Gitea is a free, open-source Git server that you run yourself. One program gives a team repositories, pull requests with code review, issues, a wiki, a package registry and continuous integration (Gitea Actions), in a web interface that will feel familiar to anyone who has used GitHub. The Gitea download is a single binary under the MIT licence, published for Windows, Linux, macOS and FreeBSD, and it can also run in Docker.
For a sysadmin the attraction is size: a small team can start Gitea on a modest server or VM with the built-in SQLite database, keep code and scripts in-house, and move to PostgreSQL or MySQL later. The price is that you look after updates, backups and security yourself.
Gitea at a glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Latest version | 28.3.0 (1 November 2026). After 1.27.3 the project moved to version numbers starting at 28.0.0 (29 September 2026) |
| Licence | Free and open source, MIT |
| Platforms | Windows (amd64 and arm64), Linux, macOS, FreeBSD; official Docker image |
| Download size | About 117 MB (Windows amd64 executable) |
| Databases | SQLite (built in), PostgreSQL 12+, MySQL 8.0+, MariaDB 10.4+, MSSQL 2012 SP4+ |
| Requirements | Git 2.0 or later installed on the server |
| Developer | Gitea maintainers and contributors (source on GitHub: go-gitea/gitea) |
| Official website | about.gitea.com; downloads at dl.gitea.com |
| Best for | Small and medium teams that want a light self-hosted Git service with CI |
Last verified: 10 November 2026, on the Gitea GitHub releases page, the licence and README files, and the installation and database pages of docs.gitea.com. Tested by us: Not tested yet.
What it does
- Hosts Git repositories over HTTPS and SSH, with organisations, teams and per-repository permissions.
- Handles pull requests with code review and protected branches.
- Tracks work with issues, labels, milestones and project boards, and keeps a wiki per repository.
- Runs CI/CD with Gitea Actions; workflows use the GitHub Actions syntax and run on the separate Gitea runner.
- Includes a package registry, so build artefacts and packages can live next to the code.
- Migrates repositories from other services such as GitHub, and can mirror remote repositories.
How sysadmins use it
Keep scripts and configuration in Git
- Create an organisation for the IT team and a repository for scripts, Ansible playbooks or Terraform code.
- Protect the main branch so changes go through a pull request and a second pair of eyes.
- Add a Gitea Actions workflow that lints or tests the code on every push.
Run Gitea as a Windows service
The official documentation registers the binary as a service from an administrator command prompt, for example:
sc.exe create gitea start= auto binPath= "\"C:\gitea\gitea.exe\" web --config \"C:\gitea\custom\conf\app.ini\""
If you use SQLite, the documentation asks for absolute paths in app.ini. Install Git for Windows first, because Gitea calls the git command.
What is new in 28.3.0
Version 28.3.0 is a maintenance release: faster issue and pull request lists and dashboards, a cached runner token check for Actions, release assets in webhook notifications, and a long list of fixes, including stricter permission checks in several API endpoints and a fix for OneDev migration. Version 28.0.0 in September added breaking changes worth reading before an upgrade, among them Git network operations routed through an internal proxy and a new setting that deletes old Actions runs.
Who should use it, and who should not
A good fit: an IT team or small development team that wants its own Git service on a single server, with low resource use and CI that reuses GitHub Actions workflows.
Not a fit: organisations that need a large built-in DevSecOps suite with security scanning dashboards and enterprise support; GitLab covers more of that, at the cost of much heavier hardware. If you prefer a community-governed fork, compare Gitea with Forgejo first.
For a side-by-side view of the three self-hosted options, read Gitea vs Forgejo vs GitLab CE. If you need a separate CI server instead of built-in Actions, see Jenkins; more tools are in the DevOps and automation tools hub.
Limits and what we have not checked
- Not tested yet: we have not installed or run Gitea 28.3.0. The facts above come from the official releases, README and documentation, checked on 10 November 2026.
- Gitea Actions needs the separate runner program on a machine that can run the jobs; the server alone does not execute workflows.
- The free service at gitea.com limits the number of repositories, and Gitea Cloud is a paid hosted product with a trial; this page covers the self-hosted server.
- Back up the data directory, the repositories and the database before every upgrade, and read the breaking changes for each major version.
FAQ
Is Gitea free?
Yes. The self-hosted server is open source under the MIT licence. Gitea Cloud, the hosted version, is a separate paid service with a free trial.
What is the latest Gitea version?
Gitea 28.3.0, released on 1 November 2026. The project jumped from 1.27.x to 28.0.0 in September 2026.
Can Gitea run on Windows?
Yes. The project publishes Windows executables for amd64 and arm64, and the documentation explains how to register Gitea as a Windows service. Git must be installed on the same machine.
Which database should I use with Gitea?
SQLite is built in and is enough to start. For more users, the documentation lists PostgreSQL 12+, MySQL 8.0+, MariaDB 10.4+ and MSSQL 2012 SP4+.
Does Gitea support GitHub Actions workflows?
Gitea Actions uses the GitHub Actions workflow syntax and can reuse many existing actions, but jobs run on the separate Gitea runner that you install yourself.
Last checked against official sources: 10 November 2026 (developer website: about.gitea.com). Versions and licence terms change — confirm on the developer's site before deploying in production.
