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Share your thoughts to shape the industry.",[676],"Suri Patel","2019-01-23","\n\nAs software professionals, you are the creators, builders, researchers, and\nproblem solvers of technology, and your opinions should be the pulse of the\nindustry. We passionately believe that [everyone can contribute](/company/mission/#mission),\nso we created the Global Developer Survey as a way to help you influence the way\nyou, your team, and your managers code, test, and deploy. By voicing your\nthoughts in the Developer Survey, you can shape a solution-focused approach\nto industry-wide challenges. We hope that, together, we can drive industry\ndialogue around the needs of today’s software professionals, sparking a movement\nto remove roadblocks and focus on helping teams thrive.\n\nWe'll examine the findings from the Developer Survey and provide a summary and\nanalysis in the Developer Report, which will be published in May.\nThis comprehensive report dissects cross-functional relationships and offers insights\ninto successful practices, problem areas, and potential solutions. In our\n[previous reports](/developer-survey/), we explored what teams need in order to\ndo their best work. This year, we want to uncover what software professionals\nneed in order to rapidly innovate. Whether you need more accurate estimates on\nplanning features, a decrease in development process delays, or early detection\nof security vulnerabilities, we want to identify your needs. Learn more and [share on Twitter](https://twitter.com/gitlab/status/1088116356405518343).\n\n## How the survey works\n\nThe survey takes less than 20 minutes to complete and includes\napproximately 45 questions. The survey is anonymous, and the data and results\nwill be reviewed in aggregate. We’re covering a large range of topics this year,\nincluding delays in the development lifecycle, planning features, and security analysis.\n\nTo ensure that the Developer Survey asks the right questions to elicit strong\nfindings, the UX research team collaborated on the survey, and we tested the\nquestions with the GitLab engineering team to gather feedback and suggestions\nfor improvement.\n\nThe survey is open to anyone involved in software engineering – from developers\nand engineers and security professionals to DevOps managers and IT executives.\nIf you're involved in software engineering, we'd love to hear your thoughts!\n\n## Swag and iPad Pro giveaway\n\nWe’re so grateful that you’re partnering with us to learn about the industry,\nso we’re giving away five GitLab messenger bags and one iPad Pro! Each week, we’ll\nrandomly select one respondent to receive a messenger bag. To enter to win the\niPad Pro, please take the survey, share the survey on social, and send a link to your\npublic post to giveaways@gitlab.com. We’ll randomly select a winner when the\nsurvey closes. Good luck! We hope you win. 😃\n\n## Frequently asked questions\n\n**What is the Global Developer Survey?**\n\nThe Developer Survey is an anonymous questionnaire that gathers insights from software\nprofessionals to reflect the growing needs and viewpoints of the industry.\n\n**What is the Global Developer Report?**\n\nThe Global Developer Report is a summary and analysis of the findings gathered in\nthe Developer Survey. It dissects cross-functional relationships and offers\ninsights into successful practices, problem areas, and potential solutions.\n\n**What is GitLab’s role?**\n\nWhile the Developer Report is published by GitLab, it’s not about GitLab. As\nsoftware professionals, your words have the power to shape the industry, inform\nleadership, and set trends, and your thoughts drive the survey. GitLab only\nwants to help you amplify your voices. \n\n**When does the survey open/close?**\n\nThe survey [opened on Jan. 23](https://twitter.com/gitlab/status/1088116356405518343) at 8am PT and closes on Feb. 27 at 11:59pm PT.\n\n**How do I win a prize?**\n\nTo enter to win a messenger bag, please complete the survey and enter your email address.\nTo enter to win the iPad Pro, please take the survey and enter your email address, share\nthe survey on social, and send a link to your public post to giveaways@gitlab.com.\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"true\" /}\n\n\u003Ci class=\"fab fa-gitlab\" style=\"font-size:.85em\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u003C/i>  \n[Take the survey](https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KY2WBCK)\n  \u003Ci class=\"fab fa-gitlab\" style=\"font-size:.85em\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u003C/i>\n{: .alert .alert-webcast}\n\n*You must complete the survey and provide an email address to be eligible to\nwin a prize. Your privacy is important to us, so email addresses will only be used for the\ngiveaway draw and will not be saved.* [Please read the official sweepstake\nrules here.](https://about.gitlab.com/community/sweepstakes/2019-developer-survey.index.html)\n{: .note}\n","insights",[681,682,9],"developer survey","DevOps",{"slug":684,"featured":6,"template":685},"2019-developer-survey-announcement","BlogPost","content:en-us:blog:2019-developer-survey-announcement.yml","2019 Developer Survey Announcement","en-us/blog/2019-developer-survey-announcement.yml","en-us/blog/2019-developer-survey-announcement",{"_path":691,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":692,"content":698,"config":707,"_id":709,"_type":13,"title":710,"_source":15,"_file":711,"_stem":712,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/2019-year-in-review",{"title":693,"description":694,"ogTitle":693,"ogDescription":694,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":695,"ogUrl":696,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":696,"schema":697},"Highlights from 2019","2019 was a big year for GitLab! We look back on our achievements and growth from the past year.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749665651/Blog/Hero%20Images/gitlab-holiday-2019-blog-cover.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/2019-year-in-review","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Highlights from 2019\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Sara Kassabian\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2020-01-09\",\n      }",{"title":693,"description":694,"authors":699,"heroImage":695,"date":701,"body":702,"category":703,"tags":704},[700],"Sara Kassabian","2020-01-09","\n\nAt GitLab, we’re going into 2020 with big energy. 🙌 Take a look at the 2019 milestones that laid a solid foundation for the company as we gear up for our IPO, planned for November 2020.\n\nIn 2019, our company more than doubled in size as we hired more talented folks, many of whom helped us move our product closer to being a true [multicloud solution](/topics/multicloud/). But the core of GitLab is our open source community, and in 2019 our community made plenty of valuable contributions in merge requests, feature fixes, and security checks! Explore some of the 2019 highlights for the GitLab product, community, and company.\n\n- [Product highlights](#product)\n- [Community highlights](#community)\n- [Company highlights](#company)\n\n\n## Product\n\nWe introduced many exciting new features to help our GitLab product better serve the needs of our users.\n\n### Multi-level child epics make project management a breeze\n\nBefore our 11.7 release, epics were limited to a two-level structure, but [in 11.7 we introduced multi-level child epics](/releases/2019/01/22/gitlab-11-7-released/#multi-level-child-epics), so you can now have an ancestor epic that contains up to five levels of child epics, as well as issues. This feature allows longer-term work strategies to be defined in ancestor epics, with strategy and deliverables being articulated in the lower tiers.\n\n\n\n### Auto-renew certs using Let’s Encrypt\n\nOne of our most highly-requested features was the introduction of a custom domain in GitLab pages [that automates HTTPS certificate renewals.](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-foss/issues/28996) We delivered in 12.1 by integrating with Let’s Encrypt to transition this process from being manual to automated.\n\n### Totally buggin’: Track errors using Sentry\n\nUsing Sentry, our users can get more visibility into their entire stack, making it faster and easier to identify and remediate bugs in your code. [Read this blog post to dive deeper into how our integration with Sentry works](/blog/sentry-integration-blog-post/) or watch the video below.\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n  \u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/KUHk1uuXWhA\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\u003C/figure>\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\n### Accelerate delivery using scoped labels\n\n[We created the scoped labels in 11.10](/blog/issue-labels-can-now-be-scoped/), making it simpler for users to customize workflows and accelerate delivery.\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"false\" /}\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"center\">\n\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Great news, friends! Issue labels can now be scoped 😍\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>Scoped Labels make it possible for teams to define a basic custom field that avoids confusion and cleans up issue lists ✔️\u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/U2T9BBIgBs\">https://t.co/U2T9BBIgBs\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— GitLab (@gitlab) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/gitlab/status/1141782522013134848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 20, 2019\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote> \u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003C/div>\n\nWatch the video below to see two use cases for scoped labels.\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n  \u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/4BCBby6du3c\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\u003C/figure>\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\n### Merge trains keep your pipeline running\n\nBroken master is a developer’s worst enemy. We want our users to keep their pipelines moving, which is [why we created merge trains to keep your pipelines in the green](/blog/how-to-avoid-broken-master-with-pipelines-for-merge-requests/).\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"false\" /}\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"center\">\n\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">GitLab 12.1 released with Parallel Merge Trains, Merge Requests for Confidential Issues, Automated Let’s Encrypt certificates for GitLab Pages and much more! Enjoy! 🎉🙌🚀\u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/oRp7YF9mmo\">https://t.co/oRp7YF9mmo\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— GitLab (@gitlab) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/gitlab/status/1153319179266809857?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 22, 2019\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote> \u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003C/div>\n\n### CE and EE are in a single codebase\n\nIn August, [we officially migrated GitLab CE and GitLab EE to a single codebase](/blog/a-single-codebase-for-gitlab-community-and-enterprise-edition/). Keeping CE and EE in their own repositories made the development process more complex than was necessary, and by moving to a single codebase we simplified a problem that was becoming more complicated over time. A migration of this size wasn’t a simple process. [Our blog post dives into more detail about how we managed the migration](/blog/a-single-codebase-for-gitlab-community-and-enterprise-edition/).\n\n### Multicloud: This is the way\n\n#### Create and deploy to an EKS cluster\n\nGitLab is designed to be cloud-agnostic and in the spirit of multicloud, [we added an EKS integration to 12.5](/releases/2019/11/22/gitlab-12-5-released/#easily-create-and-deploy-to-an-eks-cluster). Now, users can create and deploy an EKS cluster by selecting the EKS option on the GitLab clusters page rather than having to build the integration from scratch. Watch the demo below to see how it works, or [read our documentation page](/releases/2019/11/22/gitlab-12-5-released/#easily-create-and-deploy-to-an-eks-cluster).\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n  \u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/DGvPEJUnXME\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\u003C/figure>\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\n#### Deploy to any cloud with GitLab CI/CD\n\nLearn more about how [GitLab CI/CD makes it possible to work with any cloud provider](/blog/gitlab-ci-cd-is-for-multi-cloud/). Study our [Guide to the Cloud](/resources/guide-to-the-cloud/) to become an expert in this topic.\n\nOther notable accomplishments include:\n\n*   [How our delivery team used the “boring solution” to migrate GitLab.com to CI/CD](/blog/gitlab-journey-to-cicd/).\n*   The introduction of [instance-level Kubernetes](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/instance/clusters/).\n*   [DAG pipelines](/releases/2019/08/22/gitlab-12-2-released/#directed-acyclic-graphs-dag-for-gitlab-pipelines), which allow certain jobs to be completed in a non-consecutive order between stages.\n\n## Community\n\nIn 2019, GitLab benefitted from a highly engaged and collaborative community of contributors.\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"false\" /}\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"center\">\n\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">While GitLab the company is growing quickly, we also have over 2500 contributors to GitLab from the wider community. \u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>Those contributors are providing over 200 contributions per month 💥\u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/GitLabCommit?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#GitLabCommit\u003C/a> \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/qrSCCAKtpE\">pic.twitter.com/qrSCCAKtpE\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— GitLab (@gitlab) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/gitlab/status/1181889359492108295?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 9, 2019\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote> \u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003C/div>\n\n### Code contributions soared\n\nIn 2018, we had 447 code contributors create 1,608 merge requests. [Our numbers nearly doubled in 2019](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/www-gitlab-com/issues/6075#note_262597822) with an astounding 861 code contributors creating 2,437 merge requests (as of Dec. 18 2019). This marks more than 50% year-over-year growth in merged MRs for the wider community. We can’t wait to see what you folks have in store for us in 2020!\n\n## One million merge requests\n\nIn March 2019, our community broke more records by [submitting one million merge requests to GitLab.com](/blog/1-mil-merge-requests/) in a month. In fact, the number of new MRs per active user increased by 40% year-over-year (May 2019 vs. May 2018).\n\nThe majority of these contributions were part of private projects on GitLab.com, indicating there is the potential for _even more growth_ in the New Year if our contributors resolve to submit to some of our public projects too.\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"false\" /}\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"center\">\n\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/C4mACZpLWf\">https://t.co/C4mACZpLWf\u003C/a> received a record 1 million merge requests in March 2019 😱\u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/Ii57tcSbq1\">https://t.co/Ii57tcSbq1\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— GitLab (@gitlab) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/gitlab/status/1136714388914757633?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 6, 2019\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote> \u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003C/div>\n\n### Our bug bounty program goes public\n\nOur bug bounty program launched in 2017 but was limited to the top 10% of HackerOne contributors. But in 2019, we elected to accelerate our efforts by making the program public – and our community did not disappoint! In the first seven weeks of our program, 42% of all reporters were first-time contributors and 64% of all of the reports we received came from folks new to the GitLab program.\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"false\" /}\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"center\">\n\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">"We’re proud to see the benefits and value being generated by our bug bounty program and specifically our reporter community."\u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/gitlab?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@GitLab\u003C/a> shares where their team is succeeding and focusing on improvement after moving to a public program. Fantastic job!\u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/iZ7rYqKmmq\">https://t.co/iZ7rYqKmmq\u003C/a> \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/7WcrPWIMbQ\">pic.twitter.com/7WcrPWIMbQ\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— HackerOne (@Hacker0x01) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/Hacker0x01/status/1154159537596899329?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 24, 2019\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote> \u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003C/div>\n\nThank you to all of our reporters who helped make our product and platform even more secure.\n\n## Company\n\nJust like any start-up, GitLab came from humble beginnings, but in 2019 we’ve had more and more organizations adopt our tool as their all-in-one DevOps solution, and our team, funding, and corporate events have grown to accommodate the demand.\n\n### GitLab valued at $2.75 billion\n\nOur plans for a 2020 IPO are off to a roaring start! 🚀 In less than a year, we’ve more than doubled our company’s valuation from $1.1 billion in 2018 to $2.75 billion in 2019, after raising $268 million in September 2019. The money comes from existing funders such as Goldman Sachs as well as nine investors that are brand new to GitLab.\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"false\" /}\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"center\">\n\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">GitLab (YC W15) hauls in $268M Series E on 2.75B valuation. Congrats to the GitLab team! \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/8tfxnfu3YN\">https://t.co/8tfxnfu3YN\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— Y Combinator (@ycombinator) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/ycombinator/status/1173998823850545157?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 17, 2019\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote> \u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003C/div>\n\nWe’ll be reinvesting all of that money into making our DevOps platform the best in its class, bolstering its monitoring, security, and planning capabilities.\n\n### We’re (always) hiring!\n\nSince the company launched in 2015, our headcount has more than doubled each year. At the end of January 2019, we had roughly 452 team members at GitLab but as of Jan. 9, 2020 we've grown to 1,137 team members and counting.\n\n\u003Cembed width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\" src=\"\u003C%= signed_periscope_url(chart: 6551186, dashboard: 503779, embed: 'v2') %>\">\n\nThe chart embedded above provides an interactive look at the growth of our company.\n\nExplosive growth in team members is exciting, but when it comes time to organize GitLab Contribute, our annual event for team members and the wider GitLab community, there simply is no cookie cutter solution for accommodating more than a thousand people. Learn more about [how our corporate events team has mastered the persistent challenge of scale](/blog/how-we-scaled-our-summits/) when planning GitLab Contribute.\n\n### GitLab heads down to the bayou\n\nSpeaking of Contribute... in May 2019, more than 500 GitLab team members met in New Orleans for our yearly summit. In between bites of beignets, our [GitLab team managed to meet, mingle, and ship lots of code](/blog/contribute-wrap-up/). If you missed us in NOLA, [catch us in Prague in 2020](/events/gitlab-contribute/).\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n  \u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/xdtPNXtkBhE\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\u003C/figure>\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\nVideo directed and produced by [Aricka Flowers](/company/team/#arickaflowers)\n{: .note}\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"false\" /}\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"center\">\n\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Just arrived at \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/gitlab?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@gitlab\u003C/a> \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/Contribute?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Contribute\u003C/a>! Everything is so amazing the energy is palpable. Thankful to the Contribute Team for all their hard work. Onwards to dinner and debriefing with ma peeps now! \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/NOLA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#NOLA\u003C/a> \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/NmQ1PtLdkl\">pic.twitter.com/NmQ1PtLdkl\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— Priyanka Sharma (@pritianka) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/pritianka/status/1126243914762027008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 8, 2019\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote> \u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003C/div>\n\n### The future of DevOps starts here\n\nThe best way to get a bird’s eye view into operations and decision-making at a rapidly growing company is to start from the highest point. GitLab pioneered a [new CEO shadow program](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/ceo/shadow/) designed to help current and future leaders of GitLab get a comprehensive overview of how our organization operates. The task of a CEO shadow is simple: Join GitLab CEO [Sid Sijbrandij](/company/team/#sytses) at his home office in San Francisco and follow him to relevant meetings (digitally and IRL).\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"false\" /}\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"center\">\n\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">It's been an incredible experience getting to \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/contribute?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#contribute\u003C/a> to \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/gitlab?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@gitlab\u003C/a>! I ❤️ the story my graph tells. Now, which should I be most proud of: \u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>1. Becoming an intermediate-level Git user\u003Cbr>2. Participating in the CEO Shadow Program\u003Cbr>3. Taking 5 wks of vacation last year (clear winner) \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/hN7kcxEHay\">pic.twitter.com/hN7kcxEHay\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— Erica Lindberg (@EricaLindberg_) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/EricaLindberg_/status/1125885748878536705?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 7, 2019\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote> \u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003C/div>\n\n[Erica Lindberg](/company/team/index.html#Lindberg), Global Content Manager, kicked off the CEO shadow program back in April 2019, but since then we’ve had a rotating schedule of CEO shadows that can drop in and drop out with ease and efficiency. [Get an inside look at the life of a CEO shadow by reading Erica's blog post](https://medium.com/gitlab-magazine/acquisitions-growth-curves-and-ipo-strategies-a-day-at-khosla-ventures-2762eb02c83a) and [learn more about the logistics and enrollment criteria](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/ceo/shadow/#expenses-travel-and-lodging).\n\n### GitLab launches Commit, our first user conference\n\n🥳 Contribute is for our team members and community but [GitLab Commit](/events/commit/) is all about our users. We kicked off Commit in London and Brooklyn, inviting GitLab users to join us for a day of DevOps inspiration and learning.\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"false\" /}\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"center\">\n\n\u003C!-- first tweet -->\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Hot take: Auto \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/DevOps?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#DevOps\u003C/a> cures shell script madness. And \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/GitOps?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#GitOps\u003C/a> is just another way to say git is the source of truth. Wisdom from \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/digitalocean?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@digitalocean\u003C/a> Developer Relations Mgr. \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/eddiezane?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@eddiezane\u003C/a> & \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/NMFinancial?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@NMFinancial\u003C/a> Senior Engineers Kyle Persohn, & Sean Corkum \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/gitlab?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@gitlab\u003C/a> Commit. \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/4YI5WvMRzD\">pic.twitter.com/4YI5WvMRzD\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— The New Stack (@thenewstack) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/thenewstack/status/1174035665803186176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 17, 2019\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote> \u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003C!-- second tweet -->\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I started speaking at conferences 11 years ago, and that's the time I had to wait for an opportunity to present my first talk in English. Thanks \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/gitlab?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@gitlab\u003C/a> for having me at \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/GitLabCommit?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#GitLabCommit\u003C/a> last week, for amazing days in London. So much learning, new friends and good memories. \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/OOchLmelpe\">pic.twitter.com/OOchLmelpe\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— Mario García (@mariogmd) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/mariogmd/status/1183450205280186368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 13, 2019\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote> \u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003C!-- third tweet -->\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">And that’s a wrap! Thank you, London for an amazing time at \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/GitLabCommit?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#GitLabCommit\u003C/a>. We loved hosting our European \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/gitlab?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@gitlab\u003C/a> conference with you. Can’t wait to visit again and bring back some GitLab love to the land of the Brits 💜🇬🇧🧡 \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/XLZiB2Dgm1\">pic.twitter.com/XLZiB2Dgm1\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— Priyanka Sharma (@pritianka) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/pritianka/status/1182254193324806151?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 10, 2019\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote> \u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003C/div>\n\nJoin us in San Francisco on January 14 for our first Commit event of 2020.\n\nThank you to all the folks that contributed to making 2019 such a smashing success and cheers to what’s in store for 2020!\n\nAlso, thank you to Social Marketing Manager [Wil Spillane](/company/team/#wspillane) for helping source the social media posts featured in this blog post.\n\n\n","news",[705,9,706],"features","inside GitLab",{"slug":708,"featured":6,"template":685},"2019-year-in-review","content:en-us:blog:2019-year-in-review.yml","2019 Year In Review","en-us/blog/2019-year-in-review.yml","en-us/blog/2019-year-in-review",{"_path":714,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":715,"content":721,"config":728,"_id":730,"_type":13,"title":731,"_source":15,"_file":732,"_stem":733,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/3-debugging-tips-we-learned-from-you",{"title":716,"description":717,"ogTitle":716,"ogDescription":717,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":718,"ogUrl":719,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":719,"schema":720},"3 Debugging tips we learned from you","We asked for your most unexpected causes of bugs. Here's what we learned.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749663397/Blog/Hero%20Images/logoforblogpost.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/3-debugging-tips-we-learned-from-you","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"3 Debugging tips we learned from you\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Rebecca Dodd\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2021-03-31\",\n      }",{"title":716,"description":717,"authors":722,"heroImage":718,"date":724,"body":725,"category":726,"tags":727},[723],"Rebecca Dodd","2021-03-31","\n\nInfuriating, facepalm-inducing, but with an intensely satisfying payoff when (if!) you figure them out, bugs are an unavoidable part of being a developer.\n\n![Programmer debugging meme](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/debugging.png){: .medium.center}\n\u003C!-- image: https://www.reddit.com/r/ProgrammerHumor/comments/m2wy7v/20_goto_10/-->\n\nWhen senior developer evangelist [Brendan O'Leary](/company/team/#brendan) shared with us this amusing [story about a \"bug\" he solved](https://boleary.dev/blog/2021-01-27-the-purse-caper-debugging-can-be-hard.html) in a previous role, we knew we had to ask you about your most elusive bugs. Now we're sharing some of the best bug stories with you, along with some lessons.\n\nBrendan's example was in fact not a bug at all, but actually the result of an employee resting their purse on the keyboard. This is the first lesson: \n\n## Debugging tip 1: It might not be a bug at all\n\nA surprising number of \"bugs\" actually have nothing to do with code. One of the first principles of debugging is to reproduce the bug to get started. If you can't do that, it could be a sign that, er, human factors are at play. Consider this example from [@MrSimonEmms](https://twitter.com/MrSimonEmms) on Twitter:\n\n> I once spent an entire day chasing down an error because I put a backtick in – originally, I thought it was a piece of dirt on my screen.\n(This was 15+ years ago and the stacktrace wasn't even erroring in the correct file)\n\nIn fact, when we asked for your stories, [user errors](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_error) came up _a lot_:\n\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">customer reporting that the new software was not printing the letterhead. The letterhead is fed in from a different tray in the printer. The letterhead tray was empty.\u003C/p>— My dad calls me brucellosis. (@brucelowther) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/brucelowther/status/1366332712932569094?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 1, 2021\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote> \u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">During internship a long time ago. Everyone got paged, servers down!!! We rush to the office (yea, they hat the servers in the office) and found the cleaning lady needed a power plug while vacuuming the server room 😅 (true story)\u003C/p>— Bart 全部技術 (@ZenbuTech) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/ZenbuTech/status/1367826235951378434?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 5, 2021\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote> \u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">An employee who complained that the web app often wanted a fresh login during work. Searched and debugged nearly everything until we found out that this employee let other people work with their pc and cleaned the browser cache afterwards but wasn't aware that this reset the app.\u003C/p>— Bernhard Rausch (@rauschbit) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/rauschbit/status/1366499562295287813?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 1, 2021\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote> \u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\nAs Brendan noted in [his story](https://boleary.dev/blog/2021-01-27-the-purse-caper-debugging-can-be-hard.html), \"The lesson is that as humans interact with systems – or as systems become complex enough to take actions on their own – they will make mistakes. And while you can't possibly anticipate every one of those mistakes from the onset, when you encounter one, you can work on making sure you have observability at every level so you can see it when it happens.\"\n\n## Debugging tip 2: Get the receipts\n\n[This comment](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:ugcPost:6770791699489796096?commentUrn=urn%3Ali%3Acomment%3A%28ugcPost%3A6770791699489796096%2C6773896843345580033%29) perfectly demonstrates why it's critical to require details such as Screen IDs when users or customers submit bug reports.\n\n![LinkedIn comment: \"a customer sharing over and over again the same old screenshot claiming that the bug still exists ... That's why all screens have now a small screenID and Version number that is required when screen-shotting issues and bugs!\"](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/screenshot-2021-03-30-at-12.28.25.png \"LinkedIn comment\"){: .shadow}\n\n## Debugging tip 3: Computers do what you tell them to\n\nWe asked you for examples of your most unexpected culprit when debugging.\n\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\u003Cp lang=\"und\" dir=\"ltr\">Me 🤣\u003C/p>— Steven เด็กน้อย (@TweetsByBooth) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/TweetsByBooth/status/1367859314728255490?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 5, 2021\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote> \u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\nWe appreciate the above commenter's self awareness, which brings us to our next lesson...\n\nThe code always does exactly what you tell it to – you just might be asking it to do something different from what you really meant. To get to the bottom of things, ask yourself what you expected the code to do versus what it actually did, and from there you'll usually find the answer staring you in the face.\n\n## Debugging tip 4: When in doubt, investigate the usual suspects\n\n[Occam's Razor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occam%27s_razor) is your friend. It's often useful to rule out the obvious before you get too deep in debugging. Of course, no post about debugging would be complete without an off-by-one error, so we couldn't resist sneaking it into the title of this post (see what we did there? 😉)\n\nYour own codebase will no doubt have its usual suspects, as the interaction below demonstrates, so those are a good place to start.\n\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">DNS, it's always DNS!\u003C/p>— cronopio (@cronopio2) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/cronopio2/status/1367827879309025284?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 5, 2021\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote> \u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">If not, is definitely SELinux\u003C/p>— Łukasz Korbasiewicz (@korbasiewicz) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/korbasiewicz/status/1367861966446944258?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 5, 2021\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote> \u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\nWhether bugs drive you to distraction or you enjoy the challenge (probably both?), we want to hear about yours! Share in the comments below or tweet us [@GitLab](https://twitter.com/gitlab/).\n\nThumbnail photo by [Andrew Wulf](https://unsplash.com/@andreuuuw?