Reliable, User-Friendly GitLab with Powerful Automation and Integrations
What do you like best about the product?
GitLab brings together key features for code versioning, pipelines, and webhooks in one place. Its automation is very effective and significantly reduces manual effort. In my experience, it runs reliably and integrates smoothly with other infrastructure tools such as Kubernetes, CloudFront, and similar services. Gitlab's UI is super user friendly
What do you dislike about the product?
For a new user it can be a bit complex to understand and start using it, it might take some time to efficiently use it
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
GitLab helps consolidate multiple development tools into a single platform. Instead of relying on separate systems for version control, CI/CD, issue tracking, and code reviews, it brings everything together in one place, making day-to-day work easier to manage and keep organized.
Fine-Grained Permissions and Self-Hosting Make GitLab a Win
What do you like best about the product?
I mostly use GitLab for Git repository management and CI/CD pipelines. The pipeline system is very flexible and makes it easy to automate builds, tests, and deployments. I know GitLab has many more features like issue and bug tracking, but I haven’t used those much yet. What I do like is the fine-grained control over permissions, and the fact that it can be self-hosted, which gives us more control over our infrastructure.
What do you dislike about the product?
I have not encountered any negative points so far
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Beyond the basic Git features, GitLab also powers our full CI/CD pipeline and hosts our private npm, Composer, and Docker registries. We currently run over 200 private repositories on our self-hosted GitLab instance, so it has become a central part of how we manage code and deployments.
GitLab makes it much easier for our development teams to collaborate across multiple projects. With CI/CD pipelines in place, code is automatically checked, built, and deployed, which has saved our teams a significant amount of time and reduced manual steps in our release process. We have set up our own self hosted runners for the CI/CD pipelines and the documentation on setting up the auto scaling for this is very good.
there is also a fully automated API which we have used for automation and various other tasks.
Easy Pipeline Integration with Strong Non-Repudiation
What do you like best about the product?
As a cloud cybersecurity engineer, I love how easy it is to integrate our security tools into the pipelines and the level of non-repudiation.
What do you dislike about the product?
The default search is extremely bad. We've looked at multiple tools to replace the default search with and every single one has been better than the supplied search.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Code repository and CI/CD.
Effortless Collaboration with Robust Automation
What do you like best about the product?
I like the automation feature in GitLab, which runs tests on its own every day. It's really helpful that it makes accessibility for other team members very easy, allowing us to actively collaborate on the project and maintain a common repository to be shared with everyone. Also, the initial setup of GitLab is very easy and straightforward.
What do you dislike about the product?
There's nothing specific like that. But the push and pull can be a bit better. The code, which I have pushed, if I can't revert a specific part of it, I have to revert everything back if there is any issue with the code.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
I use GitLab to store all project files and repositories in one place. It automates daily tests, enhancing accessibility and collaboration for my team.
All-in-One Platform for Code Hosting, CI/CD, and Issue Tracking
What do you like best about the product?
Good to store code and keep track of different issues include features:
Git repository hosting, CI/CD pipelines, Issue tracking & boards, Code reviews & merge requests, Container registry, Security scanning tools
What do you dislike about the product?
well most features are good and useful but UI is sometime slow if project is large, for self hosted it uses more resources. need to learn before uses else can get lost
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
it helps keeping source code secure and within boundary of company for employee and client. keep list of tasks, bugs for project.
Integrated task tracking and documentation have streamlined collaboration and code workflows
What is our primary use case?
My main use case for GitLab is utilizing it in three main ways: one is using the Issues and Epics tracking for tasks, the second way is using the Wiki, which is the documentation feature, and then the third way is for code management.
Out of those three, I find myself using the Issues and Epics tracking feature the most often. I really quite like it because I find it clear and clean to use, and it works well when using it with numerous people.
We use the Issues feature to record our tasks and assign those out, as well as recording the description of what the task requires. Then we use the Epics feature to group the issues into categories, which makes it easier to track the tasks at a higher level.
What is most valuable?
In my opinion, the best features GitLab offers are the Issues and Epics feature, which I find very clean and clear to use, and it is very quick and responsive. I also quite value the Wiki feature because both of those are built into the same platform, making it very easy to bounce between the two and create links between the boards and the Wiki.
The ability to link between the boards and the Wiki helps my workflow and collaboration with my team by ensuring that if we have any tasks that need to be carried out, we have them on the Issues board, and we write runbooks in the Wiki on how to carry out the task. We copy the link of the Wiki and put it into the description of the tickets so that when someone is working on the ticket, they can very quickly go over to the Wiki and know how to carry out their task, which saves us time.
GitLab has positively impacted our organization by making our code very secure because GitLab prides itself on security. Storing code in GitLab is a very secure way to do it, and from an operational efficiency and time-saving perspective, the Issues and Epics board is definitely helpful, offering a few benefits operationally.
What needs improvement?
The only feature I have used in GitLab that I thought could be improved is their code generation feature. When I previously used it, some of my questions were met with responses saying that it did not know the answer, and some responses were incorrect as well. I understand this is something new for them, so they are still developing it, but I do not feel that it is in a position where I would use it regularly just because it is not very reliable right now.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working in my current field between five to ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
GitLab is very stable. I have not seen any instability issues.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
GitLab is highly scalable and could very easily scale to thousands of code repos, which is necessary for any organizational size.
