—much as new compliance and privacy requirements are reshaping European digital payments, as we’ve covered in our Wero analysis.

Broader Trends and Industry Reactions

Gentoo’s migration has already triggered conversations among other distributions (see discussions around Debian and Arch), as well as large open source foundations. The issues at stake—AI, privacy, and control—echo those in other sectors, from DeFi’s push for self-sovereign protocols to enterprise worries about SaaS lock-in.

For independent developers, the move underscores the importance of reviewing the small print on any platform’s terms of service, especially concerning code mining, telemetry, and integration with third-party AI systems.

Edge Cases: What to Watch For

• Licensing clarity: Ensure your project’s license is clearly specified and compatible with Codeberg’s hosting terms
• Automated mirroring: Monitor for race conditions or failed syncs that could cause PRs to be lost or out-of-date
• Third-party integrations: Some open source code quality, security, or issue tracking tools may not (yet) support Codeberg

Common Pitfalls & Pro Tips

Pitfalls When Moving to Codeberg

• CI/CD migration friction: Proprietary GitHub Actions workflows are not portable; plan to invest in open-source CI/CD solutions early
• Authentication and access: Federated login may require more user education and troubleshooting compared to GitHub’s OAuth flows
• Mirroring sync delays: Contribution mirrors are for convenience and may lag behind the canonical Gentoo repositories—coordinate with core maintainers for time-sensitive merges
• Limited third-party integrations: Some bots, integrations, and marketplace tools are GitHub-only

Pro Tips for a Smooth Migration

• Document new workflows and update onboarding guides for all contributor roles
• Leverage Codeberg’s open API for automation, notifications, and status dashboards
• Implement branch protection rules, review policies, and required status checks using Forgejo’s granular settings
• Schedule regular audits of mirror sync status to avoid PR drift or merge conflicts
• Encourage contributors to participate in Codeberg’s community forums for peer support and feedback

By learning from Gentoo’s gradual, well-documented move, other projects can mitigate risk when navigating similar transitions.

Conclusion & Next Steps

Gentoo’s migration to Codeberg is setting a precedent for privacy-first, non-profit-centric open source hosting. For contributors, mastering new workflows and automation pipelines is now a must. For project leaders, balancing convenience with autonomy is no longer an abstract debate—it’s a daily operational challenge.

• Begin migrating your Gentoo-related work to Codeberg, and document edge cases as you encounter them
• Audit your CI/CD pipelines for platform dependencies and invest in open-source alternatives for automation and quality checks
• Monitor the broader industry response—Gentoo’s move could catalyze further migrations and tool development in the FOSS space
• For further strategies on modernization, see our recent analysis of Go refactoring and automation
• Engage with Codeberg’s community to shape the future of open source hosting—your feedback will directly influence platform evolution

Expect this migration to accelerate as privacy, AI, and platform sovereignty take center stage in the open source world. Gentoo’s journey offers a blueprint for resilient, community-driven infrastructure, and a warning to projects relying solely on commercial platforms. Now is the time to review your own project’s dependencies and prepare for a future where code hosting is once again defined by open standards and community values.