diff --git a/.drone.yml b/.drone.yml
index dc8423875a6ff..7150629028e3a 100644
--- a/.drone.yml
+++ b/.drone.yml
@@ -985,7 +985,10 @@ depends_on:
 
 trigger:
   ref:
-  - "refs/tags/**"
+    include:
+      - "refs/tags/**"
+    exclude:
+      - "refs/tags/**-rc*"
   event:
     exclude:
     - cron
@@ -1033,6 +1036,68 @@ steps:
       event:
         exclude:
         - pull_request
+---
+
+kind: pipeline
+type: docker
+name: docker-linux-amd64-release-candidate-version
+
+platform:
+  os: linux
+  arch: amd64
+
+depends_on:
+  - testing-amd64
+  - testing-arm64
+
+trigger:
+  ref:
+    - "refs/tags/**-rc*"
+  event:
+    exclude:
+    - cron
+
+steps:
+  - name: fetch-tags
+    image: docker:git
+    pull: always
+    commands:
+      - git config --global --add safe.directory /drone/src
+      - git fetch --tags --force
+
+  - name: publish
+    image: techknowlogick/drone-docker:latest
+    pull: always
+    settings:
+      tags: ${DRONE_TAG##v}-linux-amd64
+      repo: gitea/gitea
+      build_args:
+        - GOPROXY=https://goproxy.io
+      password:
+        from_secret: docker_password
+      username:
+        from_secret: docker_username
+    when:
+      event:
+        exclude:
+        - pull_request
+
+  - name: publish-rootless
+    image: techknowlogick/drone-docker:latest
+    settings:
+      dockerfile: Dockerfile.rootless
+      tags: ${DRONE_TAG##v}-linux-amd64-rootless
+      repo: gitea/gitea
+      build_args:
+        - GOPROXY=https://goproxy.io
+      password:
+        from_secret: docker_password
+      username:
+        from_secret: docker_username
+    when:
+      event:
+        exclude:
+        - pull_request
 
 ---
 kind: pipeline
@@ -1209,7 +1274,10 @@ depends_on:
 
 trigger:
   ref:
-  - "refs/tags/**"
+    include:
+      - "refs/tags/**"
+    exclude:
+      - "refs/tags/**-rc*"
   event:
     exclude:
     - cron
@@ -1258,6 +1326,68 @@ steps:
         exclude:
         - pull_request
 
+---
+kind: pipeline
+type: docker
+name: docker-linux-arm64-release-candidate-version
+
+platform:
+  os: linux
+  arch: arm64
+
+depends_on:
+  - testing-amd64
+  - testing-arm64
+
+trigger:
+  ref:
+    - "refs/tags/**-rc*"
+  event:
+    exclude:
+    - cron
+
+steps:
+  - name: fetch-tags
+    image: docker:git
+    pull: always
+    commands:
+      - git config --global --add safe.directory /drone/src
+      - git fetch --tags --force
+
+  - name: publish
+    image: techknowlogick/drone-docker:latest
+    pull: always
+    settings:
+      tags: ${DRONE_TAG##v}-linux-arm64
+      repo: gitea/gitea
+      build_args:
+        - GOPROXY=https://goproxy.io
+      password:
+        from_secret: docker_password
+      username:
+        from_secret: docker_username
+    when:
+      event:
+        exclude:
+        - pull_request
+
+  - name: publish-rootless
+    image: techknowlogick/drone-docker:latest
+    settings:
+      dockerfile: Dockerfile.rootless
+      tags: ${DRONE_TAG##v}-linux-arm64-rootless
+      repo: gitea/gitea
+      build_args:
+        - GOPROXY=https://goproxy.io
+      password:
+        from_secret: docker_password
+      username:
+        from_secret: docker_username
+    when:
+      event:
+        exclude:
+        - pull_request
+
 ---
 kind: pipeline
 type: docker
@@ -1427,7 +1557,9 @@ trigger:
 
 depends_on:
   - docker-linux-amd64-release-version
+  - docker-linux-amd64-release-candidate-version
   - docker-linux-arm64-release-version
+  - docker-linux-arm64-release-candidate-version
 
 ---
 kind: pipeline
@@ -1509,6 +1641,8 @@ depends_on:
   - docker-linux-arm64-release
   - docker-linux-amd64-release-version
   - docker-linux-arm64-release-version
+  - docker-linux-amd64-release-candidate-version
+  - docker-linux-arm64-release-candidate-version
   - docker-linux-amd64-release-branch
   - docker-linux-arm64-release-branch
   - docker-manifest
diff --git a/docker/manifest.rootless.tmpl b/docker/manifest.rootless.tmpl
index 9559416470778..46a397c828d89 100644
--- a/docker/manifest.rootless.tmpl
+++ b/docker/manifest.rootless.tmpl
@@ -1,10 +1,12 @@
 image: gitea/gitea:{{#if build.tag}}{{trimPrefix "v" build.tag}}{{else}}{{#if (hasPrefix "refs/heads/release/v" build.ref)}}{{trimPrefix "refs/heads/release/v" build.ref}}-{{/if}}dev{{/if}}-rootless
 {{#if build.tags}}
+{{#unless contains "-rc" build.tag}}
 tags:
 {{#each build.tags}}
   - {{this}}-rootless
 {{/each}}
   - "latest-rootless"
+{{/unless}}
 {{/if}}
 manifests:
   -
diff --git a/docker/manifest.tmpl b/docker/manifest.tmpl
index 4cd4ea4ea2d8b..b4ba5a76ed4aa 100644
--- a/docker/manifest.tmpl
+++ b/docker/manifest.tmpl
@@ -1,10 +1,12 @@
 image: gitea/gitea:{{#if build.tag}}{{trimPrefix "v" build.tag}}{{else}}{{#if (hasPrefix "refs/heads/release/v" build.ref)}}{{trimPrefix "refs/heads/release/v" build.ref}}-{{/if}}dev{{/if}}
 {{#if build.tags}}
+{{#unless contains "-rc" build.tag }}
 tags:
 {{#each build.tags}}
   - {{this}}
 {{/each}}
   - "latest"
+{{/unless}}
 {{/if}}
 manifests:
   -