Install GitLab

Install GitLab for self-hosted Git repository management

GitLab is a powerful open-source platform for managing Git repositories, providing version control, issue tracking, and CI/CD capabilities.

Prerequisites

• A VPS with at least 4GB RAM (8GB recommended)
• Ubuntu or Debian operating system
• A domain name pointing to your VPS (recommended)

Installation Steps

1. Update system packages

   sudo apt update
   
2. Install dependencies

   sudo apt install curl openssh-server ca-certificates postfix
   

   When configuring postfix, select “Internet Site” for general use.

3. Add GitLab repository

   curl https://packages.gitlab.com/install/repositories/gitlab/gitlab-ee/script.deb.sh | sudo bash
   
4. Install GitLab

   sudo apt install gitlab-ee
   
5. Configure external URL

   Edit the GitLab configuration file:

   sudo nano /etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb
   

   Find and update the external_url setting:

   external_url 'https://gitlab.yourdomain.com'
   
6. Reconfigure GitLab

   sudo gitlab-ctl reconfigure
   

   This may take several minutes.

7. Access GitLab

   Navigate to your configured URL. On first visit, you’ll be prompted to set up the administrator account.

Post-Installation

Update GitLab

Keep your GitLab instance up to date:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade gitlab-ee
sudo gitlab-ctl reconfigure

Backup GitLab

Create a backup of your GitLab data:

sudo gitlab-backup create

Schedule regular backups to prevent data loss. GitLab backups include repositories, database, and attachments.

Configuration Options

Enable HTTPS

GitLab can automatically obtain SSL certificates via Let’s Encrypt. Ensure your external_url uses https:// and run gitlab-ctl reconfigure.

Configure SMTP

Edit /etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb to configure email notifications via SMTP. This enables GitLab to send notification emails.

Resource Optimization

For VPS with limited RAM, you can reduce GitLab’s memory usage by disabling unused features in /etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb.

For detailed configuration options, refer to the GitLab documentation.