Layer 3 · self-hosting reality check
What it actually takes to self-host Gitea
The docs say 512 MB. In practice you want 2 GB. Here is the honest version — real requirements, real monthly cost, what you will be maintaining, and the one thing that catches people out.
Usually reached from GitHub alternatives, where Gitea is one of the picks.
Wondering whether you need to at all? Is GitHub free? — what the free tier actually allows, and where the wall is.
| RAM — documented minimum | 512 MB |
|---|---|
| RAM — what it really needs | 2 GB |
| CPU | 2 vCPU |
| Disk | Repository size × 1.5 for packs and LFS |
| Monthly cost | $12/mo for a team of 10 on a 2 GB VPS |
| Setup time | 45 minutes |
| How you install it | single binary or container; SQLite is genuinely fine for small teams here, unlike Nextcloud |
| Ongoing maintenance | Low. Version upgrades are usually a binary swap. Back up the repo directory and the database together or the backup is useless. |
| Where it stops scaling | Hundreds of developers on modest hardware. It is genuinely light; the limits you hit first are LFS storage and CI capacity, not Gitea itself. |
The thing that catches people out
CI is not included. Gitea Actions exists and is broadly GitHub-Actions-compatible, but you supply and maintain the runners — which is a second service, on separate hardware, with its own security surface. Teams budget for the Git host and forget the runners entirely.
When not to self-host Gitea
Your workflow depends on the GitHub ecosystem — Dependabot, CodeQL, the Marketplace, or contributors who will not make an account on your server. Network effects are the product you are giving up.
Every guide here carries this section. A site that only ever tells you to self-host is selling something — the useful answer is sometimes no.
Other Layer 3 self-hosting guides
Common questions
- How much RAM does Gitea actually need?
- 2 GB in practice. The documented minimum is 512 MB, which is the figure at which the process starts rather than the figure at which it works under real use. 2 vCPU alongside it.
- What does self-hosting Gitea cost per month?
- $12/mo for a team of 10 on a 2 GB VPS This is commodity VPS pricing and excludes your time, which is the larger cost for most people — budget for low. Version upgrades are usually a binary swap. Back up the repo directory and the database together or the backup is useless.
- How long does it take to set up Gitea?
- 45 minutes, via single binary or container; SQLite is genuinely fine for small teams here, unlike Nextcloud.
- When should I NOT self-host Gitea?
- Your workflow depends on the GitHub ecosystem — Dependabot, CodeQL, the Marketplace, or contributors who will not make an account on your server. Network effects are the product you are giving up.
- What is the most common mistake when self-hosting Gitea?
- CI is not included. Gitea Actions exists and is broadly GitHub-Actions-compatible, but you supply and maintain the runners — which is a second service, on separate hardware, with its own security surface. Teams budget for the Git host and forget the runners entirely.