TL;DR
A developer has migrated their repositories from GitHub to Forgejo, citing issues of ownership, outages, and data privacy. The move reflects broader concerns about GitHub’s reliability and corporate direction.
A developer has moved their code repositories from GitHub to a self-hosted Forgejo instance, citing concerns over ownership, outages, and data privacy. This personal decision aligns with recent moves by the Dutch government and reflects broader industry anxieties about GitHub’s reliability and corporate direction.
The developer’s migration was motivated primarily by issues of ownership and control. They stated that their move was not driven by outages alone but by a broader distrust in GitHub’s ability to safeguard their data and maintain independence. In April 2026, the Dutch government launched code.overheid.nl, a self-hosted Forgejo platform for official source code, citing legal ownership and digital autonomy as reasons for choosing open-source Forgejo over proprietary solutions like GitLab.
The developer’s own setup runs Forgejo v15 LTS on a single NUC, with plans to archive their public repositories on GitHub and redirect them to the new platform once migration is complete. They emphasized that, despite outages, the core issue was ownership — GitHub is now part of Microsoft’s AI division, with no independent leadership since August 2025. They highlighted recent outages, including a significant incident in February 2026 that caused over three hours of downtime, and a record of 257 incidents between May 2025 and April 2026, with 48 major outages.
Furthermore, the developer pointed out that GitHub’s shift in corporate structure and policies—such as default opt-in for AI training data—are reasons for distrust. Since August 2025, GitHub has been integrated into Microsoft’s CoreAI division, with decision-making increasingly aligned with Microsoft’s AI ambitions, raising concerns about data privacy and repository control.
Why It Matters
This move exemplifies a growing concern among developers about data ownership, platform reliability, and corporate influence. As GitHub experiences frequent outages and shifts towards AI-driven features and data policies, some users are reconsidering their reliance on the platform. The decision by the Dutch government to adopt Forgejo for official code underscores the importance of sovereignty and trust in digital infrastructure. For individual developers, this signals a broader trend toward self-hosted and open-source alternatives, especially as concerns over data privacy and corporate control intensify.
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Background
GitHub, acquired by Microsoft in 2018, has historically maintained a level of independence, but recent developments suggest a shift. In August 2025, GitHub’s CEO Thomas Dohmke stepped down, and the platform was integrated into Microsoft’s CoreAI division, emphasizing AI and automation features. Concurrently, GitHub’s outage record has worsened, with 257 incidents over a year, including major outages affecting critical services like Actions and Copilot. Additionally, policy changes in April 2026 made AI training data opt-out options default to opt-in, raising privacy concerns. The Dutch government’s adoption of Forgejo for official code reflects a desire for control and transparency, setting a precedent for other institutions and individual developers.
“My move was driven by ownership and trust issues, not outages. I want control over my code and data.”
— the developer who migrated
“The platform was born from the requirement that the ministry has to legally publish its source code on a place that it owns.”
— Boris Van Hoytema, Dutch project manager
“Capacity needs to grow 30x to keep up with AI-driven load.”
— Vlad Fedorov, GitHub CTO
“Thomas Dohmke stepped down as GitHub’s CEO in August 2025, and the platform was absorbed into Microsoft’s AI division.”
— Thomas Dohmke, former GitHub CEO
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What Remains Unclear
It remains unclear how widespread the migration will become among individual developers and organizations. The long-term impact of GitHub’s integration into Microsoft’s AI efforts and the effectiveness of Forgejo as an alternative are still developing. Additionally, the full implications of policy changes, such as AI data opt-in defaults, are yet to be fully understood or challenged.
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What’s Next
Developers and organizations may increasingly consider self-hosted or open-source alternatives. GitHub’s ongoing outage management and policy shifts will likely influence future platform trust. The developer community will watch for further policy clarifications, outages, and the adoption rate of Forgejo and similar platforms.
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Key Questions
Why is the developer leaving GitHub?
The developer cites concerns over ownership, trust, outages, and data privacy, especially given GitHub’s integration into Microsoft’s AI division and recent policy changes.
What is Forgejo, and why was it chosen?
Forgejo is an open-source, self-hosted Git platform. The Dutch government and the developer chose it for its independence, transparency, and control over source code and data.
Will this affect my use of GitHub or my repositories?
For individual users, this highlights the importance of backups and considering alternative hosting options. Official repositories may be archived and migrated, but ongoing use depends on personal or organizational policies.
What are the risks of trusting Microsoft’s AI division with my code?
Concerns include potential access by US government under surveillance laws, data privacy issues, and loss of control over repository policies and data sharing.
