How to Install GitBucket on Ubuntu 22.04

GitBucket is a self-hosted Git platform that offers a similar interface and features to popular Git hosting platforms like GitHub. It provides a lightweight and easy-to-use solution for managing Git repositories, issue tracking, Wiki, and many other collaborative features. In this guide, we will walk you through the process of installing GitBucket on Ubuntu 22.04.

Step 1: Update System Packages

Before installing GitBucket, it is recommended to update your system packages to their latest versions. You can do this by running the following commands:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y

Step 2: Install Java Development Kit (JDK)

GitBucket requires Java to run. You can install the Java Development Kit (JDK) from the default Ubuntu repositories by executing the following command:

sudo apt install openjdk-11-jdk -y

Step 3: Download and Install GitBucket

To download the latest GitBucket package, you can use the following command:

wget https://github.com/gitbucket/gitbucket/releases/download/4.37.0/gitbucket.war

Next, you need to create a directory to store GitBucket and move the downloaded package into that directory:

sudo mkdir /opt/gitbucket
sudo mv gitbucket.war /opt/gitbucket/

Step 4: Configure GitBucket as a Service

To run GitBucket as a service, create a systemd service unit file with the following command:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/gitbucket.service

Paste the following configuration into the file and save it:

[Unit]
Description=GitBucket
After=syslog.target
[Service]
User=gitbucket
ExecStart=/usr/bin/java -Dgitbucket.home=/opt/gitbucket -jar /opt/gitbucket/gitbucket.war
Restart=always
StandardOutput=syslog
StandardError=syslog
SyslogIdentifier=gitbucket
[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Then, reload the systemd daemon for the changes to take effect:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload

Step 5: Create a System User for GitBucket

We will create a dedicated system user to run GitBucket. This is recommended for security purposes. Run the following command to create the user:

sudo useradd -r -s /usr/sbin/nologin -d /opt/gitbucket -m -U gitbucket

Change the owner of the GitBucket directory to the newly created user:

sudo chown -R gitbucket: /opt/gitbucket

Step 6: Start and Enable GitBucket

Now, you can start the GitBucket service using the following command:

sudo systemctl start gitbucket

If you want GitBucket to start automatically at system boot, run the following command:

sudo systemctl enable gitbucket

Step 7: Accessing GitBucket Web Interface

Once GitBucket is up and running, you can access its web interface by navigating to http://your_domain_or_IP:8080 in your web browser. Note that you may need to allow incoming traffic on port 8080 if you have an active firewall.

When you access the web interface for the first time, you will be prompted to create an administrator account. Fill in the required information and click "Register" to proceed.

That's it! You have successfully installed GitBucket on your Ubuntu 22.04 server. You can now start using GitBucket to host your Git repositories and collaborate with your team.