CI pipelines
build, test, lint on every commit
// official site: woodpecker-ci.org ↗
DEVOPS · PRO TIER
Woodpecker CIpro
Woodpecker is a community-driven fork of Drone CI — container-native pipeline executor, YAML config, Git provider integrations. Started in 2019 when Drone's commercial direction concerned the community; now actively developed by an independent maintainer collective.
// What it is
A closer look.
Woodpecker is a community-driven fork of Drone CI — container-native pipeline executor, YAML config, Git provider integrations. Started in 2019 when Drone's commercial direction concerned the community; now actively developed by an independent maintainer collective.
For teams who want Drone CI's container-native approach with stronger community governance, Woodpecker is the answer.
// Use cases
What it's for.
Concrete scenarios where teams pick Woodpecker CI over the SaaS alternative.
CD pipelines
deploy to staging / production
Multi-language builds
any language via container images
Self-hosted Drone alternative
same model, community-owned
Container-first CI
every step is a Docker container
// Who it's for
Built for these teams.
If your team profile matches one of these, Woodpecker CI is a strong fit out of the box.
DevOps teams
preferring community governance over commercial ownership
Engineering orgs
evaluating Drone alternatives post-Harness acquisition
Open-source projects
building self-hosted CI for their pipelines
Cost-conscious teams
moving off per-minute commercial CI
Container-first orgs
preferring container-native CI design
// Differentiators
Why teams pick Woodpecker CI.
When evaluating self-hosted options for this category, here are the dimensions on which Woodpecker CI consistently lands above the alternatives.
- ✓Apache 2.0 — fully open
- ✓Community-governed — explicit non-commercial direction
- ✓Drone-compatible — most Drone pipelines work unchanged
- ✓Active development — strong contributor base
- ✓Multi-architecture — ARM64 + AMD64 native
- ✓Lightweight — runs on $5/mo VPS
// Integrations
Connects to.
The stack you'll plug Woodpecker CI into — services, protocols, and adjacent apps in the BluixApps catalog.
◇
Git providers
GitHub, GitLab, Gitea, Forgejo, Bitbucket
◈
Container registries
Docker Hub, GHCR, ECR
◆
Notifications
Slack, Discord, Telegram, email plugins
▣
Secrets
encrypted secrets stored in Woodpecker
▦
Webhook triggers
push, PR, tag, release events
▩
Custom plugins
any Docker image as a pipeline step
▼
OAuth
Git provider OAuth integration
// Adoption & deployment
Notable users & community
- 4k+ GitHub stars
- Active matrix.org community
- Backed by Woodpecker CI Foundation (non-profit governance)
- Codeberg uses Woodpecker for OSS project CI
- Frequent releases with strong roadmap
What we ship
- Docker compose: Woodpecker server + Woodpecker agent + Postgres
- Pinned
woodpeckerci/woodpecker-server:v3.0(release-tagged) - HTTPS via Let's Encrypt
- OAuth integration with Git provider via env config
- Persistent Postgres for pipeline state + secrets
- Multi-architecture support
- Backup hook covers Postgres
// Tips & operations
Run it properly.
Operational guidance from running this in production — what to lock down, what surprises people.
// PERFORMANCE
Define secrets per repo
encrypted secrets are repo-scoped
// SECURITY
Use runner pools
separate runners for build / deploy / heavy jobs
// OPERATIONS
Cache Docker layers
speeds builds via cache plugin
// RELIABILITY
Per-repo permissions
Woodpecker respects Git provider permissions
// DEPLOYMENT
Persist Postgres
pipeline history + secret store
// SCALING
Multi-arch agents
ARM64 + AMD64 agents for cross-architecture builds
512
// min ram (MB)
5
// min disk (GB)
8000
// access port
http
// protocol
pro
// bluixapps tier
// Alternatives in DevOps
Compare with
Project resources
Official sitewoodpecker-ci.org ↗