---
type: configuration
title: Gitea
description: Gitea deployment on Dankclaw with its web UI reverse-proxied by the canonical Caddy service.
tags:
  - gitea
  - dankclaw
  - quadlet
  - caddy
timestamp: 2026-08-26
---

# Gitea

Gitea is a self-hosted Git service with issues, pull requests, and a web UI. On Dankclaw it runs as two Quadlet-managed containers in the rootless Podman session of user `dank`. The canonical Caddy on the same host reverse-proxies its web UI at `gitea.franksdank.cloud`.

**Host:** Dankclaw — **LAN access:** `http://dankclaw:3000` (or `http://192.168.0.143:3000`) — **Proxy domain:** `gitea.franksdank.cloud` — **Docs:** https://docs.gitea.com

## Containers

| Container | Unit | Image | Purpose |
|-----------|------|-------|---------|
| `gitea-postgres` | `gitea-postgres.service` | `docker.io/library/postgres:16-alpine` | Database |
| `gitea-server` | `gitea-server.service` | `docker.io/gitea/gitea:latest` | Web UI, API, git (HTTP :3000, SSH :2222) |

The containers share the private bridge network `systemd-gitea`. The quadlet network file `gitea.network` enables DNS, so the containers resolve each other by name. The automatic `podman` default network has DNS disabled. Do not run the Gitea containers on it.

## Hosted repositories

| Repository | Purpose |
|------------|---------|
| `dank/serverAppConfigs` | this repo — Podman stacks + LLM fleet |
| `dank/vllmScripts` | retired 2026-08-22 — merged into `dank/serverAppConfigs` (history preserved) |

The LLM fleet knowledge base: [docs/LLM/index.md](../LLM/index.md)

## Management

Run all commands as `dank` on Dankclaw.

| Action | Command |
|--------|---------|
| Start all | `systemctl --user start gitea-postgres gitea-server` |
| Stop all | `systemctl --user stop gitea-server gitea-postgres` |
| Restart Gitea only | `systemctl --user restart gitea-server` |
| Status | `systemctl --user status gitea-postgres gitea-server` |
| Container logs | `podman logs -f gitea-server` |
| Unit logs | `journalctl --user -u gitea-server -f` |

The units start in dependency order:

```mermaid
graph LR
    N[gitea-network.service] --> P[gitea-postgres.service]
    P --> S[gitea-server.service]
```

## Boot persistence

User-level linger is enabled for `dank` (`loginctl enable-linger dank`). The units start at host boot without a login session. Each unit carries `[Install] WantedBy=default.target`. The podman generator applies it at boot; no symlink is needed.

The containers use the quadlet fresh-start model. A stop removes the container (`podman run --rm --replace`). The next start recreates it. The bind-mounted data survives. The canonical Caddy is managed separately by the Dankclaw stack.

## Secrets

The database password lives in `/opt/gitea/.env` on the host (mode 0600). The quadlet files reference it with `EnvironmentFile=`. The password never enters this repository. Placeholders live in [`dankclaw/gitea/.env.example`](../../dankclaw/gitea/.env.example).

Do not change the password in place. Change the PostgreSQL role first, then update `/opt/gitea/.env` and the `[database] PASSWD` line in the app.ini (see Gotchas), then restart the stack.

## Configuration files

| File | Location | Repo copy |
|------|----------|-----------|
| Quadlet units | `~/.config/containers/systemd/gitea-{postgres,server}.container`, `gitea.network` | [`dankclaw/gitea/quadlet/`](../../dankclaw/gitea/quadlet/) |
| Caddyfile | `/home/dank/Containers/caddy/Caddyfile` | [`dankclaw/Caddyfile`](../../dankclaw/Caddyfile) |
| Secrets | `/opt/gitea/.env` (0600) | [`dankclaw/gitea/.env.example`](../../dankclaw/gitea/.env.example) |

After editing a repo copy, deploy through `scripts/deploy.sh dankclaw`. The Gitea database/server units are installed from this directory; the canonical Caddy and its rendered Caddyfile are deployed as the separate `caddy` service. Do not manually recreate the retired `gitea-caddy` unit.

## Data volumes

| Container path | Host path | Contents |
|----------------|-----------|----------|
| `/data` | `/opt/gitea/data/gitea-gitea` | Git repositories, app.ini, attachments |
| `/var/lib/postgresql/data` | `/opt/gitea/data/gitea-postgres` | PostgreSQL data |

Back up `/opt/gitea/data/` (tar) or `pg_dump` the database. See the knowledge base page [[Gitea]].

## Gotchas

- **app.ini wins over env vars.** Gitea writes `/data/gitea/conf/app.ini` (host: `/opt/gitea/data/gitea-gitea/gitea/conf/app.ini`) on first start. The `[database] HOST` and `PASSWD` lines persist and override the `DATABASE_HOST`/`DATABASE_PASSWD` env vars. When you rename the database container, edit the `HOST` line.
- **The files in the data directory are owned by host UID 100999**, not `dank` (rootless ID mapping: container uid 1000 → host 100999). Edit them inside the container with `podman exec --user 1000 gitea-server ...`.
- **The host auto-reboots.** `unattended-upgrades` reboots Dankclaw when a package needs it. The quadlet units make Gitea survive that. See the 2026-08-16 incident below.
- **Port 3000 vs 3001.** The live host port is 3000. The full-stack [`dankclaw/compose.yaml`](../../dankclaw/compose.yaml) maps 3001. Align the two before deploying the full stack.
- **Legacy compose retired.** `/opt/gitea/podman-compose.yml` is retired to `/opt/gitea/.deprecated/`. Do not run it. Its containers collide with the Quadlet units on ports 3000 and 2222.
- **Canonical proxy.** `gitea.franksdank.cloud` is served by the Caddy service in `dankclaw/compose.yaml`, which proxies to `192.168.0.143:3000`. Do not recreate a Gitea-specific Caddy unit or publish another proxy on ports 80/443. During migration, the deployer stages any installed legacy unit under `~/.AGENTTRASH/YYYYMMDD-gitea-caddy/` before starting canonical Caddy.

## Incident: 2026-08-16 — down after unattended reboot

`unattended-upgrades` rebooted Dankclaw at 15:01 on 2026-08-16. The Gitea containers ran through podman-compose with `restart: unless-stopped` and no systemd units. Rootless podman does not auto-start containers at boot without units. Gitea stayed down until a manual start at 16:02. The fix: migrate the stack to quadlet units with linger (this page). After the fix, verify on the next reboot.

## See Also

- [[Dankclaw Stack]]
- [[Postgres]]
- Knowledge base: [[Gitea]] (tools)