Woodpecker CI
Pending verificationLightweight open-source CI/CD system — a self-hostable European alternative to Drone CI.
Overview
Woodpecker CI is a Berlin, Germany-based European company building ci/cd, developer tools, and open source software since 2021. As an EU-headquartered provider, Woodpecker CI likely operates under GDPR, though EU Alts has not yet independently verified its ownership and hosting facts, so its exposure to the US CLOUD Act isn't confirmed yet — see the Details section below for what's known so far.
Why European teams pick Woodpecker CI
Teams in Europe consider Woodpecker CI when they want a ci/cd provider that bills in EUR and keeps customer data under Germany law, operating since 2021. Its EU headquarters is a good sign compared with well-known US incumbents, but EU Alts hasn't yet verified Woodpecker CI's ownership and hosting facts — check back once verification is complete.
See more EU ci/cd tools or browse other startups from Germany.
About
Woodpecker CI is an open-source CI/CD system forked from Drone CI, self-hosted on any infrastructure and designed for teams that want complete control over their build environment with no external data sharing. It is community-maintained under a permissive Apache 2.0 licence and integrates natively with Gitea, Forgejo, Codeberg, GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket. Pipelines are defined in simple YAML files at the repository root. Because Woodpecker is entirely self-hosted, all build artefacts, secrets, and logs remain on your EU servers — no data leaves your infrastructure. It is the natural CI companion for teams using Codeberg or self-hosted Gitea who need automated testing and deployment without paying per-minute CI fees.
Details
- Founded
- 2021
- Headquarters
- Berlin, Germany
Categories
Other EU startups like Woodpecker CI
- Unchained Engine Switzerland — Open-source headless e-commerce framework for Node.js, self-hostable and Swiss-made.
- Codebahn Sweden — Codebahn is managed Git and CI for European teams.
- Curity Sweden — Swedish identity and API access platform. OAuth and OpenID Connect infrastructure for organisations where security and control are non-negotiable.
- Hanko Germany — Open-source passkey and passwordless authentication from Kiel, Germany. Made and hosted in Europe, with self-hosting available.
- cidaas Germany — German cloud identity and access management (CIAM) platform — made and hosted in Germany, with dedicated German server locations for regulated sectors.
- Ploq The Netherlands — Ploq is EU-built webhook infrastructure: retries, event filtering, and health monitoring, GDPR-compliant end to end. SDKs for Node.js and Java, a WordPress plugin, and a forkable Mac/Windows app for sending and receiving events.
Frequently asked questions
What is Woodpecker CI?
Woodpecker CI is an open-source CI/CD system forked from Drone CI, self-hosted on any infrastructure and designed for teams that want complete control over their build environment with no external data sharing. It is community-maintained under a permissive Apache 2.0 licence and integrates natively with Gitea, Forgejo, Codeberg, GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket. Pipelines are defined in simple YAML files at the repository root. Because Woodpecker is entirely self-hosted, all build artefacts, secrets, and logs remain on your EU servers — no data leaves your infrastructure. It is the natural CI companion for teams using Codeberg or self-hosted Gitea who need automated testing and deployment without paying per-minute CI fees.
What does Woodpecker CI do?
Woodpecker CI is lightweight open-source ci/cd system — a self-hostable european alternative to drone ci. It is listed under ci/cd, developer tools, and open source on EU Alts because its core functionality serves teams looking for a European ci/cd tool with EU data residency, typically as a switch away from well-known US incumbents.
Is Woodpecker CI a good European ci/cd alternative?
Woodpecker CI is a fit for European businesses evaluating ci/cd options where data residency and GDPR alignment matter — typical buyers include EU-based SaaS teams, public-sector projects, regulated industries (healthcare, finance, legal), and any organisation that needs to demonstrate that customer data does not leave the EU. It also overlaps with developer tools and open source use cases.
Is Woodpecker CI GDPR compliant?
Woodpecker CI is headquartered in Berlin, Germany and falls under EU jurisdiction, so it likely processes user data under the GDPR by default. Customer data processing is supervised by Germany's data protection authority, the Bundesbeauftragte für den Datenschutz und die Informationsfreiheit (BfDI). EU Alts has not yet independently verified Woodpecker CI's ownership structure or hosting location, so we can't yet confirm its exposure to the US CLOUD Act the way we can for verified entries.
How do teams switch from well-known US incumbents to Woodpecker CI?
Most teams considering a move from well-known US incumbents to Woodpecker CI are drawn to its EU headquarters and ci/cd workflow fit. EU Alts hasn't yet verified Woodpecker CI's ownership and hosting facts, so treat any CLOUD Act or Schrems II conclusions as provisional until verification is complete. Plan a migration in stages regardless: export your data from the US incumbent, pilot Woodpecker CI with a small team, then move the rest once integration coverage is confirmed.
Where is Woodpecker CI based?
Woodpecker CI is headquartered in Berlin, Germany. The company was founded in 2021. Its main website is https://woodpecker-ci.org.