How to Install and Configure GitLab on Ubuntu or Debian

Introduction

GitLab is a popular DevOps lifecycle tool that provides a Git repository manager providing wiki, issue-tracking, and CI/CD pipeline features, using an open-source license. In this tutorial, we’ll guide you through the installation and basic configuration of GitLab on an Ubuntu server.

Prerequisites

    •    A server with Ubuntu installed.
    •    A user with sudo privileges.
    •    A domain name pointed to your server’s IP address.
    •    Basic command line knowledge.

Update Your Server

Before installing GitLab, ensure your server is up-to-date:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Install Required Dependencies

sudo apt install -y curl openssh-server ca-certificates tzdata perl

Add GitLab Repository

Add the GitLab repository to your server:

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

Install GitLab

Install GitLab using the following command. Replace gitlab.example.com with your domain name:

sudo EXTERNAL_URL="http://gitlab.example.com" apt install -y gitlab-ee

Configure GitLab

gitlab-ctl reconfigure

Access GitLab Web Interface

Open a web browser and navigate to your GitLab instance using the domain name you set during installation, e.g., http://gitlab.example.com. You will be prompted to set a new password for the root user.

Conclusion

You have successfully installed and configured GitLab on your Ubuntu server. GitLab provides a comprehensive set of tools for managing your software development lifecycle, from version control to continuous integration and deployment. For more advanced configurations and usage, refer to the official GitLab documentation.