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/s/photos/rubber-duck?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText)\n{: .note}\n","engineering",[9],{"slug":729,"featured":6,"template":685},"3-debugging-tips-we-learned-from-you","content:en-us:blog:3-debugging-tips-we-learned-from-you.yml","3 Debugging Tips We Learned From You","en-us/blog/3-debugging-tips-we-learned-from-you.yml","en-us/blog/3-debugging-tips-we-learned-from-you",{"_path":735,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":736,"content":742,"config":751,"_id":753,"_type":13,"title":754,"_source":15,"_file":755,"_stem":756,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/3000-contributors-post",{"title":737,"description":738,"ogTitle":737,"ogDescription":738,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":739,"ogUrl":740,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":740,"schema":741},"Celebrating 3,000 wider community contributors","We've reached an important contributor milestone and added two new members to the Core Team.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749678450/Blog/Hero%20Images/blog-header-3000-contributors.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/3000-contributors-post","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Celebrating 3,000 wider community contributors\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Ray Paik\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2020-06-23\",\n      }",{"title":737,"description":738,"authors":743,"heroImage":739,"date":745,"body":746,"category":747,"tags":748},[744],"Ray Paik","2020-06-23","\nLike many open source projects, we have a [community dashboard](https://contributors.gitlab.com) at GitLab and one of the metrics that a few of us were occasionally checking on was the number of **Contributors**. This is the number of wider community members who had merge requests (MRs) merged with the `Community contribution` label across all projects at GitLab. There were some virtual high fives a few weeks ago when the number crossed the 3,000 threshold. There is probably a tendency to place oversized importance on nice round numbers, because if you really think about it the GitLab community wasn't any different at 2,999 vs. 3,000 contributors. However, it was a great occasion to celebrate the continued growth of the wider GitLab community.  \n\n![Community dashboard screenshot](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/3000-contributors/dashboard-screenshot.png){: .shadow.medium.center}\nCommunity dashboard screenshot from April 23, 2020\n{: .note.text-center}\n\nThe past few months have been a challenging time due to Covid-19, and there was talk in open source circles about the pandemic's potential impact on contributions to open source projects. As people were trying to sort out many new challenges in life, it was reasonable to expect that open source contributions might fall lower on the list of priorities. We actually did see a decline in wider community contributions during the last few weeks of March (125 MRs submitted) compared to the previous two weeks (143 MRs submitted). However, the GitLab community seemed to roar back relatively quickly, and the best evidence of that is from our most recent [Hackathon](/community/hackathon/) when my inbox got innundated with [240 MRs submitted](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/marketing/community-relations/contributor-program/hackathon/-/issues/35#merge-request-list) over two days. \n\nFirst and foremost, I'm very glad most of the wider community members are doing ok and adjusting to the strange new normal. Moreover, I am grateful that new people are continuing to join and helping to grow the GitLab community with their contributions and enthusiasm even during these challenging times. \n\nWhat all these contributors bring are not just MRs but more importantly valuable feeback and insight that help us improve our product and the community. Some of you may have seen our latest [2020 Global DevSecOps Survey results](/developer-survey/), and one figure that caught my attention was that more than 17% of the respondents actually contribute to GitLab. I hope to see that trend continue.\n\n## Exciting additions to the Core Team\n\nMany of you may already be familar with the [GitLab Core Team](/community/core-team/), but if not, Core Team members are community members who made sustained contribution to GitLab over the years and serve as representatives of the wider contributor community. In keeping with the growth in contributor numbers, I'm happy to report that we are also adding to the GitLab Core Team. \n\nFrom the wider community, I'm excited to introduce [Lee Tickett](https://gitlab.com/leetickett) as a new Core Team member. If you ever posted a question in the [Contributors room on Gitter](https://gitter.im/gitlab/contributors), Lee may have been one of the first to help with your question. Lee has also been very active with [code contributions](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/merge_requests?scope=all&utf8=%E2%9C%93&state=all&author_username=leetickett) and participating in [issues](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/issues?scope=all&utf8=%E2%9C%93&state=all&author_username=leetickett). Lee's contribution to GitLab as someone who's been using GitLab for his own company since 2017 has been extremely valuable. When Lee isn't working, contributing, sleeping or eating, you'll likely find him spending time with his family or kicking back in his home bar with some Pac-Man, a game of pool and an ice cold pint.\n\nThe Core Team also includes up to two GitLab team members, and I'm very happy to have [Natalia Tepluhina](/company/team/#ntepluhina) joining as the first female member in the history of the GitLab Core Team. If you submitted frontend related MRs, there's a good chance that Natalia [reviewed and merged your MRs](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/merge_requests?scope=all&utf8=%E2%9C%93&state=merged&label_name[]=Community%20contribution&assignee_username=ntepluhina). Natalia is also a Core Team member in the Vue.js community and brings a wealth of experience from other open source projects. If you want to meet Natalia in person, she is a frequent speaker at Vue.js events around the world and other Javascript conferences such as [JSHeroes](https://jsheroes.io/) and [JSNation](https://jsnation.com/). \n\n![Core Team pictures](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/3000-contributors/Core-team-pictures.png){: .shadow.medium.center}\nWelcome Lee and Natalia to the Core Team!\n{: .note.text-center}\n\n## Interested in learning how you can contribute?\n\nA good place to start is the [Contributing to GitLab page](/community/contribute/), where you can\nlearn how you can contribute to GitLab's code, documentation, translation, and UX design.\n\nIf you have any questions, you are always welcome to [email me](mailto:rpaik@gitlab.com).\n\n**Read more about our GitLab contributors:**\n\n[New tools make contributing to GitLab easier](/blog/13-0-contributor-experience-update/)\n\n[Community contributions in 2019](/blog/community-update-for-2019/)\n\n[What's a GitLab Hackathon _really_ like?](/blog/q4-hackathon-recap/)\n","open-source",[9,749,750],"open source","contributors",{"slug":752,"featured":6,"template":685},"3000-contributors-post","content:en-us:blog:3000-contributors-post.yml","3000 Contributors Post","en-us/blog/3000-contributors-post.yml","en-us/blog/3000-contributors-post",{"_path":758,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":759,"content":765,"config":773,"_id":775,"_type":13,"title":776,"_source":15,"_file":777,"_stem":778,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/5-problems-you-can-help-us-solve-right-now",{"title":760,"description":761,"ogTitle":760,"ogDescription":761,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":762,"ogUrl":763,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":763,"schema":764},"5 UX problems you can help us fix right now","“We spent 40 hours talking to 20 of you. Now we’ve got some issues we’d like your help on.”","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749682386/Blog/Hero%20Images/pexels-sevenstorm-juhaszimrus-704767.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/5-problems-you-can-help-us-solve-right-now","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"5 UX problems you can help us fix right now\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Ben Leduc-Mills\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2022-07-25\",\n      }",{"title":760,"description":761,"authors":766,"heroImage":762,"date":768,"body":769,"category":747,"tags":770},[767],"Ben Leduc-Mills","2022-07-25"," \n\nWe’ve all been there. You’re sailing along, being productive, and wham! Something inexplicably awful disrupts your workflow. You ask yourself, “How could _anyone_ think this was a good idea?” Maybe it’s a bug, slow performance, or bad design. One of the reasons we conduct [user experience research at GitLab](/handbook/product/ux/ux-research/) is to find these problems and report back to our teams so they can fix them. \n\n![Grumpy cat looking over computer](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/hhh13-tEMU4lzAL0w-unsplash__1_.jpg)\nWe've all been there\n{: .note.text-center}\n\nWith a product as rich and complex as GitLab, we find _a lot_ of problems. So many, in fact, we often can't fix them as fast as you find them. ([Although we do try!](/releases/2022/05/22/gitlab-15-0-released/#bug-fixes)) The great thing about GitLab is that [**everyone** can contribute](/company/mission/). This is the first in a new series of blog posts where the UX researchers at GitLab transform their findings into some great first contributions that community members can explore. \n\nWe recently spent 2 hours each with 20 people who use GitLab, going through specific tasks related to branch and merge request operations, and, predictably, we found plenty of things to work on (although this research focused on the code creation and review process) - you can check out the full report below:\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n\u003Ciframe style=\"border: 1px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1);\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https://www.figma.com/embed?embed_host=share&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.figma.com%2Fproto%2FmF555KKsf1m1UyyXbWxXu2%2FBenchmarking-Slides%3Fnode-id%3D943%253A12915%26scaling%3Dscale-down%26page-id%3D40%253A124%26starting-point-node-id%3D943%253A12915\" allowfullscreen>\u003C/iframe>\n\u003C/figure>\n\n\nWithout further ado, here are five issues we would **love** your contributions on:\n\n1. [Show more branches in the drop down menu while reverting a merge request.](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/358218) \n1. [Increase the discoverability of the insert suggestion feature.](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/368716) \n1. [Fix data loss when switching from inline to side-by-side view on MR creation page.](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/358217) \n1. [Show selected labels within the dropdown menu.](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/322945) \n1. [Improve clarity of text-only buttons -- Move 'mark as draft' onto new line](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/358437) \n\nWondering where to start? Check out [this blog post](/blog/first-time-open-source-contributor-5-things-to-get-you-started/) and [our development guide](/community/contribute/development/) and become an all-star contributor! \n\nNeed guidance or help? Feel free to leave a comment directly on one of the issues linked above, or find support in the \"get help\" section [in our contributing guide](/community/contribute/#getting-help).\n\nContributing to an open source project also brings a ton of proven benefits you might not expect:\n\n- Contributing is one of the most efficient ways to learn, as it is learning by doing and [being guided by merge request coaches](https://handbook.gitlab.com/job-families/expert/merge-request-coach/). Contributing has been proven time and time again to be the best form of learning!\n- Public exposure and explicit appreciation from the open source community, which helps build your public profile And show your expertise ... you never know when that resume might come in handy! 😊 \n- You're in for a treat: **first-time** contributors receive GitLab swag, **regular** contributors (5 MRs or more) are eligible for the [GitLab Heroes program](/community/heroes), and **top** contributors may be invited to join the [GitLab Core team](/community/core-team/).\n\nAnd not only is this beneficial for you, but also for your employer (if you are employed). Because you are growing and learning at a rapid speed from the best, you will get a faster turnaround time when integrating a feature into the platform since you know how the system works. You will get more value from the most precious resource in the universe, time 🕐. Take advantage of this experience today. We are convinced of the benefits and we hope you and/or your employer are too now. Let's aim for the moon together. 🚀 \n\n1,2,3...**let's go!**\n\nCover image by [SevenStorm JUHASZIMRUS](https://www.pexels.com/@sevenstormphotography/) on [Pexels](https://www.pexels.com/photo/123-let-s-go-imaginary-text-704767/)\n{: .note}\n",[750,9,749,771,772],"research","UX",{"slug":774,"featured":6,"template":685},"5-problems-you-can-help-us-solve-right-now","content:en-us:blog:5-problems-you-can-help-us-solve-right-now.yml","5 Problems You Can Help Us Solve Right Now","en-us/blog/5-problems-you-can-help-us-solve-right-now.yml","en-us/blog/5-problems-you-can-help-us-solve-right-now",{"_path":780,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":781,"content":787,"config":795,"_id":797,"_type":13,"title":798,"_source":15,"_file":799,"_stem":800,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/5-things-i-learned-during-my-30-day-internship-with-gitlab-s-data-team",{"title":782,"description":783,"ogTitle":782,"ogDescription":783,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":784,"ogUrl":785,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":785,"schema":786},"5 Things I Learned During My Summer Internship with GitLab's Data Team","Key lessons learned during my summer internship","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749666262/Blog/Hero%20Images/default-blog-image.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/5-things-i-learned-during-my-30-day-internship-with-gitlab-s-data-team","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"5 Things I Learned During My Summer Internship with GitLab's Data Team\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Eugenia Hannon\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-08-22\",\n      }",{"title":782,"description":783,"authors":788,"heroImage":784,"date":790,"body":791,"category":792,"tags":793},[789],"Eugenia Hannon","2019-08-22","\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"true\" /}\n\n\n\n```\nThat is the beginning of knowledge - the discovery of something we do not understand.\n-Leto Atreides II, God-Emperor of Dune\n```\n\n\n## 1. The IRL Mentor\n\n[Asynchronous communication](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/communication/) is the future; it simultaneously puts everyone on the same page and, in order to work well, requires everybody to be on the same page. This takes some time to get the hang of, since our present-day lives are, for the most part, synchronous. I live in the same city as my Internship Manager, [Emilie](https://gitlab.com/emilie), and I believe that was crucial to my success as an intern. Having Emilie as part of both my synchronous and asynchronous life helped me merge the two together in a way that allowed me to learn and do a lot during my short time at GitLab.\n\nBasically, if we understand that Tech has its own [language](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semiotics), having Emilie to mentor me in person was like spending time with a native-speaker. I was able to see how her tech skills are an integral part of the way she thinks, and she doesn’t waste time second-guessing herself. She also taught me that that is a learned skill--so often we assume folks are born-with-it, but Emilie took the time to illustrate how discipline is the foundation of confidence. Confidence takes time to cultivate asynchronistically, especially if you’re at all prone to Imposter Syndrome, so an IRL mentor like her served as a great example for me.\n\n## 2. Schedule, Schedule, Schedule!\n\nBeing a part of a remote workplace means you have to [schedule](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EjJ55BODn0) everything--especially social calls! I had some great [coffee chats](/company/culture/all-remote/tips/#coffee-chats) with folks from around the world, and it really helped me understand how GitLab works on a macro level. People > product, and productive people run on schedules. This isn’t something I was completely unaware of, but I knew it as well as I know I how to eat a balanced diet with plenty of fresh fruits and veggies (I don’t). It’s not a pattern I had ingrained in me beforehand, because I’ve either flexible work schedules or little-to-no follow-up on projects, so this was, again, something I had to [learn](https://boingboing.net/2015/05/11/the-only-technique-to-learn-so.html).\n\n## 3. Mistake-Making\n\nAs an intern, any [mistake](https://imgflip.com/memetemplate/152344231/Oops-All-Berries) I was capable of making didn’t have any negative ripple effects to any part of the Data Team, so I took that opportunity and ran with it. Throughout my mistake-making, it was reiterated that this was the foundation of learning, an essential part of being human and working with data, and that it didn’t reflect my actual skills or ability. The GitLab Data Team was such a solid team to learn with because they all understood the initial rush of adrenaline and shame that goes along with mistake-making, and they also carried the wisdom of folks who have made mistakes when the stakes were higher--not intern-level, but full-time. Having their support was not only very encouraging, but also helped to develop my mistake-making skills. I’d say I’m about [Bard level](https://screenrant.com/dungeons-dragons-dnd-classes-ranked-power/) in my own personal mistake-making RPG.\n\nThis is my major mistake-making takeaway: the language of tech is [polysemic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polysemy), and breaking down denotation versus connotation required a lot of me breaking things. I’ve spent a lot of time with semiotics and much less time with SQL queries, but I found a lot of the same rules apply. There’s generally something non-verbal that’s connoted with ideas that are literally denoted--typed, spoken, etc--and that connotation gets lost in the crosshairs of data. Data is deliberate, but language is inherently unstable, so miscommunication happens, and mistakes are a part of learning how to be a better data analyst. I will never get to a point where I won’t make mistakes--I’ll just be making new, different ones, perhaps less regularly, but they will always be a part of my life.\n\n## 4. Take a Break - The Work isn’t Going Anywhere\n\nThe danger of [burnout](/handbook/paid-time-off/#recognizing-burnout), especially with remote work, is [well documented](/blog/preventing-burnout/) at GitLab. Strong measures are taken to prevent burnout, since you could, in theory, work around the clock if you really wanted to (or felt like it was necessary). I got that in theory, sure, but when I had an ear infection that brought along weird vertigo-like symptoms during the first part of my internship, I felt incredibly guilty for taking days off. I remember shamefully telling Emilie I hadn’t made any progress because I wasn’t feeling well, and that I felt bad, or like I was slacking, or something, and then we had a [Luke-Yoda](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3-CpzZJl8w) moment I’ll never forget: _Please, don’t let that concern you. The work will be here when you’re ready._\n\nAh! That was such an important lesson that I’m sure I’ll be re-learning in various capacities for the rest of my life, but in that exact moment, it was a slack-jawed realization of the best kind. The work will be here when I’m ready! ‘Pushing through’ illness of any kind isn’t what the work is about, and, really, only makes you prone to fuzzy thinking and more mistakes. Even though time happens simultaneously in an asychronistic workplace doesn’t mean that you  have to happen simultaneously. We haven’t reached that [dimension](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y90xNI6DyY8) yet.\n\n## 5. Change: The Only Constant\n\nData is [alive](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuoKNZjr8_U). When you’re a data analyst, you need to cultivate an intimate relationship with your data. You have to care for it, tend to it, teach it, help it, develop it, watch it, play with it, get angry with it, love it. It might not always tell you what you want to hear, or do what you want it to do, but it always tells the truth. Just like people, no data set is perfect, and you have to work with it in order to get the information you want, or the task you want it to perform. GitLab is itself an agent of change, a tool for tracking changes and making improvements, pulsing with activity, always updating, alive. GitLab taught me that it’s all a process--beyond the literal beginnings and endings, life is just a series of commits to the Master Branch, so make your [README.mds](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/README) good, push, pull, and prosper.\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n  \u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/qy3MBVaGHz8\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\u003C/figure>\n\n","unfiltered",[794,9],"collaboration",{"slug":796,"featured":6,"template":685},"5-things-i-learned-during-my-30-day-internship-with-gitlab-s-data-team","content:en-us:blog:5-things-i-learned-during-my-30-day-internship-with-gitlab-s-data-team.yml","5 Things I Learned During My 30 Day Internship With Gitlab S Data Team","en-us/blog/5-things-i-learned-during-my-30-day-internship-with-gitlab-s-data-team.yml","en-us/blog/5-things-i-learned-during-my-30-day-internship-with-gitlab-s-data-team",{"_path":802,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":803,"content":809,"config":817,"_id":819,"_type":13,"title":820,"_source":15,"_file":821,"_stem":822,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/5-ways-to-bring-devops-to-your-campus",{"title":804,"description":805,"ogTitle":804,"ogDescription":805,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":806,"ogUrl":807,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":807,"schema":808},"5 ways to bring DevOps to your campus","Educators can give students a career advantage by collaborating with GitLab to bring DevOps lectures, tools, and community straight to the classroom.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749668161/Blog/Hero%20Images/armycyberschool.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/5-ways-to-bring-devops-to-your-campus","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"5 ways to bring DevOps to your campus\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"PJ Metz\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2022-01-11\",\n      }",{"title":804,"description":805,"authors":810,"heroImage":806,"date":812,"body":813,"category":814,"tags":815},[811],"PJ Metz","2022-01-11","\nOrganizations around the world and across industries are adopting the DevOps methodology where development and operations are blended to securely accelerate software delivery. As this approach becomes a mainstay of software development, companies will need skilled professionals to fill key DevOps roles. Yet, as with most technological change, educational opportunities often lag behind real-world applications.\n\nGitLab aims to change this and has developed five ways educators can bring DevOps instruction and our [DevOps Platform](/solutions/devops-platform/) to your campus, affording students, professors, researchers, and IT teams the unique opportunity to learn DevOps skills firsthand, including DevSecOps, and offering your graduates and organization a competitive advantage.\n\n**1. GitLab for Education program**\n\n[GitLab for Education](/solutions/education/) provides free licenses of Ultimate to educational and research institutions as long as it is used for teaching or nonprofit research purposes. If you’re going to use GitLab in a classroom and want your students to use it for their schoolwork, then this is the option for you. This is set up by a full-time employee of the university and is a full license with as many seats as you need. Our Ultimate license is everything that our major enterprise customers use to create their apps and now it’s available to university students across a variety of disciplines. Signing up is simple via our [join page](/solutions/education/join). This kicks off a process that takes a few weeks to complete and ends with a license that brings your classroom or research into the world of the DevOps Platform. Learn how GitLab for Education has benefited other institutions, including the [University of Washington](/customers/uw/), [Dublin City University](/customers/dublin-city-university/), and Heriot Watt University.\n\n**2. GitLab for Campuses**\n\nGitLab for Campuses lets your developers, IT professionals, and other employees working with the technical administration of your university have access to world-class DevOps tools. Rather than cobbling together multiple applications for a Do-It-Yourself DevOps solution, we can provide you access to our single DevOps platform at a discounted rate. [GitLab for Campuses](/solutions/education/) is an offering that covers a large swath of your user base. You would still be able to grant access to students on your campus to use GitLab just like you can with GitLab for Education, but you have the added benefit of The DevOps Platform being used for running your entire institution’s IT.\n\n**3. GitLab Guest Lecture**\n\nDevOps might be a brand-new consideration for your classroom; perhaps this is your first time hearing about it. GitLab’s education team is here to help you by providing a DevOps 101 guest lecture, which you can schedule for your class. We can have a lecture during one of your sections or set up a time for multiple sections of your class to come together and learn about what DevOps is and how to learn more. This type of industry information is invaluable for students looking to join a company right out of college. We’re not just talking about The DevOps Platform, but DevOps as an operational and cultural change in software development, as well as how DevOps implementations can be present in non-CS careers and companies. Let our team of former educators help guide your class into the exciting world of DevOps with a guest lecture. [Fill out this form](https://forms.gle/y2r5o83i8z6rfJPh8) to find out more about our Guest Lecture opportunities.\n\n**4. GitLab Student Contribution Workshop**\n\nContributing to open source is one of the best ways students can build skills, make connections, and add to their portfolio to showcase their abilities and work. Open source is everywhere in DevOps, especially at GitLab. Not only are several open source projects hosted on GitLab, GitLab itself is open core and [open for contributions](/community/contribute/).\n\nWe believe [everyone can Contribute](/company/mission/#mission), but we know that the first contribution can be daunting; students might not know where to start, how to create a merge request, or what the maintainers are looking for. Even basics like working locally and git commands might be a little confusing if students haven’t encountered them before. One way for students to  participate is through our hackathon. GitLab hosts a [hackathon](/community/hackathon/) once every three months with helpful issue tags and other ways to easily find places where we are looking for contributors to help build the future. Past hackathons have included swag prizes for every merge request that gets merged as well as a top-tier prize for the most contributions. Top contributors to GitLab are also eligible for our [Heroes program](/community/heroes/).\n\nBecause we believe so strongly in the power and importance of open source, we are offering a Contribution Workshop where a GitLab team member will walk students through some of the ways they can contribute to open source on GitLab. If your class, student organization, or large group of students wants to learn more about open source contributions, [contact us](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe8yQkCMjylb-9w3WZoz3tmN7hmhnrb2LRoXWJd6D5ncP_o6Q/viewform?usp=sf_link). We’ll take it from there and bring open source to your campus.\n\n**5. GitLab Student Organization Workshop**\n\nStudent organizations still remain one of the best ways to build community among future professionals and make connections that can be vital to a student’s career. Meeting others working or studying in the same field also promotes sharing of information and resources to create an environment that maximizes potential success for everyone. These organizations, like on-campus clubs, professional fraternities and sororities, and even professional organizations with student chapters, are a great way to start building your future with your peers. GitLab is looking to bring a small workshop to student organizations at your university where you’ll not only learn how to use GitLab and start using DevOps best practices, but you’ll also boost some coding skills by actually building with GitLab. We’ll be offering a workshop in Python or Node.js where we will learn to build either a Twitter bot or a Discord bot.\n\nBecause of the ever-evolving presence of Covid and travel complications, we can’t promise this workshop will be in person. As of right now, the safest way is to get together virtually. If you are a member of a student organization looking to give your members an opportunity to learn more about DevOps, GitLab, or a fun project to make a bot and level up some skills, then this is the workshop for you. [Sign up here](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSecpQ1tmFpAPeeT9rasWcAtaEF8nv62LEDsKyJEdJJbe5Z8RQ/viewform?usp=sf_link)\n\n\n","devsecops",[682,816,9],"careers",{"slug":818,"featured":6,"template":685},"5-ways-to-bring-devops-to-your-campus","content:en-us:blog:5-ways-to-bring-devops-to-your-campus.yml","5 Ways To Bring Devops To Your Campus","en-us/blog/5-ways-to-bring-devops-to-your-campus.yml","en-us/blog/5-ways-to-bring-devops-to-your-campus",{"_path":824,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":825,"content":831,"config":838,"_id":840,"_type":13,"title":841,"_source":15,"_file":842,"_stem":843,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/a-special-farewell-from-gitlab-dmitriy-zaporozhets",{"title":826,"description":827,"ogTitle":826,"ogDescription":827,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":828,"ogUrl":829,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":829,"schema":830},"A special farewell from GitLab’s Dmitriy Zaporozhets","A message from GitLab's co-founders","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749670031/Blog/Hero%20Images/siddz.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/a-special-farewell-from-gitlab-dmitriy-zaporozhets","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"A special farewell from GitLab’s Dmitriy Zaporozhets\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Sid Sijbrandij\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Dmitriy Zaporozhets\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2021-11-10\",\n      }",{"title":826,"description":827,"authors":832,"heroImage":828,"date":835,"body":836,"category":703,"tags":837},[833,834],"Sid Sijbrandij","Dmitriy Zaporozhets","2021-11-10","\n**Sid Sijbrandij**: Today, we shared the news with the team that my co-founder and the creator of GitLab the open source project, Dmitriy Zaporozhets, has made the decision to leave his position as Engineering Fellow at GitLab. Below, Dmitriy shares this news in his own words with the GitLab community.\n\n**Dmitriy Zaporozhets**: I remember when I told Sid, my co-founder and the CEO of GitLab, that I wanted to commit 10 years to GitLab from the time I started the project in October of 2011. It’s been an amazing journey over the last 10 years. And just last month, on October 14, 2021, I joined Sid at Nasdaq in New York City as GitLab became a public company. Today, I want to share with the GitLab community that I am stepping away from my position as an Engineering Fellow at GitLab Inc. I have fulfilled my 10 year vision, and I feel that I can step away with so much pride in what GitLab has become and so much faith in where GitLab is headed.\n\nBack in 2011, I was working as a software developer. I worked with version control everyday. There was no modern open source software to run on your server and I saw an opportunity to make something useful as a hobby project. I started the project with Valery Sizov, and I remember having coffee with him, discussing the challenges and improvements we wanted to make. It was such a great feeling to brainstorm something that we cared so deeply about. \n\nIn that first year, we grew a functional open source community around the project. I was quite surprised that so many people participated. That gave me energy and confidence to keep going with the project. Everytime someone contributed, I felt like I needed to put even more effort into it. \n\nIn 2012, I got an email from Sid, saying that he wanted to let me know that he started GitLab.com. I remember he said, “I hope you don’t mind.” The truth is, I was happy that he was interested in GitLab. I hoped that he would bring more users and potentially more contributors. I did not imagine we would end up joining together and making the project as popular as it has become. \n\nI came to work at GitLab full time in 2013. A team member recently asked me what my job title was when I started working at GitLab full time. The answer: it was Dmitriy. I didn’t have a formal title in the beginning. My first official title with the company was Chief Technology Officer. Quite a lot happened during that time. I wrote a lot of code, merged a lot of merge requests. I still have the highest number of commits in the main repository. I worked closely with the first front-end developer and the first UX designer, and we were building everything from scratch.\n\nBy October of 2018, the company grew to the size when the CTO couldn't write the code anymore. I transitioned into my role as Engineering Fellow and worked on several new features in the product. It was a time when building something was just as important as not breaking it. \n\nIt has been an amazing experience to be a part of GitLab’s evolution into [The DevOps Platform](/solutions/devops-platform/). From the simple source control software to the platform that helps you deliver better software faster. I am very glad to have been a part of GitLab’s growth and to be a part of building something that is so valuable to software development. \n\nIt was an honor to be in New York City last month to help Sid ring the opening bell at Nasdaq and see GitLab become a publicly traded company. I know what we do at GitLab had value for the rest of the world even before the company went public. However, experiencing GitLab’s listing day in person filled me with emotion, and there’s one thing I know for sure: the world cares about what we are doing here. \n\nI am so thankful to everyone who has contributed to GitLab. I especially want to thank Valery Sizov, Kamil Trzciński, Douwe Maan, Phil Hughes, Stan Hu, Rémy Coutable, Robert Speicher, and Sean McGivern, most of whom joined soon before or after Y Combinator and took our productivity to the next level. You were all just as passionate about the product as I was and it was amazing to work with you all. I also want to thank employee number 1 Marin Jankovski and employee number 2 Jacob Vosmaer, both of whom are still at GitLab Inc. after all these years. And of course, I want to thank Sid. Sid, your noble aspirations and your strong leadership made all of this possible. Thank you for your partnership over the years, it has been an honor to be on this journey with you as co-founders.\n\nThank you to the community and everyone who has believed in, supported, and contributed to GitLab’s journey. I believe we are still early in GitLab’s evolution, and I cannot wait to see what the team and the community do next.