Continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) have become the backbone of modern software delivery, yet many developers still assume they need pricey SaaS platforms to get started. In 2026 the landscape is richer than ever with mature, community‑driven projects that run on your own hardware or on free cloud tiers. This guide walks you through creating a fully functional CI/CD pipeline without spending a dime, using two cornerstone tools: Jenkins LTS for orchestration and Gitea as a lightweight Git server. You will learn how to install, configure, and connect these components, as well as how to add a Docker‑based build agent that can compile, test, and deploy your code automatically. By the end of the tutorial you will have a reproducible pipeline that can handle any language stack, from Node.js to Rust, and you will understand the trade‑offs of self‑hosting versus managed services.
Before you begin, make sure your development machine meets the minimum requirements: a 64‑bit CPU, at least 4 GB of RAM, and 20 GB of free disk space for Docker images and Jenkins workspaces. You also need a recent version of Docker Engine (20.10 or newer) and a Java Runtime Environment (OpenJDK 11) because Jenkins runs on the JVM. Start by pulling the official Jenkins LTS Docker image from Docker Hub (docker pull jenkins/jenkins:lts) and launching it with a persistent volume to keep your configuration safe across restarts. Next, clone the Gitea repository and run its Docker image (docker run -d --name gitea -p 3000:3000 -p 222:22 -v gitea-data:/data gitea/gitea:latest). Gitea provides a Git HTTP/SSH interface, issue tracking, and a simple UI that rivals GitHub for small teams. Once both containers are up, create an admin user in Gitea, generate an SSH key pair for Jenkins, and add the public key to your Gitea account so Jenkins can clone repositories securely.
With the basic services running, the next step is to configure Jenkins to talk to Gitea and to spin up build agents on demand. Install the Gitea plugin from the Jenkins Plugin Manager, then add a new Git SCM source in a freestyle or pipeline job, pointing to the SSH URL of your Gitea repository. In the job configuration, enable the “Build when a change is pushed to Gitea” trigger, which sets up a webhook automatically. For the build environment, use the Docker Pipeline plugin to define a container that will execute your build steps; for example, a node:18-alpine image for JavaScript projects or a rust:latest image for Rust code. Define stages such as Checkout, Install Dependencies, Run Tests, and Deploy, each wrapped in a docker.image(...).inside block to ensure isolation. The pipeline script can also push Docker images to a free Docker Hub repository, making the deployment step as simple as a docker push followed by a kubectl apply if you are using a local Kubernetes cluster like k3s.
While the setup is straightforward, beginners often stumble over a few common pitfalls that can waste hours of debugging. One frequent issue is permission errors when Jenkins tries to clone from Gitea; this usually means the SSH key was not added correctly or the Gitea user does not have read access to the repository. Double‑check the key fingerprint in the Gitea UI and verify that the Jenkins container can read the private key file at /var/jenkins_home/.ssh/id_rsa. Another trap is running out of disk space inside the Docker daemon because old build images accumulate; set up a cron job to prune unused images (docker system prune -af) or configure the Docker daemon’s storage‑driver to limit size. Finally, network latency between the Jenkins master and the Docker host can cause flaky builds; placing both containers on the same Docker network (docker network create ci-network) eliminates most latency problems. By addressing these issues early, you keep your pipeline fast, reliable, and easy to maintain.
If you want to squeeze extra performance out of your pipeline, consider adding a lightweight agent framework such as the Jenkins Swarm plugin, which lets you spin up additional build agents on demand using cheap cloud instances or even on your laptop during off‑hours. A pro tip is to enable Jenkins’ “Pipeline Replay” feature, which allows you to edit and re‑run a pipeline stage without committing changes to the repository-perfect for quick debugging. You can also integrate the open‑source CLM (Change‑Log‑Manager) tool to automatically generate changelogs from Git tags and include them in your release notes, saving manual effort. For monitoring, the open‑source Prometheus exporter for Jenkins provides metrics that you can visualize in Grafana, giving you insight into build durations, failure rates, and resource usage. All of these enhancements are optional but demonstrate how a free stack can scale to meet professional needs without ever paying for a proprietary CI/CD service.
Congratulations, you now have a zero‑cost CI/CD pipeline that can build, test, and deploy code automatically, all powered by Jenkins LTS and Gitea. This setup not only eliminates subscription fees but also gives you full control over your data, security policies, and customization options. To keep the pipeline healthy, regularly back up the Jenkins home directory and the Gitea data volume, and stay up to date with the latest releases of both projects-security patches are released frequently. For further reading, consult the official Jenkins documentation at https://www.jenkins.io/doc/ and the Gitea docs at https://docs.gitea.io/en-us/. With these resources and the community support behind each project, you can confidently evolve your pipeline as your projects grow, proving that high‑quality DevOps does not require a big budget.