diff --git a/03_container_layer/docker/admin/gitea/.dockerignore b/03_container_layer/docker/admin/gitea/.dockerignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2a768c7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/03_container_layer/docker/admin/gitea/.dockerignore
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+# Prevent secrets and editor artifacts from leaking into the build context.
+.env
+*.env
+*.key
+*.pem
+*.p12
+*.pfx
+README.md
diff --git a/03_container_layer/docker/admin/gitea/.env.example b/03_container_layer/docker/admin/gitea/.env.example
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..15b9d9f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/03_container_layer/docker/admin/gitea/.env.example
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+#
+# ISSUE 141
+#
+# Copy to .env and fill in values before running: cp .env.example .env
+# .env is gitignored — never commit real secrets.
+#
+
+# ── Gitea ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+GITEA_DOMAIN=localhost
+GITEA_BASE_URL=http://localhost:3000
+
+# Generate with: openssl rand -hex 32
+GITEA_SECRET_KEY=please-change-me-in-production
+# Generate with: gitea generate secret INTERNAL_TOKEN
+GITEA_INTERNAL_TOKEN=please-change-me-in-production
+
+# ── Initial admin (must match admins[0] in provisioning/users.yml) ─────────
+GITEA_ADMIN_USER=gitea-admin
+GITEA_ADMIN_PASS=Admin1234!
+
+# ── PostgreSQL ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+POSTGRES_USER=gitea
+POSTGRES_PASSWORD=CHANGEME_replace_before_deploying
+POSTGRES_DB=gitea
+
+# ── Host ports ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+HTTP_PORT=3000
+SSH_PORT=2222
diff --git a/03_container_layer/docker/admin/gitea/Dockerfile b/03_container_layer/docker/admin/gitea/Dockerfile
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a145c5c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/03_container_layer/docker/admin/gitea/Dockerfile
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+#
+# ISSUE 141
+#
+
+#
+# BUILDER — golang:alpine (same base as official Gitea Dockerfile)
+# Installs yq for YAML parsing; copies and pre-validates provisioning scripts.
+#
+FROM golang:alpine AS builder
+
+RUN apk add --no-cache jq && \
+    wget -q https://github.com/mikefarah/yq/releases/download/v4.44.1/yq_linux_amd64 \
+      -O /usr/bin/yq && chmod +x /usr/bin/yq
+
+COPY provisioning/ /provisioning/
+RUN chmod +x /provisioning/init.sh
+
+#
+# RUNTIME — gitea/gitea:latest (Alpine-based, ships the gitea CLI)
+# Copies tooling and provisioning scripts from builder.
+# Acts as the provisioner sidecar: creates users via CLI + SSH keys via REST API.
+#
+FROM gitea/gitea:latest AS runtime
+
+COPY --from=builder /usr/bin/yq        /usr/bin/yq
+COPY --from=builder /usr/bin/jq        /usr/bin/jq
+COPY --from=builder /provisioning/     /provisioning/
+
+ENTRYPOINT ["/provisioning/init.sh"]
diff --git a/03_container_layer/docker/admin/gitea/Makefile b/03_container_layer/docker/admin/gitea/Makefile
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0cf9e16
--- /dev/null
+++ b/03_container_layer/docker/admin/gitea/Makefile
@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+#
+# ISSUE 141
+#
+
+SERVICE       = gitea
+PROVISIONER   = gitea-provisioner
+DEBUG_SERVICE = $(SERVICE)-debug
+
+.PHONY: up down stop build rebuild build-up rebuild-up reprovision \
+        logs-provisioner term term-debug-build clean print help
+
+help:
+	@echo ""
+	@echo ""
+	@echo " Available : "
+	@echo ""
+	@echo "  make up                - run the full stack (db + gitea + provisioner) in background"
+	@echo "  make down              - stop and remove all containers"
+	@echo "  make stop              - stop $(SERVICE) only"
+	@echo ""
+	@echo "  make build             - build the provisioner image"
+	@echo "  make build-up          - build provisioner image then start the full stack"
+	@echo ""
+	@echo "  make rebuild           - full rebuild without cache"
+	@echo "  make rebuild-up        - full rebuild without cache then start"
+	@echo ""