\n\nDmitriy  \n\nDmitriy Zaporozhets\n\nCo-founder, GitLab\n\n**Sid Sijbrandij**: Dmitriy, it has been an incredible 10 years since you started the project. Thank you for creating GitLab, making it open source, joining me on this journey and caring for GitLab for the last 10 years. It was an amazing experience to ring the opening bell with you at Nasdaq and I’m excited to continue to build upon what we’ve created thus far and lead GitLab through its next phase. \n\nWhile you are leaving your position as Engineering Fellow, I know that we will still keep in touch, and your legacy will live on through the company and the wider community. To honor your impact, GitLab Inc. has announced an annual “DZ Award” to recognize one team member who has made great impact by solving a difficult problem using a [boring solution](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#boring-solutions), because at GitLab, we celebrate the boring solution as a simple, fast, and effective way to maintain our speed of innovation. It will be an honor to recognize team members who embody your innovative spirit and deliver results that help us continue to grow.\n\nDmitriy, thank you for the incredible impact you’ve had on all of us. \n\nSid\n\nSid Sijbrandij\n\nCo-founder and CEO, GitLab\n",[706,9,750],{"slug":839,"featured":6,"template":685},"a-special-farewell-from-gitlab-dmitriy-zaporozhets","content:en-us:blog:a-special-farewell-from-gitlab-dmitriy-zaporozhets.yml","A Special Farewell From Gitlab Dmitriy Zaporozhets","en-us/blog/a-special-farewell-from-gitlab-dmitriy-zaporozhets.yml","en-us/blog/a-special-farewell-from-gitlab-dmitriy-zaporozhets",{"_path":845,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":846,"content":852,"config":858,"_id":860,"_type":13,"title":861,"_source":15,"_file":862,"_stem":863,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/a-visual-prototype-of-drupal-dot-orgs-integration-with-gitlab",{"title":847,"description":848,"ogTitle":847,"ogDescription":848,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":849,"ogUrl":850,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":850,"schema":851},"A visual prototype of Drupal.org's GitLab integration","Guest author Tim Lehnen shares a visual preview of free and open source platform Drupal's upcoming integration with GitLab.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749671386/Blog/Hero%20Images/drupal-cover.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/a-visual-prototype-of-drupal-dot-orgs-integration-with-gitlab","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"A visual prototype of Drupal.org's GitLab integration\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Tim Lehnen\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2018-12-19\",\n      }",{"title":847,"description":848,"authors":853,"heroImage":849,"date":855,"body":856,"category":747,"tags":857},[854],"Tim Lehnen","2018-12-19","\nAt [Drupal Europe](https://www.drupaleurope.org) in September, we were very pleased that project founder [Dries Buytaert](https://dri.es) highlighted a visual prototype of our upcoming integration with GitLab in his keynote. This follows our announcement that we'd be [moving to GitLab](/blog/drupal-moves-to-gitlab/) back in August.\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n  \u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/q06taaJPGDw?rel=0&showinfo=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\u003C/figure>\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\nThis video outlines the migration phases that we discussed [in the announcement of our partnership with GitLab](https://www.drupal.org/drupalorg/blog/developer-tools-initiative-part-5-gitlab-partnership). Our migration window for Phase 1 is targeted for the first weeks of January, and we hope Phase 2 to be completed shortly in the beginning of 2019.\n\n## So what has it taken to get this integration working between September and now?\n\nPrimarily, lots of collaboration with the GitLab team. We've worked with their excellent engineering staff to resolve a number of issues that affect our integration, including:\n\n- [git merge-base web API](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues/49850)\n- [Add ability to confirm a user’s email address via \"Add email for user\" API](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues/50876)\n- [Allow configuration of the display URL for clone instructions](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues/49698)\n- [Ability to hide User's Email Address from GitLab UI](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues/24221)\n- [Allow ability for developer role to delete tags](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues/52954)\n- [Set GL_REPOSITORY in update hooks for API-initiated requests](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitaly/issues/1402)\n- [Deduplication of Git objects, reducing disk space of repository forks](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues/23029)\n\nOn the Drupal.org side:\n\n - We've built a [`versioncontrol_gitlab` module](https://www.drupal.org/project/versioncontrol_gitlab), which extends our use of the [`versioncontrol_git` module](https://www.drupal.org/project/versioncontrol_git) to orchestrate our integration.\n - We've also been cleaning up our data, to ensure there are no namespace conflicts between existing Drupal projects and users, and the reserved terms used by GitLab.\n\nWe're now in the midst of serious migration testing: testing and re-testing the process in our staging environment, putting load testing in place to stress test our integration, and doing user-validation testing to ensure that the workflows affected by this integration are working as expected.\n\nAll in all, we're thrilled with the progress, and very thankful for GitLab's close collaboration. We're excited to be moving the Drupal project to its next generation tooling soon. Once Phase 1 of our migration is complete, it'll be time for Phase 2 and our community will start seeing some tremendous improvements in efficiency and collaboration.\n\n## How can people get involved in Drupal?\n\nThe Drupal community has a comprehensive [Getting Involved Guide](https://www.drupal.org/getting-involved-guide) that can help individuals find their place in the Drupal community. There are also meetups and conferences around the world that are a great way to start your Drupal journey. In particular, [DrupalCon will be coming to Seattle from Apr. 8-12, 2019](https://events.drupal.org/seattle2019).\n\nThe Drupal project's motto has always been \"Come for the code, stay for the community\" and 17 years later, that's a sentiment we still believe in.\n\n### About the guest author\n\nTim Lehnen is the Executive Director at the [Drupal Association](https://www.drupal.org/association).\n\n_This guest post was originally published [on the Drupal blog](https://www.drupal.org/drupalorg/blog/a-visual-prototype-of-drupalorgs-integration-with-gitlab)._\n",[749,9,230],{"slug":859,"featured":6,"template":685},"a-visual-prototype-of-drupal-dot-orgs-integration-with-gitlab","content:en-us:blog:a-visual-prototype-of-drupal-dot-orgs-integration-with-gitlab.yml","A Visual Prototype Of Drupal Dot Orgs Integration With Gitlab","en-us/blog/a-visual-prototype-of-drupal-dot-orgs-integration-with-gitlab.yml","en-us/blog/a-visual-prototype-of-drupal-dot-orgs-integration-with-gitlab",{"_path":865,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":866,"content":872,"config":878,"_id":880,"_type":13,"title":881,"_source":15,"_file":882,"_stem":883,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/appsflyer-moves-to-gitlab",{"title":867,"description":868,"ogTitle":867,"ogDescription":868,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":869,"ogUrl":870,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":870,"schema":871},"Why AppsFlyer moved from Bitbucket to GitLab","AppsFlyer migrated from Mercurial to Git so the company could move to GitLab's open source, self-managed solution.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749681252/Blog/Hero%20Images/gitlab-appsflyer.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/appsflyer-moves-to-gitlab","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Why AppsFlyer moved from Bitbucket to GitLab\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Sara Kassabian\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2020-04-27\",\n      }",{"title":867,"description":868,"authors":873,"heroImage":869,"date":874,"body":875,"category":703,"tags":876},[700],"2020-04-27","\n\nResearch shows that [more users are choosing GitLab](/why-gitlab/) as their preferred [version control system](/topics/version-control/). In an [analysis by The New Stack of the results of a 2018 and 2019 Jetbrains developer survey](https://thenewstack.io/i-dont-git-it-tracking-the-source-collaboration-market/), there was an increase in the number of users in the study sample that selected GitLab as their version control system of choice between 2018-2019. In that same period, GitHub had a small decrease in users and Bitbucket had a more substantial decline in the number of users. \n\nOne of the most significant barriers to making the move from a version control system such as Bitbucket or GitHub to GitLab is the data migration process. We have an entire data import team at GitLab that is dedicated to making this process as seamless as possible, but let’s face it, migrating data is always going to be painful. Fortunately, other companies have paved the way to make the migration process a bit more bearable.\n\nAppsFlyer is one of those companies that took the plunge and migrated its entire system from Bitbucket to GitLab, and the team has lived to tell the tale. [Elad Leev](https://www.linkedin.com/in/elad-leev/?originalSubdomain=il), platform engineer at AppsFlyer, explains how the engineering organization managed the migration in a presentation at GitLab Commit San Francisco.\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n  \u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/z_6tVRCyJxs\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\u003C/figure>\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\n## Why AppsFlyer chose GitLab\n\nBefore showing how AppsFlyer moved to GitLab, it’s valuable to review the business case for _why_ AppsFlyer chose GitLab over other version control systems.\n\nAppsFlyer is a large engineering organization that has more than 300 developers on-staff. Demand for the company's services grew, which translated into more than one million incoming HTTP requests per second or up to 90 billion events per day. AppsFlyer needed to move off the hosted solution it was using with Bitbucket because repositories could be accessed by the public too easily and because latency issues caused some builds to fail. And Bitbucket had restrictions – no more than 1000 calls/hour – and that was an easy target for the growing company to exceed.\n\nAppsFlyer tried moving from the Bitbucket-hosted solution to the closed-source, self-managed option but it was a black box. If there was a bug, it was impossible to know if it was due to their configuration or because something was wrong with the product.\n\nThe company considered GitHub Enterprise, but, like Bitbucket, it is also closed-source and was too expensive for a lower ROI. In the end, they chose GitLab because of our growth and [commitment to transparency](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#transparency) – our default to public and the open issue tracker made it the right fit for AppsFlyer.\n\n## Migrating from Mercurial to Git\n\nIn order to convert from Bitbucket to GitLab, AppsFlyer first needed to convert from Mercurial to Git because GitLab runs on Git.\n\nWhen [Bitbucket first launched in 2008, it only supported Mercurial repos](https://Bitbucket.org/blog/sunsetting-mercurial-support-in-Bitbucket). Notably, Bitbucket is actually going to be migrating from Mercurial to Git beginning as of June 1. So whether or not you’re using GitLab, there is no time like the present to transition your repositories to Git, [the version control tool chosen by almost 90% of developers](https://insights.stackoverflow.com/survey/2018#work-_-version-control).\n\nOne of the most complicated parts of the process for AppsFlyer was getting the code from Mercurial to Git, because there isn’t an immediate way to transfer from one version control tool to another.\n\nElad said AppsFlyer needed to save history, commits, tags and, with AppsFlyer being a rapidly growing start-up, to execute the transition as quickly as possible.\n\nThe AppsFlyer devs found a tool called [Fast-Export](https://github.com/frej/fast-export) which basically migrates code from Mercurial to Git and had success on a few different repositories. But could it scale effectively to migrate all the code in the organization?\n\nNext, the team worked with the R&D organization to create a self-service, Fast-Export wrapper to help with the migration from Mercurial to Git at scale. The Fast-Export wrapper had a few characteristics that made it work:\n\n*   It was a one-liner, so it was easy-to-use\n*   It was idiot-proof, meaning nobody could make a catastrophic mistake\n*   It used a Slack channel to keep everyone in sync\n*   It was safe, meaning you cannot override somebody’s repository by mistake\n\nThe end-to-end process is fairly straightforward, beginning with checking for the repository in GitLab and logging it into the Slack channel once the repo migration is complete.\n\n![Illustration showing AppsFlyer's Mercurial to Git migration process](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/mercurial_git.jpg){: .shadow.medium.center}\nThe Mercurial to Git migration process using the fast-export wrapper created by AppsFlyer.\n{: .note.text-center}\n\n“It's really, really important to close the old repository to writes in Bitbucket service because it happened to us more than once: A developer used this tool to migrate his repository from Bitbucket to GitLab, but other developers didn't know that the repository was moved,” says Elad.\n\nThe migration from Mercurial to Git came with a few added benefits, including the opportunity to clean up old repositories; greater transparency across teams into the GitLab migration; and increased developer trust.\n\n## Education helps\n\nDocumentation was also a large part of the migration to Git. AppsFlyer used Guru to carefully document internal processes and identified two courses on Pluralsight to help devs. There is also the entertaining cheat sheet – “[Oh Shit, Git!](https://ohshitgit.com/)” ([here is a profanity-free version](https://dangitgit.com/en)) which Elad created to share some edge cases with Git that he encountered through his work.\n\n## Now, moving to GitLab is pretty easy\n\nOnce your source is in Git, it is pretty simple to upload your data into any version control system using a data importer. We have detailed instructions on how to import your data from a different version control system, such as [migrating from Bitbucket to GitLab](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/import/bitbucket_server.html), which is what AppsFlyer did.\n\n## Perks of working with an open source, self-managed solution\n\nA self-managed product that is closed-source means the user will always rely on an external vendor when it comes to managing their codebase, and we believe that having end-to-end visibility is essential when it comes to self-hosting. One of the main perks of working with an open source, self-managed version control system such as GitLab is that your team has the flexibility to build upon your existing codebase. Here are a few examples:\n\n*   AppsFlyer created another small, one-liner tool (BB2GL) that connects with Slack to help with data migration. Then, they took it a step further and connected the one-liner repository to Slack.\n*   Set deadlines: AppsFlyer created a scheduled task list that checks all the repos in Bitbucket and all the repos in GitLab to see which projects have been moved from Bitbucket to GitLab and posts a reminder on Slack for the teams.\n*   Created an in-house API wrapper which helped cut-down on code that was duplicative but written in different languages. The API wrapper helped create one location for all the GitLab metadata.\n*   The in-house API Wrapper is updated using GitLab System Hooks. Read Elad’s [in-depth Medium article to learn more about System Hooks](https://medium.com/appsflyer/gitlab-the-magic-of-system-hooks-f38c4f7ca8e7).\n\nIt’s been two years since AppsFlyer made the switch to GitLab, and it’s helped the company’s growth considerably, says Elad. Some team members have abandoned the Atlassian project management tools they used before to switch to GitLab.\n\nBut no product is perfect. There are two bugs that AppsFlyer encountered and raised with GitLab support. One of them has been resolved, [one is still pending](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/14130). This level of visibility into bugs wouldn’t be possible without features like the [public issue tracker](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/issues/), which promote transparency and collaboration between GitLab users and internal GitLab teams.\n",[877,749,9],"git",{"slug":879,"featured":6,"template":685},"appsflyer-moves-to-gitlab","content:en-us:blog:appsflyer-moves-to-gitlab.yml","Appsflyer Moves To Gitlab","en-us/blog/appsflyer-moves-to-gitlab.yml","en-us/blog/appsflyer-moves-to-gitlab",{"_path":885,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":886,"content":892,"config":900,"_id":902,"_type":13,"title":903,"_source":15,"_file":904,"_stem":905,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/ask-a-hacker-a-conversation-with-ahacker1",{"title":887,"description":888,"ogTitle":887,"ogDescription":888,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":889,"ogUrl":890,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":890,"schema":891},"Ask a hacker: A conversation with ahacker1","Alexander Siyou Tan, also known as ahacker1, joined us for an AMA to discuss how he got into hacking and some of his best bug bounty hunting strategies.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1750098255/Blog/Hero%20Images/Blog/Hero%20Images/blog-image-template-1800x945%20%282%29_5kE1qyriiwHs6cpvIwuyB_1750098255490.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/ask-a-hacker-a-conversation-with-ahacker1","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Ask a hacker: A conversation with ahacker1\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Ottilia Westerlund\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2024-12-12\",\n      }",{"title":887,"description":888,"authors":893,"heroImage":889,"date":895,"body":896,"category":747,"tags":897},[894],"Ottilia Westerlund","2024-12-12","At GitLab we have a tradition: Every year, we invite a bug bounty hunter to join us for an AMA. This year, we met with Alexander Siyou Tan, also known as [ahacker1](https://hackerone.com/ahacker1?type=user), and did a deep dive into all aspects of bug bounty hunting.\n\n## About Alexander (ahacker1)\n\nAlexander is passionate about hacking complex SaaS applications, with a particular interest in authorization-based vulnerabilities. Currently, he's focusing on [SAML and SSO](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/the-ultimate-guide-to-enabling-saml/) research. His hacking journey began during the Covid-19 pandemic, when he transitioned from gaming to exploring game hacks and easter eggs.\n\n## Highlights from the AMA\n\nHere are some of the questions AMA attendees asked Alexander, and his responses.\n\n**What are the tools you use in your research?**\n\nI use RubyMine as my IDE, as I find it helps with analyzing code. You can jump to  different parts of the code, and that helps with efficiency and allows you to search quickly and determine interesting behavior. I used to just use BurpSuite, but not so much anymore. I mainly focus on using JetBrains to review repositories on GitLab.\n\n**Have you explored using AI to assist in finding and/or exploiting vulnerabilities?**\n\nYes! When I learn about a new feature or subject, I may ask ChatGPT how it works. It may give some insights or leads – when I do SAML research I use it.\n\n**Tell us about moving into SAML and the experience of finding the awesome bugs in that area.**\n\nSAML is like a SaaS application within a SaaS application. There's a 100-page document on how SAML works, offering infinite possibilities. I focus on code analysis, reviewing the approximately 20 libraries available. While hacking SAML can be time-consuming due to setup and configuration, the payoff can be significant.\n\n**What’s next after SAML? Will you keep digging?**\n\nI will fix SAML. I want to fix libraries. Not sure what’s next - maybe SSO stuff!\n\n### Alexander's tips for the GitLab Bug Bounty Program\n\nAlexander offered the following advice for those interested in GitLab's Bug Bounty Program:\n\n1. Leverage GitLab's open source nature for code analysis.\n2. Study patch releases to learn reverse-engineering techniques.\n3. Review GitLab's public issues and disclosed reports for insights.\n\n### Getting to know our hacker\n\n**What do you do when you don't hack?**\n\nI play games, I also go out on walks and explore nature/hike. It’s a nice break from sitting at the computer.\n\n**How long do you think you would survive in a zombie apocalypse?**\n\nNot long. Without the internet, I don’t think I'd be able to adapt.\n\n**Is cereal a type of soup?**\n\nIt most definitely is. It has both liquid and food in it.\n\n## Watch the replay\n\nFor those interested in the full AMA, check out the YouTube live playback.\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n  \u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/EPV0eNOOfv4?si=byNqXWKZzZLXfLfW\" title=\"GitLab Ask a Hacker AMA with Alexander Siyou Tan (@ahacker1)\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\u003C/figure>\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\nWe extend our gratitude to all participants and, of course, to Alexander for sharing his insights. Keep up with Alexander's latest activities on his [HackerOne profile](https://hackerone.com/ahacker1).\n\n## More \"Ask a Hacker\" AMAs\n\n- [Ask a hacker - 0xn3va](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/ask-a-hacker/)\n- [Ask a hacker - ajxchapman](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/ajxchapman-ask-a-hacker/)\n- [Ask a hacker - rpadovani](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/rpadovani-ask-a-hacker/)\n\n## About the GitLab Bug Bounty Program\n\nThe GitLab Bug Bounty Program aims to enhance the security of our products and services. Managed by our Application Security team, the program has achieved significant milestones since its public launch in December 2018, including:\n\n* Resolved 1,684 reports\n* Awarded over $4.7 million in bounties\n* Thanked 655 hackers for their findings\n\n> Learn more about the [GitLab Bug Bounty Program](https://hackerone.com/gitlab).\n",[898,899,749,9],"bug bounty","security",{"slug":901,"featured":90,"template":685},"ask-a-hacker-a-conversation-with-ahacker1","content:en-us:blog:ask-a-hacker-a-conversation-with-ahacker1.yml","Ask A Hacker A Conversation With Ahacker1","en-us/blog/ask-a-hacker-a-conversation-with-ahacker1.yml","en-us/blog/ask-a-hacker-a-conversation-with-ahacker1",{"_path":907,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":908,"content":914,"config":920,"_id":922,"_type":13,"title":923,"_source":15,"_file":924,"_stem":925,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/aws-lambda-usage-stats",{"title":909,"description":910,"ogTitle":909,"ogDescription":910,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":911,"ogUrl":912,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":912,"schema":913},"AWS Lambda usage survey results","The results of our quick AWS Lambda usage survey","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749664102/Blog/Hero%20Images/gitlab-values-cover.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/aws-lambda-usage-stats","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"AWS Lambda usage survey results\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Viktor Nagy\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-11-27\",\n      }",{"title":909,"description":910,"authors":915,"heroImage":911,"date":917,"body":918,"category":747,"tags":919},[916],"Viktor Nagy","2019-11-27","\nThis blog post was originally published on the GitLab Unfiltered blog. It was reviewed and republished on 2019-12-03.\n{: .alert .alert-info .note}\n\nIn early October, I asked the community to [share your AWS Lambda tooling habits](https://forms.gle/9xhjaPxKdZsHDs2V9), so we can better serve your needs from within GitLab. This blog post presents the results of that survey. The survey was shared on Reddit, some Facebook Groups, and on the GitLab Twitter and Facebook channels. All told we received 58 responses which makes the results thought-provoking, but certainly not conclusive. \n\n## Intro\n\nSo, what did I ask you about? I had a few assumptions in mind when I put together the survey.\n\n- Lambda is mostly used by developers, but - at least in the enterprise - ops people might be involved too, because of monitoring or security.\n- There are differences between hobby and professional usage, and I wanted to be able to try to filter out hobby users.\n- Serverless has an adoption path in the enterprise. This might result in it being used only for backoffice scripts at first. So I wanted to know if it's used in production or backoffice scripting only.\n\nBesides testing these assumptions, I wanted to learn about usage habits with respect to:\n\n- Frameworks used (if any)\n- Testing tools and approaches used\n- CI/CD tools used\n- Monitoring and debugging tools and approaches followed\n\nWho answered the survey?\n{: .note.text-center}\n\n![User role](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/aws-lambda-survey-2019/aws-population.png)\n\n## How do we write code for AWS Lambda\n\nThe first interesting topic was what frameworks were being used for AWS Lambda. It was possible to select multiple options and responders could even provide a free text answer.\n\n![Company size](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/aws-lambda-survey-2019/aws-frameworks.png){: .small.left.wrap-text}\n\nAs many responders chose more than just a single option, we should look a bit behind the data to understand more. From that you can see that the [serverless framework](/topics/serverless/) is popular with these respondents and its use is  wide-spread. The *Other* section is quite scattered and there are no other big players; responses included Zappa, Chalice, Netlify function, etc. \n\nI thought that there might be differences once I controlled for the company size. I expected more Terraform and less CLI usage as the company size increases. I didn't look into statistical significance, but a simple eye-ball test shows that SMBs are going heads down with tech stacks. They are the strongest users of both serverless and Terraform. I'd say that enterprise users try to follow along, but have a quite big direct usage of AWS CLI too. Why might this be true? A few scenarios come to mind that can think about:\n\n- Enterprises are lagging in terms of technology adoption, thus their Terraform usage is lower\n- They use AWS CLI more extensively as the serverless framework can't fulfill all their use cases\n- Possibly we don't have enough data and with a stronger analysis it would turn out that there are no differences\n\n## What about testing\n\nWhen asked about the challenges serverless technologies pose one topic repeatedly arose: the lack of good testing infrastructure.\n\nAt GitLab we strive to provide outstanding CI/CD capabilities for testing. We also work hard to spread best practices. \n\nI asked the community about the current approaches they take to CI/CD and testing. Here again, multiple answers were allowed.\n\n![Company size](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/aws-lambda-survey-2019/aws-testing.png){: .small.right.wrap-text}\n\nThis pie chart is filtered to show only non-hobby projects. Even here, almost every fifth project has no testing at all! Otherwise, we can barely speak about test pyramids here as the majority of the projects either don't run any tests or run only unit tests.\n\nGetting into the data by company size, we see what we would expect: as the company size grows, testing becomes more important.\n\n## CI/CD bias\n\nThe survey also contained a question about which CI/CD tools are being used. I skipped the analysis here. As the survey was mostly shared by GitLab team members, and through GitLab channels, clearly the majority of responders use GitLab. A wise choice! \n\n## Monitoring\n\nAlongside developing and deploying software, thinking about its operational health in production is just as important. This led me to ask a few questions on Lambda monitoring habits.\n\n![Company size](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/aws-lambda-survey-2019/aws-monitoring.png){: .small.left.wrap-text}\n\nEven given the small sample size, I was surprised the vast majority choose AWS CloudWatch. I expected most production environments would use more advanced instrumentation, and I was wrong.\n\nA related question I asked is, \"What metrics are you  most interested in?\" This was a free-text answer. There were no surprises here with \"error rates\" coming out as the clear winner.\n\n## Conclusion\n\nBased on the survey it became clear that even today, GitLab can be used very well with AWS lambda. To make getting started easy, we've created a project template that uses GitLab Pages to host the frontend of your app, and AWS Lambda for your backend needs. Besides the basic hosting needs, our templates have `serverless-offline` support added, so you can start writing tests against it without any additional setup needed. You can easily begin by starting a [new project using the Serverless Framework/JS template](https://gitlab.com/projects/new).\n\n![Easy getting started with project templates](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/aws-lambda-survey-2019/aws-project-template.png){: .medium}\n\nThese were the insights I gathered about the data. Because this data was provided by the community, I'm making it available to everyone. You can [download the responses as a csv](/images/blogimages/aws-lambda-survey-2019/aws-lambda-survey-responses.csv). In case you are serious about Serverless usage in production, I'd love to hear your insights! Feel free to [reach out to me](https://gitlab.com/nagyv.gitlab)!\n",[9,749,230],{"slug":921,"featured":6,"template":685},"aws-lambda-usage-stats","content:en-us:blog:aws-lambda-usage-stats.yml","Aws Lambda Usage Stats","en-us/blog/aws-lambda-usage-stats.yml","en-us/blog/aws-lambda-usage-stats",{"_path":927,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":928,"content":934,"config":943,"_id":945,"_type":13,"title":946,"_source":15,"_file":947,"_stem":948,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/aws-reinvent-recap",{"title":929,"description":930,"ogTitle":929,"ogDescription":930,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":931,"ogUrl":932,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":932,"schema":933},"Highlights from AWS re:Invent 2018","Catch up on what GitLab got up to at AWS re:Invent last week! Reinventing pipelines, emerging as a single application, theCUBE interviews, and more.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749679994/Blog/Hero%20Images/aws_booth_2018.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/aws-reinvent-recap","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Highlights from AWS re:Invent 2018\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Priyanka Sharma\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2018-12-06\",\n      }",{"title":929,"description":930,"authors":935,"heroImage":931,"date":937,"body":938,"category":296,"tags":939},[936],"Priyanka Sharma","2018-12-06","\n\nLast week GitLab was at AWS re:Invent 2018, the marquee event for cloud computing in the US. As the frontrunner in the space, Amazon has built re:Invent to be a juggernaut. This year it commanded most of the Las Vegas strip and had over 50,000 attendees. As a first-time visitor myself, I was impressed by the sheer scale and efficiency of the event. I was also thrilled to achieve my personal goal of giving my first talk with a live demo using code and GitLab. As for GitLab, we saw that our company emerged as a leader in the DevOps space with a single application for the whole software development lifecycle.\n\n## Highlights\n\n### Reinventing CI/CD pipelines\n\nOur CEO [Sid Sijbrandij](/company/team/#sytses) and I did a talk and live demo about reinventing CI/CD pipelines using GitLab, [Kubernetes](/solutions/kubernetes/), and EKS. This was our first hint that this re:Invent was going to be special. The talk was bursting at the seams with attendees, as we shared both the challenges of the toolchain crisis engulfing our ecosystem, and about how a single application for the entire DevOps lifecycle can make an improvement of over 200 percent in cycle times. You can [check out the presentation here](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1x1g4pfpoaav9lhcYkjAJylLMl-9S0JFTeKXlNF98O-I/edit?usp=sharing).\n\n![Sid Sijbrandij and Priyanka Sharma on stage at AWS re:Invent](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/aws-2018/aws_2018_sid_talk_stage.jpeg){: .shadow.medium.center}\n\nThe demo, which showed us running a CI/CD pipeline and deploying code to Kubernetes on EKS, is an example of the [cloud native workflows](/topics/cloud-native/) users can push via GitLab. It is such competency that makes Kubernetes on EKS a breeze and is the reason GitLab was awarded the [AWS Partner DevOps Competency Certification](/blog/gitlab-achieves-aws-devops-competency-certification/) to confirm our viability and excellence as a DevOps solution for companies using AWS Cloud.\n\n### Validation for our vision\n\nOur experience at re:Invent was one of validation and emergence. As a company, we saw that our efforts to build the first single application for the entire DevOps lifecycle have paid off and our users resonated with our message. Most folks who came to our booth were aware that GitLab played a part in multiple stages (if not all) of their workflow and many were avid [GitLab CI](/solutions/continuous-integration/) fans. Gone are the days when [version control](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/topics/gitlab_flow.html) was the only thing GitLab was associated with.\n\n![Collage from GitLab at AWS re:Invent](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/aws-2018/aws_booth_collage.jpeg){: .medium.center}\n\nOur VP of Alliances, [Brandon Jung](/company/team/#brandoncjung), [appeared on theCUBE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ejs5xGAhL8s) with a company called Beacon. As the former head of partnerships at Google Cloud, Brandon has a long history with GitLab. He has seen the company grow over the years and shared how our rocketship ascent across the DevOps lifecycle convinced him of the potential. He said, \"In just over two years, [GitLab became the frontrunner for continuous integration](/blog/gitlab-leader-continuous-integration-forrester-wave/), according to Forrester. That's impressive.\"\n\n### Livestream with The New Stack\n\nI also represented GitLab on [a livestream podcast](https://www.pscp.tv/w/1eaJbODAepnxX) with [The New Stack](https://thenewstack.io/), [Matt Biilmann](https://twitter.com/biilmann?lang=en), CEO of [Netlify](/blog/netlify-launches-gitlab-support/), and [Joe Beda](https://twitter.com/jbeda), founder of [Heptio](https://heptio.com/) and creator of Kubernetes. We discussed GitOps, NoOps, and the toolchain crisis. As Matt wisely said, \"Trust in open source is critical to cloud computing and the ecosystem. Companies like GitLab will keep the players honest.\"\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"false\" /}\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"center\">\n\n  \u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">GitOps, NoOps and the tool chain crisis. \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/mtfm8OaYYD\">https://t.co/mtfm8OaYYD\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— The New Stack (@thenewstack) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/thenewstack/status/1067881587214184448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 28, 2018\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote>\n  \u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003C/div>\n\nWe thank AWS for creating this amazing ecosystem of end users and practitioners who came together in Vegas last week. Next year will be bigger, better. Until then, see you all at [KubeCon](/events/)! 😃\n",[940,9,941,274,703,942,706,749],"CI","demo","kubernetes",{"slug":944,"featured":6,"template":685},"aws-reinvent-recap","content:en-us:blog:aws-reinvent-recap.yml","Aws Reinvent Recap","en-us/blog/aws-reinvent-recap.yml","en-us/blog/aws-reinvent-recap",{"_path":950,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":951,"content":957,"config":963,"_id":965,"_type":13,"title":966,"_source":15,"_file":967,"_stem":968,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/behind-the-scenes-of-gitlab-korean-translation",{"title":952,"description":953,"ogTitle":952,"ogDescription":953,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":954,"ogUrl":955,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":955,"schema":956},"Behind the scenes of GitLab's Korean translation","How a student project helped maintain linguistic consistency and deliver a unified user experience for the Korean GitLab community.