Installation methods
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You can install GitLab on several cloud providers, or use one of the following methods.
| Installation method | Description | When to choose |
|---|---|---|
| Linux package (previously known as Omnibus GitLab) | The official deb and rpm packages. The Linux package has GitLab and dependent components, including PostgreSQL, Redis, and Sidekiq. |
Use if you want the most mature, scalable method. This version is also used on GitLab.com. - For additional flexibility and resilience, see the reference architecture documentation. - Review the system requirements. - View the list of supported Linux operating systems. |
| Helm chart | A chart for installing a cloud-native version of GitLab and its components on Kubernetes. | Use if your infrastructure is on Kubernetes and you're familiar with how it works. Management, observability, and some concepts are different than traditional deployments. - Administration and troubleshooting requires Kubernetes knowledge. - It can be more expensive for smaller installations. The default installation requires more resources than a single node Linux package deployment, because most services are deployed in a redundant fashion. |
| GitLab Operator | An installation and management method that follows the Kubernetes Operator pattern for installing a cloud-native version of GitLab and its components in Kubernetes. | Use if your infrastructure is on Kubernetes or OpenShift and you're familiar with how Operators work. Provides additional functionality beyond the Helm chart installation method, including automation of the GitLab upgrade steps. - The considerations for the Helm chart also apply here. - Consider the Helm chart instead if you are limited by the GitLab Operator's known issues. |
| Docker | The GitLab packages in a Docker container. | Use if you're familiar with Docker. |
| Source | GitLab and its components from scratch. | Use if none of the previous methods are available for your platform. Can use for unsupported systems like *BSD. |
| GitLab Environment Toolkit (GET) | A set of opinionated Terraform and Ansible scripts. | Use to deploy a reference architecture on selected major cloud providers. Has some limitations and manual setup for production environments. |
Unsupported Linux distributions and Unix-like operating systems
- Arch Linux
- Fedora
- FreeBSD
- Gentoo
- macOS
Installation of GitLab on these operating systems is possible, but not supported. See the installation guides for more information.
See OS versions that are no longer supported for a list of supported and unsupported OS versions for Linux package installations as well as the last support GitLab version for that OS.
Microsoft Windows
GitLab is developed for Linux-based operating systems. It does not run on Microsoft Windows, and we have no plans to support it in the near future. For the latest development status, view this issue. Consider using a virtual machine to run GitLab.