+	@echo "  make reprovision       - remove the provisioning stamp and restart provisioner"
+	@echo "  make logs-provisioner  - tail provisioner output"
+	@echo ""
+	@echo "  make term              - open shell in $(SERVICE) container"
+	@echo "  make term-debug-build  - build and open shell in $(DEBUG_SERVICE)"
+	@echo "  make clean             - delete all containers, images, volumes and unused network"
+	@echo "  make print             - print this help"
+	@echo ""
+	@echo ""
+
+# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #
+
+up:
+	docker compose up -d
+down:
+	docker compose down
+stop:
+	docker compose stop $(SERVICE)
+
+# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #
+
+build:
+	docker compose build
+
+rebuild:
+	docker compose down
+	docker compose build --no-cache
+
+# # # # # # # # # # # #
+
+build-up:
+	docker compose build
+	docker compose up -d
+
+rebuild-up:
+	docker compose down
+	docker compose build --no-cache
+	docker compose up -d
+
+# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #
+
+reprovision:
+	docker exec $(SERVICE) rm -f /data/gitea/.provisioned
+	docker compose restart $(PROVISIONER)
+
+logs-provisioner:
+	docker compose logs -f $(PROVISIONER)
+
+# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #
+
+clean:
+	docker compose down -v --rmi all
+
+# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #
+
+term:
+	docker exec -it $(SERVICE) /bin/sh
+
+term-debug-build:
+	docker compose up --build -d debug
+	docker exec -it $(DEBUG_SERVICE) /bin/sh
+
+print: help
diff --git a/03_container_layer/docker/admin/gitea/README.md b/03_container_layer/docker/admin/gitea/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1b959db
--- /dev/null
+++ b/03_container_layer/docker/admin/gitea/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,129 @@
+# Gitea — Standalone Docker Deployment
+
+Issue: [#141](https://github.com/range42/range42-catalog/issues/141)
+
+Standalone Gitea instance with automated user and SSH-key provisioning.
+Registration is disabled by default; all accounts are declared in `provisioning/users.yml`.
+
+---
+
+## Prerequisites
+
+- Docker 24+ with Compose v2
+- `make`
+
+---
+
+## Quick Start
+
+```bash
+cp .env.example .env          # edit secrets before deploying
+make build-up                 # build provisioner image, start full stack
+make logs-provisioner         # watch bootstrap output
+```
+
+Gitea will be available at `http://localhost:3000` (or `GITEA_BASE_URL`).
+SSH cloning: `git clone git@localhost:2222/<org>/<repo>.git`
+
+---
+
+## Build & Push
+
+```bash
+# Build only the provisioner image
+make build
+
+# Full rebuild (no cache)
+make rebuild
+
+# Push to a registry (replace tag as needed)
+docker tag gitea-provisioner registry.example.com/range42/gitea-provisioner:latest
+docker push registry.example.com/range42/gitea-provisioner:latest
+```
+
+---
+
+## Declaring Users and SSH Keys
+
+Edit `provisioning/users.yml` before the first `make up`:
+
+```yaml
+admins:
+  - username: gitea-admin
+    email: admin@range42.local
+    password: "Admin1234!"
+    ssh_keys:
+      - "ssh-ed25519 AAAA... user@host"   # full public key string
+
+users:
+  - username: trainee01
+    email: trainee01@range42.local
+    password: "Trainee1234!"
+    ssh_keys: []   # no SSH key for this user
+```
+
+- Add/remove entries to change the provisioned user set.
+- `admins[]` entries receive Gitea admin privileges.
+- `users[]` entries are regular accounts.
+- `ssh_keys` is a list of raw public-key strings (same format as `~/.ssh/authorized_keys`).
+
+**The provisioner runs only once** (guarded by `/data/gitea/.provisioned`).
+To re-provision after changes, run:
+
+```bash
+make reprovision
+```
+
+---
+
+## SSH Key Format
+
+Accepted algorithms: `ssh-ed25519`, `ssh-rsa`, `ecdsa-sha2-nistp256/384/521`.
+
+```
+ssh-ed25519 AAAAC3NzaC1lZDI1NTE5AAAAI... comment
+```
+
+Generate a new key pair:
+
+```bash
+ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "trainee01@range42" -f ~/.ssh/range42_trainee01
+```
+
+Paste the contents of `~/.ssh/range42_trainee01.pub` into the `ssh_keys` list.
