How does GitLab work?

Installing GitLab

For the tech advanced people among us, installing GitLab is relatively straightforward. We won't go into full detail how this works, as GitLab provides a step-by-step guide on their website. Instead, we'll give you a global overview of the process, so you get a general idea of how it works, even if you don’t have a technical background.

Before you begin…

GitLab recommends using an Omnibus installation to set up the platform. An Omnibus package includes all the necessary services and tools needed to run GitLab. This way, users can install it relatively easily, without having to deal with an extensive configuration that varies depending on the situation. GitLab can be installed on various operating systems, such as Ubuntu and CentOS. Make sure you have at least 4GB of RAM available, otherwise GitLab won’t operate well.

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Step 1: Install Dependencies

Before installing GitLab, you need to install a few software dependencies. On Ubuntu, this is quite simple, as all required software can be installed via the standard package manager.

Step 2: Install GitLab

Once the necessary dependencies are in place, it's time to install GitLab itself. During this process, a script will configure your system and set up the GitLab database.

Step 3: Adjust firewall settings

Your firewall settings must be flexible enough for GitLab to send and receive data over the web. If necessary, these rules will need to be adjusted.

Step 4: Edit the GitLab configuration file

Next, you'll need to update the configuration file and reconfigure GitLab. This includes  also setting your custom domain name so that GitLab runs on your own URL. Once configured in the right way, GitLab will start using the information from your server.

Step 5: Configure your Gitlab web application further

After step 4 is finished, GitLab will be up and running, and you can access it from your server. From there, you can start customizing important settings in the web application, such as user profiles and permissions.

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Time to start…

Once you’ve completed the steps above, GitLab will be fully hosted on your server, and you can start creating projects.

Don’t have your own server, find the installation process overwhelming, or running into issues? We can help! With GitLabHost, you get the speed of a self hosted GitLab environment, without the hassle of server management. We can even take care of the entire setup for you, we can configure GitLab to your exact needs. Interested? Feel free to get in touch!

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The GitLab Workflow

Got GitLab installed on your servers? Great! Now, let’s take a look at how the Gitlab workflow looks like

At its core, GitLab is a repository manager: a system that stores and tracks all activities related to software development. Furthermore it’s a powerful application to build and develop software.

One of GitLab’s strengths is that it covers all phases of software development. Typically, software development consists of 10 key steps, and GitLab has build solutions for each one:

1. Idea: Many ideas for new applications start in chat discussions. GitLab integrates with Mattermost, a chat platform similar to Slack, to support this phase.
2. Issue: The best way to develop an idea is to turn it into an issue. Developers can log their issues in GitLab’s issue tracker. This allows the team to refine and improve them before moving forward.
3. Planning: once the issue is defined and everyone is satisfied, it’s time to schedule the software build. GitLab helps prioritize activities and organize workflows.‍
4. Writing code: After planning, development begins, and the actual code is written.
5. ‍Commit :Once the first version of the code is ready, it is committed to the repository: a place where all project data from the software is securely stored.‍
6. Testing: GitLab CI can run automated scripts to test the application before deployment.‍
7. Review: Once the application passes testing, the code is reviewed and approved.‍
8. Staging: the next step is deploying the code to staging. The is a replica of the production environment where final checks are conducted. Is everything working or are there points of improvement?‍
9. Production: if everything works as expected, the application is deployed to the live production environment, end users can access it here.‍
10. Feedback: Finally, teams analyze the process to identify areas for improvement. GitLab’s cycle analytics provides insights into how much time is spent in each phase of development.

All in all, The GitLab workflow allows your team to build applications fast, easy and efficiently. The platform supports the entire software development lifecycle from an initial idea to a fully functional application, all within one streamlined system.

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Need help with the installation or have questions? Feel free to reach out!