Default Settings for Gitea: Complete Configuration Reference

Gitea's default settings are hard-coded in the modules/setting package and applied at startup, with values from app.ini overriding the built-in struct defaults defined in repository.go, server.go, and service.go.

When you deploy Gitea without a custom configuration file, the application initializes using predefined constants compiled into the binary. Understanding these default settings for Gitea is essential for secure deployment planning, as values like open user registration and permissive proxy settings may require immediate adjustment before production use.

Default Repository Settings

Repository behavior defaults are defined in modules/setting/repository.go. These settings control branch naming, visibility rules, and file upload constraints.

Branch and Visibility Defaults

The default branch for new repositories is set to "main" as defined at line 176 in repository.go.

• DefaultPrivate (repository.go#L58): Defaults to RepoCreatingLastUserVisibility, which creates a private repository if the creator's last repository visibility was private.
• ForcePrivate (repository.go#L30): Defaults to false, allowing users to choose repository visibility rather than forcing all repositories to be private.

File Upload Limits

The upload configuration struct in repository.go controls attachment handling for releases and issues:

• Upload.Enabled: true (repository.go#L94)
• Upload.FileMaxSize: 50 MB (repository.go#L96)
• Upload.MaxFiles: 5 (repository.go#L97)

Default Server Configuration

Server network settings are declared in modules/setting/server.go. These determine how the Gitea instance binds to network interfaces.

• Domain: "localhost" (server.go#L88)
• HTTPAddr: "0.0.0.0" (server.go#L89)
• HTTPPort: "3000" (server.go#L90)
• EnableAcme: false (lines 94-99), meaning Let's Encrypt SSL certificates are disabled by default

Default Service and Security Settings

Service-level defaults in modules/setting/service.go and security templates control authentication behavior and installation access.

User Registration and Authentication

• DisableRegistration: false (service.go#L54), meaning anyone can sign up for an account
• RequireSignInView: false (service.go#L55), making the home page and public repositories visible without authentication
• EnableBasicAuth: true (service.go#L182)
• EnablePasswordSignInForm: true (service.go#L183)

Installation Security

The bundled app.ini template in docker/rootless/etc/templates/app.ini defines critical security defaults:

• INSTALL_LOCK: false, leaving the initial installation wizard accessible
• REVERSE_PROXY_TRUSTED_PROXIES: *, trusting all proxy headers by default

How Gitea Loads Default Settings

Gitea uses a structured initialization process defined in modules/setting/setting.go. The configuration loading sequence follows this architecture:

1. Struct Definition: Configuration groups (Repository, Server, Service) are defined as exported structs in modules/setting/*.go with hard-coded default values assigned to fields.

2. INI Parsing: The application uses github.com/go-ini/ini wrapped by a ConfigProvider interface to parse app.ini.

3. Load Sequence: The setting.Init() function calls specialized loaders like loadServerFrom, loadRepositoryFrom, and loadServiceFrom. Each function reads its corresponding INI section and overwrites struct fields only if the key exists in the configuration file.

4. Runtime Access: After initialization, the populated structs are accessible as exported package variables (setting.Repository, setting.Server, setting.Service) that handlers and services import directly.

If app.ini is missing or specific keys are undefined, the structs retain their hard-coded default values from the source code.

Overriding Default Settings in Practice

You can inspect and override these defaults through Go code or configuration files.

Accessing Defaults Programmatically

To read the current default branch setting from within the Gitea codebase:

package main

import (
	"fmt"
	"code.gitea.io/gitea/modules/setting"
)

func main() {
	fmt.Printf("Default branch: %s\n", setting.Repository.DefaultBranch)
}

Running without configuration overrides outputs:

Default branch: main

Customizing via app.ini

Create custom/app.ini to override specific values:

[repository]
DEFAULT_BRANCH = develop

[server]
HTTP_PORT = 8080

Start Gitea with the custom configuration:

./gitea web -c custom/app.ini

The application now uses develop as the default branch and listens on port 8080.

Using Settings in Handlers

Access configuration values in HTTP handlers via the exported structs:

func healthHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
	fmt.Fprintf(w, "Running on %s:%s\n", setting.Server.Domain, setting.Server.HTTPPort)
}

Summary

• Default branch is "main", defined in modules/setting/repository.go at line 176
• Server binds to 0.0.0.0:3000 with domain localhost as specified in modules/setting/server.go
• User registration is enabled by default (DisableRegistration = false), allowing public sign-ups
• Installation lock is disabled by default, exposing the setup wizard on first run
• Configuration loading occurs through setting.Init(), which calls load*From functions to merge app.ini values with hard-coded struct defaults
• Runtime access to settings uses exported package variables like setting.Repository and setting.Server

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the default branch name in Gitea?

The default branch is "main", as hard-coded in modules/setting/repository.go at line 176. You can override this by setting DEFAULT_BRANCH in the [repository] section of app.ini.

What port does Gitea use by default?

Gitea listens on port 3000 by default (HTTPPort = "3000" in modules/setting/server.go line 90). The server binds to all interfaces (0.0.0.0) with domain localhost. Change this via the HTTP_PORT key in the [server] section of your configuration file.

Is user registration enabled by default in Gitea?

Yes, user registration is enabled by default (DisableRegistration = false in modules/setting/service.go line 54). This allows anyone to create accounts. For private instances, set DISABLE_REGISTRATION = true in the [service] section of app.ini immediately after installation.

Where are Gitea's default configuration values defined?

Default values are hard-coded in the Go source files within modules/setting/. Key files include repository.go for Git settings, server.go for network configuration, and service.go for authentication policies. The setting.Init() function in setting.go orchestrates loading these defaults and merging them with app.ini overrides at runtime.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
    }
  }
}