Harness Open Source - Self-Hosted Git, CI/CD & Registry

This is a repackaged open source software product wherein additional charges apply for cloudimg support services.

## One Platform, Zero Stitching

Harness Open Source, formerly Gitness and built by the team behind Drone, is a complete self-hosted software delivery platform. It combines Git repository hosting, pull requests and code review, CI and CD pipelines, and a built-in artifact registry inside a single web application. Unlike GitLab CE, which requires PostgreSQL, Redis and Sidekiq, or Gitea, which lacks built-in CI/CD and an artifact registry, Harness Open Source runs as one service with an embedded SQLite database. There is no separate database server to provision, tune or back up.

This image delivers Harness Open Source fully installed and configured, running as a hardened container behind an nginx front end. A working DevOps platform is answering on port 80 within minutes of launch.

## Why Teams Choose This Over DIY Stacks

• Single service vs. multi-service complexity: one data directory holds your repositories, pull requests, pipeline definitions and registry blobs. No Redis, no Sidekiq, no external object store required at baseline.
• Built-in CI/CD without a separate runner: the local Docker engine is wired in so pipeline steps execute as containers on the instance, with no standalone Drone server or external runner fleet needed for small teams.
• Artifact registry included: store build outputs and container images without provisioning a separate registry service.
• Ideal for proof of concept, internal teams or air-gapped environments where minimising moving parts matters.

## Secure by Default

Harness Open Source makes the first account that registers an administrator, which on an exposed instance is a real risk. This image closes that gap:

• On first boot a one-shot service generates a unique administrator password for this specific instance.
• The admin account is seeded through the supported startup mechanism and open self-registration is switched off.
• The password is written only to a root-owned credentials file on the instance.
• The database is created fresh per instance with no baked users, tokens or secrets.

No two instances share a credential and no published or default credential can sign in.

## Application Architecture

The Harness service runs as a container on this instance with nginx in front on port 80 handling the web UI and Git over HTTP, and the built-in Harness SSH server on port 3022 handling Git over SSH. The local Docker engine is installed and pointed at the Harness service so CI and CD pipeline steps run as containers on the instance. All persistent data lives on a dedicated EBS data volume. The web UI, Git hosting, pull requests and artifact registry all work out of the box; you add your own pipelines when you are ready.

## Key Capabilities

• Host unlimited Git repositories with a fast modern web UI
• Open pull requests with code review, comments and status checks
• Define CI and CD pipelines as code and run steps as containers through the local Docker engine
• Store build outputs and container images in the built-in artifact registry
• Manage users, repositories, pipelines and settings from one interface with no external database

## Get Started in Minutes

1. Launch the image and wait for the instance to reach a running state.

2. Retrieve the generated administrator password from the credentials file.

3. Sign in to the web UI on port 80.

4. Create your first repository and push code over HTTP or SSH (port 3022).

5. Open a pull request and wire up a pipeline.

The low hourly rate and 7-day free trial make evaluation simple: launch an instance, explore the platform, and terminate if it is not the right fit.

## Support

cloudimg engineers help with repository and access design, pull request workflows, CI and CD pipeline authoring, adding your own TLS certificate for HTTPS, backups of the data directory, migration to an external PostgreSQL database, and Harness Open Source version upgrades. Critical issues receive a one-hour average response time.

This is a repackaged open source software product wherein additional charges apply for cloudimg support services. All product and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. Use of them does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by them.