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749664472/Blog/Hero%20Images/gitlabflatlogomap.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/behind-the-scenes-of-gitlab-korean-translation","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Behind the scenes of GitLab's Korean translation\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Inchul Yoo, Sunjung Park\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2023-10-05\",\n      }",{"title":952,"description":953,"authors":958,"heroImage":954,"date":960,"body":961,"category":747,"tags":962},[959],"Inchul Yoo, Sunjung Park","2023-10-05","\nGitLab is translated into many languages by community members, ensuring our product reaches a much wider audience. In recent months, software and computer engineering students from Ajou University in South Korea contributed translations as part of their classroom project, led by Prof. Hwanyong Lee. Their contributions, together with many other members of our community, resulted in [100% of strings in the GitLab UI being translated into Korean](https://translate.gitlab.com/project/gitlab-ee/ko). \n\n![photo of Korean translation contributors](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/translation-contributors-swag.jpg){: .medium.center}\n\nIn this blog post, [Inchul Yoo](https://gitlab.com/iyoo), solutions architect at GitLab, and [Sunjung Park](https://gitlab.com/sunjungp), senior product Designer at GitLab, who also volunteer as proofreaders for the Korean translation of GitLab in the [GitLab Crowdin project](https://crowdin.com/project/gitlab-ee), had the privilege to interview Prof. Lee. He shared the students' experience in contributing to GitLab and discussed areas where additional collaboration is needed for translation.\n\nThank you for your contributions to GitLab: \n- Dahee Kim (김다희, 아주대학교)\n- Myeong Seok Nam (남명석, 아주대학교)\n- Jongho Baik (백종호, 아주대학교)\n- Seoyoung Lee (이서영, 아주대학교)\n- Sungmin Lee (이승민, 아주대학교)\n- Jaeyoon Lee (이재윤, 아주대학교)\n- Hwanyong Lee (이환용 교수, 아주대학교)\n\n## Interview with Prof. Hwanyong Lee\n\n**Could you tell us about Ajou University and the department?**\n\nAjou University aims to cultivate software talents with diverse roles in the field of software as its primary focus. Using GitLab, students have opportunities to learn through practical experience covering most aspects of the DevOps lifecycle, including issue management, version control, building, and deploying software.\n\n**When did you start using GitLab, and for what purpose?**\n\nSince 2018, when Ajou University became a software-focused institution, we started to utilize GitLab for educational purposes, including tasks such as assignments and submissions. Currently, our GitLab instance hosts over 9,000 projects and serves more than 2,200 students.\n\n**What motivated you to translate all of GitLab's product interface text into Korean?**\n\nOutside of my professional responsibilities, I have been actively contributing to diverse open source projects. Given my role as a professor, I saw an opportunity to underscore the significance of open source contributions to my students and inspire them to engage in such activities. During this semester, I established the objective of involving students in open source projects, specifically focusing on Korean localization. Remarkably, more than 10 students eagerly volunteered to participate in the translation efforts of more than 10 open source projects into Korean.\n\n**How many students participated in the GitLab translation project, and how long did it take?**\n\nThere were seven students in total, both majoring and minoring in software and computer engineering. We distributed the tasks among them to collaborate on the project. The entire project was completed in approximately half a semester, which took about two months.\n\n**Each student may have different translations for the same words. How did you handle this?**\n\nWe managed this by creating our own glossary to ensure uniform translations. We collaborated to achieve consistency in the wording, and we synced regularly to discuss and resolve any ambiguous or contentious issues.\n\n**What was the most challenging aspect of the project?**\n\nOne of the biggest challenges we faced was the continuous addition of new strings and phrases with each new GitLab update. Keeping up with these additions proved to be quite challenging. Additionally, there were instances where there was no direct Korean equivalent for English terms, or where additional contextual explanations were required, making the translation process more complex.\n\nWhen students identified inconsistencies that were not covered by the glossary, I encouraged them to bring these up in the regular sync. We tried to determine which translated terms were commonly used. And we used the [Korean TTA standards (Telecommunications Technology Association) dictionary](https://terms.tta.or.kr/main.do) as a primary point of reference.\n\n**Could you provide some closing thoughts regarding the contribution?**\n\nThe students were surprised to discover their ability to actively participate in the open source software they rely on, leading to a newfound sense of pride. This transformation signified a shift in the focus to embracing the concept of community and recognizing the genuine value of open source software through their contributions to shared community-driven objectives.\n\n### Learn how you can contribute to translation\nContributing to translation is a journey that goes beyond words; it's about building a global community and making technology more accessible. As Professor Lee mentioned, students discovered they could actively engage in open source software, and this filled them with pride. It's a rewarding journey that goes beyond language, and it's an opportunity to make a meaningful impact on the tech world.\n\nSoftware can only be as usable and accessible to its users as it is understandable by them. Translation helps bridge the linguistic and cultural gaps that might be preventing your software from being adopted by a given community. Together with contributors, proofreaders also play an important role in helping new contributors succeed by ensuring the consistency and quality of translations. Did you know that the term \"merge request\" can be translated into Korean in various ways?\n\nA good place to start is the [Translate GitLab page](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/development/i18n/), where you can learn how you can contribute to GitLab's externalization, translation, proofreading, and merging. If you have any questions, please join translate.gitlab.com or post questions on the [Crowdin discussions forum](https://translate.gitlab.com/project/gitlab-ee/discussions).\n\nTo participate in discussions building a glossary list for Korean translation, join us at [gitlab.com/korean-translation/gitlab](https://gitlab.com/korean-translation/gitlab)! Once we finalize the glossary list and establish grammar rules, we aim to consistently elevate the quality of our translations.\n",[749,9,705],{"slug":964,"featured":6,"template":685},"behind-the-scenes-of-gitlab-korean-translation","content:en-us:blog:behind-the-scenes-of-gitlab-korean-translation.yml","Behind The Scenes Of Gitlab Korean Translation","en-us/blog/behind-the-scenes-of-gitlab-korean-translation.yml","en-us/blog/behind-the-scenes-of-gitlab-korean-translation",{"_path":970,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":971,"content":976,"config":983,"_id":985,"_type":13,"title":986,"_source":15,"_file":987,"_stem":988,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/building-a-handbook-first-remote-learning-culture",{"title":972,"description":973,"ogTitle":972,"ogDescription":973,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":911,"ogUrl":974,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":974,"schema":975},"Building a Handbook First Remote Learning Culture","An overview on how to build a handbook first remote learning culture","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/building-a-handbook-first-remote-learning-culture","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Building a Handbook First Remote Learning Culture\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Josh Zimmerman\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2020-12-22\",\n      }",{"title":972,"description":973,"authors":977,"heroImage":911,"date":979,"body":980,"category":792,"tags":981},[978],"Josh Zimmerman","2020-12-22","\n{::options parse_block_html=\"true\" /}\n\nLearning & Development (L&D) is a vital function of any organization’s People or HR team. When most professionals think of L&D, they may remember sitting in the back of a conference room hearing a corporate trainer deliver slides, or maybe accessing self-paced training once or twice a year, or perhaps taking a survey on how to grow their skills. At GitLab, L&D is a huge priority and we do it differently than most organizations!\n\nSince GitLab is [all-remote](https://about.gitlab.com/company/culture/all-remote/) and our [Handbook](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/) is our primary source of learning, you may be asking yourself, how does L&D create and reinforce a remote learning culture?\n\n[GitLab’s Handbook](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/) is over 8,000 pages long, and it grows every day. We consider each page to be a source of learning & development material. Pages are for training new team members on GitLab processes, culture, ways of working, and much more. The Handbook is publicly available worldwide, and anyone can [learn about GitLab's Remote working culture](/company/culture/all-remote/building-culture/) and [DevOps](/topics/devops/). It’s a ton to digest, and from a learning perspective, the text-based format can lean heavily on reading and video. For GitLab to scale L&D, we need to make our Handbook more consumable where it is easy to learn new things!\n\nI joined GitLab eight months ago from management consulting to help build a learning culture. It’s an exciting opportunity. Our team is growing fast. We deliver more resources to the community, and we are helping team members learn more by introducing new handbook first learning modalities. I wanted to share my thoughts on some of the biggest takeaways on building a handbook first remote learning culture. Consider these ingredients to scaling L&D:\n\n## Build a Learning Infrastructure\n\nGitLab’s Handbook is our primary source of training material. Every piece of content pulls from the handbook. As GitLab continues to grow, we needed to invest in a learning technology infrastructure that can enable personalized/self-service learning. By taking material in the handbook, we can apply a [level of interactivity](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/people-group/learning-and-development/interactive-learning/) to allow various learning styles to consume bite-sized content. We recently invested in a [Learning Experience Platform (LXP)](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/people-group/learning-and-development/#gitlab-learn-edcast-learning-experience-platform-lxp) by [EdCast](https://gitlab.edcast.com/log_in?auto_sso=true) that will significantly improve our ability to provide certifications, assessments, and self-service learning.\n\nWe also invested in a content library from LinkedIn Learning for off-the-shelf content. Team members will have access to the library for courses that can supplement GitLab’s customized learning content. There's also our use of Articulate 360, which we use to [build interactive handbook first courses](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/people-group/learning-and-development/interactive-learning/) in the LXP.\n\nThe L&D team has pursued various certification programs that complement our values, such as [Tracom Corporations Social Styles](https://tracom.com/social-style-training/model) facilitator and [Crucial Conversations certification from VitalSmarts](https://www.vitalsmarts.com/crucial-conversations-training/). Our plan is to equip the L&D team with as many tools to design and deliver scalable training. By continuing to invest in learning technologies, we want our team members to know that growing your skills is a top priority for the future of GitLab.\n\n## Design Social Learning Experiences\n\nRemote work can have [some drawbacks](https://about.gitlab.com/company/culture/all-remote/drawbacks/). One of those challenges may be a lack of connection with your coworkers. GitLab L&D uses our live learning courses as an opportunity to build relationships and a sense of community with team members. There may not be a lot of forums outside of [coffee chats](https://about.gitlab.com/company/culture/all-remote/informal-communication/#coffee-chats), [AMAs](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/communication/ask-me-anything/), [group conversations](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/group-conversations/), or [1-1 meetings](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/leadership/1-1/) where team members can **Learn From Others**. We have started to adapt our [live learnings](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/people-group/learning-and-development/#live-learning) to serve as networking activities where team members work on scenarios in small groups, get to know one another, and share lessons learned. We’ve noticed increased engagement across learners and an atmosphere of encouraging collaboration. Social Learning is the cornerstone of how we will design learning experiences. We can’t expect participants to pay attention to slides for 25 to 50-minute sessions, so we decided to throw out most of them! Team members want to network and build connections during sessions. Why not use learning as a forum to do just that?\n\n## Prioritize Leadership Buy-In and Sponsorship.\n\nGitLab’s CEO, Sid, is very passionate about L&D. He wants to be part of our learning initiatives and share knowledge from his experience growing the organization. Sid has partnered with L&D on recording interviews and [advocating for up-leveling our handbook first learning content](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/people-group/learning-and-development/#handbook-first-training-content). In order to scale, we receive executive support from Sid and the rest of the e-group on essential initiatives. Our leadership is behind us. Without their support for learning, it would be difficult for L&D to grow and show our people we are invested in them.\n\n## Change Management for Learning & Development\n\nAsking team members to [take time out to learn new skills](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/organizational-change-management/) takes time and energy. Everyone at GitLab is incredibly busy, and carving out time to reskill, and upskill requires a proactive approach. We use GitLab communication vehicles such as Slack channels and Issues to spread various [learning initiatives](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/people-group/learning-and-development/learning-initiatives/). With the introduction of new tools, technology, initiatives, and courses, L&D has to conduct [continuous change management](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/organizational-change-management/#introduction) with a heavy focus on communications and enablement. Some of those methods include a [monthly continuous learning call](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/people-group/learning-and-development/learning-initiatives/#monthly-continuous-learning-call-overview) and quarterly newsletter, where we highlight what’s happening in the L&D space.\n\n## Focus on Developing your Leaders\n\nOne of my first initiatives at GitLab was developing a [manager enablement program](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/people-group/learning-and-development/manager-challenge/). The program’s focus is to reinforce behaviors through a set period of time, 3 weeks, to train our leaders on remote management practices. We applied neuroscience techniques so that participants can learn at their own pace through positive engagement and social learning. We also recognized that learners might have various attention span ranges, so why not create a program that allows participants to complete activities through [daily challenges](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/people-group/learning-and-development/manager-challenge/#week-1) that take 20 minutes to complete. The program is bite-sized, blended for different learning styles, flexible, and engaging with the focus on equipping managers with critical skills.\n\nBy focusing on managers as a key priority for L&D, we were able to pilot a program and iterate on future deliveries rapidly. We now have a group of managers who are learning ambassadors that can advocate for learning initiatives in the future.\n\n## Reinforce GitLab Values\n\n[C.R.E.D.I.T.](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#credit) is the acronym GitLab uses for our six values. One way for us to reinforce our values is by threading them throughout our curriculum design and development. The values serve as the cornerstone to how GitLab operates as a Remote organization. I’m lucky to work for an organization that takes them so seriously, and it makes my job as an L&D professional easier. By rooting learning in our values, we can reinforce behaviors.\n\n## Prove L&D is a high-value organization\n\nL&D is a relatively new organization within GitLab. Our team considers ourselves strategic enablers. We are striving to develop a mindset that feels responsible for driving strategy and leading change. Think bigger and broader by being proactive in understanding GitLab’s goals, methods, and operations. We have a goal to align every aspect of L&D with the rest of the company. By piloting and [iterating new initiatives](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/people-group/learning-and-development/learning-initiatives/), we let the organization know that we are here to enable behavioral change that directly increases results!\n\nWe have a colossal charter set out for us in L&D. But with the strong encouragement from our leadership, we know that building a handbook first remote learning culture is top of mind. Hopefully, some of the points outlined in this blog will equip you with a few tips on building a learning culture within your organization.\n\nTo learn more, check out our handbook page, [GitLab Learning and Development](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/people-group/learning-and-development/), or contact learning@gitlab.com to speak with a member of our team.\n",[794,706,982,9],"remote work",{"slug":984,"featured":6,"template":685},"building-a-handbook-first-remote-learning-culture","content:en-us:blog:building-a-handbook-first-remote-learning-culture.yml","Building A Handbook First Remote Learning Culture","en-us/blog/building-a-handbook-first-remote-learning-culture.yml","en-us/blog/building-a-handbook-first-remote-learning-culture",{"_path":990,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":991,"content":997,"config":1004,"_id":1006,"_type":13,"title":1007,"_source":15,"_file":1008,"_stem":1009,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/building-new-fedora-project-website-with-gitlab",{"title":992,"description":993,"ogTitle":992,"ogDescription":993,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":994,"ogUrl":995,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":995,"schema":996},"How GitLab helped Fedora build websites and community","Learn how the Fedora Project recently modernized its web development practices and streamlined team workflows with GitLab.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749682851/Blog/Hero%20Images/communityhands.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/building-new-fedora-project-website-with-gitlab","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"How building modern websites with GitLab led to a healthier Fedora Project community\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Akashdeep Dhar\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2023-07-11\",\n      }",{"title":998,"description":993,"authors":999,"heroImage":994,"date":1001,"body":1002,"category":747,"tags":1003},"How building modern websites with GitLab led to a healthier Fedora Project community",[1000],"Akashdeep Dhar","2023-07-11","\nWhen [Fedora Linux 38](https://fedoraproject.org/) debuted in April 2023, the Fedora Project community and I had an extra reason to celebrate. The first item in the community's [official release annoucement](https://fedoramagazine.org/announcing-fedora-38/) was one we were extremely proud of: our brand-new Fedora Project websites.\n\nThe launch of the new websites was the culmination of many months of good, old-fashioned community contribution from the \n[Fedora Websites and Apps team](https://gitlab.com/fedora/websites-apps) and other teams such as [Fedora Infrastructure](https://pagure.io/fedora-infrastructure), [Fedora Marketing](https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/marketing/), \n[Fedora Design](https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Design), and many more teams. This effort didn't just involve the development of the refreshed websites; it also involved rearchitecturing the team's technical stack and aligning our workflows with modern industry's best practices. \n\nIn this article, I will explain how migrating our workflow to GitLab helped us to not only build refreshed websites for the Fedora Project but also reimagine and streamline our community's process for building, maintaining, testing, and deploying them. The result: new workflows that redefine our team's processes to incentivize contribution and avoid the looming threat of potential contributor burnout – not to mention the elegant websites themselves.\n\n## Why we embarked on this effort\nAbout two years ago, four Fedora Project community members ([Ramya Parimi](https://gitlab.com/ramyaparimi), [Nasir Hussain](https://gitlab.com/nasirhm), [Justin W. Flory](https://gitlab.com/jwflory), and [myself](https://gitlab.com/t0xic0der)) were working on a project together when we discovered that only a tiny group of volunteer contributors maintained our websites. We immediately faced a dilemma that's common in many free and open source projects: Should that tiny group disband or disappear, we were at risk of not being able to maintain our websites and applications. Also, we didn't want the volunteer contributors to get burnt out under the constant stress of maintaining these projects. We needed more hands on deck, and we needed them quickly.\n\nSo our former Fedora Community Architect (the position was then called Fedora Community Action and Impact Coordinator, or FCAIC), [Marie Nordin](https://gitlab.com/riecatnor), helped us kickstart a community initiative that inspired us to not only refresh Fedora Project websites and applications but also establish more reliable processes and workflows around them, too.\n\nThat second part is incredibly important. We focused on enhancing the visual appeal and user experience of our websites — diligently adhering to the best accessibility practices, implementing a native dark mode that aligns with the user's system theme, and effectively advocating for our offerings to the best of our abilities (among other things). But we needed to solve the problem of maintainability, too. That would involve addressing some underlying issues that, although they looked deceptively simple on the surface, profoundly influenced the long-term sustainability of the team's work. Our goal was to ensure that even when *we* were not around, contributors who would do this work *after* us would be able to set things up and maintain them in the long run without issue.\n\nTo recruit more contributors, we needed to align the way our team worked with current industry practices. Adopting GitLab helped us do that.\n\n## How GitLab helped simplify, unify, and standardize\nHistorically, the website development team employed a range of tools as part of our workflows. Some we developed internally; others we acquired externally and integrated into our infrastructure. But these tools weren't always compatible with one another, meaning extra effort on our part (establishing a standardized business language for effective communication of work plans, progress obstacles, task updates, etc.). That not only impacted our operational efficiency but also drained our resources (for example, we were dedicating meetings solely to the purpose of ensuring everyone was aligned and understood the processes).\n\nAdopting GitLab helped alleviate that burden, because it's [a single, comprehensive platform](https://about.gitlab.com/stages-devops-lifecycle/). Our team got acclimated to capabilities like creating and tagging issues and epics to organize work, building Kanban boards and Gantt charts to map work-in-progress and construct functional timelines, and incorporating merge requests as progress indicators in a comprehensive project overview. We then understood how the cohesive nature of GitLab's approach to most aspects (if not all) of the software development lifecycle significantly enhanced our distributed team's overall efficiency.\n\nBut we use GitLab for more than just planning and implementation. We completely rewrote the technology stack using industry-standard static site-generating libraries like [NuxtJS](https://v2.nuxt.com/). GitLab's ability to create and deploy static sites helps us automate our deployment workflow. Then we coupled the revamped frontend with the [NetlifyCMS](https://v1.netlifycms.org/) content management system that relies on GitLab as its core. We also simplified the translation pipeline for localizing and internationalizing our website content. By employing continuous integration tools, we were able to generate dynamic test deployments to evaluate our websites before deploying them to the production environment. That success also prompted us to utilize GitLab for storing meeting logs and documentation, streamlining our project management processes even further.\n\nHere's an example.\n\nIn the past, when our websites were based on [Frozen Flask](https://pypi.org/project/Frozen-Flask/), we used various shell scripts to maintain it. These scripts would create an [OCI](https://opencontainers.org/) container using [Podman](https://podman.io/), build static files, perform translations, and serve the website. You can still find the [deprecated](https://pagure.io/fedora-websites) [repositories](https://pagure.io/fedora-web/websites/) where this was the standard development, testing, and deployment method. Although this process was automated using Ansible in our community infrastructure, it seemed complex for less experienced contributors.\n\nAfter transitioning to GitLab, we could deploy to our fast-changing staging environments directly from [GitLab Pages](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/pages/) while the slow-changing production environment remained on the community infrastructure. We also utilized GitLab's CI/CD features to test merge requests with ephemeral deployment environments. Since the automation is integrated into the project itself, any push to the primary branch or merge request triggers a deployment workflow. This consolidation of automation into a single unit has further streamlined our processes.\n\n## Better workflow, healthier community\nChanges like these were critical to the Fedora Project's overall [mission to foster an inviting environment](https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/project/#_our_community) for contributors. Our new GitLab-centric workflow improved the experience for team members who wanted to contribute to documenting and translating content without having to navigate the technical intricacies of using Git. By lowering the entry barrier, we aimed to attract prospective newcomers and promote a more inclusive team dynamic.\n\nAs a result, we saw content contributions from other teams. And then, gradually, more folks joined us in our revamp efforts, helping to [make this community initiative a success](https://communityblog.fedoraproject.org/tag/websites-and-apps-initiative-wrapup/).\n\n*The [GitLab Open Source Partners](https://go.gitlab.com/030Ue3) are building the future of open source on GitLab. Connect with them on [Gitlab.com](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/marketing/community-relations/open-source-program/gitlab-open-source-partners).*\n\nPhoto by [Hannah Busing](https://unsplash.com/@hannahbusing?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText) on Unsplash.\n{: .note}\n\n\n",[749,9,705],{"slug":1005,"featured":6,"template":685},"building-new-fedora-project-website-with-gitlab","content:en-us:blog:building-new-fedora-project-website-with-gitlab.yml","Building New Fedora Project Website With Gitlab","en-us/blog/building-new-fedora-project-website-with-gitlab.yml","en-us/blog/building-new-fedora-project-website-with-gitlab",{"_path":1011,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1012,"content":1018,"config":1026,"_id":1028,"_type":13,"title":1029,"_source":15,"_file":1030,"_stem":1031,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/can-chatgpt-resolve-gitlab-issues",{"title":1013,"description":1014,"ogTitle":1013,"ogDescription":1014,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1015,"ogUrl":1016,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":1016,"schema":1017},"Testing ChatGPT: Can it solve a GitLab issue?","We put ChatGPT to the test to see if it could contribute to GitLab. Here's what we learned.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749670171/Blog/Hero%20Images/akshay-nanavati-Zq6HerrBPEs-unsplash.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/can-chatgpt-resolve-gitlab-issues","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Testing ChatGPT: Can it solve a GitLab issue?\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"John Coghlan\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Fatima Sarah Khalid\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2022-12-15\",\n      }",{"title":1013,"description":1014,"authors":1019,"heroImage":1015,"date":1022,"body":1023,"category":726,"tags":1024},[1020,1021],"John Coghlan","Fatima Sarah Khalid","2022-12-15","\nChatGPT has taken the tech world by storm since its [launch on November 30](https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt/). Media coverage, front page posts on Hacker News, Twitter threads, and videos - everywhere you look, there is another story.\n\nThe [GitLab Slack](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/communication/#slack) was no different. In threads across Slack channels, including those for developer evangelism, UX, the CEO, random news, and every space in between, our team was chatting about this exciting new tool.\n\nAs we got more familiar with the tool, we started to learn about numerous things it can do. Here are a few that we found:\n\n- It can write poetry about GitLab features.\n- It can write blog posts.\n- It can write unit tests.\n- It gives advice on how to use certain features of GitLab.\n- It conducts competitive analysis.\n\nThere’s quite a bit more out there, including [inventing a new language](https://maximumeffort.substack.com/p/i-taught-chatgpt-to-invent-a-language) and [building a virtual machine](https://www.engraved.blog/building-a-virtual-machine-inside/). We can’t recall any technology that has generated more excitement in such a short time.\n\nWe acknowledge there are ethical and licensing concerns around using AI-generated code. For the purpose of this blog post, we will focus strictly on the capabilities of ChatGPT.\n\n## Testing ChatGPT\n\nAs members of GitLab’s [Developer Relations team](/handbook/marketing/developer-relations/), where we’re focused on growing our community of contributors and evangelists, our first reaction was to think of how this tool can help our contributors. The responses to questions like “How can I get started contributing to GitLab?” were cool but didn’t move the needle. So then we asked ourselves: Can we use ChatGPT to make a contribution to GitLab?\n\nHaving already been testing the tool, we knew we’d need to look for a very specific type of issue. We started to fine-tune our search. Here are the steps we took to find a potential issue:\n\n- Visited [https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org) and pulled up all the open issues by clicking on `Issues` in the left side nav.\n- Searched for all issues with the [“good for new contributors” label](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/?sort=updated_desc&state=opened&label_name%5B%5D=good%20for%20new%20contributors&first_page_size=20). This returned 482 issues at the time of writing.\n- Set [`“Assignee = None”`](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/?sort=updated_desc&state=opened&label_name%5B%5D=good%20for%20new%20contributors&assignee_id=None&first_page_size=20) to filter out issues that have already been assigned to someone. This trimmed things down even more.\n\nAfter poking through a few issues, this one caught our attention: an issue that is a request to [de-depulicate identical dropdown functionality from two Vue components into a shared component](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/221293).\n\n### Getting started\n\nWe opened up a ChatGPT thread via [https://chat.openai.com/chat](https://chat.openai.com/chat). If you don’t already have an account, you’ll need to register with OpenAI.\n\nThen we started a thread with Assistant (that’s what is returned when you ask ChatGPT what is its name). We asked Assistant to create a shared Vue component called `SharedDropdownFilter` from the duplicate code in `GroupsDropdownFilter` and `ProjectsDropdownFilter` and passed the scripts of both components.\n\nChatGPT replied with:\n\n>You can create a new `SharedDropdownFilter` component that contains the duplicate code and use it in both `GroupsDropdownFilter` and `ProjectsDropdownFilter`:\n\nand provided a template to describe the use. The template provided wasn’t quite what we were looking for.\n\n```vue\n\u003Ctemplate>\n  \u003CGlDropdown\n    :aria-label=\"label\"\n    :class=\"{ disabled: loading }\"\n    :disabled=\"loading\"\n    :selected=\"selectedProjectsLabel\"\n    :variant=\"multiSelect ? 'inline' : 'single-line'\"\n  >\n    \u003Ctemplate v-slot:menu>\n      \u003Cdiv class=\"py-4\">\n        \u003CGlSearchBoxByType\n          autofocus\n          class=\"search-box\"\n          :placeholder=\"searchPlaceholder\"\n          :type=\"searchType\"\n          v-model=\"searchTerm\"\n        />\n\n        \u003CGlDropdownHeader\n          v-if=\"selectedProjects.length && multiSelect\"\n          :class=\"{ 'd-none': !searchTerm }\"\n          class=\"js-dropdown-header\"\n        >\n          \u003Cspan>\n            {{ selectedProjectsLabel }}\n          \u003C/span>\n\n          \u003Cbutton\n```\n\nSo we tried again, this time being more specific and asking ChatGPT to “Create a shared Vue component that combines the two components `ProjectsDropdownFilter` and  `GroupsDropdownFilter`”. We passed in the full component files, including the templates.\n\nChatGPT responded with instructions, a sample Vue component, and an explanation of the functionality:\n\n> Here is a sample implementation of a shared Vue component that combines the two components `ProjectsDropdownFilter` and `GroupsDropdownFilter`:\n\n```vue\n\u003Ctemplate>\n  \u003Cdiv>\n    \u003CProjectsDropdownFilter\n      :groupId=\"groupId\"\n      :multiSelect=\"multiSelect\"\n      :label=\"label\"\n      :queryParams=\"queryParams\"\n      :defaultProjects=\"defaultProjects\"\n      @selected=\"onProjectsSelected\"\n    />\n    \u003CGroupsDropdownFilter\n      :multiSelect=\"multiSelect\"\n      :label=\"label\"\n      :queryParams=\"queryParams\"\n      :defaultGroups=\"defaultGroups\"\n      @selected=\"onGroupsSelected\"\n    />\n  \u003C/div>\n\u003C/template>\n\n\u003Cscript>\nimport { ProjectsDropdownFilter } from './ProjectsDropdownFilter.vue';\nimport { GroupsDropdownFilter } from './GroupsDropdownFilter.vue';\n\nexport default {\n  name: 'SharedDropdownFilter',\n  components: {\n    ProjectsDropdownFilter,\n    GroupsDropdownFilter,\n  },\n  props: {\n    groupId: {\n      type: Number,\n      required: true,\n    },\n    multiSelect: {\n      type: Boolean,\n      required: false,\n      default: false,\n    },\n    label: {\n      type: String,\n      required: false,\n      default: 'Dropdown filter',\n    },\n    queryParams: {\n      type: Object,\n      required: false,\n      default: () => ({}),\n    },\n    defaultProjects: {\n      type: Array,\n      required: false,\n      default: () => [],\n    },\n    defaultGroups: {\n      type: Array,\n      required: false,\n      default: () => [],\n    },\n  },\n  data() {\n    return {\n      selectedProjects: this.defaultProjects || [],\n      selectedGroups: this.defaultGroups || [],\n    };\n  },\n  methods: {\n    onProjectsSelected(selectedProjects) {\n      this.selectedProjects = selectedProjects;\n      this.