How are customer service and support?
The customer support for GitLab is very good, and I have no complaints because they have always been quite helpful. I would rate the customer support a ten out of ten because I have never had any issues with them before, and they are very knowledgeable.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Personally, I have previously used GitHub and Bitbucket as well. I find that GitLab has the cleanest and clearest UI out of all of them, and it has numerous features, such as the Issues and Epics tracking feature, as well as the Wiki feature, which sets it apart.
What was our ROI?
I have seen a return on investment. Any company that generates its own code and develops applications needs a code base, so it is more of a necessity rather than choosing something because it results in a measurable benefit. However, in terms of operational efficiency, a ten to twenty percent increase in speed could quite easily be seen from using the Issues and Epics tracking feature.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Regarding pricing, setup cost, and licensing, to my understanding, GitLab offers competitive rates. There are a few big competitors within this space, such as GitHub and Bitbucket, so GitLab prices themselves competitively.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Before choosing GitLab, I did evaluate other options, and the main competitors I considered were GitHub and Bitbucket. They are great as well, and all three are brilliant, but GitLab, in my opinion, has the cleanest UI, which sets it apart.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend others to use GitLab because it is a great tool and there are not any real major drawbacks, just a minor one related to the AI code generation. I have given this review an overall rating of nine out of ten.
Powerful Integrated CI/CD and Merge Requests for Seamless Code Reviews
What do you like best about the product?
The absolute standout feature is the integrated CI/CD. the gitlab yml file is a very powerful tool. Merge requests feature is also amazing for peer coding and proper reviews
What do you dislike about the product?
i personally dont like the search functionality inside the code base, many times you will search for a word or phrase and it wont be able to fetch it in the files
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
GitLab provides all capabilities (code, cicd, docker hub registry) in a single application
All-in-one DevOps platform that keeps our team aligned and shipping faster
What do you like best about the product?
Everything in one place - code, CI/CD, issues, and deployments. The CI/CD pipeline is powerful and easy to configure. Code review and merge requests work well for our workflow. The built-in container registry and package registry are convenient. GitLab Pages is great for hosting docs. The self-hosted option gives us control when needed. Overall, it streamlines our DevOps workflow.
What do you dislike about the product?
The UI can be slow, especially with large repos or many pipelines. Some advanced features are only in higher tiers. The search could be better. The interface can feel cluttered. Documentation is extensive but sometimes hard to find. Runner management can be tricky at scale.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Before GitLab, we used separate tools for version control, CI/CD, and project management. GitLab consolidates everything, reducing context switching and improving visibility. The CI/CD pipelines automate testing and deployment, catching issues earlier. This speeds up releases and reduces manual work. Having code, issues, and pipelines in one place makes collaboration easier.
Excellent for Collaboration, but UI Improvement Is Needed
What do you like best about the product?
GitLab is very user-friendly because of its clean and intuitive interface, especially the web editor that resembles VS Code and allows me to view, edit, comment, and commit code changes all in one screen without having to use multiple tools. Ease of implementation is also a huge plus because I can begin working immediately without having to install any software, which is very convenient when traveling or working on a mobile device. The need for customer support is minimal because the documentation is very clear and well-organized, and in most cases, it is more than enough to solve problems without having to contact customer support. The usage rate is very high because it is part of my daily routine for tasks such as collaboration, code reviews, and quick fixes. GitLab provides a whole array of functionalities such as repository management, CI/CD, issue tracking, and code editing, which makes it a very powerful all-in-one solution. GitLab also integrates very well with the existing development workflow and tools, which makes it easy for teams to adopt without having to make any significant changes.
What do you dislike about the product?
In my personal opinion, the interface of GitLab can be improved further. In comparison to other version control systems, the color scheme of GitLab can be more balanced and refined. Moreover, many important settings of GitLab are hidden deep inside the menu system, making it difficult for users to access them, especially for those who are using GitLab less frequently. Accessing important settings from more prominent locations would greatly improve the user experience.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
GitLab fixes the issue of code change management, collaboration, and project stability all in one place. GitLab offers me a stable version control system that ensures my code is always safe and easily trackable, so I can easily see what happened when a bug or crash happens and easily revert or repair it. GitLab also makes collaboration easy by allowing team members to review, comment, and work on code right from the platform, without having to go through any hassle of setting up or transferring files.
A great enterprise repository solution
What do you like best about the product?
The user interface is excellent. It makes tasks like viewing and searching code, opening and reviewing merge requests, as well as creating tags and managing pipelines, all very straightforward and accessible.
What do you dislike about the product?
There are some useful features, but for instance, the ability to add two reviewers to a merge request is restricted by a paywall. This limitation is disappointing, especially for a self-hosted solution where you would expect more flexibility.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
We rely on GitLab to host our version control, with our entire monorepo managed there. All of our upgrades are handled through merge requests, which streamlines our workflow. Additionally, we have an extensive network of pipelines in place to ensure that our code consistently functions as intended.
