Step 1: Update Your System

Before installing Gitea, ensure your system is up to date. Run the following commands:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Keeping your system updated is crucial for security and performance, whether you're setting it up locally or on a VPS Windows Servers platform.

Step 2: Install Required Dependencies

Install the necessary dependencies for Gitea:

sudo apt install -y git mariadb-server

Step 3: Configure MariaDB

Start the MariaDB service and secure it:

sudo systemctl start mariadb
sudo mysql_secure_installation
            

Log in to the MariaDB console:

sudo mysql -u root -p

Create a new database and user for Gitea:

CREATE DATABASE gitea;
CREATE USER 'giteauser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'your_password';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON gitea.* TO 'giteauser'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;
            

Replace your_password with a strong password of your choice.

Step 4: Download Gitea

Create a directory for Gitea and download the latest release:

sudo mkdir -p /var/lib/gitea/{custom,data,log}
sudo chown -R $(whoami):$(whoami) /var/lib/gitea
cd /tmp
wget https://dl.gitea.io/gitea/latest/gitea-latest-linux-amd64
sudo mv gitea-latest-linux-amd64 /usr/local/bin/gitea
sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/gitea
            

Step 5: Create a Gitea Service

Create a systemd service file for Gitea:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/gitea.service

Add the following content to the file:

[Unit]
Description=Gitea
After=network.target

[Service]
User=your_username
Group=your_username
WorkingDirectory=/var/lib/gitea
ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/gitea web
Restart=always
Environment=USER=your_username
Environment=HOME=/var/lib/gitea

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
            

Replace your_username with your actual username. Save and exit the file.

Step 6: Start Gitea

Enable and start the Gitea service:

sudo systemctl enable gitea
sudo systemctl start gitea
            

Step 7: Configure Nginx as a Reverse Proxy (Optional)

If you want to run Gitea behind Nginx, first install Nginx:

sudo apt install nginx -y

Create a new Nginx configuration file for Gitea:

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/gitea

Add the following configuration, replacing your_domain.com with your actual domain:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name your_domain.com;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:3000;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
    }
}
            

Save and exit the file, then create a symlink to enable the configuration:

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/gitea /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/

Test the Nginx configuration for syntax errors:

sudo nginx -t

If everything is okay, restart Nginx:

sudo systemctl restart nginx

Step 8: Access Gitea

Open your web browser and navigate to:

http://your_domain.com

You should see the Gitea setup page. Follow the instructions to complete the installation.