$emit('selected', this.selectedProjects, this.selectedGroups);\n    },\n    onGroupsSelected(selectedGroups) {\n      this.selectedGroups = selectedGroups;\n      this.$emit('selected', this.selectedProjects, this.selectedGroups);\n    },\n  },\n};\n\u003C/script>\n```\n\n> In this implementation, the `SharedDropdownFilter` component is rendered as a container for the `ProjectsDropdownFilter` and` GroupsDropdownFilter` components. It passes down the `groupId`, `multiSelect`, `label`, `queryParams`, and `defaultProjects` props to the `ProjectsDropdownFilter` component, and the `multiSelect`, `label`, `queryParams`, and `defaultGroups` props to the `GroupsDropdownFilter` component. It also listens to the selected event emitted by the two components and updates its own `selectedProjects` and `selectedGroups` data accordingly. The `SharedDropdownFilter` component emits its own `selected` event with the updated `selectedProjects` and `selectedGroups` data when it receives the selected event from the `ProjectsDropdownFilter` and `GroupsDropdownFilter` components. This allows the parent component of the `SharedDropdownFilter` to be notified whenever the selected projects and groups are updated, so that it can take appropriate action, such as updating the data it displays.\n\nWith ChatGPT’s shared Vue component, we could start an MR for the issue, but would need to manually review the code and run tests in order to make sure the deduplication was done correctly.\n\n### Adjusting the filters\n\nIn hopes of finding an issue that ChatGPT could fully solve, this time we filtered using two labels (`good for new contributors` and `quick win`), Assignee = None, and added the keyword “refactor” to look for issues that required less net new code. At the time of writing, this [query](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/?search=refactor&sort=updated_asc&state=opened&label_name%5B%5D=quick%20win&label_name%5B%5D=good%20for%20new%20contributors&assignee_id=None&first_page_size=20) returned one issue: [a refactor for widget state tests](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/228611).\n\nAfter reviewing the issue, we opened the `/spec/frontend/vue_merge_request_widget/stores/get_state_key_spec.js` file mentioned in the issue description by navigating to that file on GitLab.com SaaS and opening the dropdown on the blue button at the top of the file frame, selecting “Open in Web IDE”, and then clicking the button to open the file in GitLab’s built-in Web IDE.\n\nWe copied the code from the file and asked ChatGPT to refactor these tests into a table of `it.each`. It was interesting to watch the output as ChatGPT provided an example of how we could refactor the tests using `it.each`:\n\n```javascript\nimport getStateKey from '~/vue_merge_request_widget/stores/get_state_key';\n\ndescribe('getStateKey', () => {\n  const context = {\n    mergeStatus: 'checked',\n    autoMergeEnabled: false,\n    canMerge: true,\n    onlyAllowMergeIfPipelineSucceeds: false,\n    isPipelineFailed: false,\n    hasMergeableDiscussionsState: false,\n    isPipelineBlocked: false,\n    canBeMerged: false,\n    projectArchived: false,\n    branchMissing: false,\n    commitsCount: 2,\n    hasConflicts: false,\n    draft: false,\n    detailedMergeStatus: null,\n  };\n\n  it.each([\n    [{}, null],\n    [{detailedMergeStatus: 'MERGEABLE'}, 'readyToMerge'],\n    [{detailedMergeStatus: 'DISCUSSIONS_NOT_RESOLVED'}, 'unresolvedDiscussions'],\n    [{detailedMergeStatus: 'DRAFT_STATUS'}, 'draft'],\n    [{detailedMergeStatus: 'CI_MUST_PASS'}, 'pipelineFailed'],\n    [{shouldBeRebased: true}, 'rebase'],\n    [{hasConflicts: true}, 'conflicts'],\n    [{detailedMergeStatus: 'CHECKING'}, 'checking'],\n    [{commitsCount: 0}, 'nothingToMerge'],\n    [{commitsCount: 1, branchMissing: true}, 'missingBranch'],\n    [{projectArchived: true}, 'archived'],\n  ])('should return \"%s\" when called with %p', (expected, input) => {\n    const bound = getStateKey.bind(Object.assign({}, context, input));\n    expect(bound()).toEqual(expected);\n  });\n\n  it('returns rebased state key', () => {\n    const context = {\n      mergeStatus: 'checked',\n      autoMergeEnabled: false,\n      canMerge: true,\n      onlyAllowMergeIfPipelineSucceeds: true,\n      isPipelineFailed: true,\n      hasMergeableDiscussionsState: false,\n      isPipelineBlocked: false,\n      canBeMerged: false,\n      shouldBeRebased: true,\n      projectArchived: false,\n      branchMissing: false,\n      commitsCount: 2,\n      hasConflicts: false,\n      draft: false,\n    };\n    const bound = getStateKey.bind(context);\n\n    expect(bound()).toEqual('rebase');\n  });\n});\n\n\n```\n\nAlong with an explanation of `it.each`:\n\n> Note that `it.each` is a utility provided by Jest that allows you to write the same test with different inputs and expected results. This can make your tests more concise and easier to read.\n\nOur next steps were to:\n- Paste the output from ChatGPT into the Web IDE.\n- Click the blue “Commit” button to commit the code.\n- Name the branch.\n- Open a merge request.\n\nAll of this can be done inside [GitLab’s Web IDE](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/web_ide/) without leaving the browser.\n\n### Examining the results\n\nOnce we opened the merge request, a CI/CD pipeline was created to test the change. Unfortunately, the pipeline jobs for the Jest tests failed because the tests were returning `null` for each case instead of the expected results. We went back to ChatGPT to see if it could help us understand why the test was returning null for all cases. ChatGPT suggested a few different implementations to check to make sure things are defined currently:\n\n> There are a few reasons why the tests in the `it.each` function might be returning null for every case. Here are a few possibilities:\n>\n> If the `getStateKey` function is not implemented correctly, it might always return null, regardless of the input.\n> If the `getStateKey` function relies on certain variables that are not defined in the test cases, it might return null because those variables are undefined.\n> If the context object passed to the `getStateKey` function is not being merged correctly with the input object in the test cases, the function might not have access to all of the necessary information, and it might return null.\n\nWhile ChatGPT couldn’t solve the issue with the returned value directly, it provided a lot of possibilities to look into and offered suggestions of what variables or functions to debug. The suggestions prompted us to add code changes that logged the variable values onto the [JavaScript debug console](https://www.w3schools.com/js/js_debugging.asp), find the implementation of the `getStateKey` function, and figure out why the return value was null. Whenever we came across something unfamiliar in the code, like syntax in the `it.each` that wasn’t familiar, we asked ChatGPT for clarification or a helpful example. Many times throughout this experiment, working with ChatGPT felt like “rubber duck debugging,” but with an AI with which you have to be very specific about your ask.\n\n## What we learned from ChatGPT\n\nIn the end, we weren’t able to figure out why our tests were returning null, so we asked the front-end team if someone could review the code. Senior Frontend Engineer [Angelo Gulina](https://gitlab.com/agulina) reviewed the MR. He found that the solution was actually quite trivial: The order of parameters was inverted, resulting in a comparison that led to null! In his assessment, ChatGPT wasn’t able to provide a working solution, but would be able to provide solutions and ideas to an engineer with some experience with the codebase. It delivered a clean, organized solution and answered the task of combining the tests into an it.each table. It could not, however, catch the actual error (the inversion of parameters) or correctly guess why the tests were returning null.\n\nLet's circle back to the question that started this experiment: Can we use ChatGPT to contribute to GitLab? At this time, we’d say, \"yes,\" and you will need some understanding of the code to complete your solution. Since ChatGPT is a language model trained by OpenAI, it can only answer questions and provide information addressed in the model, which means answers requiring contextual specificity may fall short of what is needed to resolve an issue. However, it’s a tool that can help you if you’re stuck, need more clarification on a code snippet, or are trying to refactor some code. It was fascinating for us to experiment with ChatGPT and we were excited to see what it was capable of. The code provided, however, lacked some of the valuable insight and industry experience that a community of contributors can provide.\n\nAt GitLab, our [community and our open source stewardship](https://about.gitlab.com/company/strategy/#dual-flywheels) are part of our company strategy. Thousands of open source contributors worldwide have helped make GitLab what it is today. We see potential for ChatGPT and similar AI tools, not as a replacement for our community, but a way to make our community more efficient and enable more people to contribute GitLab.\n\n\n\n\n",[1025,9,750,682],"tutorial",{"slug":1027,"featured":6,"template":685},"can-chatgpt-resolve-gitlab-issues","content:en-us:blog:can-chatgpt-resolve-gitlab-issues.yml","Can Chatgpt Resolve Gitlab Issues","en-us/blog/can-chatgpt-resolve-gitlab-issues.yml","en-us/blog/can-chatgpt-resolve-gitlab-issues",{"_path":1033,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1034,"content":1040,"config":1045,"_id":1047,"_type":13,"title":1048,"_source":15,"_file":1049,"_stem":1050,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/cern-contributor-post",{"title":1035,"description":1036,"ogTitle":1035,"ogDescription":1036,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1037,"ogUrl":1038,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":1038,"schema":1039},"GitLab Code Contributor: Daniel Juarez","Daniel Juarez shares his experience contributing to GitLab from CERN.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749673096/Blog/Hero%20Images/contributors-cover.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/cern-contributor-post","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"GitLab Code Contributor: Daniel Juarez\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Ray Paik\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-06-19\",\n      }",{"title":1035,"description":1036,"authors":1041,"heroImage":1037,"date":1042,"body":1043,"category":747,"tags":1044},[744],"2019-06-19","\n\nFor this edition of the [GitLab contributor blog posts](/blog/tags.html#contributors), I'm excited to introduce [Daniel Juarez](https://gitlab.com/danieljg) from [CERN](https://home.cern/).\n\n### Can you tell us about you do at CERN and what Geneva is like?\n\nI started working at CERN in September 2017 as an associate for the Version Control Systems team. I came to CERN from the [University of Oviedo](http://www.uniovi.es/en) in Spain, as the university has an arrangement with CERN to give its students an opportunity to work here. One of my main responsibilities is to improve, maintain, and support the GitLab setup at CERN, as well as the continuous integration (CI) infrastructure.\n\n[Geneva](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Geneva,+Switzerland/@46.2050241,6.1089833,13z) feels like an extension of CERN, as you can meet people from all over the world with so many international organizations in the city. It may not be the best place in the winter if you are not into skiing, but the city has a wonderful lake and is full of life in the summer.\n\n![Daniel Juarez](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/Daniel_Juarez.jpeg){: .shadow.small.right.wrap-text}\n\n### How long have you used GitLab and why did you decide to make contributions?\n\nI first used GitLab when I joined CERN. Contributing to GitLab is part of my job, and [my first merge request (MR)](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-runner/merge_requests/965) was on [the Runner project](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-runner).\n\nIn addition to MRs, I create issues and work with the GitLab team to find solutions. A good example is the [storage performance issue](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ee/issues/11556) that we ran into recently.\n\n### Do you plan/coordinate contributions to GitLab at CERN or is contribution done on an individual basis? Any advice for GitLab customers who want to make contributions?\n\nWe keep track of our current GitLab issues and improvement areas in our internal Jira instance, and from there we organize who will submit an MR or open an issue with GitLab. We have a few other GitLab contributors at CERN, like [Alex Lossent](https://gitlab.com/alexcern) and [Borja Aparicio](https://gitlab.com/baparici).\n\nIn terms of advice for others, I encourage people to ping GitLab team members, such as product managers or maintainers, if you feel like your MRs or issues are not being picked up in a timely manner. You can find GitLab team members either on the [team page](/company/team/) or the [product categories page](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/product/categories/). It's also helpful to note how many users are being impacted by your issue. Even though only one person from your organization may be commenting on an issue or MR, it could actually have an impact on thousands of people.\n\n### What has been your experience when contributing to GitLab?\n\nGitLab team members are always eager to help. They show interest in community issues and MRs, which is highly appreciated. Engagement from the GitLab team has helped us improve the service we provide to ~16,000 GitLab users at CERN.\n\nHowever, we are concerned about the large number of open issues at GitLab. Even if issues have the `customer` label, we are concerned that sometimes they could be forgotten.\n\n### Are there any community contributions (MRs) to GitLab that you thought were particularly interesting/useful?\n\nFrom CERN, we were definitely happy to have [SAML support](/releases/2015/06/22/gitlab-7-12-released/) a few years ago. We also found [Shared CI Runners for groups](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/merge_requests/9646) to be helpful, because some of our users were required to have the same runner registered against multiple projects instead of having it per group. This clearly improved the service for many of our users that rely on private runners and cannot use our shared infrastructure.\n\n### What do you like to do when you're not working?\n\nI love playing video games no matter the genre. Recently, I started watching bad movies and learning to cook new dishes (usually at the same time). I find that cooking helps me digest the bad movies!\n\n### Anything else you want to share with the community?\n\nDo not be afraid to submit MRs! It might look difficult in the beginning, but GitLab team members will do their best to help your changes \"go upstream\" to GitLab. I learned that wider community members are also willing to help.\n\n## Interested in learning how you can contribute?\n\nA good place to start is the [Contributing to GitLab page](/community/contribute/), where you can learn how you can contribute to GitLab code, documentation, translation, and UX design.\n\nIf you have any questions, you are always welcome to reach me at rpaik@gitlab.com.\n\n_Note: This post is part of [a series featuring people who contribute to GitLab](/blog/tags.html#contributors)._\n",[9,794,749,750],{"slug":1046,"featured":6,"template":685},"cern-contributor-post","content:en-us:blog:cern-contributor-post.yml","Cern Contributor Post","en-us/blog/cern-contributor-post.yml","en-us/blog/cern-contributor-post",{"_path":1052,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1053,"content":1058,"config":1065,"_id":1067,"_type":13,"title":1068,"_source":15,"_file":1069,"_stem":1070,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/certification-discount-code-debrief",{"title":1054,"description":1055,"ogTitle":1054,"ogDescription":1055,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":718,"ogUrl":1056,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":1056,"schema":1057},"Why we ended our free discount code early","Debrief on our certification discount code policy change.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/certification-discount-code-debrief","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Why we ended our free discount code early\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Christine Yoshida\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2021-05-05\",\n      }",{"title":1054,"description":1055,"authors":1059,"heroImage":718,"date":1061,"body":1062,"category":703,"tags":1063},[1060],"Christine Yoshida","2021-05-05","\n\n**This blog post was originally published on the GitLab Unfiltered blog. It was reviewed and republished on 2021-05-07.**\n\nWe are amazed at the sheer number of people who particpated in GitLab's 10-day certification offer of a 100% discount. In just two days there were more than 60,000 people who created an account in [GitLab Learn](/learn/), more than 8,000 people enrolled in the GitLab Certified Associate Self-Service pathway, more than 6,000 people started the hands-on labs, and more than 500 submitted your completed hands-on lab for the certification exam. We were able to award certifications to hundreds of people during that time!\n\nWe love your enthusiasm and excitement about earning a GitLab certification, which you expressed on everything from social media posts to video walkthroughs on YouTube. Unfortunately, we had only anticipated about 4,000 users for this 10-day program and the systems behind the scenes supporting the learning experience were unable to keep up with the sudden spike in the number of users. We eventually exceeded the user capacity limit on our third-party learning management platform and our internal hands-on training lab infrastructure. This is separate from our GitLab.com SaaS infrastructure. _GitLab SaaS customers were not impacted._ Due to the user capacity limit, we had to make the difficult decision to end the discount period much sooner than we had planned. We are working to autoscale our training systems to support the demand.\n\nFor those of you who were excited to take advantage of the discount and thought you had more time to take advantage of it, we are very sorry to have built up your excitement and then let you down - please accept our sincere apologies. If you have already redeemed the discount code and hands-on lab invitation code, please continue to complete your coursework in GitLab Learn and submit your project to us.\n\nOver the coming days and weeks we will determine both short-term and long-term solutions to provide improved capacity. As we iterate and scale GitLab Learn, we'll be incorporating the lessons we learned with this event.\n\nThere is still plenty of free learning in GitLab Learn including [Gitlab 101](/handbook/people-group/learning-and-development/gitlab-101/), [GitLab 201](/handbook/people-group/learning-and-development/gitlab-201/), [Remote Work,](/company/culture/all-remote/remote-certification/) and [DIB badges](/company/culture/inclusion/dib-training/). We hope you'll continue to use GitLab Learn and visit often to check out new offerings as they become available.\n\n## Your comments are welcome here!\n\nTell us how we could have done better.\n",[9,1064,703],"growth",{"slug":1066,"featured":6,"template":685},"certification-discount-code-debrief","content:en-us:blog:certification-discount-code-debrief.yml","Certification Discount Code Debrief","en-us/blog/certification-discount-code-debrief.yml","en-us/blog/certification-discount-code-debrief",{"_path":1072,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1073,"content":1078,"config":1084,"_id":1086,"_type":13,"title":1087,"_source":15,"_file":1088,"_stem":1089,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/ci-cd-github-extended-again",{"title":1074,"description":1075,"ogTitle":1074,"ogDescription":1075,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":784,"ogUrl":1076,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":1076,"schema":1077},"We're extending free usage of CI/CD for GitHub for another six months!","Get another six months' use of CI/CD for GitHub on GitLab.com, free of charge.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/ci-cd-github-extended-again","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"We're extending free usage of CI/CD for GitHub for another six months!\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"William Chia\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-09-09\",\n      }",{"title":1074,"description":1075,"authors":1079,"heroImage":784,"date":1081,"body":1082,"category":296,"tags":1083},[1080],"William Chia","2019-09-09","\n\n[CI/CD for GitHub](/solutions/github/) allows you to host your code on GitHub while taking advantage of GitLab for CI/CD. In fact, [CI/CD for external repos](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/ci_cd_for_external_repos/) lets you use any Git repo as a host together with GitLab CI/CD.\n\nWhen we first released the ability to use GitLab CI/CD with other Git repositories we placed it into our [Premium tier](/pricing/premium/) for GitLab Self-Managed. Normally, features go into a corresponding pricing tier on GitLab.com but we believed this was a specific case where we should offer a feature for free on GitLab.com because of the amount of repos on GitHub.com. Not knowing how long we'd keep this pricing, we set a deadline of one year. When that time came, we extended for six months.\n\nToday, we are extending the deadline for using CI/CD for external repos, including CI/CD for GitHub again. Now you'll have until **Mar. 22, 2020** to use these capabilities with private repos (see below for open source) as a [Free or Bronze](/pricing/) user on GitLab.com. This feature will continue to be part of the [Premium tier](/pricing/premium/) for GitLab Self-Managed.\n\n## Always free for open source\n\nThis extension applies to private repos hosted on GitLab.com. As part of our commitment to open source, [public projects get all the features of Gold for free](/solutions/open-source/). GitLab CI/CD for GitHub works by automatically mirroring your repos to GitLab.com. As such, if you have a public project on GitHub, it will also be public on GitLab so you can always take advantage of GitLab CI/CD for public projects.\n\n## Why we're extending the offer\n\nFor a rationale on our extension see our previous blog post when we [first extended external CI/CD](/blog/six-more-months-ci-cd-github/). When it came to the current deadline we found that the reasoning still held true and [decided to extend again](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ee/issues/13065).\n\nAs always, we'd love your feedback in the comments below.\n",[108,682,9,749],{"slug":1085,"featured":6,"template":685},"ci-cd-github-extended-again","content:en-us:blog:ci-cd-github-extended-again.yml","Ci Cd Github Extended Again","en-us/blog/ci-cd-github-extended-again.yml","en-us/blog/ci-cd-github-extended-again",{"_path":1091,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1092,"content":1097,"config":1102,"_id":1104,"_type":13,"title":1105,"_source":15,"_file":1106,"_stem":1107,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/ci-minutes-for-free-users",{"title":1093,"description":1094,"ogTitle":1093,"ogDescription":1094,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":784,"ogUrl":1095,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":1095,"schema":1096},"Changes to CI pipeline minutes for new free users","This change better aligns to GitLab's buyer-based open-core model.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/ci-minutes-for-free-users","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Changes to CI pipeline minutes for new free users\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Sid Sijbrandij\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2020-03-18\",\n      }",{"title":1093,"description":1094,"authors":1098,"heroImage":784,"date":1099,"body":1100,"category":703,"tags":1101},[833],"2020-03-18","___Update October 8, 2024: This blog is superseded by the blog post announcing [upcoming changes to CI/CD minutes for free tier users on GitLab.com](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/ci-minutes-update-free-users/). Please refer to our [pricing page](https://about.gitlab.com/pricing/) for the full breakdown of usage limits per tier.___\n\nEffective Sunday March 15, 2020, UTC, we are making changes to the CI pipeline minutes offered to *new* free users.\nMoving forward, all free accounts will have 2000 pipeline minutes per group per month independent of the visibility of the project.\nExisting free users will not have their plans changed.\n\n## What are pipeline minutes?\n\nAs we share on our [pricing page](https://about.gitlab.com/pricing/),\n\n> Pipeline minutes are the execution time for your pipelines on our shared runners. \n> Execution on your own runners will not increase your pipeline minutes count and is unlimited.\n\nPipeline minutes are a crucial part of what makes GitLab special.\n\n## Where did this come from?\n\nOne of our core values at GitLab is [efficiency](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#efficiency).\nAs GitLab grows and matures as both a company and a product, we've [really focused on becoming a more efficient company](https://youtu.be/wrnWaYS7Fgo?t=275). \nThis includes making sure we're being efficient in our CI offerings. \n\nAs we work on some new improvements to CI, including Windows and MacOS runners, we evaluated usage by free users.\nFrom an internal analysis, we found that 95% of free users who used CI minutes in January 2020 used fewer than 1000 CI minutes.\nBut we're not talking about 1000 minutes, we're talking about twice that. \nAnd 2000 minutes is a lot of minutes.\nThat's over an hour of CI minutes every day. \n\nWe are constantly working to provide the most value to our community through GitLab.\nThe best way we can do that is by strengthening our open source offering, including [make any features open source that are eligible to be open source](/company/pricing/#if-a-feature-can-be-moved-down-do-it-quickly).\n\n## What if that's not enough minutes?!\n\nIf 2000 minutes isn't enough, free users can buy [additional CI minutes](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/subscriptions/#purchasing-additional-ci-minutes).\n\nAlternatively, you can bring your own runners. \nYou can [run specific runners for any of your projects](https://docs.gitlab.com/runner/). \nWe only count minutes on the shared runners we provide on GitLab.com.\n\n## What's next?\n\nExcited about all the cool things that can be done with CI?\nMe too!\n\nHere are some other things coming down the pipeline in the next couple of releases:\n\n* [Dynamic child pipeline creation via artifact includes](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/35632)\n* [Autoscaling GitLab CI jobs on AWS Fargate (MVC)](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-runner/-/issues/2972)\n* [Notifications for when pipelines are fixed](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/24309)\n",[108,682,9,749],{"slug":1103,"featured":6,"template":685},"ci-minutes-for-free-users","content:en-us:blog:ci-minutes-for-free-users.yml","Ci Minutes For Free Users","en-us/blog/ci-minutes-for-free-users.yml","en-us/blog/ci-minutes-for-free-users",{"_path":1109,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1110,"content":1115,"config":1120,"_id":1122,"_type":13,"title":1123,"_source":15,"_file":1124,"_stem":1125,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/ci-minutes-update-free-users",{"title":1111,"description":1112,"ogTitle":1111,"ogDescription":1112,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":784,"ogUrl":1113,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":1113,"schema":1114},"Upcoming changes to CI/CD minutes for free tier users on GitLab.com","The reduction of CI/CD minutes aligns with the majority of free user usage","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/ci-minutes-update-free-users","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Upcoming changes to CI/CD minutes for free tier users on GitLab.com\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Sid Sijbrandij\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2020-09-01\",\n      }",{"title":1111,"description":1112,"authors":1116,"heroImage":784,"date":1117,"body":1118,"category":703,"tags":1119},[833],"2020-09-01","\nAt GitLab, we’ve been actively working towards empowering our community to make DevOps a reality for teams of all sizes. We’ve constantly [moved features down](/blog/new-features-to-core/) to our free product to enable more users to benefit from it. The [lower tiers offer more relative value](/company/pricing/#lower-tiers-have-more-relative-value) and help to get more users access to a complete DevOps platform.\n\nAs a result, the usage of GitLab has grown significantly over time to an estimated [30 million registered users](/why-gitlab/) - of which almost 6 million GitLab.com users are on our GitLab.com free tier. While we are excited by this exponential growth, our underlying costs to support this growth have increased significantly. As GitLab matures as both a company and a product, we must focus on becoming a more efficient company.\n\nWe evaluted CI/CD minute usage and found that 98.5% of free users use 400 CI/CD minutes or less per month. By lowering the current monthly usage limit, we are not only aligning the CI/CD minute limits with usage and related tier prices, but ensuring we can continue to maintain our commitment to offer a free GitLab.com tier.\n\n## Changes to the GitLab.com Free tier\n\nEffective October 1, 2020, we are reducing CI/CD minutes to 400 minutes per top-level group (or personal namespace) per month on the Free tier of GitLab.com.\n\n|    | Free | Bronze | Silver | Gold |\n| -- | ---- | ------ | ------ | ---- |\n| Price | $0 | $4 | $19 | $99 |\n| CI/CD Minutes | 400 | 2,000 | 10,000 | 50,000 |\n\n## Check and reduce CI/CD minutes used\n\nCI/CD minute usage can be reduced in a number of ways, including [bringing your own runners](https://docs.gitlab.com/runner/).\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n  \u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/GrO-8KtIpRA\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\u003C/figure>\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\nFor more details on the changes and how to manage and reduce your CI/CD minutes usage, please visit the [customer FAQ](/pricing/faq-compute-credit/).\n\n## Options to increase CI/CD minutes available\n\nIf 400 minutes is not enough, you can purchase additional CI/CD minutes at $10 per 1000 minutes or upgrade to [a paid tier](/pricing/). Also, you can bring your own runners. You can [run specific runners for any of your projects](https://docs.gitlab.com/runner/). We only count minutes on the shared runners we provide on GitLab.com.\n\nGitLab also offers Gold tier capabilities and 50,000 minutes per group per month CI/CD minutes for our [Open Source](/solutions/open-source/join/), [Education](/solutions/education/), and [Startups](/solutions/startups/) programs. If you are eligible for these programs, consider applying through their relevant program pages.\n\n## CI/CD minute limits will remain unchanged for Open Source, Education and Startups programs\n\nCI/CD minute limits will **remain unchanged** for members of our GitLab for [Open Source](/solutions/open-source/join/), [GitLab for Education](/solutions/education/), and [GitLab for Startups](/solutions/startups/) programs and will continue to match our [Gold tier](/pricing/). For more information on these programs and how to apply, please visit the relevant program pages.\n\n## More information\n\nPlease refer to the [customer FAQ](/pricing/faq-compute-credit/) for more information.\n\nTo address your questions and feedback, we have created a space in the [GitLab Community Forum](https://forum.gitlab.com/t/ci-cd-minutes-for-free-tier/40241), which is actively monitored by GitLab Team members and Product Managers involved with this change.\n",[108,682,9,749],{"slug":1121,"featured":6,"template":685},"ci-minutes-update-free-users","content:en-us:blog:ci-minutes-update-free-users.yml","Ci Minutes Update Free Users","en-us/blog/ci-minutes-update-free-users.yml","en-us/blog/ci-minutes-update-free-users",{"_path":1127,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1128,"content":1134,"config":1140,"_id":1142,"_type":13,"title":1143,"_source":15,"_file":1144,"_stem":1145,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/cobol-programmer-shortage",{"title":1129,"description":1130,"ogTitle":1129,"ogDescription":1130,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1131,"ogUrl":1132,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":1132,"schema":1133},"How can we help solve the COBOL programmer shortage?","A shortage of COBOL programmers is causing delays in processing unemployment claims and small business loans. We’re hoping our community can help.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749667886/Blog/Hero%20Images/cobolshortage.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/cobol-programmer-shortage","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"How can we help solve the COBOL programmer shortage?\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Valerie Silverthorne\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2020-04-23\",\n      }",{"title":1129,"description":1130,"authors":1135,"heroImage":1131,"date":1137,"body":1138,"category":747,"tags":1139},[1136],"Valerie Silverthorne","2020-04-23","\n\nIn our current world situation is it any surprise that a shortage of COBOL developers is holding up unemployment benefits and Small Business Association loan processing?\n\nActually, it is kind of surprising. We’ve grown used to the rapid advance of technology and it’s safe to say we’re like most companies – looking forward and not backward.\n\n## COBOL programmers needed\n\nBut it might be time to change that, and we’re reaching out to all of you for ideas and suggestions on ways to help provide a solution to the large number of COBOL programmers needed. What can we, as a community, do to help government agencies overwhelmed with demands on aging mainframes and with too few programmers to get the jobs done?\n\nCNN and a number of other news agencies reported that a lack of COBOL programming expertise has led to [long waits in processing unemployment benefits and small business loans](https://www.techspot.com/news/84796-us-states-desperate-cobol-programmers-ibm-offering-free.html?fbclid=IwAR1M2tlg2MeLHsG7ZzHawzPtsliTBaJX-1EgTlxIdr4BSHihN6sn-JbKpeo) at a time when [joblessness has hit record highs](https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/04/16/unemployment-claims-coronavirus/).\n\n### Oppertunities for COBOL programmers\n\nBut COBOL isn’t limited to government entities: Large financial services and a myriad of other industries are still heavily reliant on mainframes and their primary programming language. As such,there is a large number of COBOL programmers needed with a wide array of oppertunities available. That’s not likely to change anytime soon – IBM says there are 240 billion lines of COBOL running today with an additional 5 billion being written every year.\n\nWhile that may sound like job security, COBOL programming isn’t widely taught today and it certainly lacks the developer interest level of Ruby or TypeScript or Go. A quick search on job site [Glassdoor](https://www.glassdoor.com/) shows about 1700 jobs advertised for COBOL programmers across the US today, while there are well over 4000 potential employers for Go or Ruby developers, and over 30,000 for Java developers.\n\nToday a number of companies [are working to integrate](https://www.rocketsoftware.com/zos-open-source/tools) more \"modern\" software development methodologies with mainframes ([even GitLab](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-runner/issues/3263)), but that’s not going to solve the short-term need (or probably even the medium-term need).\n\n### Education and Upskilling for COBOL programmers\n\nThere are some educational opportunities available from [Udemy](https://www.udemy.com/course/mainframe-the-complete-cobol-course-from-beginner-to-expert/), [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/learning/topics/cobol), [Learning Tree](https://www.learningtree.com/courses/2301/enterprise-cobol-programming-part-1/) and a [free COBOL programming course](https://github.com/openmainframeproject/cobol-programming-course) from the openmainframeproject on GitHub.\n\nCan we do more? We don’t have the answers but we’ve opened [a public issue](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/www-gitlab-com/-/issues/7271) so please leave any ideas there.\n\n_Updated on June 1, 2020: We've had some responses on our public issue including this from contributor [Timothy Austin](https://gitlab.com/taustin288): \"The companies who hold all these large COBOL code bases need to pressure the universities to require all up and coming Java programmers to have a rudimentary knowledge of COBOL. This would allow them the flexibility to convert the COBOL or continue use it as is if they so desire.