🚀 Deploying Gitea on AWS EC2 with Docker, Nginx & SSL (Step-by-Step Guide)

In this guide, we’ll walk through setting up your own self-hosted Git service using Gitea on an AWS EC2 instance. We’ll cover everything from server setup to Docker installation, reverse proxy configuration with Nginx, SSL setup, and final Gitea configuration.

☁️ 1. Launch EC2 & Configure Security Group

Start by launching an Ubuntu EC2 instance (20.04 or 22.04 recommended).

🔓 Security Group Rules

Allow the following inbound ports:

PortPurpose22SSH access80HTTP (Nginx)443HTTPS (SSL)3000(optional) direct Gitea access222Gitea SSH (for Git operations)

🛠️ 2. Install Dependencies

SSH into your EC2 instance:

ssh ubuntu@YOUR_EC2_IP

Update system

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

🐳 Install Docker

sudo apt install -y docker.io
sudo systemctl enable docker
sudo systemctl start docker

Add user to docker group

sudo usermod -aG docker ubuntu
newgrp docker

📦 Install Docker Compose

sudo apt install -y docker-compose

🌐 Install Nginx

sudo apt install -y nginx
sudo systemctl enable nginx
sudo systemctl start nginx

🔐 Install Certbot (SSL)

sudo apt install -y certbot python3-certbot-nginx

📁 3. Setup Gitea with Docker

Create project directory:

mkdir gitea && cd gitea
cd gitea
nano docker-compose.yml

Create docker-compose.yml:

version: "3"

services:
  server:
    image: docker.gitea.com/gitea:1
    container_name: gitea
    restart: always

    environment:
      - USER_UID=1000
      - USER_GID=1000

    volumes:
      - ./gitea:/data

    ports:
      - "3000:3000"
      - "222:22"

Start Gitea

cd gitea
docker-compose up -d

Verify:

docker ps -a

🌐 4. Configure Nginx (Reverse Proxy)

Create config:

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/gitea

Paste:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name gitea.yourdomain.com;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:3000;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
    }
}

Enable config:

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/gitea /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo nginx -t
sudo systemctl restart nginx

🔐 5. Enable HTTPS (SSL)

Run:

sudo certbot --nginx

Follow prompts and select your domain.

After success, your site will be available at:

https://gitea.yourdomain.com

⚙️ 6. Gitea Initial Setup (Web UI)

Open your browser:

https://gitea.yourdomain.com

Fill the form like this:

🗄️ Database

• Type: SQLite3
• Path: /data/gitea/gitea.db

⚙️ General Settings

Change SSH port to 222 and leave Rest of setting default

👤 Admin Account

Create your admin user:

• Username
• Email
• Password

🔑 7. SSH Configuration (Important)

Since Docker maps:

222 → 22

👉 You must use port 222 for Git operations.

Example clone:

git clone ssh://git@gitea.yourdomain.com:222/username/repo.git

🚀 Final Result

You now have:

• ✅ Self-hosted Git server (Gitea)
• ✅ Running on Docker
• ✅ Nginx reverse proxy
• ✅ HTTPS enabled (SSL)
• ✅ SSH Git access on port 222

🧠 Key Takeaways

• Always use reverse proxy (Nginx) in production
• Use HTTPS (SSL) for security
• Configure correct Base URL in Gitea
• Use custom SSH port (222) when using Docker

🎯 What’s Next?

You can now:

• Create repositories
• Add team members
• Setup CI/CD (Gitea Actions)
• Configure backups
• Integrate with your projects

💬 Conclusion

With minimal resources, you’ve built a powerful, self-hosted Git platform. Gitea is lightweight, fast, and perfect for teams or personal projects.