diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index b689d23c57..75369dce35 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -127,6 +127,11 @@ FORGEJO_VERSION_API ?= ${FORGEJO_VERSION}
 show-version-api:
 	@echo ${FORGEJO_VERSION_API}
 
+# Strip binaries by default to reduce size, allow overriding for debugging
+STRIP ?= 1
+ifeq ($(STRIP),1)
+	LDFLAGS := $(LDFLAGS) -s -w
+endif
 LDFLAGS := $(LDFLAGS) -X "main.ReleaseVersion=$(RELEASE_VERSION)" -X "main.MakeVersion=$(MAKE_VERSION)" -X "main.Version=$(FORGEJO_VERSION)" -X "main.Tags=$(TAGS)" -X "main.ForgejoVersion=$(FORGEJO_VERSION_API)"
 
 LINUX_ARCHS ?= linux/amd64,linux/386,linux/arm-5,linux/arm-6,linux/arm64
@@ -827,7 +832,7 @@ check: test
 
 .PHONY: install $(TAGS_PREREQ)
 install: $(wildcard *.go)
-	CGO_CFLAGS="$(CGO_CFLAGS)" $(GO) install -v -tags '$(TAGS)' -ldflags '-s -w $(LDFLAGS)'
+	CGO_CFLAGS="$(CGO_CFLAGS)" $(GO) install -v -tags '$(TAGS)' -ldflags '$(LDFLAGS)'
 
 .PHONY: build
 build: frontend backend
@@ -855,13 +860,13 @@ merge-locales:
 	@echo "NOT NEEDED: THIS IS A NOOP AS OF Forgejo 7.0 BUT KEPT FOR BACKWARD COMPATIBILITY"
 
 $(EXECUTABLE): $(GO_SOURCES) $(TAGS_PREREQ)
-	CGO_CFLAGS="$(CGO_CFLAGS)" $(GO) build $(GOFLAGS) $(EXTRA_GOFLAGS) -tags '$(TAGS)' -ldflags '-s -w $(LDFLAGS)' -o $@
+	CGO_CFLAGS="$(CGO_CFLAGS)" $(GO) build $(GOFLAGS) $(EXTRA_GOFLAGS) -tags '$(TAGS)' -ldflags '$(LDFLAGS)' -o $@
 
 forgejo: $(EXECUTABLE)
 	ln -f $(EXECUTABLE) forgejo
 
 static-executable: $(GO_SOURCES) $(TAGS_PREREQ)
-	CGO_CFLAGS="$(CGO_CFLAGS)" $(GO) build $(GOFLAGS) $(EXTRA_GOFLAGS) -tags 'netgo osusergo $(TAGS)' -ldflags '-s -w -linkmode external -extldflags "-static" $(LDFLAGS)' -o $(EXECUTABLE)
+	CGO_CFLAGS="$(CGO_CFLAGS)" $(GO) build $(GOFLAGS) $(EXTRA_GOFLAGS) -tags 'netgo osusergo $(TAGS)' -ldflags '-linkmode external -extldflags "-static" $(LDFLAGS)' -o $(EXECUTABLE)
 
 .PHONY: release
 release: frontend generate release-linux release-copy release-compress vendor release-sources release-check