What is Gitea?
Gitea is a painless self-hosted Git service written in Go. The goal of this project is to make the easiest, fastest, and most painless way of setting up a self-hosted Git service. As Gitea is written in Go, it works across all the platforms and architectures that are supported by Go, including Linux, macOS, and Windows on x86, amd64, ARM and PowerPC architectures.Gitea is pronounced /ɡɪ’ti:/ as in “gi-tea” with a hard g.
Why Choose Gitea?
Lightweight & Fast
Minimal resource requirements - runs smoothly even on a Raspberry Pi. Built with Go for optimal performance.
Easy to Install
Single binary with no dependencies. Get started in minutes with Docker, binaries, or package managers.
Cross-Platform
Works on Linux, macOS, Windows, ARM, PowerPC - deploy anywhere you need.
Self-Hosted
Complete control over your data and infrastructure. No vendor lock-in, no data sharing.
Key Features
Gitea provides a complete development platform with all the tools your team needs:Version Control & Repository Management
- Git Repository Hosting - Full-featured Git server with support for all Git operations
- Git LFS Support - Large file storage for managing large assets and binaries
- Repository Mirroring - Sync repositories from GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, and more
- Branch Protection - Protect important branches with configurable rules
- Repository Templates - Create new repositories from templates
Code Collaboration
- Pull Requests - Complete code review workflow with inline comments and suggestions
- Issue Tracking - Powerful issue management with labels, milestones, and assignments
- Code Review - Built-in code review tools with diff viewing and commenting
- Project Boards - Kanban-style boards for project management
- Wiki Pages - Built-in wiki for project documentation
CI/CD & Automation
- Gitea Actions - GitHub Actions compatible CI/CD pipeline
- Webhooks - Trigger external services on repository events
- API Access - Comprehensive REST API compatible with GitHub API
- Act Runner - Self-hosted action runners for CI/CD workflows
Package Management
- Package Registry - Host packages for multiple ecosystems:
- Docker/Container images
- npm (Node.js)
- Maven (Java)
- PyPI (Python)
- Go modules
- NuGet (.NET)
- Composer (PHP)
- And more…
Security & Authentication
- Multiple Authentication Methods - LDAP, OAuth2, SAML, OpenID Connect
- Two-Factor Authentication - Enhanced security with 2FA support
- GPG Signature Verification - Verify commit signatures
- Organization Management - Team-based access control
- SSH & HTTP(S) - Flexible access methods
Use Cases
Gitea is perfect for:Small Teams
Provide your team with a full-featured Git service without the complexity or cost of enterprise solutions.
Personal Projects
Host your personal repositories with complete control and privacy.
Enterprise
Deploy on-premises for compliance requirements with enterprise authentication integration.
Education
Teach version control and collaboration workflows in a controlled environment.
System Requirements
Gitea is designed to be lightweight and efficient:- Minimum
- Recommended
- CPU: 1 core
- RAM: 512 MB
- Storage: 100 MB (plus space for repositories)
- OS: Any OS that Go supports
Gitea can run on devices as small as a Raspberry Pi, making it one of the most resource-efficient Git hosting solutions available.
Database Support
Gitea supports multiple database backends:- SQLite (default) - Zero configuration, perfect for small installations
- PostgreSQL - Recommended for production use
- MySQL/MariaDB - Popular choice for many deployments
- MSSQL - For Windows environments
For small to medium installations with fewer than 100 users, SQLite is perfectly adequate and requires no additional setup.
Architecture
Gitea is built with modern technologies:- Backend: Go 1.26+ - Fast, reliable, and cross-platform
- Frontend: Vue.js + Vanilla JavaScript - Modern and responsive UI
- Database: Flexible support for SQLite, PostgreSQL, MySQL, MSSQL
- Authentication: Pluggable authentication system
- Storage: Local filesystem or cloud storage (S3-compatible)
Try Gitea
Experience Gitea before installing:Demo Instance
Try a live demo at demo.gitea.com to explore features without installing
Gitea Cloud
Start a free trial with a dedicated Gitea instance on Gitea Cloud
License & Community
Gitea is open source software:- License: MIT License - completely free for any use
- Source Code: Available on GitHub
- Community: Active community on Discord and Discourse
- Documentation: Comprehensive docs at docs.gitea.com
Gitea was forked from Gogs in November 2016 and has since evolved into a mature, feature-rich platform with an active development community.
Next Steps
Ready to get started with Gitea?Installation Guide
Learn how to install Gitea on your platform
Quick Start
Get Gitea running in 5 minutes