Self-Hosted GitOps Pipeline: Gitea + ArgoCD Guide

Originally published on Orthogonal Thinking The error message was maddening: " Permission denied while cloning repository." It was my repository. On my server. In my basement. I own everything here, including the questionable Wi-Fi router and the cat that keeps unplugging cables. Yet somehow, my GitOps pipeline decided to stage a mutiny. If you've ever felt personally attacked by your own self-hosted CI/CD setup, you're not alone. This article is here to save your sanity (and maybe your cat's life). We're diving deep into building a self-hosted GitOps pipeline using Gitea, ArgoCD, and Kubernetes on your home lab. Whether you're a homelab enthusiast or a DevOps engineer tired of fighting with cloud services, this guide will help you take back control. No more cryptic errors, no more dependency nightmares—just a clean, reliable pipeline that works exactly how you want it to. Let’s roll up our sleeves and fix this mess. What is GitOps and Why Self-Host? GitOps is a game-changer for managi