GitLab
No Change
trial
GitLab. Is an all-in-one DevSecOps Platform for git hosting, merge requests, built-in CI/CD, registry, and security scanning.
Blurb
Your intelligent orchestration platform for DevSecOps
Summary
Garden stance: We trial GitLab for our estate.
When to use: Evaluate on a project when the capability clearly fits the requirement.
When to skip: When a simpler alternative already covers the need.
Details
| Capability | Notes |
|---|---|
| Version control | git remotes; forks; protected branches |
| Review | Merge requests (same role as Pull Request on GitHub) |
| CI/CD | GitLab CI pipelines in .gitlab-ci.yml; includes, rules, environments |
| Registry | Container and package registry in-platform |
| Security | SAST, dependency scanning, secrets, DAST in MR; DevSecOps / Shift Left alignment |
| Large files | git lfs supported; quota per tier |
| Self-hosted | Common for public sector, telecom, and air-gap |
Practices when GitLab is required:
- Mirror GitHub norms: no direct pushes to
main; required pipeline success; CODEOWNERS / approval rules - Prefer CI/CD variables and OIDC/job tokens over long-lived deploy keys where available
- Use merge request templates and security scan results in the MR, not email-only review
- Keep git workflows portable, branch naming, conventional commits, and GitOps repos work the same; only the forge and CI YAML differ
GitLab vs GitHub (quick map):
| GitHub | GitLab |
|---|---|
| Pull request | Merge request |
| GitHub Actions | GitLab CI |
| GitHub Packages | GitLab registry |
| Dependabot | Dependency scanning / Renovate-style bots |
References