Gitea is a lightweight, GitHub-shaped Git forge: repositories, issues, pull requests and more in one small Go binary. This guide walks through what a self-hosted install really needs (HTTPS and ROOT_URL, the SSH port, install lock and closed registration, updates and gitea dump backups) and compares that honestly with one-click Gitea hosted in Germany.
Gitea is an open-source, self-hosted Git service written in Go. You get a web UI for repositories, issues, pull requests, wikis and code review, and you push and clone with ordinary git over HTTPS or SSH. This guide is about running it yourself or ordering a third-party one-click container in Germany, not about GitHub, GitLab.com or Gitea’s own commercial cloud.
For EU teams the reason to look at Gitea is usually simple: source code, issues and commit metadata (names, e-mail addresses) should stay on infrastructure you can name, instead of a US platform by default. Where the instance runs and who can register on it are therefore the first questions, not afterthoughts.
Everything below follows the official documentation as read on 6 November 2026 (Gitea Docs, Docs: Installation with Docker, Docs: Config Cheat Sheet, Docs: Backup and Restore, go-gitea/gitea (GitHub)). Releases move; check the docs again before you install.
gitea/gitea image behind Caddy or nginx is the usual path. Pin a version tag instead of latest.ROOT_URL and DOMAIN to the public HTTPS address. Otherwise clone URLs, webhooks and e-mail links point to the wrong place.INSTALL_LOCK=true stops the unauthenticated /install page; DISABLE_REGISTRATION=true stops strangers signing up (open self-registration is the default).sshd. Gitea’s SSH server needs a second port (with SSH_PORT and SSH_LISTEN_PORT set correctly), or you use HTTPS with a personal access token.Our longer hands-on walkthrough (full compose file, SQLite vs. Postgres, Caddy, the SSH_PORT/SSH_LISTEN_PORT trap, Actions runners and gitea dump) is in Self-host Gitea on a VPS. The short version: the web UI is up in minutes; the pain later is an open /install page or open registration, broken git-over-SSH, an un-pinned image that migrates the database on a random restart, or a dump that never left the server.
If you already run Docker, a reverse proxy and TLS, bringing Gitea up is an evening at most. Ongoing work decides it: reading release notes before version bumps, taking a gitea dump before every upgrade, copying backups off the machine, renewing certificates, and being the person responsible when pushes fail before a deadline. If you enjoy that, self-hosting is the cheapest option. If you would rather not own it, that is what one-click hosting is for.
Full disclosure: this is what we sell. If you want your own Gitea without running a server, we host an isolated instance for you. As listed in the shop on 6 November 2026:
Shop description, verbatim: “Lightweight self-hosted Git with issues and pull requests on your own isolated instance. Runs as a persistent container. Hosted in Germany (EU); memory and CPU are capped by the container runtime.” Region chip: Germany Available. Price shown: € 6.00 / mo. Access details arrive by e-mail after provisioning. Monthly billing in EUR, USD or GBP; pay by card or SEPA bank transfer. All prices are final totals under the German small-business rule (§19 UStG); no VAT is shown.
This app runs in the EU region (Germany) of the overnight.host network. Our VPS, game server, voice and web plans run in the US (Dallas, TX and Charlotte, NC), with more regions planned.
One-click apps sit under a hostname on apps.overnight.host with a real wildcard certificate (as described on the automation / apps overview). You get the app and a URL, not a root shell. Plan on pushing and cloning over HTTPS with a personal access token: that works with no extra port.
| Self-host | One-click (overnight.host) | |
|---|---|---|
| Server | Your VPS; ~1 GiB for personal use, 2 GiB+ with Actions | Isolated persistent container in Germany; RAM/CPU capped by the runtime |
| Setup | Compose + HTTPS proxy + ROOT_URL + INSTALL_LOCK + closed registration + admin user | Automatic after payment; access by e-mail |
| TLS + hostname | Your domain, reverse proxy, certificates | Included under apps.overnight.host |
| Git access | HTTPS, plus SSH if you forward and configure a second port | HTTPS with a personal access token |
| Updates | You: bump pinned tag, read release notes, dump first | Platform managed for you; no published update schedule on the order page |
| Backups | You: gitea dump copied off-server, restore-tested | Not itemised as a separate backup SLA on the order page: ask by e-mail before ordering if you need written backup terms |
| CI / root | Full control; Actions runners, custom hooks, co-located services | No root shell; no runner on the same host |
| Data location (app) | Wherever your server is | Germany (EU) for the Gitea instance |
| Cost | VPS price + your time | €6 per month |
This is informational, not legal advice.
git push --mirror is yours to run.Order Gitea Git Hosting → · Self-host Gitea on a VPS · Hosting Vaultwarden · Hosting Nextcloud
Written by the person who runs overnight.host: a small, honest hosting company on dedicated bare metal. Live status at up.overnight.host.
Yes, the software is open source (MIT licence) and you can self-host it at no licence cost.
Yes. Gitea has a built-in migration that can import repositories (and, depending on the source, issues and pull requests). A plain git push --mirror works for code only.
Yes, the order page for one-click-gitea showed Germany Available and € 6.00 / mo when checked on 6 November 2026. US VPS locations (Dallas, TX and Charlotte, NC) are a separate catalogue.
No. You get the app, a hostname and a certificate. For root, custom hooks and an Actions runner on the same box, self-host on a VPS.
For a personal or small-team Gitea with SQLite, yes. Once CI jobs run on the same machine, plan for 2 GiB or more.
Your own Gitea instance, hosted in Germany, for EUR 6 a month. Prices are final totals; no VAT is shown (§19 UStG).
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