\" Learn more in [our issue](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/www-gitlab-com/-/issues/7271)._ \n\nCover image by [Joshua Sortino](https://unsplash.com/@sortino) on [Unsplash](https://www.unsplash.com)\n{: .note}\n",[9,750,749],{"slug":1141,"featured":6,"template":685},"cobol-programmer-shortage","content:en-us:blog:cobol-programmer-shortage.yml","Cobol Programmer Shortage","en-us/blog/cobol-programmer-shortage.yml","en-us/blog/cobol-programmer-shortage",{"_path":1147,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1148,"content":1154,"config":1159,"_id":1161,"_type":13,"title":1162,"_source":15,"_file":1163,"_stem":1164,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/community-update-for-2019",{"title":1149,"description":1150,"ogTitle":1149,"ogDescription":1150,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1151,"ogUrl":1152,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":1152,"schema":1153},"Celebrating wider community contributions in 2019 and returning to FOSDEM","Here's what the wider community accomplished in 2019 and where to find GitLab at FOSDEM'20.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749663430/Blog/Hero%20Images/2018-09-13-gitlab-hackathon-cover.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/community-update-for-2019","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Celebrating wider community contributions in 2019 and returning to FOSDEM\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Ray Paik\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2020-01-24\",\n      }",{"title":1149,"description":1150,"authors":1155,"heroImage":1151,"date":1156,"body":1157,"category":792,"tags":1158},[744],"2020-01-24","\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"true\" /}\n\n\n\nFirst of all, I would like to wish everyone in the GitLab Community a Happy New Year! There's been an impressive growth in the wider GitLab community in 2019 and I wanted to share and celebrate what we all accomplished. \n\nThe first chart below shows merged MRs from the wider community beginning with the 11.0 release. We obviously have a nice trendline, but we also had a record number of merged MRs for the 12.6 release (nearly 250!) and this was a great way to close out 2019! \n\n![Wider community contributions per release](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/Wider_community_contributions_per_release-Dec2019.png){: .medium.center}\n\nI also want to show some numbers on the wider community growth over the past 3 years. As you will see in the chart below, the number of  contributors almost doubled between 2018 and 2019 as we had almost 900 contributors with merged MRs last year. In terms of the number of merged MRs, we had 2400+ MRs in 2019 which is more than 30% increase from the previous year. I really need to congratulate and thank everyone in the wider community for your contributions as these numbers clearly show that GitLab is a thriving open source community. Beyond MRs or code, we appreciate your insight and perspective from your contributions. \n\n![Community contributions in 2018 and 2019](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/2019_Wider_Community_Contributors_and_Merge_Requests.png){: .medium.center}\n\nI also updated the [top contributors page](https://about.gitlab.com/community/top-annual-contributors/) with the final numbers from 2019. The number of regular contributors with 5 or more merged MRs during the year also saw a significant increase from 2018 (35) to 2019 (68). The growth in regular contributors is something we tried to focus on last year, and I'm impressed with the result. Congratulations to everyone who made the list, and your GitLab souvenir will be coming to you soon.\n\n\n### Let's meet at FOSDEM\n\nNow I want to switch gears to what's happening at [FOSDEM](https://fosdem.org/2020/) on February 1st and 2nd. Last year, GitLab had a stand at FOSDEM for the first time and we were overwhelemed with the amount of people who came to talk to us. I'm excited to announce that we will be back with a stand at FOSDEM and look forward to meeting with community members. Our stand will be at Building K/Level 1 and [this page](https://fosdem.org/2020/stands/) will help you find where the GitLab stand is. \n\nWe will also have a meetup session on Sunday as a part of a Birds of a Feather (BOF) track on Sunday (February 2nd) morning between 10:00 - 11:00 in room J.1.106. You can find details on the meetup at [this FOSDEM page](https://fosdem.org/2020/schedule/event/bof_gitlab/).  \n\nIn addition, a couple of GitLab team members are giving talks in devrooms. [Alessio Caiazza](https://gitlab.com/nolith) will discuss [building a smart reverse proxy in Go](https://fosdem.org/2020/schedule/event/speedupmonolith/) and I will have the opportunity to discuss [why community matters in corporate open source projects](https://fosdem.org/2020/schedule/event/corpcommunitythrive/).  \n\nFinally, we are working on organizing a Happy Hour on Saturday (February 1st) evening, so stay tuned for more news on this! I hope to see many of you at FOSDEM, and I'll try to make frequent announcements/posts on Twitter during the conference.\n",[9,794,749],{"slug":1160,"featured":6,"template":685},"community-update-for-2019","content:en-us:blog:community-update-for-2019.yml","Community Update For 2019","en-us/blog/community-update-for-2019.yml","en-us/blog/community-update-for-2019",{"_path":1166,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1167,"content":1173,"config":1179,"_id":1181,"_type":13,"title":1182,"_source":15,"_file":1183,"_stem":1184,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/comparing-static-site-generators",{"title":1168,"description":1169,"ogTitle":1168,"ogDescription":1169,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1170,"ogUrl":1171,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":1171,"schema":1172},"How to choose the right static site generator","Here's an in-depth look at 6 static site generators that deploy to GitLab Pages.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749682290/Blog/Hero%20Images/kelly-sikkema-gchfxsdcmje-unsplash-resized.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/comparing-static-site-generators","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"How to choose the right static site generator\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Fatima Sarah Khalid\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2022-04-18\",\n      }",{"title":1168,"description":1169,"authors":1174,"heroImage":1170,"date":1175,"body":1176,"category":726,"tags":1177},[1021],"2022-04-18","\n\nMost websites today fall into two categories - dynamic sites and static sites:\n\n## Dynamic sites\n\nDynamic sites are interactive, and the user experience can be tailored to the visitor. These are the ones that might remember who you are across visits or deliver content that's most applicable to the region you're visiting from. They rely on a content management system (CMS) or database for rendering and can continue to grow in complexity as the organization's needs grow. \n\n## Static sites\n\nStatic sites, however, generally display the same content to all users. They use server-side rendering to serve HTML, CSS, and Javascript files. While CMS backends have made dynamic sites easier to launch and maintain, static sites continue to grow in popularity.\n\n## What is a static site generator?\n\nA static site generator (SSG) is a software tool that generates a static website by processing plain text files that contain the websites content and markup. The resulting website consists of a set of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files, and other assets, that can be served by a web server to visitors.\n\nTo use a static site generator, you typically write your website's' content in a markup language like Markdown, and use a templating language to define the website's layout and structure. You then run the static site generator to generate the final set of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files, which can be deployed to a web server or content delivery network (CDN) for visitors to access.\n\n## Benefits of using a static site generator\n\nStatic sites' advantages include speed, security, and SEO. They're also easy to maintain and highly scalable. Because the static site generators store an already-compiled page on a CDN, they load a lot faster.\n\nAs static site generators are comprised solely of static files, no database is required, resulting in many additional benefits:\n\n* There is no need to spend valuable time querying the database or running any resource-intensive server-side scripts.\n\n* There are no extraneous libraries, no databases, or other features that a dynamic generator is built with. All you have are static files. Therefore, it’s very simple to work with and migrate as needed.\n\n* There’s no database for would-be hackers to attack. \n\n* Since there is no need for scripts to run on a file-based generator, scaling is very easy without overwhelming your server.\n\nAll static site generators can be exciting and fun, but some require time and effort on configurations, detailed templating, or management tweaks. My team and I joke that I am one of the top blog-less SSG experts, so in this blog post, I’ll walk you through a toolkit for evaluating your project and then share some SSGs that deploy to GitLab Pages. \n\nHere are the SSGs I'll review in this post:\n\n- [**Hugo**](https://gohugo.io/) is written in Go with support for multi-language sites and complex content strategy.\n- [**Zola**](https://www.getzola.org) is written in Rust with a single binary, no dependencies, and flexible features like Sass compilation.\n- [**Jekyll**](https://jekyllrb.com/) is written in Ruby, built for blogging, and has a large collection of plugins and themes.\n- [**Hexo**](https://hexo.io/) is Node.js based with support for multiple templating engines, integrations with NPM packages, and one command deployment.\n- [**GatsbyJS**](https://www.gatsbyjs.com/) is React-based, works with any CMS, API, or database, and can be used for building headless experiences.\n- [**Astro**](https://gitlab.com/pages/astro) is Javascript-based, supports multiple frameworks, and is known for on-demand rendering via partial hydration.\n\n##  An Evaluation Toolkit\n\nWith so many static site generators available, selecting one for your project can be overwhelming. When evaluating which SSG is right for you, here are a few things to consider about your project, use case, and the type of work you're looking to put into the site. \n\n**Identify the use case**\n\nIt’s important to understand your site's needs, purpose, and content. Are you building a personal blog, a landing page for a product, or documentation for a tech project? Consider whether you need a streamlined editor experience, content, and interactions with your user. The better you can identify the experience you'd like your visitors to have, the easier it will be to pick the feature set that can best support it. \n\n**Specify languages and frameworks**\n\nThere are so many static site generators out there that you can find one in nearly every language and framework. Consider whether you want to learn a new language or use something you're familiar with. Depending on how much time you’d like to invest in setting up, you should also review the installation details and see if you’re familiar with the templating language, dependencies, and theming layer. \n\n**Review the ecosystem**\n\nMany static site generators will have starter repositories or sample sites where you can play around with functionality and components before diving into your project. When reviewing the ecosystem, think about the limitations of the templating engine and whether you’ll need dynamic or Javascript components, and how you’ll include them. Some generators will have out-of-the-box or community-contributed plugins and extensions. \n\n**Check out the community**\n\nThere are often Discord or forum communities where you can get support, share ideas, review cases studies, and see what other people are building. Some of the most popular generators might even have conferences or workshops for getting started on more complex topics. \n\n**Identify the specialty** \n\nFrom microblogging to academic portfolios and small business sites, static site generators cover various use cases for different people. Each SSG has its own thing, whether it’s the framework it uses, a unique feature in its templating language, or the size of the installation binary.\n\n## The Single Binary Approach \n\nSome static site generators install a single binary and don't require complex dependency management. The single binary approach gets things set up quickly and easily. It is also easier for non-technical or academic users since you can pass the executable around for installation and use a markup language like Markdown to write content. \n\n[**Hugo**](https://gohugo.io/) is written in Go, a statically compiled language, with support for multiple platforms. The Hugo binary can be downloaded and run from anywhere and is simple to install, with no runtime dependencies or installation process. Upgrades involve downloading a new binary, and you're all set. Hugo supports unlimited content types, taxonomies, dynamic content driven from an API, multi-lingual sites, and markdown. It also ships with premade templates making it easy to get started with menus and site maps. \n\nOne of the advantages of using Hugo is that it doesn't depend on client-side JS. It also has a thriving community with many prebuilt themes and starter repositories. There is an [existing sample site in Hugo that deploys to GitLab pages](https://gitlab.com/pages/hugo). If you're migrating to Hugo from another SSG, you can use the [hugo import](https://gohugo.io/commands/hugo_import/) command or one of the [community-developed migration tools](https://gohugo.io/tools/migrations/). There's a [Hugo site example](https://gitlab.com/pages/hugo) on GitLab pages to help you get started.\n\n[**Zola**](https://www.getzola.org) is a strongly opinionated SSG written in Rust that uses the Tera template engine. It's available as [a prebuilt binary](https://github.com/getzola/zola/releases), is super-fast to set up, and comes with some essential features like syntax highlighting, taxonomies, table of contents, Sass compilation, and hot reloading. The Tera templating engine supports build-in short-codes to inject more complex HTML or for repetitive data-driven sections. Configuration for Zola sites is managed in TOML.\n\nOne of the limitations of Zola might be the lack of a built-in scripting language. Unlike other SSGs, there isn't an ecosystem of plugins you can add to your site. Many in the community appreciate this lack of modularity because Zola’s specialty is content-driven sites. [One of the most popular posts on their Discourse forum is a proposal for plugins](https://zola.discourse.group/t/proposal-plugin/975) which discusses ways to include dynamic loading for plugins without affecting the single binary distribution. \n\nZola is commonly used for content-driven websites. One of its notable features is how content is structured using a tree with sections and pages.  There is no example site on GitLab pages, but the Zola documentation includes a [guide on how to deploy to GitLab pages](https://www.getzola.org/documentation/deployment/gitlab-pages/). \n\n## The Standard Approach\n\nWhen it comes to generators and frameworks, you might hear, \"Boring is better.\" Sometimes the preferred SSG is feature complete, well documented, and has a community of examples and plugins to support it - even if it's not actively growing anymore. \n\n[**Jekyll**](https://jekyllrb.com/) is a static site generator written in Ruby and released in 2008. It paved the way for static sites by replacing the need for a database and inspiring developers to start creating blogs and documentation pages quickly and easily. It uses the Liquid templating language, has a vast plugin ecosystem, and is known to be beginner-friendly since it’s just HTML (or Markdown, if you prefer). While it doesn’t provide many features out of the box, Jekyll supports Ruby plugins for any functionality you might need. There are over [200 plugins](https://github.com/topics/jekyll-plugin), themes, and resources available to use.\n\nOne of the challenges when working with Jekyll can be the requirement of having a whole Ruby development environment to build your site. This can be tricky for developers unfamiliar with Ruby or when making updates. Another thing to consider is the build pipeline - it supports Sass compilation out of the box, but the community recommends using webpack to build assets instead. If you're migrating to Jekyll from another framework or CMS, there are [importers](https://import.jekyllrb.com/docs/home/) that can help automate part of the process. There is a [Jekyll site example that deploys to GitLab pages](https://gitlab.com/pages/jekyll).\n\n[**Hexo**](https://hexo.io/) is a NodeJS static site generator that offers itself as a blogging framework. It has built-in support for Markdown, front matter, and tag plugins. It specializes in creating markup-driven blogs. Hexo provides the Nunjucks template engine by default, but you can easily install additional plugins to support alternative templating engines. Like Jekyll, Hexo also [supports migrations](https://hexo.io/docs/migration#content-inner) from several popular frameworks, including WordPress. \n\nA notable feature of Hexo is tag plugins. Tag plugins are snippets of code you can add to your Markdown files without having to write complex or messy HTML to render specific content. Hexo supports several tag plugins, including block quotes, Twitter and Youtube embeds, and code blocks. There’s an [example site for Hexo that deploys to GitLab pages](https://gitlab.com/pages/hexo) and also a [guide in the Hexo documentation](https://hexo.io/docs/gitlab-pages). \n\n## SSGs and beyond\n\nFor those who love flexibility and modularity, there are some SSGs that allow you do everything from full content moderation support and dynamic API-driven content to state management and partial rendering. \n\n[**GatsbyJS**](https://www.gatsbyjs.com/) is an open-source React-based static site generator optimized for speed and has an extensive plugin library. GatsbyJS supports routing, and handling images, accessibility, and hot reloading out of the box. To improve performance, it loads only the critical elements of the page and prefetches assets for other pages to load them as quickly as possible. It also uses webpack to bundle all of your assets. \n\nGatsbyJS believes in a “content mesh” where third-party platforms provide specialized functionality to the base architecture. It allows you to seamlessly pull data from multiple sources, making it popular for Headless approaches with a CMS backend like Drupal, WordPress, or Contentful. You use GraphQL to query the APIs and manage data throughout your site. The GatsbyJS community has contributed over 2000 plugins, including starter repositories and templates that you can use to get started. There’s an [example GatsbyJS site that deploys to GitLab pages](https://gitlab.com/pages/gatsby). \n\n[**Astro**](https://gitlab.com/pages/astro) is a Bring Your Own Framework (BYOF) static site generator with no package dependencies. You can build your site with any JavaScript framework or web components, and Astro will render it into static HTML and CSS. This flexibility has made it popular since it’s future-proof for migrations. Astro ships with automatic sitemaps, RSS feeds, and pagination. It uses Snowpack to compile Javascript, which supports hot module replacement, ES6 modules, and dynamic imports without extra configuration. The project is still a [Beta release with the 1.0 coming in June 2022](https://twitter.com/astrodotbuild/status/1512505549354639363?s=20&t=zXDUGuYmbiOp08FTETXw5A). \n\nA notable feature of Astro is partial hydration. If you decide that parts of your site need interactivity, you can “hydrate” just those components when they become visible on the page. This way, your pages will load super fast by default and have [“islands of interactivity”](https://docs.astro.build/en/core-concepts/partial-hydration/#island-architecture). There are several themes, plugins, components, and showcase projects available. Astro has [an online playground](https://astro.new/) where you can try out features and integrations in your browser. There’s also [an Astro example site on GitLab pages](https://gitlab.com/pages/astro). \n\n## Creating your own SSG\n\nSometimes, the best part of building a static site is creating a custom generator based on a specific programming language, architecture, and feature set. You might find that the process of creating a static site generator is more exciting than actually writing blogs for your site. Consider several preferences, from document structure to a templating language, theming support, custom plugins, and the build pipeline. You’ll have the opportunity to customize the features to your liking. And there are many [static site generators that deploy to GitLab pages](https://gitlab.com/pages) to provide inspiration! \n\n\nCover image by [Kelly Sikkema](https://unsplash.com/photos/gcHFXsdcmJE) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/)\n{: .note}\n",[1178,9,749],"frontend",{"slug":1180,"featured":6,"template":685},"comparing-static-site-generators","content:en-us:blog:comparing-static-site-generators.yml","Comparing Static Site Generators","en-us/blog/comparing-static-site-generators.yml","en-us/blog/comparing-static-site-generators",{"_path":1186,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1187,"content":1193,"config":1201,"_id":1203,"_type":13,"title":1204,"_source":15,"_file":1205,"_stem":1206,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/configuring-your-cluster-with-kubernetes-integration",{"title":1188,"description":1189,"ogTitle":1188,"ogDescription":1189,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1190,"ogUrl":1191,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":1191,"schema":1192},"Heroes journey: Working with GitLab's Kubernetes agent","A tutorial on deploying and monitoring an application in Kubernetes without leaving GitLab.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749682342/Blog/Hero%20Images/treasure.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/configuring-your-cluster-with-kubernetes-integration","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"GitLab Heroes Unmasked - How I became acquainted with the GitLab Agent for Kubernetes\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Jean-Philippe Baconnais\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2022-06-08\",\n      }",{"title":1194,"description":1189,"authors":1195,"heroImage":1190,"date":1197,"body":1198,"category":747,"tags":1199},"GitLab Heroes Unmasked - How I became acquainted with the GitLab Agent for Kubernetes",[1196],"Jean-Philippe Baconnais","2022-06-08","\n\n_A key to GitLab’s success is our vast community of advocates. Here at GitLab, we call these active contributors \"[GitLab Heroes](/community/heroes/).\" Each hero contributes to GitLab in numerous ways, including elevating releases, sharing best practices, speaking at events, and more. Jean-Phillippe Baconnais is an active GitLab Hero, who hails from France. We applaud his contributions, including leading community engagement events. Baconnais shares his interest in Kubernetes and explains how to deploy and monitor an application in Kubernetes without leaving GitLab._ \n\nSince 2007, I’ve been a developer. I’ve learned a lot of things about continuous integration, deployment, infrastructure, and monitoring. In both my professional and personal time, my favorite activity remains software development. After creating a new application with multiple components, I wanted to deploy it on Kubernetes, which has been really famous over the last few years. This allows me to experiment on this platform. This announces a lot of very funny things. I know some terms, I used them in production for five years. But as a user, Kubernetes Administration is not my “cup of tea” 😅.\n\n## My first deployment in Kubernetes\n\nWhen I decided to deploy an application on Kubernetes, I wasn’t sure where to start until I saw, navigating in my project in GitLab, a menu called “Kubernetes.\" I wanted to know what GitLab was hiding behind this. Does this feature link my project’s sources to a Kubernetes cluster? I used the credit offered by Google Cloud to discover and test this platform. \n\nDeploying my application on Kubernetes was easy. I wrote [a blog post](https://dev.to/jphi_baconnais/deploy-an-quarkus-application-on-gke-with-gitlabci-lgp) in 2019 describing how I do this, or rather, how GitLab helped me to create this link so easily. In this blog post I will explain further and talk about what’s changed since then.\n\nBehind the “Kubernetes” menu, GitLab helps you integrate Kubernetes into your project. You can create, from GitLab, a cluster on Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and Amazon Web Services (AWS). If you already have a cluster on this platform or anywhere else, you can connect to it. You just need to specify the cluster name, Kubernetes API UR, and certificate.\n\n![Connect cluster](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/baconcreatecluster.png){: .shadow}\n\nGitLab is a DevOps platform and in the list of DevOps actions, there is the monitoring part. \n\n![Chart of GitLab stages](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/baconstreamline.png){: .shadow}\n\nGitLab deploys an instance of Prometheus to get information about your cluster and facilitate the monitoring of your application.\n\nFor example, you can see how many pods are deployed and their states in your environment. You can also view some charts and information about your cluster, like memory and CPU available. All these metrics are available by default without changing the application of your cluster. We can also read the logs directly in GitLab. For a developer, it’s great to have all this information on the same tool and this allows us to save time. \n\n![Pod deployment](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/baconhealth.png){: .shadow}\n\n\n## A new way to integrate Kubernetes\n\nEverything I explained in the previous chapter doesn’t quite exist anymore. The release of GitLab 14.5 was the beginning of a revolution. The Kubernetes integration with certificates has limitations on security and many issues were created. GitLab teams worked on a new way to rely on your cluster. And in Version 14.5, the [GitLab Agent for Kubernetes](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/clusters/agent/) was released! \n\n## GitLab Agent for Kubernetes\n\nGitLab Agent for Kubernetes is a new way to connect to your cluster. This solution is easy to explain: An agent installed on your cluster communicates with your GitLab instance with [gRPC](https://grpc.io/) protocol. Your agent offers you useful GitOps features I will explain later. The next picture shows you the GitLab Agent for Kubernetes architecture (from GitLab). \n\n![GitLab Agent for Kubernetes flow chart](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/baconkubernetesflowchart.png){: .shadow}\n\n### GitOps defined\n\nLet’s quickly define the term “[GitOps](/topics/gitops/)”: It’s a way to manage your infrastructure as code, in a Git project. For me, there are two aspects in GitOps: “pull” and “push” mode. \n\n- Push mode is when your Git project activates the upgrade of your infrastructure following a change. \n- Pull mode is when your infrastructure verifies without interruption of your Git project and applies changes automatically.\n\nAnd GitLab chose the latter mode for their solution of GitLab Agent for Kubernetes. Indeed, your agent available on your cluster will check frequently if your project changes. The gRPC protocol is great to respect this intent. When you push a modification on your project, agents detect it automatically, and then your cluster upgrades.\n\n### How the GitLab Agent for Kubernetes works\n\nThere are some actions to do to install and have a GitLab Agent for Kubernetes available on your project. \n\nFirst, if you create a new project on GitLab, you can use the template “Management cluster,” which allows the initialization of files. These files allow you to have examples of: \n- a declaration of an agent\n- a list of starter kits to install DevOps tools\n\nGitLab is a DevOps platform that wants to help you to configure all steps of the lifecycle of your project. You can find the configuration of tools like Prometheus, Sentry, Ingress, etc. I will detail this later.\n\n### The evolution of GitLab Agent for Kubernetes\n\nBefore explaining more details about this agent, you have to know one thing. This product is in constant evolution and your feedback is welcome in [this issue](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/342696#note_899701396) to improve it. The roadmap is available and each version gives some information about its evolution.\n\n## How to use GitLab Agent for Kubernetes\n\nCreating an agent is simple. You have to create a file in the directory .gitlab/agents/\u003Cnameofyouragent>/config.yaml. \n\n\n![Connect cluster](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/baconstructure.png)\n\n\nThe default configuration should contain:\n- your project id, represented by your \u003Cuser or group>/project\n- a namespace by default to deploy applications if it’s not present in your yaml files\n- path of your yaml file to apply. This can be a specific file, a directory, or a pattern of files\n- level of debug\n\n```\n\ngitops:\n manifest_projects:\n - id: xxxxx/demo-gitlab-kubernetes-cluster-management\n   default_namespace: gitlab-kubernetes-agent-demo\n   paths:\n   - glob: 'deploy.yaml'\nobservability:\n logging:\n   level: debug\n\n```\n\nYou can add security to this configuration file with the “ci_access” property. For example, it allows developers to avoid destroying the Kubernetes infrastructure 😅. I didn’t explore in detail this part yet. \n\nAll configuration options are available on [this reference page](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/clusters/agent/gitops.html#gitops-configuration-reference). \n\nAfter creating and pushing your file in your project, you have to register your agent. And this action takes two seconds on the GitLab UI. \n\n![Add an agent](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/baconaddanagent.png){: .shadow}\n\nOn the next step, GitLab gives you the Docker command to install your agent on your cluster. For example:\n\n```\n\ndocker run --pull=always --rm \\\n    registry.gitlab.com/gitlab-org/cluster-integration/gitlab-agent/cli:stable generate \\\n    --agent-token=\u003Cyour token generated by GitLab> \\\n    --kas-address=wss://kas.gitlab.com \\\n    --agent-version stable \\\n    --namespace gitlab-kubernetes-agent | kubectl apply -f -\n\n```\nYou can copy-paste this command on your cluster and your agent will be available in a Kubernetes namespace. You can see on the GitLab UI that the link with the agent is successful.\n\n![Link with agent success](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/baconagentk.png){: .shadow}\n\n\nYou can also verify this connection in logs of agent container: \n\n```\n\n{\"level\":\"debug\",\"time\":\"2022-xx-xxT14:11:57.517Z\",\"msg\":\"Handled a connection successfully\",\"mod_name\":\"reverse_tunnel\"}  \n\n```\n\n### GitLab cluster management \n\nGitLab is a DevOps platform and uses tiers of applications to manage all the steps of a modern DevOps pipeline. The “Monitor” part in GitLab is based on some tools such as [Prometheus](https://prometheus.io/docs/visualization/grafana/),[Sentry](https://sentry.io/), [Vault](https://www.vaultproject.io/), etc. To help you, GitLab created the template [GitLab Cluster Management]( https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/project-templates/cluster-management), which gives you a basic configuration of these tools.\n\nTo install these tools, a `.gitlab-ci.yml` file is created and defines a job to deploy them with helmfile configuration. All these tools, contained in the directory named “applications,” can be overridden or customized in `values.yaml` file. \n \nAnd for my experimentation, I used this template and applied a small change to have an external IP address for the Prometheus instance. After registering this external IP in GitLab (Menu Settings > Monitor > Alerts), the Monitor menu has data. We can check information about any pods deployed on my cluster. \n\n![Agent graph](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/baconagentgraph.png){: .shadow}\n\n## The GitOps aspect \n\nThe GitOps aspect can be verified quickly. If you choose to specify one manifest file defining an application deployment, a modification on this file implies an automatic deployment on your cluster. Without CI! This allows us to have a faster deployment than if we passed with a pipeline. The new features or fixes will be deployed faster on your infrastructures. And if you use the free version of GitLab, your deployment will not count in your CI quota. \n\nAfter a commit, the agent detects it and we can see the commit id in the agent logs.\n\n```\n{\"level\":\"info\",\"time\":\"2022-04-11T15:22:44.049Z\",\"msg\":\"Synchronizing objects\",\"mod_name\":\"gitops\",\"project_id\":\"jeanphi-baconnais/demo-gitlab-kubernetes-cluster-management\",\"agent_id\":12804,\"commit_id\":\"e2a82fe6cc82fa25e8d5a72584774f4751407558\"}\n\n```\n\n## CI/CD tunnel\n\nAnother feature that comes with the GitLab Agent for Kubernetes is the CI/CD tunnel. Your agent facilitates the interaction with your cluster. You just have to define a KUBE_CONTEXT variable referencing the path of your agent. \n\n```\nvariables:\nKUBE_CONTEXT: \"xxxxx/demo-gitlab-kubernetes-cluster-management:agentk\"\n\n```\n\nAnd actions on your cluster are available without secret configuration or anything else. If you want to execute `kubectl` commands, you can easily use this job:\n\n```\n\ntest-cicd-tunnel:\n stage: test\n extends: [.kube-context]\n image:\n   name: bitnami/kubectl:latest\n   entrypoint: [\"\"]\n script:\n  - kubectl get ns\n when: manual\n\n```\n\n## What's next\n\nCurrently, GitLab Agent for Kubernetes doesn’t allow you to get information about the state of pods on your cluster’s environment page.\n\n![Success](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/baconci.png){: .shadow}\n\nBut GitLab wants to offer the same level of service as the certificate integration. So, check the roadmap ([in this issue](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/3329)) and the contents of each release. The template Cluster Management is in progress, too. Some issues will give new features for configuration tools.\n\nThis experience was so rewarding for me. I would deploy a project on Google Cloud, and I discovered a new method. I saw this agent described in [GitLab 14.5](/releases/2021/11/22/gitlab-14-5-released/) but I didn’t imagine the impact it can have on a project. \n\nMy colleague [Eric Briand](https://twitter.com/eric_briand) and I had the opportunity to speak about this subject at [Malt Academy sessions](https://www.malt-academy.com/) and [Meetup GitLab France](https://www.meetup.com/GitLab-Meetup-France/events/283917115). I will continue to experiment with this agent and try different options for this wonderful product! \n\n**This blog post and linked pages contain information related to upcoming products, features, and functionality. It is important to note that the information presented is for informational purposes only. Please do not rely on this information for purchasing or planning purposes. As with all projects, the items mentioned in this video/blog post and linked pages are subject to change or delay. The development, release, and timing of any products, features, or functionality remain at the sole discretion of GitLab Inc.**\n\nCover image by [Ashin K Suresh](https://unsplash.com/photos/mkxTOAxqTTo) on Unsplash.\n{: .note}\n",[942,9,1200,1064,750],"user stories",{"slug":1202,"featured":6,"template":685},"configuring-your-cluster-with-kubernetes-integration","content:en-us:blog:configuring-your-cluster-with-kubernetes-integration.yml","Configuring Your Cluster With Kubernetes Integration","en-us/blog/configuring-your-cluster-with-kubernetes-integration.yml","en-us/blog/configuring-your-cluster-with-kubernetes-integration",{"_path":1208,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1209,"content":1215,"config":1223,"_id":1225,"_type":13,"title":1226,"_source":15,"_file":1227,"_stem":1228,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/connecting-gitlab-and-pantheon-streamline-wordpress-drupal-workflows",{"title":1210,"description":1211,"ogTitle":1210,"ogDescription":1211,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1212,"ogUrl":1213,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":1213,"schema":1214},"Streamlining Drupal and WordPress with GitLab and Pantheon","Our guest author, a Developer Programs Engineer at Pantheon, shares how to automate WordPress deployments using GitLab CI/CD.