Bug#1010126: gitit: please add a service to run gitit in a server-like configuration

[Francesco Poli (wintermute)]

Package: gitit
Version: 0.13.0.0+dfsg-2
Severity: wishlist

Hello!

If I understand correctly, gitit is easy to run for a single (non-root)
user, in order to have a personal wiki with an integrated web server.
This is handy for a scenario where the user runs gitit on a workstation
for his/her own needs (personal notes and the like).

However, if one wants to run gitit on a server machine, in order to
host a wiki that should be accessible from the Internet and perhaps
edited by a several remote users, then some more complicated setup is
needed. By searching the web, one can find [some] [guides] that suggest
a number of manualy configuration steps.

[some]: <https://floatingoctothorpe.uk/2017/setting-up-a-wiki-with-gitit.html>
[guides]: <https://floatingoctothorpe.uk/2017/running-gitit-behind-apache.html>

Assuming that these guides are accurate, it seems to me that the Debian
package for gitit could be more helpful for this server-like scenario.

First of all, the Debian package could ship a systemd service file
(that could be disabled by default, but ready to enabled by root, when
needed) that starts/stops gitit as the 'www-data' user with some
appropriate /srv subdirectory as working directory.

Secondly, some ready-to-use gitit configuration files could be provided
for the most common scenarios (for instance, one that makes gitit only
listen to the loopback interface 127.0.0.1, so that it can be accessed
from remote machines only through a web server that can be configured
to force HTTPS).
Maybe even some example configuration files for Apache or nginx, and/or
some notes on how to setup the whole thing, could be provided to show
the recommended best practice.

I hope these suggestions can be implemented in order to improve the
Debian package for gitit.

Thanks for your time!
Bye.