Setting up a self-hosted Git server

Objective

This is the first part of an experiment to set up a private self-hosted Git server for a small development team of 4–7 members. The Git server will host bare upstream repositories, and each member of the team will have a fork of the upstream repositories that will serve as the remote for their local working copies. Additionally, the upstream repositories will be mirrored to a public forges such as GitHub and Codeberg.

Theory

Basic terms (repostitory, bare, upstram, remote, working copy, fork, mirror)

Setup

Arch Linux
Vagrant FreeBSD generic/13
Git
Gitweb
Mini HTTPD

Procedure

Provision FreeBSD Vagrant box

mkdir -p gitserver
cd gitserver
vagrant init generic/freebsd13
vagrant up

Install required packages in FreeBSD box

vagrant ssh
sudo pkg install -y git
sudo pkg install -y mini_httpd

Setup Git user

git config --global init.defaultBranch main
sudo adduser git
su git
cd
mkdir .ssh
chmod 700 .ssh
touch .ssh/authorized_keys
chmod 600 .ssh/authorized_keys
exit

Setup Gitweb

sudo mkdir -p /usr/local/www/cgi-bin
cd /usr/local/www/cgi-bin
sudo ln -s /usr/local/share/examples/git/gitweb/gitweb.cgi .
cd /usr/local/www
sudo touch index.html
echo '<html><body><h1>Hello, world!</h1></body></html>' | sudo tee index.html
sudo mkdir -p /pub/git

Setup test repository

cd /pub/git
sudo mkdir testrepo.git
cd testrepo.git
sudo git init --bare

Setup Mini HTTPD

cd /usr/local/etc
sudo cp mini_httpd.cnf mini_httpd.cnf~
echo 'host=localhost' | sudo tee mini_httpd.cnf
echo 'port=80' | sudo tee -a mini_httpd.cnf
echo 'user=git' | sudo tee -a mini_httpd.cnf
echo 'nochroot' | sudo tee -a mini_httpd.cnf
echo 'user=nobody' | sudo tee -a mini_httpd.cnf
echo 'dir=/usr/local/www' | sudo tee -a mini_httpd.cnf
echo 'cgipat=cgi-bin/*'

Add SSH authorized keys for users

su git
KEY='...'
OPT='no-port-forwarding,no-X11-forwarding,no-agent-forwarding,no-pty'
echo "$OPT $KEY" >> /home/git/.ssh/authorized_keys
exit

Secure Git account

sudo chsh git -s $(which git-shell)

Setting up a self-hosted Git server

Table of Contents

Objective

Theory

Setup

Procedure

Provision FreeBSD Vagrant box

Install required packages in FreeBSD box

Setup Git user

Setup Gitweb

Setup test repository

Setup Mini HTTPD

Add SSH authorized keys for users

Secure Git account

Create bare repository

Create local repo and add remote on local repo

Now clone remote origin

Secure the git account

Results

References

Quick Links