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749680516/Blog/Hero%20Images/gitlab-pantheon.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/connecting-gitlab-and-pantheon-streamline-wordpress-drupal-workflows","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"How to connect GitLab and Pantheon to streamline Drupal and WordPress workflows\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Andrew Taylor\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-03-26\",\n      }",{"title":1216,"description":1211,"authors":1217,"heroImage":1212,"date":1219,"body":1220,"category":726,"tags":1221},"How to connect GitLab and Pantheon to streamline Drupal and WordPress workflows",[1218],"Andrew Taylor","2019-03-26","\n\nAs a member of the developer relations team at [Pantheon](https://pantheon.io), I’m always looking for new ways to help WordPress and Drupal developers solve workflow problems with automation. To this end, I love exploring new tools and how they can be used effectively together.\n\n### One frequent problem I see teams facing is the dreaded single staging server.\n\nIt’s not fun to wait in line for your turn to use the staging server or to send clients a URL and tell them to review some work but ignore other, incomplete pieces.\n\n[Multidev environments](https://pantheon.io/docs/multidev/), one of Pantheon’s advanced developer tools, solves this issue by allowing environments matching Git branches to be created on demand. Each multidev environment has its own URL and database, making independent work, QA, and approval possible without developers stepping on each other's toes.\n\nHowever, Pantheon doesn’t provide source control management (SCM) or continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) tooling. Instead, the platform is flexible enough to be integrated with your preferred tools.\n\n### The next problem I see consistently is teams using different tools to manage development work and to build and deploy that work.\n\nFor example, using one tool for SCM and something else for CI/CD. Having to jump between tools to edit code and diagnose failing jobs is cumbersome.\n\n[GitLab](/) solves this problem by providing a full suite of development workflow tools, such as SCM, with features like issues and merge requests, best-in-class CI/CD, and a container registry, to name a few. I haven't come across another application that is so complete to manage development workflow.\n\nAs someone who loves automation, I explored connecting Pantheon to GitLab so that commits to the master branch on GitLab deploy to the main dev environment on Pantheon. Additionally, merge requests on GitLab can create and deploy code to Pantheon multidev environments.\n\nThis tutorial will walk you through setting up the connection between GitLab and Pantheon so you, too, can streamline your WordPress and Drupal workflow.\n\nThis can be done with [GitLab repository mirroring](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/repository/repository_mirroring.html), but we will be setting it up manually to get some experience with [GitLab CI](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/) and have the ability to expand beyond just deployment in the future.\n\n## Background\n\nFor this post, you need to know that Pantheon breaks each site down into three components: code, database, and files.\n\nThe code portion of a Pantheon site includes the CMS files, such as WordPress core, plugins and themes. These files are managed in a [Git repository](https://git-scm.com/book/en/v2/Git-Basics-Getting-a-Git-Repository) hosted by Pantheon, which means we can deploy code from GitLab to Pantheon with Git.\n\nWhen Pantheon refers to files, it is the media files, such as images, for your site. These are typically uploaded by site users and are ignored in Git.\n\nYou can [create a free account](https://pantheon.io/register), learn more about the [Pantheon workflow](https://pantheon.io/docs/pantheon-workflow), or [sign up for a live demo](https://pantheon.io/live-demo) on pantheon.io.\n\n## Assumptions\n\nMy project is named `pantheon-gitlab-blog-demo`, both on Pantheon and GitLab. You should use a unique project name. This tutorial uses a WordPress site. Drupal can be substituted, but some modification will be needed.\n\nI'll also be using the [Git command line](https://git-scm.com/book/en/v2/Getting-Started-The-Command-Line) but you can substitute a [graphical interface](https://git-scm.com/book/en/v2/Appendix-A%3A-Git-in-Other-Environments-Graphical-Interfaces) if you prefer.\n\n## Create the projects\n\nFirst up, create a [new GitLab project](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/working_with_projects.html#create-a-project) – we'll come back to this in a little bit.\n\nNow, [create a new WordPress site on Pantheon](https://pantheon.io/docs/launch-wordpress/). After your new site is created, you will need to install WordPress for the site dashboard.\n\n_You might be tempted to make some changes, such as adding or removing plugins, but please refrain. We haven't connected the site to GitLab yet and want to make sure all code changes, e.g. adding or removing plugins, go through GitLab._\n\nAfter WordPress is installed, go back to the Pantheon site dashboard and change the development mode to Git.\n\n![Pantheon Dashboard](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/pantheon-dashboard-after-fresh-wordpress-install.png){: .shadow.medium.center}\n\n## Initial commit to GitLab\n\nNext, we need to get the starting WordPress code from the Pantheon site over to GitLab. In order to do this, we will clone the code from the Pantheon site Git repository locally, then push it to the GitLab repository.\n\nTo make this easier, and more secure, [add an SSH key to Pantheon](https://pantheon.io/docs/ssh-keys/) to avoid entering your password when cloning Pantheon Git repository. While you're at it, [add an SSH key to GitLab](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ssh/) as well.\n\nTo do this, clone the Pantheon site locally by copying the command in the Clone with Git drop-down field from the site dashboard.\n\n![CPantheon git connection](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/pantheon-git-connection-info.png){: .shadow.center}\n\n_If you need help, see the [Pantheon Start With Git](https://pantheon.io/docs/git/#clone-your-site-codebase) documentation._\n\nNext, we want to change the `git remote origin` to point to GitLab, instead of Pantheon. This can be done with the [`git remote` command](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-remote).\n\nHead over to your GitLab project and grab the repository URL, which can be found at in the Clone drop-down of the project details screen. Be sure to use the Clone with SSH variant of the GitLab repository URL, since we set up an SSH key earlier.\n\n![Gitlab git connection](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/gitlab-git-connection-info.png){: .shadow.medium.center}\n\nThe default `git remote` for the local copy of our code repository is `origin`. We can change it with `git remote set-url origin [GitLab repository URL]`, replacing `[GitLab repository URL]` with your actual GitLab repository URL.\n\nFinally, run `git push origin master --force` to send the WordPress code from the Pantheon site to GitLab.\n\n_The --force flag is only needed as part of this one-time step. Subsequent `git push` commands to GitLab won't need it._\n\n## Set up credentials and variables\n\nRemember how we added an SSH key locally to authorize with Pantheon and GitLab? Well, an SSH token can also be used to authorize GitLab and Pantheon.\n\nGitLab has some great documentation, and we will be looking at the [SSH keys when using the Docker executor section of the Using SSH keys with GitLab CI/CD doc](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/ssh_keys/#ssh-keys-when-using-the-docker-executor).\n\nAt this point, we will need to do the first two steps: _Create a new SSH key pair locally with ssh-keygen and Add the private key as a variable to your project._\n\nWhen done, `SSH_PRIVATE_KEY` should be set as a [GitLab CI/CD Environment Variables](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/variables/) in the project settings.\n\nTo take care of the third and fourth steps, create `.gitlab-ci.yml` file with the following contents:\n\n```\nbefore_script:\n  # See https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/ssh_keys/\n  - eval $(ssh-agent -s)\n  - echo \"$SSH_PRIVATE_KEY\" | tr -d '\\r' | ssh-add - > /dev/null\n  - mkdir -p $HOME/.ssh && echo \"StrictHostKeyChecking no\" >> \"$HOME/.ssh/config\"\n  - git config --global user.email \"$GITLAB_USER_EMAIL\"\n  - git config --global user.name \"Gitlab CI\"\n  ```\n\nDon't commit the `.gitlab-ci.yml` file just yet, we will be adding more to it in the next section.\n\nNow, we need to take care of step 5, _add the public key from the one you created in the first step to the services that you want to have an access to from within the build environment._\n\nIn our case, the service we want to access from GitLab is Pantheon. Follow the Pantheon doc to [Add Your SSH Key to Pantheon](https://pantheon.io/docs/ssh-keys/#add-your-ssh-key-to-pantheon) to complete this step.\n\n_Be sure that the private SSH key is in GitLab and the public key is on Pantheon_\n\nWe will also need to set some additional environment variables. The first one should be named PANTHEON_SITE, and the value will be the machine name of your `Pantheon site`. and the value will be the *machine name* of your Pantheon site.\n\nYou can get the machine name from the end of the Clone with Git command. Since you already cloned the site locally, it will be the directory name of your local repository.\n\n![wordpress machine name](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/pantheon-machine-name.png){: .shadow.medium.center}\n\nThe next GitLab CI environment variable to set is `PANTHEON_GIT_URL`, which will be the Git repository URL of the Pantheon site that we used earlier.\n\n_Enter just the SSH repository URL, leaving off `git clone` and the site machine name at the end._\n\nPhew! Now that setup is done, we can move on to finishing our `.gitlab-ci.yml` file.\n\n## Create the deployment job\n\nWhat we will be doing with GitLab CI initially is very similar to what we did with Git repositories earlier. This time though, we will add the Pantheon repository as a second Git remote and then push the code from GitLab to Pantheon.\n\nTo do this, we will set up a [stage](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/yaml/#stages) named `deploy` and a [job](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/jobs/) named `deploy:dev`, as it will deploy to the dev environment on Pantheon. The resulting `.gitlab-ci.yml` file should look like this:\n\n```\nstages:\n- deploy\n\nbefore_script:\n  # See https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/ssh_keys/\n  - eval $(ssh-agent -s)\n  - echo \"$SSH_PRIVATE_KEY\" | tr -d '\\r' | ssh-add - > /dev/null\n  - mkdir -p $HOME/.ssh && echo \"StrictHostKeyChecking no\" >> \"$HOME/.ssh/config\"\n  - git config --global user.email \"$GITLAB_USER_EMAIL\"\n  - git config --global user.name \"Gitlab CI\"\n\ndeploy:dev:\n  stage: deploy\n  environment:\n    name: dev\n    url: https://dev-$PANTHEON_SITE.pantheonsite.io/\n  script:\n    - git remote add pantheon $PANTHEON_GIT_URL\n    - git push pantheon master --force\n  only:\n    - master\n```\n\n`SSH_PRIVATE_KEY`, `PANTHEON_SITE`, and `PANTHEON_GIT_URL` should all look familiar - they are the environment variables we set up earlier. Having environment variables will allow us to re-use the values multiple times in our `.gitlab-ci.yml` file, while having one place to update them, should they change in the future.\n\nFinally, add, commit, and push the `.gitlab-ci.yml` file to send it to GitLab.\n\n## Verify the deployment\n\nIf everything was done correctly, the `deploy:dev` job run on GitLab CI/CD, succeed and send the `.gitlab-ci.yml` commit to Pantheon. Let's take a look!\n\n![deploy job](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/gitlab-deploy-dev-job.png){: .shadow.center}\n\n![deploy job passing](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/gitlab-deploy-dev-job-passed.png){: .shadow.center}\n\n![gitlab commit on pantheon dev](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/gitlab-commits-on-pantheon-dev.png){: .shadow.center}\n\n## Sending merge request branches to Pantheon\n\nThis next section makes use of my favorite Pantheon feature, [multidev](https://pantheon.io/docs/multidev), which allows you to create additional Pantheon environments on demand associated with Git branches.\n\nThis section is entirely optional as [multidev access is restricted](https://pantheon.io/docs/multidev-faq/), however, if you do have multidev access, having GitLab merge requests automatically create multidev environments on Pantheon is a huge workflow improvement.\n\nWe will start by making a new Git branch locally with `git checkout -b multidev-support`. Now, let's edit `.gitlab-ci.yml` again.\n\nI like to use the merge request number in the Pantheon environment name. For example, the first merge request would be `mr-1`, the second would be `mr-2`, and so on.\n\nSince the merge request changes, we need to define these Pantheon branch names dynamically. GitLab makes this easy by providing [predefined environment](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/variables/predefined_variables.html) variables.\n\nWe can use `$CI_MERGE_REQUEST_IID`, which provides the merge request number. Let's put that to use, along with our global environment variables from earlier, and add a new deploy:multidev job to the end of our `.gitlab-ci.yml` file.\n\n```\ndeploy:multidev:\n  stage: deploy\n  environment:\n    name: multidev/mr-$CI_MERGE_REQUEST_IID\n    url: https://mr-$CI_MERGE_REQUEST_IID-$PANTHEON_SITE.pantheonsite.io/\n  script:\n    # Checkout the merge request source branch\n    - git checkout $CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME\n    # Add the Pantheon git repository as an additional remote\n    - git remote add pantheon $PANTHEON_GIT_URL\n    # Push the merge request source branch to Pantheon\n    - git push pantheon $CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME:mr-$CI_MERGE_REQUEST_IID --force\n  only:\n    - merge_requests\n```\n\nThis should look very similar to our `deploy:dev` job, only pushing a branch to Pantheon instead of `master`.\n\nAfter you add and commit the updated `.gitlab-ci.yml` file, push this new branch to GitLab with `git push -u origin multidev-support`.\n\nNext, let's create a new merge request from our `multidev-support` branch by following the _Create merge request_ prompt.\n\n![create merge request](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/gitlab-create-merge-request-prompt.png){: .shadow.medium.center}\n\nAfter creating the merge request, look for the  CI/CD job `deploy:multidev` to run.\n\n![multidev deploy success](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/multidev-branch-deploy-success.png){: .shadow.medium.center}\n\nLook at that – a new branch was sent to Pantheon. However, when we go to the multidev section of the site dashboard on Pantheon there isn't a new multidev environment.\n\n![multidev branch](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/pantheon-no-multidev-environments.png){: .shadow.medium.center}\n\nLet's look at the _Git_ Branches section.\n\n![mr branch](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/pantheon-mr-1-branch.png){: .shadow.medium.center}\n\nOur `mr-1` branch did make it to Pantheon after all. Go ahead and create an environment from the `mr-1` branch.\n\n![create multidev](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/pantheon-mr-1-multidev-creation.png){: .shadow.medium.center}\n\nOnce the multidev environment has been created, head back to GitLab and look at the _Operations > Environments_ section. You will notice entries for `dev` and `mr-1`.\n\nThis is because we added an `environment` entry with `name` and `url` to our CI/CD jobs. If you click on the open environment icon, you will be taken to the URL for the multidev on Pantheon.\n\n## Automating multidev creation\n\nWe _could_ stop here and try to remember to create a multidev environment each time there is a new merge request, but we can automate that process as well!\n\nPantheon has a command line tool, [Terminus](https://pantheon.io/docs/terminus/), that allows you to interact with the platform in an automated fashion. Terminus will allow us to provision our multidev environments from the command line – perfect for use in [GitLab CI](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/).\n\nWe will need a new merge request to test this, so let's create a new branch with `git checkout -b auto-multidev-creation`.\n\nIn order to use Terminus in GitLab CI/CD jobs we will need a machine token to authenticate with Terminus and a container image with Terminus available.\n\n[Create a Pantheon machine token](https://pantheon.io/docs/machine-tokens/#create-a-machine-token), save it to a safe place, and add it as a global GitLab environment variable named `PANTHEON_MACHINE_TOKEN`.\n\n_If you don't remember how to add GitLab environment variables, scroll up to where we defined `PANTHEON_SITE` earlier in the tutorial._\n\n## Building a Dockerfile with Terminus\n\nIf you don't have Docker or aren't comfortable working with `Dockerfile` files, you can use my image `registry.gitlab.com/ataylorme/pantheon-gitlab-blog-demo:latest` and skip this section.\n\n[GitLab has a container registry](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/packages/container_registry/index.html) that allows us to build and host a Dockerfile for use in our project. Let's create a Dockerfile that has Terminus available, so we can interact with Pantheon.\n\nTerminus is a PHP-based command line tool, so we will start with a PHP image. I prefer to install Terminus via Composer so I'll be using [the official Docker Composer image](https://hub.docker.com/_/composer) as a base. Create a `Dockerfile` in your local repository directory with the following contents:\n\n```\n# Use the official Composer image as a parent image\nFROM composer:1.8\n\n# Update/upgrade apk\nRUN apk update\nRUN apk upgrade\n\n# Make the Terminus directory\nRUN mkdir -p /usr/local/share/terminus\n\n# Install Terminus 2.x with Composer\nRUN /usr/bin/env COMPOSER_BIN_DIR=/usr/local/bin composer -n --working-dir=/usr/local/share/terminus require pantheon-systems/terminus:\"^2\"\n```\nFollow the _Build and push images_ section of the [container registry documentation](https://gitlab.com/help/user/project/container_registry#build-and-push-images) to build an image from the `Dockerfile` and upload it to GitLab.\n\nVisit the _Registry_ section of your GitLab project. If things went according to plan you will see your image listed. Make a note of the image tag link, as we will need to use that in our `.gitlab-ci.yml` file.\n\n![container registry](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/gitlab-container-registry.png){: .shadow.center}\n\nThe `script` section of our `deploy:multidev` job is starting to get long, so let's move it to a dedicated file. Create a new file `private/multidev-deploy.sh` with the following contents:\n\n```\n#!/bin/bash\n\n# Store the mr- environment name\nexport PANTHEON_ENV=mr-$CI_MERGE_REQUEST_IID\n\n# Authenticate with Terminus\nterminus auth:login --machine-token=$PANTHEON_MACHINE_TOKEN\n\n# Checkout the merge request source branch\ngit checkout $CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME\n\n# Add the Pantheon Git repository as an additional remote\ngit remote add pantheon $PANTHEON_GIT_URL\n\n# Push the merge request source branch to Pantheon\ngit push pantheon $CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME:$PANTHEON_ENV --force\n\n# Create a function for determining if a multidev exists\nTERMINUS_DOES_MULTIDEV_EXIST()\n{\n    # Stash a list of Pantheon multidev environments\n    PANTHEON_MULTIDEV_LIST=\"$(terminus multidev:list ${PANTHEON_SITE} --format=list --field=id)\"\n\n    while read -r multiDev; do\n        if [[ \"${multiDev}\" == \"$1\" ]]\n        then\n            return 0;\n        fi\n    done \u003C\u003C\u003C \"$PANTHEON_MULTIDEV_LIST\"\n\n    return 1;\n}\n\n# If the mutltidev doesn't exist\nif ! TERMINUS_DOES_MULTIDEV_EXIST $PANTHEON_ENV\nthen\n    # Create it with Terminus\n    echo \"No multidev for $PANTHEON_ENV found, creating one...\"\n    terminus multidev:create $PANTHEON_SITE.dev $PANTHEON_ENV\nelse\n    echo \"The multidev $PANTHEON_ENV already exists, skipping creating it...\"\nfi\n```\n\nThe script is in the `private` directory as [it is not web accessible on Pantheon](https://pantheon.io/docs/private-paths/). Now that we have a script for our multidev logic, update the `deploy:multidev` section of `.gitlab-ci.yml` so that it looks like this:\n\n```\ndeploy:multidev:\n  stage: deploy\n  environment:\n    name: multidev/mr-$CI_MERGE_REQUEST_IID\n    url: https://mr-$CI_MERGE_REQUEST_IID-$PANTHEON_SITE.pantheonsite.io/\n  script:\n    # Run the multidev deploy script\n    - \"/bin/bash ./private/multidev-deploy.sh\"\n  only:\n    - merge_requests\n```\n\nIn order to make sure our jobs run with the custom image created earlier, add an `image` definition with the registry URL to `.gitlab-ci.yml`. My complete `.gitlab-ci.yml` file now looks like this:\n\n```\nimage: registry.gitlab.com/ataylorme/pantheon-gitlab-blog-demo:latest\n\nstages:\n- deploy\n\nbefore_script:\n  # See https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/ssh_keys/\n  - eval $(ssh-agent -s)\n  - echo \"$SSH_PRIVATE_KEY\" | tr -d '\\r' | ssh-add - > /dev/null\n  - mkdir -p $HOME/.ssh && echo \"StrictHostKeyChecking no\" >> \"$HOME/.ssh/config\"\n  - git config --global user.email \"$GITLAB_USER_EMAIL\"\n  - git config --global user.name \"Gitlab CI\"\n\ndeploy:dev:\n  stage: deploy\n  environment:\n    name: dev\n    url: https://dev-$PANTHEON_SITE.pantheonsite.io/\n  script:\n    - git remote add pantheon $PANTHEON_GIT_URL\n    - git push pantheon master --force\n  only:\n    - master\n\ndeploy:multidev:\n  stage: deploy\n  environment:\n    name: multidev/mr-$CI_MERGE_REQUEST_IID\n    url: https://mr-$CI_MERGE_REQUEST_IID-$PANTHEON_SITE.pantheonsite.io/\n  script:\n    # Run the multidev deploy script\n    - \"/bin/bash ./private/multidev-deploy.sh\"\n  only:\n    - merge_requests\n```\n\nAdd, commit, and push `private/multidev-deploy.sh` and `.gitlab-ci.yml`. Now, head back to GitLab and wait for the CI/CD job to finish. The multidev creation takes a few minutes, so be patient.\n\nWhen it is finished, go check out the multidev list on Pantheon. Voila! The `mr-2` multidev is there.\n\n![mr-2](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/pantheon-mr-2-multidev.png){: .shadow.medium.center}\n\n## Conclusion\n\nOpening a merge request and having an environment spin up automatically is a powerful addition to any team's workflow.\n\nBy leveraging the powerful tools offered by both GitLab and Pantheon, we can connect GitLab to Pantheon in an automated fashion.\n\nSince we used GitLab CI/CD, there is room for growth in our workflow as well. Here are a few ideas to get you started:\n* Add a build step.\n* Add automated testing.\n* Add a job to enforce coding standards.\n* Add [dynamic application security testing](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/application_security/dast/).\n\nDrop me a line with any thoughts you have on GitLab, Pantheon, and automation.\n\nP.S. Did you know Terminus, Pantheon’s command line tool, [is extendable via plugins](https://pantheon.io/docs/terminus/plugins/)?\n\nOver at Pantheon, we have been hard at work on version 2 of our [Terminus Build Tools Plugin](https://github.com/pantheon-systems/terminus-build-tools-plugin/), complete with GitLab support. If you don't want to do all this setup for each project, I encourage you to check it out and help us test the v2 beta. The terminus `build:project:create` command just needs a Pantheon token and GitLab token. From there, it will spin up one of our example projects, complete with Composer and automated testing, create a new project on GitLab, a new site on Pantheon, and connect the two by setting up environment variables and SSH keys.\n\n### About the guest author\n\nAndrew Taylor is a Developer Programs Engineer at [Pantheon](https://pantheon.io/).\n",[682,230,9,1222],"workflow",{"slug":1224,"featured":6,"template":685},"connecting-gitlab-and-pantheon-streamline-wordpress-drupal-workflows","content:en-us:blog:connecting-gitlab-and-pantheon-streamline-wordpress-drupal-workflows.yml","Connecting Gitlab And Pantheon Streamline Wordpress Drupal Workflows","en-us/blog/connecting-gitlab-and-pantheon-streamline-wordpress-drupal-workflows.yml","en-us/blog/connecting-gitlab-and-pantheon-streamline-wordpress-drupal-workflows",{"_path":1230,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1231,"content":1237,"config":1244,"_id":1246,"_type":13,"title":1247,"_source":15,"_file":1248,"_stem":1249,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/continuous-machine-learning-development-with-gitlab-ci",{"title":1232,"description":1233,"ogTitle":1232,"ogDescription":1233,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1234,"ogUrl":1235,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":1235,"schema":1236},"How machine learning ops works with GitLab and continuous machine learning","We share different machine learning use cases for CML projects using GitLab CI.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749681802/Blog/Hero%20Images/gitlab_cml_dvc_banner.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/continuous-machine-learning-development-with-gitlab-ci","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"How machine learning ops works with GitLab and continuous machine learning\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Dr. Elle O'Brien\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2020-12-01\",\n      }",{"title":1232,"description":1233,"authors":1238,"heroImage":1234,"date":1240,"body":1241,"category":703,"tags":1242},[1239],"Dr. Elle O'Brien","2020-12-01","\n\nContinuous integration (CI) is standard practice in software development for speeding up development cycles, and for keeping them short and painless. CI means making small commits, often, and automating tests so every commit is a release candidate.\n\nWhen a project involves machine learning (ML), though, new challenges arise: Traditional [version control systems](/topics/version-control/) (like Git) that are key to CI struggle to manage large datasets and models.\nFurthermore, typical pass-fail tests are too coarse for understanding ML model performance – you might need to consider how several metrics, like accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity, are affected by changes in your code or data.\nData visualizations like confusion matrices and loss plots are needed to make sense of the high-dimensional and often unintuitive behavior of models.\n\n## Continuous machine learning: an introduction\n\n[Iterative.ai](https://iterative.ai), the team behind the popular open source version control system for ML projects [DVC](https://dvc.org) (short for Data Version Control),\nhas recently released another open source project called [CML](https://cml.dev), which stands for continuous machine learning.\nCML is our approach to adapting powerful CI systems like GitLab CI to common data science and ML use cases, including:\n\n- Automatic model training\n- Automatic model and dataset testing\n- Transparent and rich reporting about models and datasets (with data viz and metrics) in a merge request (MR)\n\n## Your first continuous machine learning report\n\nCML helps you put tables, data viz, and even sample outputs from models into comments on your MRs, so you can review datasets and models like code.\nLet's see how to produce a basic report – we'll train an ML model using GitLab CI, and then report a model metric and confusion matrix in our MR.\n\n![Confusion Matrix](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/cml_confusion_matrix.jpg){: .shadow.medium.center}\nConfusion matrix\n{: .note.text-center}\n\nTo make this report, our `.gitlab-ci.yml` contains the following workflow:\n\n```\n# .gitlab-ci.yml\nstages:\n    - cml_run\n\ncml:\n    stage: cml_run\n    image: dvcorg/cml-py3:latest\n\n    script:\n        - pip3 install -r requirements.txt\n        - python train.py\n\n        - cat metrics.txt >> report.md\n        - echo >> report.md\n        - cml-publish confusion_matrix.png --md --title 'confusion-matrix' >> report.md\n        - cml-send-comment report.md\n\n```\n\nThe entire [project repository is available here](https://gitlab.com/iterative.ai/cml-base-case/).\nThe steps consist of the following:\n\n- **Train**: This is a classic training step where we install requirements (like `pip` packages) and run the training script.\n- **Write a CML report**: Produced metrics are appended to a markdown report.\n- **Publish a CML report**: CML publishes an image of the confusion matrix with the embedded metrics to your GitLab MR.\n\nNow, when you and your teammates are deciding if your changes have had a positive effect on your modeling goals,\nyou have a dashboard of sorts to review. Plus, this report is linked by Git to your exact project version (data and code) and the runner used for training and the logs from that run.\n\nThis is the simplest use case for achieving continuous machine learning with CML and GitLab. In the next section we'll look at a more complex use case.\n\n## CML with DVC for data version control\n\nIn machine learning projects, you need to track changes in your datasets as well as changes in your code.\nSince Git is frequently a poor fit for managing large files, we can use [DVC](https://dvc.org) to link remote datasets to your CI system.\n\n```\n# .gitlab-ci.yml\nstages:\n  - cml_run\n\ncml:\n  stage: cml_run\n  image: dvcorg/cml-py3:latest\n  script:\n    - dvc pull data\n\n    - pip install -r requirements.txt\n    - dvc repro\n\n    # Compare metrics to master\n    - git fetch --prune\n    - dvc metrics diff --show-md master >> report.md\n    - echo >> report.md\n\n    # Visualize loss function diff\n    - dvc plots diff\n      --target loss.csv --show-vega master > vega.json\n    - vl2png vega.json | cml-publish --md >> report.md\n    - cml-send-comment report.md\n```\n\nThe entire [project is available here](https://gitlab.com/iterative.ai/cml-dvc-case).\nIn this workflow, we have additional steps that use DVC to pull a training dataset, run an experiment, and then use CML to publish the report in your MR.\n\n![CML with DVC](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/cml_dvc.jpg){: .shadow.medium.center}\nCML with DVC\n{: .note.text-center}\n\nFor more details about ML data versioning and tracking, check out the [DVC documentation](https://dvc.org/doc).\n\n## Summary\n\nWe made CML to adapt CI to machine learning, so data science teams can enjoy benefits such as:\n\n- Your code, data, models, and training infrastructure (hardware and software environment) will be Git versioned.\n- You’re automating work, testing frequently, and getting fast feedback (with visual reports if you use CML). In the long run, this will almost certainly speed up your project’s development.\n- CI systems make your work visible to everyone on your team. No one has to search very hard to find the code, data, and model from your best run.\n\n### About the guest author\n\n_Dr. Elle O'Brien is a Ph.D data scientist at iterative.ai and co-creator of [CML](https://cml.dev) project. She is also a lecturer at [UMSI](https://www.si.umich.edu/)._\n",[108,9,230,749,1243],"AI/ML",{"slug":1245,"featured":6,"template":685},"continuous-machine-learning-development-with-gitlab-ci","content:en-us:blog:continuous-machine-learning-development-with-gitlab-ci.yml","Continuous Machine Learning Development With Gitlab Ci","en-us/blog/continuous-machine-learning-development-with-gitlab-ci.yml","en-us/blog/continuous-machine-learning-development-with-gitlab-ci",{"_path":1251,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1252,"content":1258,"config":1264,"_id":1266,"_type":13,"title":1267,"_source":15,"_file":1268,"_stem":1269,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/contribute-to-open-source-land-jobs",{"title":1253,"description":1254,"ogTitle":1253,"ogDescription":1254,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1255,"ogUrl":1256,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":1256,"schema":1257},"How contributing to open source can help you land your first job","Six compelling reasons why, warm fuzzy feelings aside, contributing to open source is good for your career.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749679362/Blog/Hero%20Images/contribute-open-source-jobs.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/contribute-to-open-source-land-jobs","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"How contributing to open source can help you land your first job\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Ariel Camus\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2018-04-06\",\n      }",{"title":1253,"description":1254,"authors":1259,"heroImage":1255,"date":1261,"body":1262,"category":747,"tags":1263},[1260],"Ariel Camus","2018-04-06","\n\nContributing to open source can significantly boost your chances of getting a job. And even\nthough this is true for all developers, regardless of their level of experience, it's especially\nimportant for entry-level ones.\n\nLet me make this perfectly clear: **contributing to open source is the most effective job-seeking\n hack you can take advantage of right now**.\n\nEven better, by contributing to open source you won't only improve your chances\nof getting a job, but you will also give back to the community, meet amazing and talented\npeople, and feel incredibly accomplished when your first contribution gets accepted.\n\nAt [Microverse](https://www.microverse.org/), the company I founded, we train remote software developers from all around\n the world, and we ask them to contribute to open source, starting from their first day in the program.\n\n**Here are six reasons why contributing to open source will help you too.**\n\n## Reason 1: Work as part of a (distributed) team\n\nWhen looking for a job, experience counts. However, experience limited to coding and the\nlanguage syntax is not enough. You need to know how to work as part of a team,\ncollaborating with others to build large and complex applications.\n\n**How do you get that kind of collaborative and at-scale experience if you can't get a job first?**\nThe answer is open source.\n\nLarge, open source projects are almost always built by a large team. Sometimes the people in\nthose teams even work for large organizations (e.g. GitLab, React/Facebook, etc.). By\nbecoming a contributor you get the chance to **work with those exceptional teams without\nhaving to be hired by those companies**.\n\nYou will sharpen your written communication skills, understand how to pick and negotiate\nthings to work on, perfect your Git Flow/[GitLab Flow](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/topics/gitlab_flow.html), and many other things that are as\nvaluable as understanding the language syntax.\n\n## Reason 2: Work in a complex and large application\n\nIf you join a company, you will most likely work on an existing application. And, probably, it\nwill be a large and complex one. As a coding student you rarely have the chance to do that,\nbut when you join an open source project, that's exactly the scenario that you will face.\n\nYou will first need to **set up your local development environment** following the contributing\nguidelines provided by the project. You will then start by **refactoring existing code** to correct\ntypos and fix small bugs, the same way you would at a regular job! Finally, you will start\nunderstanding how all the **pieces** of a large application fit together, how it was **architected**,\nand where the code for each **functionality** lives.\n\nThese are not things you could experience working on small learning projects, but you need\nthis kind of experience if you want to land a job.\n\n## Reason 3: Get a lot of good feedback\n\nEvery time you pick an open source issue to work on, you will start by forking the project\nand creating a feature branch. You will write tests and code until you are happy with your\nsolution, and then submit a merge request to the original code.\n\nHowever, this is just the first step in the process. One of the main developers at the project\nwill review your merge request and will tell you if it's ready to be merged. Most likely it won't.\n But that's fine, because **she will also provide feedback about what you need to fix before\n your code can be merged**.\n\nCan you imagine getting this kind of direct feedback from a seasoned developer at GitLab or\nFacebook? Think about it… they really want your help, but they also need to keep the quality\nof the code at a high level. They will help you, and you will end up learning a lot in the process.