GitLab is a web-based DevOps lifecycle tool that provides a Git repository manager with wiki, issue-tracking, and CI/CD pipeline features, using an open-source license. GitLab offers a complete DevOps platform that enables teams to plan, create, verify, package, release, configure, and monitor their applications.
Core Features
- Git Repository Management: Host and manage Git repositories with advanced features
- Issue Tracking: Built-in issue tracking and project management tools
- Wiki: Integrated wiki for documentation and knowledge sharing
- CI/CD Pipelines: Integrated continuous integration and deployment pipelines
- Code Review: Merge request system with code review capabilities
- Access Control: Fine-grained permissions and access management
- Project Analytics: Built-in analytics and reporting tools
GitLab Editions
- GitLab Community Edition (CE): Free, open-source edition with core features
- GitLab Enterprise Edition (EE): Paid edition with advanced features
- GitLab.com: Cloud-hosted version with both free and paid tiers
- Self-Managed: On-premises installation option
DevOps Lifecycle Integration
- Plan: Issue tracking, planning tools, and project management
- Create: Git repository management, code editor, and merge requests
- Verify: Integrated CI/CD with testing and quality assurance tools
- Package: Container registry and package management
- Release: Release management and deployment tools
- Configure: Infrastructure as code and configuration management
- Monitor: Built-in monitoring and alerting capabilities
Key Benefits
- All-in-One Platform: Complete DevOps platform in a single application
- Open Source: Community edition available under open-source license
- Self-Hosting: Option to host GitLab on your own infrastructure
- Scalability: Scales from small teams to large enterprises
- Integration: Integrates with many third-party tools and services
- Security: Built-in security features and vulnerability management
- Collaboration: Comprehensive collaboration tools for development teams
GitLab CI/CD
- Pipeline Configuration: Define CI/CD pipelines using .gitlab-ci.yml
- Runners: Distributed agents that execute pipeline jobs
- Auto DevOps: Automatic CI/CD pipeline generation
- Container Registry: Built-in Docker container registry
- Pages: Static website hosting
- Monitoring: Built-in application performance monitoring
GitLab Groups and Projects
- Groups: Organize related projects and manage permissions
- Subgroups: Hierarchical organization of projects
- Project Visibility: Public, internal, and private project options
- Members and Permissions: Role-based access control for projects and groups
Security Features
- Dependency Scanning: Automated identification of vulnerable dependencies
- Container Scanning: Security scanning of Docker containers
- Secret Detection: Identification of secrets and credentials in code
- DAST and SAST: Dynamic and static application security testing
- Security Dashboard: Centralized view of security vulnerabilities
- Compliance: Compliance reporting and audit trails
Popular GitLab Features
- Merge Requests: Code review and collaboration system
- Issues: Issue tracking with labels, assignees, and due dates
- Boards: Kanban-style project management boards
- Snippets: Share and store code snippets
- Environments: Deploy and manage application environments
- Releases: Version management and release notes
- Artifacts: Store and download CI/CD pipeline artifacts
GitLab vs GitHub
| Aspect | GitLab | GitHub |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Complete DevOps platform with built-in CI/CD | Primarily focused on Git hosting and collaboration |
| Hosting | Self-hosting option available | Primarily cloud-based (with GitHub Enterprise for self-hosting) |
| CI/CD | More comprehensive CI/CD capabilities built-in | GitHub Actions for CI/CD (separate feature) |
| Features | All-in-one DevOps platform | Git hosting and collaboration focused |
Use Cases
- Software Development: Complete platform for software development
- DevOps Implementation: End-to-end DevOps toolchain
- Open Source Projects: Host and manage open-source projects
- Enterprise Development: Scalable solution for enterprise teams
- Education: Teaching and learning platform for development
- Government: Self-hosted option for security-conscious organizations