+
+---
+
+## Environment Variables
+
+| Variable | Default | Description |
+|----------|---------|-------------|
+| `GITEA_DOMAIN` | `localhost` | Public hostname |
+| `GITEA_BASE_URL` | `http://localhost:3000` | Root URL shown in clone URLs |
+| `GITEA_SECRET_KEY` | *(required)* | App secret — `openssl rand -hex 32` |
+| `GITEA_INTERNAL_TOKEN` | *(required)* | Internal token — `gitea generate secret INTERNAL_TOKEN` |
+| `GITEA_ADMIN_USER` | `gitea-admin` | Must match `admins[0].username` in `users.yml` |
+| `GITEA_ADMIN_PASS` | `Admin1234!` | Must match `admins[0].password` in `users.yml` |
+| `POSTGRES_USER` | `gitea` | DB user |
+| `POSTGRES_PASSWORD` | `gitea` | DB password |
+| `POSTGRES_DB` | `gitea` | DB name |
+| `HTTP_PORT` | `3000` | Host port for HTTP |
+| `SSH_PORT` | `2222` | Host port for SSH (avoids conflict with host sshd) |
+
+---
+
+## Troubleshooting
+
+**Provisioner exits immediately with "Already provisioned"**
+Remove the stamp and re-run: `make reprovision`
+
+**`gitea admin user create` fails silently**
+Check provisioner logs: `make logs-provisioner`
+The stamp is NOT written on failure — restart the provisioner to retry.
+
+**SSH key injection fails (HTTP 422)**
+The key already exists in Gitea, or the key format is invalid.
+Verify key format with `ssh-keygen -l -f <pubkey_file>`.
+
+**Port 3000 already in use**
+Set `HTTP_PORT=3001` (or any free port) in `.env`.
diff --git a/03_container_layer/docker/admin/gitea/compose.yml b/03_container_layer/docker/admin/gitea/compose.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d82025b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/03_container_layer/docker/admin/gitea/compose.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+#
+# ISSUE 141
+#
+
+services:
+
+  db:
+    image: postgres:16-alpine
+    container_name: gitea-db
+    environment:
+      POSTGRES_USER:     ${POSTGRES_USER:-gitea}
+      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: ${POSTGRES_PASSWORD:?POSTGRES_PASSWORD must be set in .env}
+      POSTGRES_DB:       ${POSTGRES_DB:-gitea}
+    volumes:
+      - gitea-db-data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
+    healthcheck:
+      test: ["CMD-SHELL", "pg_isready -U ${POSTGRES_USER:-gitea}"]
+      interval: 10s
+      timeout: 5s
+      retries: 5
+    restart: unless-stopped
+
+  gitea: &main
+    image: gitea/gitea:latest
+    container_name: gitea
+    environment:
+      USER_UID: "1000"
+      USER_GID: "1000"
+      GITEA__database__DB_TYPE:  postgres
+      GITEA__database__HOST:     db:5432
+      GITEA__database__NAME:     ${POSTGRES_DB:-gitea}
+      GITEA__database__USER:     ${POSTGRES_USER:-gitea}
+      GITEA__database__PASSWD:   ${POSTGRES_PASSWORD:?POSTGRES_PASSWORD must be set in .env}
+      GITEA__server__DOMAIN:         ${GITEA_DOMAIN:-localhost}
+      GITEA__server__ROOT_URL:       ${GITEA_BASE_URL:-http://localhost:3000}
+      GITEA__server__HTTP_PORT:      "3000"
+      GITEA__server__SSH_DOMAIN:     ${GITEA_DOMAIN:-localhost}
+      GITEA__server__START_SSH_SERVER: "true"
+      GITEA__server__SSH_LISTEN_PORT: "22"
+      GITEA__server__SSH_PORT:        "${SSH_PORT:-2222}"
+      GITEA__service__DISABLE_REGISTRATION: "true"
+      GITEA__security__INSTALL_LOCK:    "true"
+      GITEA__security__SECRET_KEY:      ${GITEA_SECRET_KEY:-please-change-me-in-production}
+      GITEA__security__INTERNAL_TOKEN:  ${GITEA_INTERNAL_TOKEN:-please-change-me-in-production}
+    volumes:
+      - gitea-data:/data
+      - /etc/timezone:/etc/timezone:ro
+      - /etc/localtime:/etc/localtime:ro
+    ports:
+      - "${HTTP_PORT:-3000}:3000"
+      - "${SSH_PORT:-2222}:22"
+    depends_on:
+      db:
+        condition: service_healthy
+    healthcheck:
+      test: ["CMD", "curl", "-f", "http://localhost:3000/api/v1/version"]
+      interval: 15s
+      timeout: 10s
+      retries: 10
+      start_period: 30s
+    restart: unless-stopped
+#
+# #### #### do not remove.
