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.
| 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.