GitLab CE - Getting Started Guide

Step 1 - Verify GitLab Works

Your server's IP address and root password are shown on the Server Details page in your client panel. GitLab is available after the initial setup completes (2 - 4 minutes after server creation). Open http://your.server.ip in a browser to verify it works. If you see a 502 error, wait a few minutes and refresh - GitLab is still starting up.

GitLab login:

• Username: root
• Password: the GitLab Root Password you entered during the order

GitLab initially runs on HTTP. To enable HTTPS with a free Let's Encrypt certificate, set up a domain first (see Step 3).

If you placed the server behind a VyOS router on a private network, either configure port forwarding (ports 22, 80 and 443) to make GitLab accessible from the internet, or connect over a VPN and reach GitLab on the server's private IP.

Step 2 - Create Your First Project

Click New project on the dashboard, choose Create blank project, enter a name, and click Create project.

Clone your repository using HTTPS or SSH:

# HTTPS
git clone http://your.server.ip/root/my-project.git

# SSH (add your public key in Preferences > SSH Keys first)
git clone git@your.server.ip:root/my-project.git

Step 3 - Set Up a Custom Domain and HTTPS

GitLab has built-in Let's Encrypt support. To enable HTTPS with your domain:

1. Create a DNS A record pointing your domain to the server IP:

   Type	Name	Value
   A	gitlab	your.server.ip

2. SSH into your server and edit /etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb:

   nano /etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb

   Change the external_url line to use HTTPS with your domain:

   external_url 'https://gitlab.yourdomain.com'

3. Apply the configuration:

   gitlab-ctl reconfigure

   GitLab will automatically obtain and configure a Let's Encrypt certificate. The certificate renews automatically.

Make sure your domain's A record is propagated before running reconfigure. DNS changes usually take a few minutes, but can take up to 24 hours. Check at dnschecker.org.

Step 4 - CI/CD Pipelines

GitLab has built-in CI/CD. To create a pipeline, add a .gitlab-ci.yml file to your repository root:

stages:
  - build
  - test

build-job:
  stage: build
  script:
    - echo "Building the project..."

test-job:
  stage: test
  script:
    - echo "Running tests..."

Pipelines run automatically on each push. View results in your project under Build > Pipelines.

Note: To run pipelines, you need to register a GitLab Runner. Follow the GitLab Runner installation guide to set up a runner on this server or a separate machine.

Fail2Ban - Brute-Force Protection

Your server comes with Fail2Ban pre-configured to protect SSH from brute-force attacks.

Rule	Max Attempts	Ban Duration
SSH	5 failed logins	1 hour

Useful commands:

# Check banned IPs
fail2ban-client status sshd

# Unban an IP
fail2ban-client set sshd unbanip 1.2.3.4

GitLab also has its own brute-force protection for web logins. If you accidentally lock yourself out, connect via VNC console in your client panel and unban your IP.

Updates

Important: GitLab CE does not update automatically (blocked from unattended upgrades). GitLab must be updated through specific intermediate versions - skipping versions can break your instance.

Always check the official upgrade path before updating. To update:

# Check current version
gitlab-rake gitlab:env:info | grep "GitLab"

# Update to a specific version (follow the upgrade path!)
apt update
apt install gitlab-ce=X.Y.Z-ce.0

# Apply changes
gitlab-ctl reconfigure

OS updates can be applied via SSH:

apt update && apt upgrade -y

Server Credentials

GitLab admin credentials are stored in /root/.gitlab_credentials. You can also see them when you connect via SSH (displayed in the welcome message).

Service Management

GitLab Omnibus bundles all services (Nginx, PostgreSQL, Redis, Puma, Sidekiq) under the gitlab-ctl command:

# Service management
gitlab-ctl status              # check all services
gitlab-ctl restart             # restart all services
gitlab-ctl start               # start all services
gitlab-ctl stop                # stop all services

# Configuration
gitlab-ctl reconfigure         # apply changes from gitlab.rb

# Logs
gitlab-ctl tail                # live log output (all services)
gitlab-ctl tail nginx          # Nginx logs only
gitlab-ctl tail puma           # application server logs

# Backups
gitlab-backup create           # create data backup
gitlab-ctl backup-etc          # backup configuration files

# Reset root password
gitlab-rails console -e production
# Then in console:
#   user = User.find_by_username('root')
#   user.password = 'newpassword'
#   user.password_confirmation = 'newpassword'
#   user.save!

Software Included

Component	Details
Ubuntu	24.04 LTS
GitLab CE	Omnibus (Nginx, PostgreSQL, Redis, Puma, Sidekiq)
CI/CD	Built-in GitLab CI/CD pipelines
Postfix	Local MTA for email notifications
Let's Encrypt	Built-in SSL certificate management
Fail2Ban	SSH brute-force protection

• GitLab Documentation: docs.gitlab.com
• GitLab CI/CD Guide: docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci
• GitLab Upgrade Guide: docs.gitlab.com/ee/update