GitLab CE VPS - Getting Started Guide

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

Step 1 - Your Credentials

Log in to your client panel and open your VPS service details. Find the IP address and root password (for SSH).

GitLab login:

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

Note: GitLab performs initial configuration on first boot (creating swap, tuning performance, applying settings). This takes 2-4 minutes. If you see a 502 error right after creation, please wait and refresh the page.

Step 2 - Access GitLab

GitLab is available after the initial setup completes (2-4 minutes after VPS creation). Open your browser and go to:

http://your.server.ip

Log in with username root and the GitLab Root Password from Step 1.

Note: GitLab initially runs on HTTP. To enable HTTPS with a free Let's Encrypt certificate, set up a domain first (see Step 4).

Step 3 - 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 4 - Set Up a Custom Domain & 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.

Note: 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 5 - 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

If you accidentally lock yourself out, connect via VNC console in your client panel and unban your IP.

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).

Useful Commands

# 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!

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

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