This README provides instructions for setting up a self-hosted GitLab instance using Docker Compose.

• Docker and Docker Compose installed on your system
• Basic understanding of Docker containers
• Sufficient system resources (recommended: 4+ CPU cores, 8+ GB RAM, 50+ GB storage)
• A server or machine with ports 8929, 443, and 2424 available

1. Create a directory for your GitLab installation:

mkdir -p ~/gitlab
cd ~/gitlab

2. Create a .env file to define the GitLab home directory:

echo "GITLAB_HOME=$(pwd)" > .env

3. Create a docker-compose.yml file with the following content:

services:
  gitlab:
    image: gitlab/gitlab-ee:16.11.0-ee.0
    container_name: gitlab
    restart: always
    hostname: 'gitlab.example.com'
    environment:
      GITLAB_OMNIBUS_CONFIG: |
        external_url 'http://gitlab.example.com:8929'
        gitlab_rails['gitlab_shell_ssh_port'] = 2424
    ports:
      - '8929:8929'
      - '443:443'
      - '2424:22'
    volumes:
      - '$GITLAB_HOME/config:/etc/gitlab'
      - '$GITLAB_HOME/logs:/var/log/gitlab'
      - '$GITLAB_HOME/data:/var/opt/gitlab'
    shm_size: '256m'

• Image: Using GitLab Enterprise Edition version 16.11.0-ee.0
• Hostname: Set to gitlab.example.com (change as needed)
• External URL: Set to http://gitlab.example.com:8929 (change as needed)
• Ports:
  • Web UI: 8929
  • HTTPS: 443
  • SSH: 2424 (mapped to internal port 22)
• Volumes:
  • Configuration files: $GITLAB_HOME/config
  • Log files: $GITLAB_HOME/logs
  • Data: $GITLAB_HOME/data
• Shared memory: Set to 256MB

1. Launch GitLab with Docker Compose:

docker-compose up -d

2. Monitor the startup process:

docker-compose logs -f

GitLab may take a few minutes to fully initialize on the first run.

1. Once GitLab is running, access it in your browser at:

   • http://gitlab.example.com:8929 (if hostname is configured in your DNS or hosts file)
   • http://localhost:8929 (if running locally)

2. For the first login, use the username root and the automatically generated password. You can retrieve the initial root password with:

docker exec -it gitlab grep 'Password:' /etc/gitlab/initial_root_password

Note: This initial password is valid for 24 hours after installation. Make sure to change it immediately after your first login.

For a production environment, you should:

1. Replace gitlab.example.com with your actual domain in the docker-compose.yml file
2. Configure DNS settings to point your domain to the server's IP address
3. Consider setting up HTTPS with Let's Encrypt or your own certificates

GitLab's SSH functionality is available on port 2424. To use Git over SSH, you'll need to specify the port:

git clone ssh://git@gitlab.example.com:2424/username/project.git

GitLab automatically creates backups. To create a manual backup:

docker exec -it gitlab gitlab-backup create

Backups are stored in /var/opt/gitlab/backups inside the container, which is mapped to $GITLAB_HOME/data/backups on your host.

To update GitLab to a newer version:

1. Update the image version in your docker-compose.yml
2. Pull the new image and restart:

docker-compose down
docker-compose pull
docker-compose up -d

• Container fails to start: Check logs with docker-compose logs gitlab
• Cannot access web UI: Verify port mappings with docker-compose ps
• Performance issues: The default shm_size of 256MB might be insufficient for larger installations; increase as needed
• Email not working: Configure SMTP settings in the GitLab configuration

• GitLab Docker Documentation
• GitLab Configuration Documentation
• Docker Compose Documentation

GitLab EE is licensed under the GitLab Enterprise Edition License.