Development
Self-host Gitea on a VPS
A lightweight, fast Git service that runs on almost nothing.
Git hosting with issues, pull requests and CI integration in a single small binary. It flies on a modest VPS and boots in seconds.
Why self-host Gitea?
Where GitLab wants gigabytes, Gitea wants megabytes. For solo developers and small teams it gives you 90% of the workflow at a fraction of the footprint.
How to install Gitea
- 1
Provision a small VPS
Even a 1 GB plan runs Gitea comfortably.
- 2
Create a git user
Run Gitea under an unprivileged system account.
- 3
Download the binary
One file — place it and point it at a data directory.
- 4
Add a systemd unit
Keep Gitea running and restart it automatically.
- 5
Front it with TLS
Reverse-proxy through Nginx and enable Let’s Encrypt.
Practical tips
- PostgreSQL scales better than SQLite once you have several active repos.
- Gitea Actions or Drone gives you CI without a heavyweight runner.
- Repository data plus a database dump is a complete, portable backup.
Frequently asked questions
- Gitea or GitLab — which should I choose?
- Gitea for low-footprint, fast, simple Git hosting; GitLab if you need the full DevOps platform.
- Can I migrate my existing repositories?
- Yes, Gitea can mirror or import from GitHub, GitLab and generic Git remotes.
- Does it support pull requests and issues?
- Yes, including reviews, labels, milestones and a built-in issue tracker.
Looking for something else? Popular alternatives include GitLab CE, Forgejo, Gogs — browse all app guides.