GitLab Reviews

“user friendly interface”

Pros

Being free and open source is a big plus. It also costs nothing to host private code which makes it even more appealing. The interface is simple for people who are just getting started with Git. Integrations with Jira and Jenkins make ticket tracking and deployments much more convenient. It handles code revisions well and permissions can be assigned by user or by group. The connection with Liferay accounts is useful too. I have not run into any problems using it with TortoiseGit. Merge requests, approvals and browser-based code checking are all available and it even includes a built-in Web IDE although I have not personally used that part. Code comparison features are also helpful.

Cons

Compared with GitHub it does not offer as many statistics. There is no built-in issue tracking so you need to rely on an external tool for that. It also does not have a marketplace.

“polished interface”

Pros

The CI/CD capabilities are excellent and the interface feels easy and simple to work with.

Cons

Terminologies in this tool can be confusing because it uses names like Merge Requests and other terms that are called something different in other tools on the market.

“Built for many integrations”

Pros

It feels like a perfect choice when we need to connect with a variety of third-party services.

Cons

Stability can be a concern at times but I think it may be related to the internal infrastructure rather than the platform itself.

“pleasant experience”

Pros

Everything works reliably for source code and version control and it gives you a pleasant interface for handling a basic Git workflow.

Cons

It can be a bit too limited in terms of features especially when compared with higher-end options like GitHub or Bitbucket that offer a much broader set of tools for managing software through every stage of the process.

“Enhanced control for pull requests”

Pros

Project management side especially the access control around merging PRs is one of its best parts for me. You can assign specific permissions to certain user groups which is really helpful. In a microservices setup where the number of repositories keeps growing, it gives an easy way to keep everything organized. It also makes the merge process clearer by showing merge conflicts when they happen. On top of that, reviewing code in raised PRs is convenient and it lets us leave extra comments or messages whenever needed.

Cons

A beginner may face difficulty in getting used to it because there is a learning it does take some time and some things are not very simple at first. Also, trying to unmerge a commit when file changes are involved is an absolute nightmare.

“Tool that truly impresses”

Pros

A really good alternative to GitHub and other source control platforms with strong integration for third-party CI tools like Jenkins and Sentry.

Cons

The on-premise version needs to keep up closely with the many updates which can be demanding.

“powerful devops with simple version control”

Pros

One thing that really works well in it is how simple it makes source code control, while still offering very powerful DevOps tools.

Cons

It already meets my expectations perfectly as it is so I don't have any issues to point out.

“powerful ci/cd and team freedom”

Pros

It's CI/CD is easily one of my favorite parts of the platform. Another big advantage is that it doesn't limit how many people can collaborate on a project which makes it really useful for teams of any size.

Cons

Navigation is pretty complex and getting started with it can be confusing unless you already have some experience.

“More control with GitLab”

Pros

A lot of product managers tend to avoid it but the more I worked with it, the more visibility and control I had over the entire project. It also helps a lot with understanding how branches and deployment workflows actually work.

Cons

It can be confusing and a bit overwhelming if you're not already an experienced user or developer.

“full source code control”

Pros

It gives me a great experience for managing, running and maintaining source code all in one place.

Cons

The CI service could use more built-in features to handle most of the work for us.

“effortless workflows”

Pros

This has a very user-friendly interface. Keeping track of source code changes is very easy thanks to the simple views and the many helpful features built into it. The pipelines are simple to configure and just as manageable to maintain over time. The merge request tools are excellent and the automatic rebase feature is a big plus.

Cons

Most Git operations still work better when done locally in the console since the service does not provide a very clear or convenient way to manage the repository directly. Aside from that, I really do not have any other complaints about this software.

“Easily customizable for teams”

Pros

Works really well as a flexible and user-friendly project management tool. Our team uses it not just for software development but also to track other types of projects. One of the best parts is how customizable it is since you can simplify the interface for teammates who are not comfortable with more complex applications. That makes the product much more approachable for a wider group of users.

Cons

People outside of engineering may need a bit more time to get used to it. If you are expecting a traditional drag-and-drop Kanban board experience, this is probably not the right tool for that. It definitely has a more technical feel. That said considering what the product is designed for, this feels normal and not really like a major downside.

“smooth workflow”

Pros

Being able to create private repositories is a big plus. The group system is something I really enjoy as well since I can organize projects inside groups without much hassle. It also helps a lot that all my assigned issues, merge requests and to-dos are visible in one place. Creating a new project is simple and I appreciate the option to start with an empty README. On top of that, I can view both my activity and my team's activity in a single dashboard, add milestones when needed and use the dark theme which is a nice bonus.

Cons

It does take a little prior experience to get comfortable with the platform. There also are not many projects available to search through and profile customization feels pretty limited.

“helpful CI with container stages”

Pros

Our team is building an automation pipeline to create infrastructure through GitLab and the GitLab CI capabilities have been a big help. It cuts down a lot of the setup effort compared with using GitHub together with Jenkins. There are plenty of ways to run the CI process which gives us useful flexibility. One feature I especially appreciate is being able to use container images for each stage instead of relying on one shared workspace. That approach makes it much easier to manage files properly in the workspace.

Cons

This one still is not as widely used as GitHub. When you need to look up other code repositories during development, the search results are more limited on this one. On top of that, setting up Jenkins or other platform-independent solutions alongside it can be difficult.

“powerful for branching workflows”

Pros

This has been a really amazing tool for setting up a source code management baseline, handling versioning and keeping full revision history to roll back when needed. It gives you the flexibility to apply whatever branching strategy fits your workflow. We also used it heavily in our DevOps and automation processes by integrating it with a bunch of other tools.

Cons

An issue comes up when merge requests from multiple branches are all targeting the main branch at the same time. When a lot of developers are working in parallel, resolving those conflicts can become very difficult to manage.

“customized runner setup”

Pros

The GitLab runner has been the standout feature for our team. It was simple to get up and running and it adapts well to a variety of different use cases.

Cons

I've noticed recurring service interruptions which can be frustrating since we use the platform for several key operations.

“modern UI for team workflows”

Pros

It has a modern interface that fits well with other tools our team uses like Jira and Confluence which feels essential when you're collaborating across those platforms.

Cons

The merge request feature in this tool is missing quite a few things, such as live coding and the ability to check code references and it also runs pretty slowly. In most cases, it's better to switch branches and review the code directly in your IDE.

“packed with useful features”

Pros

This comes with a huge range of features built in, from static code analysis all the way to a service desk so it covers a lot in one place.

Cons

Some of the features are not implemented very well though and they often miss small but important details that make them frustrating to use.

“secure collaboration that just works”

Pros

Platform is secure, supports better team collaboration and is free in many cases. It offers a simple set of core features that are easy to use. The milestones help resolve blockers that might otherwise keep a project from moving forward. One thing I really appreciate about it is the integration. The tools are very user-friendly and the interface is highly simple.

Cons

No major feature, I can point to and call bad but first time users can find organizing icons difficult, initially.

“love the features”

Pros

Being able to roll back when something goes wrong in the current code is really valuable. Switching between private and public repositories is also useful and having multiple project branches with merge options makes teamwork and version control much easier to manage. The continuous integration tools are helpful too and the interface is well designed.

Cons

There are times when the servers go down and cloning or pushing can become noticeably slow. It can also be frustrating that accidentally pushed files are not very easy to remove.