If you’re a developer who wants full control of your code, this video is for you. In this tutorial, I show you how to install and test Gitea (I call it a fast, lightweight, open-source GitHub alternative) on your own server. It’s free, supports multiple databases, and it works great whether you’re a solo developer or you’re running a full DevOps team. And yes—I deploy it using Docker because, let’s be honest, Docker makes everything faster and easier. I walk you through the exact flow I use: open the Gitea docs, pick the Docker install method, and choose a Docker Compose setup (you’ll see options for MySQL, PostgreSQL, and more). In my demo I use the MySQL compose file with a few custom changes, then I create a new stack in Portainer, paste the compose, and update the database name/password and ports (default is 3000). After deployment you’ll have two containers running—Gitea and MySQL—then the setup wizard comes up where I configure database details, site title, SMTP email alerts, optional third-party services, and the admin account. Finally, I create an organization and my first repo, upload code, and clone via VS Code—just like GitHub, but fully self-hosted and private.