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GitLab

Installation (CORE ONLY)

GitLab can be installed in most GNU/Linux distributions and with several cloud providers. To get the best experience from GitLab, you must balance performance, reliability, ease of administration (backups, upgrades, and troubleshooting), and the cost of hosting.

Depending on your platform, select from the following available methods to install GitLab:

  • Omnibus GitLab: The official deb/rpm packages that contain a bundle of GitLab and the components it depends on, including PostgreSQL, Redis, and Sidekiq.
  • GitLab Helm chart: The cloud native Helm chart for installing GitLab and all of its components on Kubernetes.
  • Docker: The Omnibus GitLab packages, dockerized.
  • Source: Install GitLab and all of its components from scratch.
  • Cloud provider: Install directly from platforms like AWS, Azure, and GCP.

If you're not sure which installation method to use, we recommend you use Omnibus GitLab. The Omnibus GitLab packages are mature, scalable, and are used today on GitLab.com. The Helm charts are recommended for those who are familiar with Kubernetes.

Requirements

Before you install GitLab, be sure to review the system requirements. The system requirements include details about the minimum hardware, software, database, and additional requirements to support GitLab.

Installing GitLab on Linux using the Omnibus GitLab package (recommended)

The Omnibus GitLab package uses our official deb/rpm repositories, and is recommended for most users.

If you need additional scale or resilience, we recommend deploying GitLab as described in our reference architecture documentation.

> Install GitLab using the Omnibus GitLab package.

GitLab Environment Toolkit (alpha)

The GitLab Environment Toolkit provides a set of automation tools to easily deploy a reference architecture on most major cloud providers.

It is currently in alpha, and is not recommended for production use.

> Install a GitLab reference architecture using the GitLab Environment Toolkit.

Installing GitLab on Kubernetes via the GitLab Helm charts

When installing GitLab on Kubernetes, there are some trade-offs that you need to be aware of:

  • Administration and troubleshooting requires Kubernetes knowledge.
  • It can be more expensive for smaller installations. The default installation requires more resources than a single node Omnibus deployment, as most services are deployed in a redundant fashion.
  • There are some feature limitations to be aware of.

Due to these trade-offs, having Kubernetes experience is a requirement for using this method. We recommend being familiar with Kubernetes before using it to deploy GitLab in production. The methods for management, observability, and some concepts are different than traditional deployments.

> Install GitLab on Kubernetes using the GitLab Helm charts.

Installing GitLab with Docker

GitLab maintains a set of official Docker images based on the Omnibus GitLab package.

> Install GitLab using the official GitLab Docker images.

Installing GitLab from source

If the Omnibus GitLab package isn't available for your distribution, you can install GitLab from source. This can be useful with unsupported systems, like *BSD. For an overview of the directory structure, see the structure documentation.

> Install GitLab from source.

Installing GitLab on cloud providers

GitLab can be installed on a variety of cloud providers by using any of the above methods, provided the cloud provider supports it.

Next steps

Here are a few resources you might want to check out after completing the installation:

  • Upload a license or start a free trial: Activate all GitLab Enterprise Edition functionality with a license.
  • Set up runners: Set up one or more GitLab Runners, the agents that are responsible for all of the GitLab CI/CD features.
  • GitLab Pages: Configure GitLab Pages to allow hosting of static sites.
  • GitLab Registry: With the GitLab Container Registry, every project can have its own space to store Docker images.
  • Secure GitLab: Recommended practices to secure your GitLab instance.
  • SMTP: Configure SMTP for proper email notifications support.
  • LDAP: Configure LDAP to be used as an authentication mechanism for GitLab.
  • Back up and restore GitLab: Learn the different ways you can back up or restore GitLab.
  • Upgrade GitLab: Every 22nd of the month, a new feature-rich GitLab version is released. Learn how to upgrade to it, or to an interim release that contains a security fix.
  • Scaling GitLab: GitLab supports several different types of clustering.
  • Advanced Search: Leverage Elasticsearch for faster, more advanced code search across your entire GitLab instance.
  • Geo replication: Geo is the solution for widely distributed development teams.
  • Release and maintenance policy: Learn about GitLab policies governing version naming, as well as release pace for major, minor, patch, and security releases.
  • Pricing: Pricing for the different tiers.