+#
+#   debug:
+#     <<: *main
+#     container_name: gitea-debug
+#     ports:
+#       - "60443:443"
+#     command: ["sleep", "infinity"]
+
+  provisioner:
+    build:
+      context: .
+      dockerfile: Dockerfile
+    container_name: gitea-provisioner
+    environment:
+      GITEA_URL:        http://gitea:3000
+      GITEA_ADMIN_USER: ${GITEA_ADMIN_USER:-gitea-admin}
+      GITEA_ADMIN_PASS: ${GITEA_ADMIN_PASS:-Admin1234!}
+      USERS_FILE:       /provisioning/users.yml
+    volumes:
+      - gitea-data:/data
+    depends_on:
+      gitea:
+        condition: service_healthy
+    restart: "no"
+
+volumes:
+  gitea-data:
+  gitea-db-data:
diff --git a/03_container_layer/docker/admin/gitea/provisioning/init.sh b/03_container_layer/docker/admin/gitea/provisioning/init.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..311f24c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/03_container_layer/docker/admin/gitea/provisioning/init.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,134 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env sh
+#
+# ISSUE 141
+#
+# Bootstrap script for the Gitea provisioner sidecar.
+# Runs once after Gitea is healthy; guarded by a stamp file for idempotency.
+#
+# User/SSH-key declarations come from USERS_FILE (default: /provisioning/users.yml).
+# Admin users are created via the gitea CLI (direct DB access via app.ini).
+# SSH keys are injected via the Gitea REST API.
+#
+set -eu
+
+GITEA_URL="${GITEA_URL:-http://gitea:3000}"
+GITEA_ADMIN_USER="${GITEA_ADMIN_USER:-gitea-admin}"
+GITEA_ADMIN_PASS="${GITEA_ADMIN_PASS:-Admin1234!}"
+USERS_FILE="${USERS_FILE:-/provisioning/users.yml}"
+GITEA_CONFIG="/data/gitea/conf/app.ini"
+PROVISION_STAMP="/data/gitea/.provisioned"
+
+# ── 1. Wait for Gitea HTTP (max 180 s) ─────────────────────────────────────
+echo "[init] Waiting for Gitea at ${GITEA_URL} ..."
+attempts=0
+until curl -sf "${GITEA_URL}/api/v1/version" >/dev/null 2>&1; do
+  attempts=$((attempts + 1))
+  if [ "${attempts}" -ge 60 ]; then
+    echo "[fatal] Gitea did not become healthy after 180 s. Aborting."
+    exit 1
+  fi
+  sleep 3
+done
+echo "[init] Gitea is up."
+
+# ── 2. Idempotency guard ────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+if [ -f "${PROVISION_STAMP}" ]; then
+  echo "[init] Already provisioned (stamp found at ${PROVISION_STAMP}). Exiting."
+  exit 0
+fi
+
+# ── 3. Admin users (gitea CLI — direct DB, no HTTP auth needed) ─────────────
+admin_count=$(yq e '.admins | length' "${USERS_FILE}")
+echo "[init] Creating ${admin_count} admin user(s) ..."
+
+i=0
+while [ "${i}" -lt "${admin_count}" ]; do
+  username=$(yq e ".admins[${i}].username" "${USERS_FILE}")
+  email=$(yq e ".admins[${i}].email"    "${USERS_FILE}")
+  password=$(yq e ".admins[${i}].password" "${USERS_FILE}")
+
+  echo "[init]   + admin: ${username}"
+  cli_out=$(gitea admin user create \
+    --config "${GITEA_CONFIG}" \
+    --admin \
+    --username "${username}" \
+    --password "${password}" \
+    --email    "${email}" \
+    --must-change-password=false 2>&1) || {
+    case "${cli_out}" in
+      *"user already exists"*|*"name already exists"*)
+        echo "[warn] ${username} already exists — skipping" ;;
+      *)
+        echo "[error] Failed to create ${username}: ${cli_out}"; exit 1 ;;
+    esac
+  }
+
+  i=$((i + 1))
+done
+
+# ── 4. Regular users (gitea CLI) ────────────────────────────────────────────
+user_count=$(yq e '.users | length' "${USERS_FILE}")
+echo "[init] Creating ${user_count} regular user(s) ..."
