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title: The roundabout source-url: https://roundabout-host.com/roundabout/roundabout topics: ["web", "flask", "git", "software", "python", "agpl", "roundabout", "roundabout-host"] ---
The roundabout is a git repository hosting server software. It is designed to be a complete alternative to GitHub, GitLab, BitBucket, Gogs/Gitea/Forgejo, and other similar services. It is still in development and not yet ready for production use. As of version 0.3.0 development stage, it supports:
User registration
Repository creation
User access control
Smart Git over HTTP(S) protocol
Web interface for repository browsing
User profiles and social features
Forum for repositories, useful for issue tracking
Notifications, including email notifications
Pull requests
Favourite repositories (subscriptions)
Commit views and diffs
Themeing
Static site hosting
Really basic search
Markdown formatting for comments, Markdown file rendering
Comments on commit diffs
Partial XML API, will be expanded
Decentralised merging
Forum labels
Static site hosting
Organisations by trusting users to take actions on your behalf
For now, it doesn't support, but I won't consider it complete without:
Decentralised social features (merging is already decentralised)
CI/CD
Repository metadata (licence, topics, language, etc.)
Package distribution
Code syntax highlighting
Any kind of statistics
Web-based code editing
Users changing passwords
Admin panel
User mentions
Git over SSH
It won't support:
Wikis (why have another interface just for markdown, when you can use your own repo and publish it as a static site?)
Issues (forum does it already)
I'm still not sure about:
Project boards (what about making label grouping instead?)
Advertising (I want a truly JS-free, libre advertising network)
Paste service (does it really work well with Git? Couldn't you just use a repo for that?)
Native clients (Android development is hard, iOS is hostile, and on desktop it's not needed, there are GUI git clients that work with any server, for social features web is fine)
IDE plugins (sounds good, but it's hard work)
The roundabout is written in flask, a Python web framework. It uses SQLAlchemy for database management. For light UI interactivity it uses htmx and some vanilla JS. It does some GitPython calls for basic operations, but mostly calls git with subprocess. Repositories are non-bare because this allows the server to understand the repository and can lead to some performance gains since querying git is not required. The server is designed to be run on a single machine but decentralisation will be added in the future, but it won't be automatic, you'll have to choose a server to use.
roundabout-host.com
The official instance of the roundabout, roundabout-host, is hosted at roundabout-host.com. Anyone can register and create repositories there. However, we ask that you do not rely on it and always keep your repos locally as well. Uptime is not guaranteed, and data loss is possible. The server is not backed up.
In the future it may require payment for some features, but the program it runs will always be free. Payment will not be required to lift artificial limitations, but to support server-intensive features like CI/CD. Some free usage for useful projects will always be provided on demand.
Additionally, we may have advertising on the site. It will be unobtrusive and not track you. Logged-in users will be able to disable it for free. We will never have video, animation, sound, popups, overlays, or JS ads. Ads will be relevant to the content of the site, but they won't be personalised or use cookies. This just means no car, insurance, supermarket, or other unrelated ads. Most likely we will use EthicalAds, which is itself free software.
The roundabout program is licensed under the AGPL licence, version 3.0 or, at your option, any later version. Whatever I decide to do for roundabout-host, I can't pull the rug from under you, you can always run your own instance.
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---
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title: The roundabout
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source-url: https://roundabout-host.com/roundabout/roundabout
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topics: ["web", "flask", "git", "software", "python", "agpl", "roundabout", "roundabout-host"]
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---
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The roundabout is a **git repository hosting** server software. It is designed to be a complete
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alternative to GitHub, GitLab, BitBucket, Gogs/Gitea/Forgejo, and other similar services. It
9
is still in development and not yet ready for production use. As of version 0.3.0 development
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stage, it supports:
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* User registration
13
* Repository creation
14
* User access control
15
* Smart Git over HTTP(S) protocol
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* Web interface for repository browsing
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* User profiles and social features
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* Forum for repositories, useful for issue tracking
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* Notifications, including email notifications
20
* Pull requests
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* Favourite repositories (subscriptions)
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* Commit views and diffs
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* Themeing
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* Static site hosting
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* Really basic search
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* Markdown formatting for comments, Markdown file rendering
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* Comments on commit diffs
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* Partial XML API, will be expanded
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* Decentralised merging
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* Forum labels
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* Static site hosting
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* Organisations by trusting users to take actions on your behalf
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For now, it doesn't support, but I won't consider it complete without:
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* Decentralised social features (merging is already decentralised)
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* CI/CD
37
* Repository metadata (licence, topics, language, etc.)
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* Package distribution
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* Code syntax highlighting
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* Any kind of statistics
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* Web-based code editing
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* Users changing passwords
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* Admin panel
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* User mentions
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* Git over SSH
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It won't support:
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* Wikis (why have another interface just for markdown, when you can use your own repo and publish
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it as a static site?)
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* Issues (forum does it already)
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I'm still not sure about:
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* Project boards (what about making label grouping instead?)
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* Advertising (I want a truly JS-free, libre advertising network)
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* Paste service (does it really work well with Git? Couldn't you just use a repo for that?)
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* Native clients (Android development is hard, iOS is hostile, and on desktop it's not needed,
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there are GUI git clients that work with any server, for social features web is fine)
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* IDE plugins (sounds good, but it's hard work)
59
The roundabout is written in flask, a Python web framework. It uses SQLAlchemy for database
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management. For light UI interactivity it uses htmx and some vanilla JS. It does some GitPython
62
calls for basic operations, but mostly calls git with subprocess. Repositories are non-bare
63
because this allows the server to understand the repository and can lead to some performance
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gains since querying git is not required. The server is designed to be run on a single machine
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but decentralisation will be added in the future, but it won't be automatic, you'll have to
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choose a server to use.
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roundabout-host.com
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-------------------
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The official instance of the roundabout, roundabout-host, is hosted at
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[roundabout-host.com](https://roundabout-host.com). Anyone can register and create repositories
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there. However, we ask that you do not rely on it and always keep your repos locally as well.
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Uptime is not guaranteed, and data loss is possible. The server is not backed up.
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In the future it may require payment for some features, but **the program it runs will always
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be free**. Payment will not be required to lift artificial limitations, but to support
78
server-intensive features like CI/CD. Some free usage for useful projects will always be
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provided on demand.
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Additionally, we may have advertising on the site. It will be unobtrusive and not track you.
82
Logged-in users will be able to disable it for free. We will never have video, animation, sound,
83
popups, overlays, or JS ads. Ads will be relevant to the content of the site, but they won't
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be personalised or use cookies. This just means no car, insurance, supermarket, or other
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unrelated ads. Most likely we will use EthicalAds, which is itself free software.
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The roundabout program is licensed under the AGPL licence, version 3.0 or, at your option, any
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later version. Whatever I decide to do for roundabout-host, I can't pull the rug from under
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you, you can always run your own instance.
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