GitLab

GitLab is a web application designed to store and manage software code repositories for Git. It lets you do collaborative development, revert and update previous versions of code, and supports public and private branches of development.

In fact, GitLab is the young counterpart and competitor to the well-known GitHub. It’s an online service for working with and storing git repositories, based on a database system.

GitLab has two free versions:

• Community Edition, which is suitable for small teams and private projects;
• cloud version on a remote hosting server.

Larger teams can use paid versions of GitLab, such as Enterprise Edition Starter or Enterprise Edition Premium.

What is Git

Git is a version control system used by software developers to track and control changes to the project code. It was founded by the creator of Linux in 2005 as a way to optimize teamwork in software development.
All changes are made separately in Git, allowing you to keep track of them and go back to past versions. The main building block is the repository, a directory where all the files of one project are stored. A copy of the repository is called a branch.

Functionality of GitLab

GitLab allows users to:

• create, store and manage private and public repositories;
• regulate user access rights to data;
• perform integration with CI systems and third-party software;
• track changes in projects, and monitor errors;
• share repositories among users;
• comment on projects;
• access authentication and authorization tools;
• conduct productivity analytics and keep track of tasks;
• test and verify the quality of the code;
• deploy repositories both in the cloud and on local servers.