Setting up Gitea

Updating this post on 9/9/21. As it turns out, something was wrong with my docker installation that prevented me from setting up a gitea server with an attached MySQL database. The gitea instance I have running now is more basic in that it used SQL Lite. I installed docker on a brand new virtual machine and passed in the docker compose file for starting up a gitea instance with MySQL and it worked without a hitch. This was strange so I updated my server software fully (hadn't done it in a year or so) and then reinstalled docker and troubleshooted various issues as a consequence of neglecting my packages for so long. Surely enough, the problem was in the docker networking. I got it all squared away but I still plan to use the SQL Lite implementation of Gitea for the time being.

The significance of this breakthrough is that I managed to find the problem with the aid of a virtual machine, a process I had never done before. Now I see the true value of virtual machines and troubleshooting tools and error replicators. With more powerful hardware, I envision a workflow where I can spin up virtual machiens with ease for the purpose of troubleshooting the given problem.

Another benefit of resolving this issue is that I can now also start up other containers using networking to connect with other containers. Namely, nextcloud office suite. I have been planning on starting up a nextcloud server for years but I always got filtered by the installation process and my surface-level knowledge of docker. But now, I can finally attempt it and perhaps get it to run.