Gitea Quick Start Guide

Quick reference for installing and using Gitea with your repositories.

Installation

1. Install Gitea on Your Server

# Run the installation script
./scripts/giteainstall.sh

# Install systemd service
sudo cp scripts/gitea.service /etc/systemd/system/
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable gitea
sudo systemctl start gitea

# Check status
sudo systemctl status gitea

2. Complete Web Setup

Visit http://your-server-ip:3000 and complete the installation wizard.

SSH Configuration (Optional)

To use system SSH on port 22 instead of Gitea's built-in SSH on port 2222:

# Run on the server as the mleku user
./scripts/gitea-ssh-setup.sh

# Restart Gitea
sudo systemctl restart gitea

See GITEA_SSH_SETUP.md for detailed SSH configuration.

Repository Migration

Quick Migration (HTTP - Recommended)

# 1. Generate API token in Gitea (Settings → Applications)

# 2. Configure environment
export GITEA_TOKEN="your-token-here"
export GITEA_URL="http://your-server-ip:3000"
export VPS_HOST="mleku@your-server-ip"

# 3. Run migration
./scripts/gitea-migrate-repos.sh

SSH Migration (After SSH Setup)

# After configuring SSH (see above)
export GITEA_TOKEN="your-token-here"
export GITEA_URL="http://your-server-ip:3000"
export VPS_HOST="mleku@your-server-ip"
export USE_SSH=true

./scripts/gitea-migrate-repos.sh

Available Scripts

Script	Purpose
giteainstall.sh	Install Gitea to /home/mleku/gitea
gitea-ssh-setup.sh	Configure system SSH (port 22)
gitea-migrate-repos.sh	Migrate repositories from local directory

Configuration Files

File	Purpose
/home/mleku/gitea/custom/conf/app.ini	Gitea configuration
scripts/gitea.service	Systemd service file
/etc/systemd/system/gitea.service	Installed service file

Common Commands

Service Management

# Start/stop/restart
sudo systemctl start gitea
sudo systemctl stop gitea
sudo systemctl restart gitea

# View status
sudo systemctl status gitea

# View logs
sudo journalctl -u gitea -f

Database Location

# SQLite database
/home/mleku/gitea/data/gitea.db

# Repositories
/home/mleku/gitea/data/gitea-repositories/

Backup

# Backup entire Gitea directory
tar -czf gitea-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz /home/mleku/gitea

# Backup database only
cp /home/mleku/gitea/data/gitea.db ~/backups/

URLs and Ports

Service	URL/Port	Purpose
Web UI	http://server:3000	Gitea web interface
HTTP Git	http://server:3000/user/repo.git	HTTP clone
SSH (system)	git@server:user/repo.git	SSH clone (port 22)
SSH (built-in)	git@server:2222/user/repo.git	SSH clone (port 2222)

Environment Variables for Migration

Variable	Required	Default	Description
GITEA_TOKEN	Yes	-	API token from Gitea
GITEA_URL	No	http://localhost:3000	Gitea server URL
VPS_HOST	No	-	SSH host (e.g., mleku@server)
SOURCE_DIR	No	/home/mleku/Documents/github	Source repository directory
USE_SSH	No	false	Use SSH instead of HTTP
DRY_RUN	No	false	Test without making changes

Troubleshooting

Gitea won't start

# Check logs
sudo journalctl -u gitea -n 50

# Check configuration
cat /home/mleku/gitea/custom/conf/app.ini

# Check permissions
ls -la /home/mleku/gitea

Migration fails

# Test connection
curl http://your-server:3000/api/v1/version

# Verify token
curl -H "Authorization: token ${GITEA_TOKEN}" \
     http://your-server:3000/api/v1/user

# Try dry run first
DRY_RUN=true ./scripts/gitea-migrate-repos.sh

SSH not working

# Test SSH
ssh -T git@your-server

# Check Gitea SSH config
grep SSH /home/mleku/gitea/custom/conf/app.ini

# Check SSH keys in Gitea
# Settings → SSH/GPG Keys

Security Notes

1. Firewall: Open required ports (3000 for HTTP, 22 for SSH)
2. API Token: Keep your API token secure, never commit it
3. SSH Keys: Add your public SSH key to Gitea for SSH access
4. Backups: Regularly backup /home/mleku/gitea
5. HTTPS: Consider setting up TLS for production use

Next Steps

After installation:

1. ✅ Create admin account (via web interface)
2. ✅ Generate API token (Settings → Applications)
3. ✅ Configure SSH (optional, see GITEASSHSETUP.md)
4. ✅ Migrate repositories (see GITEA_MIGRATION.md)
5. ✅ Set up backups (automated cron job recommended)
6. ✅ Configure HTTPS (for production)

Getting Help

• Gitea Documentation: See GITEA_MIGRATION.md and GITEA_SSH_SETUP.md
• Gitea Logs: sudo journalctl -u gitea -f
• Configuration: /home/mleku/gitea/custom/conf/app.ini
• Official Docs: https://docs.gitea.com/