Gitea

Development256MB+ RAM

Lightweight self-hosted Git service

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Deploy Gitea in 3 Steps

Connect Your VPS

Add your server credentials to Server Compass

Select Gitea

Choose from our template library

Deploy & Configure

Fill in settings and click Deploy

No Docker knowledge required

Video Tutorials

Learn How to Deploy Gitea

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Gitea Docker Setup: Self Host Your Own GitHub Alternative for $5/Month with Server Compass

Set up Gitea on your VPS using Docker and Server Compass. Self-host your own GitHub alternative for just $5/month with one-click deployment.

Watch tutorial

Do It Yourself

Deploy Gitea via Command Line

Prefer the command line? Follow this step-by-step guide to deploy Gitea manually on your VPS.

Connect to Your Remote Server

Begin by establishing a secure connection to your server through the terminal.

terminal

# Access your VPS
ssh root@YOUR_SERVER_IP

# With SSH key authentication
ssh -i ~/.ssh/your-private-key root@YOUR_SERVER_IP

First time? Ensure Docker is installed first: curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sh

Set Up Your App Folder

Create a dedicated folder for your application files.

terminal

# Create and navigate to project directory
mkdir -p ~/apps/gitea
cd ~/apps/gitea

Set Up Docker Compose

Create the following docker-compose.yml in your project directory:

docker-compose.yml

services:
  gitea:
    image: gitea/gitea:latest
    ports:
      - "3000:3000"
      - "2222:22"
    environment:
      - USER_UID=1000
      - USER_GID=1000
      - GITEA__database__DB_TYPE=postgres
      - GITEA__database__HOST=db:5432
      - GITEA__database__NAME=gitea
      - GITEA__database__USER=gitea
      - GITEA__database__PASSWD=<your-db-password>
    volumes:
      - gitea_data:/data
    restart: unless-stopped
    depends_on:
      db:
        condition: service_healthy

  db:
    image: postgres:16-alpine
    environment:
      - POSTGRES_USER=gitea
      - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=<your-db-password>
      - POSTGRES_DB=gitea
    volumes:
      - postgres_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
    restart: unless-stopped
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD-SHELL", "pg_isready -U gitea"]
      interval: 10s
      timeout: 5s
      retries: 5

volumes:
  gitea_data:
  postgres_data:

Configuration Variables

PORTWeb port(default: 3000)

SSH_PORTSSH port(default: 2222)

DB_PASSWORDDB password

Spin Up the Stack

Run Docker Compose to launch your application.

terminal

# Launch the stack
docker compose up -d

# Verify container status
docker compose ps

# Follow the logs
docker compose logs --follow

Open the Application Port

Configure UFW to allow traffic to your application.

terminal

# Allow the application port through firewall
sudo ufw allow 3000/tcp
sudo ufw reload

# Access your app at:
# http://your-server-ip:3000

Skip the Terminal

Make it simple with Server Compass.

Deploy Gitea with a beautiful UI instead. No SSH, no YAML editing, no terminal commands. Just click, configure, and deploy in under 3 minutes.

No terminal required
Point-and-click setup
Auto SSL certificates
Rolling deployments
Health monitoring
Instant rollbacks

Download Server Compass$29 one-time • Lifetime license

After Deployment

After deploying Gitea with Server Compass, complete these steps to finish setup

Complete installation wizard

Create admin account

Configure SSH key

Need help? Check out our documentation for detailed guides.

Gitea FAQ

Common questions about self-hosting Gitea

How do I deploy Gitea with Server Compass?

Simply download Server Compass, connect to your VPS, and select Gitea from the templates list. Fill in the required configuration and click Deploy. The entire process takes under 3 minutes.

What are the system requirements for Gitea?

Gitea requires a minimum of 256MB RAM. We recommend a VPS with at least 1024MB RAM for optimal performance. Any modern Linux server with Docker support will work.

Can I migrate my existing Gitea data?

Yes! Server Compass provides volume mapping that allows you to import existing data. You can also use standard Gitea backup and restore procedures.

How do I update Gitea to the latest version?

Server Compass makes updates easy. Simply click the Update button in your deployment dashboard, and the latest Gitea image will be pulled and deployed with zero downtime.

Is Gitea free to self-host?

Gitea is open-source software. You only pay for your VPS hosting (typically $5-20/month) and optionally Server Compass ($29 one-time). No subscription fees or per-seat pricing.