+
+i=0
+while [ "${i}" -lt "${user_count}" ]; do
+  username=$(yq e ".users[${i}].username" "${USERS_FILE}")
+  email=$(yq e ".users[${i}].email"    "${USERS_FILE}")
+  password=$(yq e ".users[${i}].password" "${USERS_FILE}")
+
+  echo "[init]   + user: ${username}"
+  cli_out=$(gitea admin user create \
+    --config "${GITEA_CONFIG}" \
+    --username "${username}" \
+    --password "${password}" \
+    --email    "${email}" \
+    --must-change-password=false 2>&1) || {
+    case "${cli_out}" in
+      *"user already exists"*|*"name already exists"*)
+        echo "[warn] ${username} already exists — skipping" ;;
+      *)
+        echo "[error] Failed to create ${username}: ${cli_out}"; exit 1 ;;
+    esac
+  }
+
+  i=$((i + 1))
+done
+
+# ── 5. SSH keys (REST API — first admin in users.yml acts as auth) ──────────
+inject_keys() {
+  local section="${1}"
+  local count j k uname key_count key
+
+  count=$(yq e ".${section} | length" "${USERS_FILE}")
+  j=0
+  while [ "${j}" -lt "${count}" ]; do
+    uname=$(yq e ".${section}[${j}].username" "${USERS_FILE}")
+    key_count=$(yq e ".${section}[${j}].ssh_keys | length" "${USERS_FILE}")
+
+    k=0
+    while [ "${k}" -lt "${key_count}" ]; do
+      key=$(yq e ".${section}[${j}].ssh_keys[${k}]" "${USERS_FILE}")
+      echo "[init]   + SSH key ${k} -> ${uname}"
+      # Use jq to build the JSON payload to avoid injection via crafted key strings.
+      payload=$(jq -n --arg k "${key}" --arg t "${uname}-key-${k}" \
+        '{"key":$k,"read_only":false,"title":$t}')
+      curl -sf -X POST "${GITEA_URL}/api/v1/admin/users/${uname}/keys" \
+        -u "${GITEA_ADMIN_USER}:${GITEA_ADMIN_PASS}" \
+        -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
+        -d "${payload}" \
+        >/dev/null \
+        || echo "[warn] SSH key ${k} for ${uname} may already exist — skipping"
+      k=$((k + 1))
+    done
+
+    j=$((j + 1))
+  done
+}
+
+echo "[init] Injecting SSH keys ..."
+inject_keys admins
+inject_keys users
+
+# ── 6. Mark as provisioned ──────────────────────────────────────────────────
+touch "${PROVISION_STAMP}"
+echo "[init] Provisioning complete."
diff --git a/03_container_layer/docker/admin/gitea/provisioning/users.yml b/03_container_layer/docker/admin/gitea/provisioning/users.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a415913
--- /dev/null
+++ b/03_container_layer/docker/admin/gitea/provisioning/users.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+# Declarative user provisioning for the Gitea instance.
+# Processed by provisioning/init.sh on first container start.
+#
+# !! CHANGE ALL PASSWORDS BEFORE DEPLOYING !!
+# Passwords here are committed in plaintext. Use strong, unique values in production.
+#
+# SSH public keys must be real ed25519 / rsa / ecdsa keys.
+# Replace the placeholder key strings with actual public keys before deploying.
+#
+# To scale: add/remove entries under admins: or users:
+# The provisioner is idempotent — re-running skips already-created accounts.
+
+admins:
+  - username: gitea-admin
+    email: admin@range42.local
+    password: "Admin1234!"
+    ssh_keys:
+      - "ssh-ed25519 AAAAC3NzaC1lZDI1NTE5AAAAIExampleAdminKeyReplaceMeBeforeDeployment admin@range42"
+
+users:
+  - username: trainee01
+    email: trainee01@range42.local
+    password: "Trainee1234!"
+    ssh_keys:
+      - "ssh-ed25519 AAAAC3NzaC1lZDI1NTE5AAAAIExampleTrainee01KeyReplaceMeBeforeDeployment trainee01@range42"
+  - username: trainee02
+    email: trainee02@range42.local
+    password: "Trainee1234!"
+    ssh_keys: []
+  - username: trainee03
+    email: trainee03@range42.local
+    password: "Trainee1234!"
+    ssh_keys: []