> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/go-gitea/gitea/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Introduction to Gitea

> Learn about Gitea, the painless self-hosted Git service built for developers and teams

## What is Gitea?

Gitea is a painless self-hosted Git service written in Go. The goal of this project is to make the easiest, fastest, and most painless way of setting up a self-hosted Git service.

As Gitea is written in Go, it works across **all** the platforms and architectures that are supported by Go, including Linux, macOS, and Windows on x86, amd64, ARM and PowerPC architectures.

<Note>
  Gitea is pronounced [/ɡɪ'ti:/](https://youtu.be/EM71-2uDAoY) as in "gi-tea" with a hard g.
</Note>

## Why Choose Gitea?

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Lightweight & Fast" icon="gauge-high">
    Minimal resource requirements - runs smoothly even on a Raspberry Pi. Built with Go for optimal performance.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Easy to Install" icon="bolt">
    Single binary with no dependencies. Get started in minutes with Docker, binaries, or package managers.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Cross-Platform" icon="laptop-code">
    Works on Linux, macOS, Windows, ARM, PowerPC - deploy anywhere you need.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Self-Hosted" icon="server">
    Complete control over your data and infrastructure. No vendor lock-in, no data sharing.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Key Features

Gitea provides a complete development platform with all the tools your team needs:

### Version Control & Repository Management

* **Git Repository Hosting** - Full-featured Git server with support for all Git operations
* **Git LFS Support** - Large file storage for managing large assets and binaries
* **Repository Mirroring** - Sync repositories from GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, and more
* **Branch Protection** - Protect important branches with configurable rules
* **Repository Templates** - Create new repositories from templates

### Code Collaboration

* **Pull Requests** - Complete code review workflow with inline comments and suggestions
* **Issue Tracking** - Powerful issue management with labels, milestones, and assignments
* **Code Review** - Built-in code review tools with diff viewing and commenting
* **Project Boards** - Kanban-style boards for project management
* **Wiki Pages** - Built-in wiki for project documentation

### CI/CD & Automation

* **Gitea Actions** - GitHub Actions compatible CI/CD pipeline
* **Webhooks** - Trigger external services on repository events
* **API Access** - Comprehensive REST API compatible with GitHub API
* **Act Runner** - Self-hosted action runners for CI/CD workflows

### Package Management

* **Package Registry** - Host packages for multiple ecosystems:
  * Docker/Container images
  * npm (Node.js)
  * Maven (Java)
  * PyPI (Python)
  * Go modules
  * NuGet (.NET)
  * Composer (PHP)
  * And more...

### Security & Authentication

* **Multiple Authentication Methods** - LDAP, OAuth2, SAML, OpenID Connect
* **Two-Factor Authentication** - Enhanced security with 2FA support
* **GPG Signature Verification** - Verify commit signatures
* **Organization Management** - Team-based access control
* **SSH & HTTP(S)** - Flexible access methods

## Use Cases

Gitea is perfect for:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Small Teams" icon="users">
    Provide your team with a full-featured Git service without the complexity or cost of enterprise solutions.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Personal Projects" icon="user">
    Host your personal repositories with complete control and privacy.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Enterprise" icon="building">
    Deploy on-premises for compliance requirements with enterprise authentication integration.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Education" icon="graduation-cap">
    Teach version control and collaboration workflows in a controlled environment.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## System Requirements

Gitea is designed to be lightweight and efficient:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Minimum">
    * **CPU**: 1 core
    * **RAM**: 512 MB
    * **Storage**: 100 MB (plus space for repositories)
    * **OS**: Any OS that Go supports
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Recommended">
    * **CPU**: 2+ cores
    * **RAM**: 2+ GB
    * **Storage**: SSD with adequate space for repositories
    * **OS**: Linux (Ubuntu, Debian, CentOS, etc.)
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

<Info>
  Gitea can run on devices as small as a Raspberry Pi, making it one of the most resource-efficient Git hosting solutions available.
</Info>

## Database Support

Gitea supports multiple database backends:

* **SQLite** (default) - Zero configuration, perfect for small installations
* **PostgreSQL** - Recommended for production use
* **MySQL/MariaDB** - Popular choice for many deployments
* **MSSQL** - For Windows environments

<Note>
  For small to medium installations with fewer than 100 users, SQLite is perfectly adequate and requires no additional setup.
</Note>

## Architecture

Gitea is built with modern technologies:

* **Backend**: Go 1.26+ - Fast, reliable, and cross-platform
* **Frontend**: Vue.js + Vanilla JavaScript - Modern and responsive UI
* **Database**: Flexible support for SQLite, PostgreSQL, MySQL, MSSQL
* **Authentication**: Pluggable authentication system
* **Storage**: Local filesystem or cloud storage (S3-compatible)

## Try Gitea

Experience Gitea before installing:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Demo Instance" icon="globe" href="https://demo.gitea.com">
    Try a live demo at demo.gitea.com to explore features without installing
  </Card>

  <Card title="Gitea Cloud" icon="cloud" href="https://cloud.gitea.com">
    Start a free trial with a dedicated Gitea instance on Gitea Cloud
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## License & Community

Gitea is open source software:

* **License**: MIT License - completely free for any use
* **Source Code**: Available on [GitHub](https://github.com/go-gitea/gitea)
* **Community**: Active community on [Discord](https://discord.gg/Gitea) and [Discourse](https://forum.gitea.com/)
* **Documentation**: Comprehensive docs at [docs.gitea.com](https://docs.gitea.com)

<Info>
  Gitea was forked from [Gogs](https://gogs.io) in November 2016 and has since evolved into a mature, feature-rich platform with an active development community.
</Info>

## Next Steps

Ready to get started with Gitea?

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Installation Guide" icon="download" href="/installation">
    Learn how to install Gitea on your platform
  </Card>

  <Card title="Quick Start" icon="rocket" href="/quickstart">
    Get Gitea running in 5 minutes
  </Card>
</CardGroup>