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Term

GitLab

GitLab is a Git hosting platform with an integrated DevOps stack — repository, CI/CD, issue tracking, container registry and security scans in one tool, optionally self-hosted.

GitLab — explained in more detail

GitLab launched in 2011 as an open-source alternative to GitHub and has positioned itself as a “complete DevOps platform” ever since. Unlike GitHub, GitLab ships almost everything that happens in the software lifecycle from a single source — from the planning board to the production deployment pipeline.

What sets GitLab apart

Three properties distinguish GitLab from GitHub:

  • Self-hosting: the Community Edition runs on your own hardware or cluster — decisive for companies with strict compliance requirements.
  • Integrated CI/CD: pipelines are configured via .gitlab-ci.yml, with no need for a separate marketplace search for actions.
  • Built-in DevOps: issue tracking, wiki, container registry, package registry, security scans and performance monitoring are all included.

Editions

GitLab is available as the free Community Edition (CE), as a self-hosted Enterprise Edition with extended features, and as SaaS at gitlab.com — with Free, Premium and Ultimate tiers.

Typical audience

Companies that want a unified DevOps stack without tool sprawl, and teams that cannot host their code in a US cloud for regulatory reasons.

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