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GitLab appears across 9 articles and 1 open source project to date.
Who is GitLab?
GitLab is a web-based DevSecOps platform (cloud DevOps) that provides a single application for source code management, Continuous Integration (CI) and delivery, and related software lifecycle workflows.
- Single-application DevSecOps platform for planning, source code management, Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD), security, and operations (cloud DevOps).
- Git-based repository management with merge requests, code review, and collaboration features (source code management).
- Integrated CI/CD pipelines with automated build, test, and deployment capabilities (continuous integration and delivery).
- Application Security Testing (AST), code quality, and compliance features embedded into development workflows (application security and compliance).
- Self-managed and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) deployment options for enterprises operating in cloud, hybrid, and on-premises (on-prem) environments (infrastructure and deployment).
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More About GitLab
GitLab provides a DevSecOps platform (cloud DevOps) that combines source code management, CI and delivery, security testing, and operations tooling in a single application. Enterprises use GitLab to standardize software delivery processes, maintain traceability from planning through production, and centralize collaboration across development, security, and operations teams.
The platform uses Git (version control) as the foundation for source code hosting and change management. Features such as branches, merge requests, code review workflows, and integrated issue tracking support common practices in distributed version control and collaborative development. GitLab’s web interface exposes these capabilities with access controls, project workspaces, and integration points for enterprise identity providers and tooling.
GitLab’s CI and delivery capabilities (CI/CD) allow users to define pipelines as code, typically via YAML configuration files stored in repositories. These pipelines orchestrate build, test, and deployment jobs using runners that can execute on virtual machines, containers, or Kubernetes clusters. Support for container registries and Kubernetes-based deployment aligns with cloud-native application architectures and common patterns such as microservices and infrastructure as code.
Security and compliance features are built into the same workflows. GitLab includes AST capabilities (application security) such as Static Application Security Testing (SAST), dependency and container scanning, and related checks that can run as part of CI pipelines. Policy controls, audit logs, and compliance reporting support organizations operating under regulatory or internal governance requirements. This approach embeds security checks earlier in the development lifecycle.
For planning and collaboration, GitLab includes issue tracking, epics, boards, and wiki features (project and work management). These support backlog management, release planning, and documentation within the same environment as source code and pipelines. Integration through APIs and webhooks allows GitLab to connect with external tools in areas such as observability, incident management, and messaging.
GitLab is available as a SaaS offering hosted by GitLab and as self-managed software that organizations can deploy in their own infrastructure, including on-prem data centers and public cloud environments. This supports enterprise requirements related to data residency, network control, and integration with existing platforms. In marketplace taxonomies, GitLab fits into categories such as cloud DevOps platforms, source code management, CI/CD automation, application security and compliance, and collaborative software delivery.
Our description of GitLab. Updated December 2025.
