What is GitLab?

Gitlab is a comprehensive suite of tools covering the software development life cycle (SDLC). [1] At its core it provides a Git-based version control and allows teams to host repositories, do code reviews, and manage merge requests. [1]

Beyond the basic git functionality it is also highly regarded for its CI/CD pipelines which are used to automate the build, testing and deployment of code without requiring third-party tools and the pipelines are configured using simple yaml files in each repository. [2]

What is a Pipeline?

A pipelines true goal is to abstract away all the tedious tasks that have plagued developers for the previous decades, such as integrating new code, manual testing, and deployment.[3] It does this by streamlining these processes into automated phases each time a feature is pushed to the respository. [3]

The goal for us will be to have a small website update when changes to the git repository are made.

Registering a GitLab account

In order to make use of GitLabs features we will need to create an account on https://www.gitlab.com and following this guide to adding your ssh key from the vm to your GitLab account enabling pushes and pulls from your server.

References:

[1] GitLab, "Get started with GitLab," GitLab Docs. https://docs.gitlab.com/ (accessed Mar. 24, 2026).

[2] GitLab, "The DevSecOps Platform," GitLab. https://about.gitlab.com/platform/ (accessed Mar. 24, 2026).

[3] GitLab, "What is a CI/CD pipeline?," GitLab. https://about.gitlab.com/topics/ci-cd/cicd-pipeline/ (accessed Mar. 24, 2026).