\n\n## Reason 4: Build an online reputation\n\nGetting experience working as part of a team and contributing to large and complex applications\nis really important, but it won't help you land a job unless companies can find you and want to interview you.\n\nContributing to open source will help you with that too. After quickly reading your resume,\nemployers will want to find you online, and they will want to see your code. **GitLab and\nGitHub profiles are the new resumes**.\n\nIf employers can see that you are an active member of large open source projects, that will\ntell them something else that is very important: software is not just what you do for a living,\nbut it's also your passion and hence what you do in your free time.\n\nWhat do employers currently find when they search your name on Google? Open source will\nmake you look great!\n\n## Reason 5: Network with the community\n\nOpen source projects often have large organizations behind them who are constantly hiring\nnew developers. Wouldn't it be great for those organizations if they could hire people who\nlove their product? What if their new hires knew the product so well already that they could\nbe productive contributors from the moment they join the company?\n\nWell, that's exactly the value you offer as an active member of an open source community.\n**You know the product, you know the code, and the people behind the project know you.\nChances are that you will eventually be offered to work for them**. In fact, almost\na third of the first 40 engineers that GitLab hired were contributors to its codebase first.\n\n## Reason 6: Stay motivated\n\nLast, but not least, we all know the single and most important advice to be successful at anything\nis perseverance. However, staying motivated and focused while learning to code and applying\nfor jobs is not easy. There are a lot of things to learn, a lot of different paths to take, and many\nrejections on the path to landing your first job.\n\nJoining an open source project will give you the real-world encouragement and a community\n to support you throughout the journey.\n\nAre you convinced that contributing to open source is the best thing you can do right now to\nhelp you on your way to landing your first job? I'm pretty sure you are. Go ahead and [start now](/community/contribute/)!\n\n### About the guest author\n\n[Ariel Camus](https://twitter.com/arielcamus) is the founder of [Microverse](https://www.microverse.org/),\na company finding the world's untapped talent and training it to become remote software developers. Ariel was previously the co-founder and CEO\nof TouristEye, a travel startup that he grew to a million users and sold to Lonely Planet in 2013.\n\nCover photo by [Maik Jonietz](https://unsplash.com/@der_maik_?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral)\n{: .note}\n",[9,816,749],{"slug":1265,"featured":6,"template":685},"contribute-to-open-source-land-jobs","content:en-us:blog:contribute-to-open-source-land-jobs.yml","Contribute To Open Source Land Jobs","en-us/blog/contribute-to-open-source-land-jobs.yml","en-us/blog/contribute-to-open-source-land-jobs",{"_path":1271,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1272,"content":1278,"config":1284,"_id":1286,"_type":13,"title":1287,"_source":15,"_file":1288,"_stem":1289,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/contribute-wrap-up",{"title":1273,"description":1274,"ogTitle":1273,"ogDescription":1274,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1275,"ogUrl":1276,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":1276,"schema":1277},"What we learned at Contribute 2019","Community is everything, all remote makes contribution possible, CMO Todd Barr plays a mean trumpet, and more takeaways from Contribute 2019.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749670139/Blog/Hero%20Images/gitlab-contribute-team-photo.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/contribute-wrap-up","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"What we learned at Contribute 2019\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Valerie Silverthorne\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Sara Kassabian\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-06-04\",\n      }",{"title":1273,"description":1274,"authors":1279,"heroImage":1275,"date":1280,"body":1281,"category":1282,"tags":1283},[1136,700],"2019-06-04","\n\n“Community is the best part of GitLab.”\n\nThat message, from the [keynote presentation](https://youtu.be/kDfHy7cv96M) during [Contribute 2019 in New Orleans](/events/gitlab-contribute/), sums up the spirit of GitLab’s seventh all-company gathering. Sure CMO (and MC) [Todd Barr](/company/team/#tbarr) added his trumpet to a NOLA classic, \"When the Saints Go Marching In,\" while others shared potentially embarrassing photos and anecdotes from the past. Contribute newbies, who represented more than half of the over 500 attendees, got advice on how to make the most of the unique event, and CEO [Sid Sijbrandij](/company/team/#sytses) made a clear and compelling case for remote work.\n\nBut what stood out most were the ways “community” plays such a vital role at GitLab. “This is our first Contribute,” Sid said. “We changed the name to remind everyone of our mission, that [everyone can contribute](/company/mission/#mission).” In fact, in the product release before Contribute, contributions from the community to GitLab reached an all-time high of 195, Sid said. Because the company is all remote, “everyone can contribute to GitLab on equal footing.”\n\nIn the spirit of community contributions, we asked GitLabbers to share their top takeaways, advice, and feel-good moments from Contribute.\n\n## Your best self\n\n“I’m so pumped for where GitLab is heading,” said strategic account leader [Adam Olson](/company/team/#adamsolson). “Contribute has inspired me to be better GitLabber. (I want to) win more customers while learning more from others.”\n\n## Network like it matters\n\n[Heather Simpson](/company/team/#Heatherswall), senior external communications analyst, got more out of Contribute than expected. “I think because the main focus of Contribute was to spend time getting to know our team members and having fun, the quantity and **quality** of connections I made far exceeded any I'd made at networking or \"team building\" conferences I'd attended with companies in the past.”\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"false\" /}\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"center\">\n\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Our \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/gitlab?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@gitlab\u003C/a> CEO put forth a challenge to make our product better while we’re down in \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/NOLA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#NOLA\u003C/a> at \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/GitLabContribute?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#GitLabContribute\u003C/a> and teams got to work and made several iterative improvements, so \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/sytses?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@sytses\u003C/a> made good on his word and donned this amazing costume (his wife too!) So good. \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/8nfQCt0NV0\">pic.twitter.com/8nfQCt0NV0\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— Heather Simpson 🌈🍃 (@heatherswall) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/heatherswall/status/1128129734934704129?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 14, 2019\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote>\n\u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003C/div>\n\n## Spread the wealth\n\n“This was most definitely the best Contribute ever,” said GitLab's unofficial bacon ambassador [Richard “Reb” Baum](/company/team/#therebbie) (who is also a solutions architect). “Focusing on building relationships allowed us to spread the culture and feel of the company to the large number of new people who have joined since the previous event. As an all-remote company, this is critical to our ongoing success.”\n\n## Continued inspiration\n\n“As an early employee here at GitLab and my sixth [Summit](/company/culture/contribute/previous/), I have never felt more inspired after this week in New Orleans,” said [Philip Camillo](/company/team/#pmanjr311), enterprise account executive. “Working remotely, it’s hard to contextualize hiring 10-12 people a week, and it only hit home when I first walked into the opening keynote. Seeing over 500 people in the main room simply left me speechless.\n\n“Leaving Contribute, I’m inspired by all the team members who received awards and all the people who have helped build the product over the years, as well as new team members making an impact immediately by just jumping in.\n\n“Imagine what we will create if we all work towards generating as much value as possible and making everyone around us inspired. Meeting everyone this last week also made me realize that people see you, and the hard work doesn’t go unnoticed. Working remotely, it can be a bit more difficult to see the direct impact you’re making, and the personal brand you’re building with your colleagues.”\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"false\" /}\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"center\">\n\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">A full house of GitLabbers celebrating and gathering around the notion that Everyone Can Contribute \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/GitLabContribute?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#GitLabContribute\u003C/a> \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/dWHiSPZGtV\">pic.twitter.com/dWHiSPZGtV\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— John Northrup (@northrup) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/northrup/status/1126498724518268929?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 9, 2019\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote>\n\u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003C/div>\n\n## Decisions at the speed of light\n\n“I took a lot of notes about the keynote but the thing that really stuck out to me was how Sid emphasized speed of decision making,” said [Emilie Schario](https://gitlab.com/emilie), data engineer, analytics. “That was really a lightbulb moment for me.”\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"false\" /}\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"center\">\n\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">My awesome teammate \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/rspaik?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@rspaik\u003C/a> kicking off day two. Amazing stat he shared: 13.5% of merged MRs to \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/gitlab?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@gitlab\u003C/a> come from our community. \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/GitLabContribute?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#GitLabContribute\u003C/a> \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/1CUcyFF70y\">pic.twitter.com/1CUcyFF70y\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— John Coghlan (@john_cogs) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/john_cogs/status/1126853746754039809?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 10, 2019\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote>\n\u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003C/div>\n\nYou can check out the rest of the highlights from Contribute below:\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n  \u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/xdtPNXtkBhE\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\u003C/figure>\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\nVideo directed and produced by [Aricka Flowers](/company/team/#arickaflowers)\n{: .note}\n","culture",[9,705,706,982],{"slug":1285,"featured":6,"template":685},"contribute-wrap-up","content:en-us:blog:contribute-wrap-up.yml","Contribute Wrap Up","en-us/blog/contribute-wrap-up.yml","en-us/blog/contribute-wrap-up",{"_path":1291,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1292,"content":1298,"config":1304,"_id":1306,"_type":13,"title":1307,"_source":15,"_file":1308,"_stem":1309,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/contributing-to-gitlab-with-ease",{"title":1293,"description":1294,"ogTitle":1293,"ogDescription":1294,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1295,"ogUrl":1296,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":1296,"schema":1297},"Contributing to GitLab with ease","Everyone can contribute to GitLab, so here are a few tips to make your experience easy and pleasant.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749678997/Blog/Hero%20Images/mergerequestsgame.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/contributing-to-gitlab-with-ease","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Contributing to GitLab with ease\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Lin Jen-Shin\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2018-08-23\",\n      }",{"title":1293,"description":1294,"authors":1299,"heroImage":1295,"date":1301,"body":1302,"category":747,"tags":1303},[1300],"Lin Jen-Shin","2018-08-23","\nAs a [Merge Request Coach](https://handbook.gitlab.com/job-families/expert/merge-request-coach/), I am happy to\nhelp community contributors feel comfortable when contributing\nto GitLab. During my time reviewing merge requests, I’ve learned a bit about\nhow it feels contributing to GitLab as a newcomer, and I’d like to share\nmy learnings with you.\n\n## Common issues in an MR (merge request)\n\nIn the past, I think styling might have been one of the most common issues.\nHowever, we’re improving our CI to run more static analysis, so these issues\nare now automatically pointed out. Today, contributors can easily see what\ndidn’t pass CI, and they can fix the issues very quickly, so this is not as\ncommon as it was in the past.\n\nThe biggest issue today might be that many contributors don’t add tests, since\ntests often require much more effort than fixing or adding something. If\nyou’re struggling with adding tests, please don’t worry. Merge request coaches\ncan tell you how to add tests when we see your contribution, and we’ll work\nthrough it together.\n\n## Best practices\n\n1. If you only remember one best practice, I hope it is to keep this\nreference handy when [contributing to GitLab](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/blob/master/doc/development/contributing/index.md).\nI know it’s super long, but it has all the information you need when it comes\nto making contributions to GitLab.\n\n2. Get [GDK](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-development-kit) set up\nlocally if you haven’t already. Running tests locally is the best way to\ndevelop and debug, and I highly encourage that you incorporate this into your\nworkflow.\n\n3. Don’t ignore CI. If your pipeline didn’t pass, it’s important to go back and\nidentify the problem. Troubleshooting issues is a great way to practice your\nskills and help you learn from mistakes.\n\n4. Look at the [GitLab team page](/company/team/) and pick a merge request coach to\nping if you need help. Merge request coaches guide contributors and will even\njump in to help finish an MR if a contributor can no longer work on it,\nensuring that the attribution stays with the original contributor. Our goal is\nto help everyone feel comfortable and empowered to contribute even with\nsmallest possible effort. Coaches have other responsibilities and don’t always\nproactively look for contributors who need help, so ping them if you’re stuck\nor ready for a review. If they’re not the right person to ping, they’ll pass\nyou over to the right one. We love helping community contributors, and we look\nforward to guiding and working with you.\n\n## Little-known features\n\nWe [recently welcomed](/blog/introducing-gitlab-s-integrated-development-environment/)\nWeb IDE to quickly edit multiple files on the web directly without cloning\nthe whole repository. Web IDE is useful if you just want to make some small\nchanges online. If you’d like to learn more about Web IDE, please\nhead over to our [documentation](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/web_ide/).\n\nSince GitLab's development velocity is pretty high, sometimes conflicts can\nhappen very frequently. Did you know that you can resolve conflicts directly\nfrom the web UI? I really love this feature, because it’s very easy to resolve\nsimple conflicts, and I don’t need to launch my editor or Git to pull, merge,\nand push. With some simple clicks, I can save a lot of time for simple\nconflicts.\n\n## What everyone should know about MRs\n\nTo me, an MR is a tool to interactively develop and explore with other people.\nDon’t worry about being perfect in the first version of your MR. We learn\nthrough our mistakes and get better over time.\n\nIf you’ve made tons of contributions, we invite you to join our\n[core team](/community/core-team/) or apply for a [full-time position](/jobs/) at GitLab.\nThe MR is one of the most important ways we work together, and we’d love to\ncollaborate with you.\n\n## What to do if you’re struggling\n\nIf you’re having some trouble getting the hang of merge requests, I suggest\ntaking a look at how others work on the MRs. Following other people’s example\ncan help you understand what they did and why they did it. Reaching out to a\nmerge request coach, joining discussions, and reviewing others’ code are also\nways to help you get up to speed. I think that interacting with others is a\ngreat way to learn and improve.\n\n## We’d love your contributions!\n\nWe really enjoy collaborating with community contributors, and we look forward\nto working together. If you don't know what you can contribute, please take a\nlook at [`Accepting merge requests`](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues?label_name[]=Accepting+merge+requests).\nWe label some issues to explicitly call out the ones that we won’t schedule\nanytime soon, but we still want it. These issues usually have very clear scopes,\nso they often just require a simple implementation. They’re nice targets if\nyou don’t know what to contribute but want to gain experience.\n\nIf you would like to see how we handle community contributions, please take a\nlook at [`Community contribution`](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/merge_requests?label_name[]=Community%20contribution).\nWe put this label on all community contributions, therefore you can easily\nfind all the past and current community contributions. We look forward to\nyour future contributions as well!\n\n[Cover image](https://unsplash.com/photos/vqDAUejnwKw) by\n[Victor Freitas](https://unsplash.com/@victorfreitas), licensed\nunder [CC X](https://unsplash.com/license).\n{: .note}\n",[9,794,941,706,749],{"slug":1305,"featured":6,"template":685},"contributing-to-gitlab-with-ease","content:en-us:blog:contributing-to-gitlab-with-ease.yml","Contributing To Gitlab With Ease","en-us/blog/contributing-to-gitlab-with-ease.yml","en-us/blog/contributing-to-gitlab-with-ease",{"_path":1311,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1312,"content":1318,"config":1325,"_id":1327,"_type":13,"title":1328,"_source":15,"_file":1329,"_stem":1330,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/contributions-to-git-2-42-release",{"title":1313,"description":1314,"ogTitle":1313,"ogDescription":1314,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1315,"ogUrl":1316,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":1316,"schema":1317},"Git 2.42 release: Here are four of our contributions in detail","Find out how GitLab's Git team helped improve Git 2.42.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749667792/Blog/Hero%20Images/git-241.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/contributions-to-git-2-42-release","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Git 2.42 release: Here are four of our contributions in detail\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Christian Couder\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2023-10-12\",\n      }",{"title":1313,"description":1314,"authors":1319,"heroImage":1315,"date":1321,"body":1322,"category":1323,"tags":1324},[1320],"Christian Couder","2023-10-12","\n\n[Git 2.42](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/git/-/raw/master/Documentation/RelNotes/2.42.0.txt)\nwas officially released on August 21, 2023, and included some\nimprovements from GitLab's Git team. Git is the foundation of\nrepository data at GitLab. GitLab's Git team works on new features, performance improvements, documentation improvements,\nand growing the Git community. Often our contributions to Git have a\nlot to do with the way we integrate Git into our services at\nGitLab.\n\nWe previously shared [some of our improvements that were included in the Git 2.41 release](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/contributions-to-latest-git-release/). Here are some highlights from the Git 2.42 release, and a\nwindow into how we use Git on the server side at GitLab.\n\n## 1. Prevent certain refs from being packed\n\n### Write-ahead logging\nIn [Gitaly](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/administration/gitaly/), we\nwant to use a [write-ahead log](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/8911)\nto replicate Git operations on different machines.\n\nThis means that the Git objects and references that should be changed\nby a Git operation are first kept in a log entry. Then, when all the\nmachines have agreed that the operation should proceed, the log entry\nis applied so the corresponding Git objects and references are\nactually added to the repositories on all the machines.\n\n### Need for temporary references\nBetween the time when a specific log entry is first written and when\nit is applied, other log entries could be applied which could remove\nsome objects and references. It could happen that these objects and\nreferences are needed to apply the specific log entry though.\n\nSo when we log an entry, we have to make sure that all the objects and\nreferences that it needs to be properly applied will not be removed\nuntil that entry is either actually applied or discarded.\n\nThe best way to make sure things are kept in Git is to create new Git\nreferences pointing to these things. So we decided to use temporary\nreferences for that purpose. They would be created when a log entry is\nwritten, and then deleted when that entry is either applied or\ndiscarded.\n\n### Packed-refs performance\nGit can store references in \"loose\" files, with one reference per\nfile, or in the `packed-refs` file, which contains many of them. The\n`git pack-refs` command is used to pack some references from \"loose\"\nfiles into the `packed-refs` file.\n\nFor reading a lot of references, the `packed-refs` file is very\nefficient, but for writing or deleting a single reference, it is not\nso efficient as rewriting the whole `packed-refs` file is required.\n\nAs temporary references are to be created and then deleted soon after,\nstoring them in the `packed-refs` file would not be efficient. It\nwould be better to store them in \"loose\" files.\n\nThe `git pack-refs` command had no way to be told precisely which refs\nshould be packed or not though. By default it would repack all the\ntags (which are refs in `refs/tags/`) and all the refs that are\nalready packed. With the `--all` option one could tell it to repack\nall the refs except the hidden refs, broken refs, and symbolic refs,\nbut that was the only thing that could be controlled.\n\n### Improving `git pack-refs`\nWe decided to improve `git pack-refs` by adding two new options to it:\n  - `--include \u003Cpattern>` which can be used to specify which refs should be packed\n  - `--exclude \u003Cpattern>` which can be used to specify which refs should not be packed\n\n[John Cai](https://gitlab.com/jcaigitlab), Gitaly:Git team engineering manager, implemented these options.\n\nFor example, if the refs managed by the write-ahead log are in\n`refs/wal/`, it's now possible the exclude them from being moved into\nthe `packed-refs` file by using:\n\n```\n$ git pack-refs --exclude \"refs/wal/*\"\n```\n\nDetails of the patch series, including discussions, can be found\n[here](https://lore.kernel.org/git/pull.1501.git.git.1683215331910.gitgitgadget@gmail.com/).\n\n## 2. Get machine-readable output from `git cat-file --batch`\n\n### Efficiently retrieving Git object information\nIn GitLab, we often retrieve Git object information. For example, when a\nuser navigates into the files and directories in a repository, we need\nto get the content of the corresponding Git blobs and trees so that\nwe can show it.\n\nIn Gitaly, we use `git cat-file` to retrieve Git object information\nfrom a Git repository. As it's a frequent operation, it needs to be\nperformed efficiently, so we use the batch modes of `git cat-file`\navailable through the `--batch`, `--batch-check` and `--batch-command`\noptions.\n\nIn these modes, a pointer to a Git object can be repeatedly sent to\nthe standard input, called 'stdin', of a `git cat-file` command, while\nthe corresponding object information is read from the standard ouput,\ncalled 'stdout' of the command. This way we don't need to launch a\nnew `git cat-file` command for each object.\n\nGitLab can keep, for example, a `git cat-file --batch-command` process\nrunning in the background while feeding it commands like\n`info \u003Cobject>` or `contents \u003Cobject>` through its stdin to\nget either information about an object or its content.\n\n### Newlines in stdin, stdout, and filenames\nThe commands or pointers to Git objects that are sent through stdin\nshould be delimited using newline characters, and in the same way `git\ncat-file` will use newline characters to delimit the information from\ndifferent Git objects in its output. This is a common shell practice\nto make it easy to chain commands together. For example, one can\neasily get the size (in bytes) of the last three commits on the current\nbranch using the following:\n\n```\n$ git log -3 --format='%H' | git cat-file --batch-check='%(objectsize)'\n285\n646\n428\n```\n\nSometimes, though, the pointer to a Git object can contain a filename\nor a directory name, as such a pointer is allowed to be in the form\n`\u003Cbranch>:\u003Cpath>`. For example `HEAD:Documentation` is a valid\npointer to the blob or the tree corresponding to the `Documentation`\npath on the current branch.\n\nThis used to be an issue because on some systems newline characters\nare allowed in file or directory names. So the `-z` option was\nintroduced last year in Git 2.38 to allow users to change the input\ndelimiter in batch modes to the NUL character.\n\n### Error output\nWhen the `-z` option was introduced, it wasn't considered useful to\nchange the output delimiter to be also the NUL character. This is\nbecause only tree objects can contain paths and the internal format\nof tree objects already uses NUL characters to delimit paths.\n\nUnfortunately, it was overlooked that in case of an error the pointer\nto the object is displayed in the error message:\n\n```\n$ echo 'HEAD:does-not-exist' | git cat-file --batch\nHEAD:does-not-exist missing\n```\n\nAs the error messages are printed along with the regular ouput of the\ncommand on stdout, passing in an invalid pointer with a number of\nnewline characters in it could make it very difficult to parse the\noutput.\n\n### -Z comes to the rescue\n[Toon Claes](https://gitlab.com/toon), Gitaly senior engineer, initially worked on a\npatch to just quote the pointer in the error message, but it was\ndecided in the Git mailing list discussions related to the patch that\nit would be better to just create a new `-Z` option. This option would\nchange both the input and the output delimiter to the NUL character,\nwhile the old `-z` option would be deprecated over time.\n\nSo [Patrick Steinhardt](https://gitlab.com/pks-gitlab), Gitaly staff engineer, implemented that new `-Z` option.\n\nDetails of the patch series, including discussions, can be found\n[here](https://lore.kernel.org/git/20221209150048.2400648-1-toon@iotcl.com/)\nand [here](https://lore.kernel.org/git/cover.1685710884.git.ps@pks.im/).\n\n## 3. Pass pseudo-options to `git rev-list --stdin`\n\n### Computing sizes\nIn GitLab, we need to have different ways to compute the size of Git\nrelated content. For example, we need to know:\n  - how much disk space a repository is using\n  - how big a specific Git object is\n  - how much additional space on a repository is required by a\n    specific set of revisions (and the objects they reference)\n\nKnowing \"how much disk space a repository is using\" is useful to\nenforce repository-related quotas and is easy to get using regular\nshell and OS features.\n\nSize information about a specific Git object is useful to enforce\nquotas related to maximum file size. It can be obtained using, for\nexample, `git cat-file -s \u003Cobject>` or\n`echo \u003Cobject> | git cat-file --batch-check='%(objectsize)'`\nas already seen above.\n\nComputing the space required by a set of revisions is useful, too, as\nforks can share Git content in what we call\n\"[pool repositories](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/development/git_object_deduplication.html),\"\nand we want to discriminate how much content belongs to each forked\nrepository. Fortunately, `git rev-list` has a `--disk-usage` option\nfor this purpose.\n\n### Passing arguments to `git rev-list`\n`git rev-list` can take a number of different arguments and has a lot\nof different options. It's a fundamental command to traverse commit\ngraphs, and it should be flexible enough to fulfill a lot of different\nuser needs.\n\nWhen repositories grow, they often store a lot of references and a lot\nof files and directories, so there is often the need to pass a big\nnumber of references or paths as arguments to the\ncommand. References and paths can be quite long though.\n\nTo avoid hitting platform limits related to command line length, long\nago, a `--stdin` mode was added that allowed users to pass revisions\nand paths through stdin, instead of as command line\narguments. However, when that was implemented, it was not considered\nnecessary to allow options or pseudo-options, like `--not`,\n`--glob=...`, or `--all` to be passed through stdin.\n\nThis appeared to be a problem for GitLab, as for computing sizes for\nforked repositories we needed some of the pseudo-options, and it would\nhave been intricate and possibly buggy to pass some of them and their\narguments as arguments on the command line while others were passed\nthrough stdin.\n\n### Allowing pseudo-options\nTo fix this issue, Patrick Steinhardt implemented a small patch series to\nallow pseudo-options through stdin.\n\nWith it, in Git 2.42, one can now pass pseudo-options, like `--not`,\n`--glob=...`, or `--all` through stdin when the `--stdin` mode is used.\n\nDetails of the patch series, including discussions, can be found\n[here](https://lore.kernel.org/git/cover.1686744685.git.ps@pks.im/).\n\n## 4. Code and test improvements\nWhile looking at some Git code, we are often tempted to modify nearby\ncode, either to change only its style when the code is ancient and it\nwould look better using Git's current code style, or to refactor it to\nmake it cleaner. This is why we sometimes send small patch series that\ndon't have a real GitLab related purpose.\n\nIn Git 2.42, examples of style code improvements we made are the\n[part1](https://lore.kernel.org/git/pull.1513.git.git.1684440205.gitgitgadget@gmail.com/)\nand\n[part2](https://lore.kernel.org/git/pull.1514.git.git.1684599239.gitgitgadget@gmail.com/)\ntest code modernization patches from John Cai.\n\nAnd [here](https://lore.kernel.org/git/cover.1684324059.git.ps@pks.im/) is\nan example of a refactoring to cleanup some code by Patrick Steinhardt.\n","product",[877,703,749,9],{"slug":1326,"featured":6,"template":685},"contributions-to-git-2-42-release","content:en-us:blog:contributions-to-git-2-42-release.yml","Contributions To Git 2 42 Release","en-us/blog/contributions-to-git-2-42-release.yml","en-us/blog/contributions-to-git-2-42-release",{"_path":1332,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1333,"content":1338,"config":1344,"_id":1346,"_type":13,"title":1347,"_source":15,"_file":1348,"_stem":1349,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/contributions-to-latest-git-release",{"title":1334,"description":1335,"ogTitle":1334,"ogDescription":1335,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1315,"ogUrl":1336,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":1336,"schema":1337},"Git 2.41 release - Here are five of our contributions in detail","Find out how GitLab's Git team helped improve the latest version of Git.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/contributions-to-latest-git-release","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Git 2.41 release - Here are five of our contributions in detail\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"John Cai\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2023-06-20\",\n      }",{"title":1334,"description":1335,"authors":1339,"heroImage":1315,"date":1341,"body":1342,"category":814,"tags":1343},[1340],"John Cai","2023-06-20","\n[Git 2.41](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/git/-/raw/master/Documentation/RelNotes/2.41.0.txt)\nwas officially released on June 1, 2023, and included some improvements from GitLab's Git team. Git is the foundation of\nrepository data at GitLab. GitLab's Git team works on everything from new\nfeatures, performance improvements, documentation improvements, and growing the Git\ncommunity. Often our contributions to Git have a lot to do with the way we integrate Git into\nour services at GitLab. Here are some highlights from this latest Git release,\nand a window into how we use Git on the server side at GitLab.\n\n## 1. Machine-parseable fetch output\nWhen `git-fetch` is run, the output is a familiar for users of Git and looks\nsomething like this:\n\n```bash\n> git fetch\nremote: Enumerating objects: 296, done.\nremote: Counting objects: 100% (189/189), done.\nremote: Compressing objects: 100% (103/103), done.\nremote: Total 296 (delta 132), reused 84 (delta 84), pack-reused 107\nReceiving objects: 100% (296/296), 184.46 KiB | 11.53 MiB/s, done.\nResolving deltas: 100% (173/173), completed with 42 local objects.\nFrom https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitaly\n   cfd146b4d..a69cf20ce  master                                                                             -> origin/master\n   3a877b8f3..854f25045  15-11-stable                                                                       -> origin/15-11-stable\n * [new branch]          5316-check-metrics-and-decide-if-need-to-context-cancel-the-running-git-process-in -> origin/5316-check-metrics-and-decide-if-need-to-context-cancel-the-running-git-process-in\n + bdd3c05a2...0bcf6f9d4 blanet_default_branch_opt                                                          -> origin/blanet_default_branch_opt  (forced update)\n * [new branch]          jt-object-pool-disconnect-refactor                                                 -> origin/jt-object-pool-disconnect-refactor\n + f2447981c...34e06e106 jt-replicate-repository-alternates                                                 -> origin/jt-replicate-repository-alternates  (forced update)\n * [new branch]          kn-logrus-update                                                                   -> origin/kn-logrus-update\n + 05cea76f3...258543674 kn-smarthttp-docs                                                                  -> origin/kn-smarthttp-docs  (forced update)\n * [new branch]          pks-git-pseudorevision-validation                                                  -> origin/pks-git-pseudorevision-validation\n + 2e8d0ccd5...bf4ed8a52 pks-storage-repository                                                             -> origin/pks-storage-repository  (forced update)\n * [new branch]          qmnguyen0711/expose-another-port-for-pack-rpcs                                     -> origin/qmnguyen0711/expose-another-port-for-pack-rpcs\n + 82473046f...8e23e474c use_head_reference\n```\n\nThe problem with this output is that it's not meant for machines to parse.\n\nBut why would it be useful to make this output parseable by machines? To understand\nthis, we need to back up a little bit and talk about Gitaly Cluster. [Gitaly Cluster](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/administration/gitaly/#gitaly-cluster)\nis a service at GitLab that provides high availability of Git repositories by\nreplicating repository writes to replica nodes. Each time a write comes in which\nchanges a Git repository (for example, a push that updates a reference) the write goes to\nthe primary node, and to all replica nodes before the write can succeed. A\nvoting mechanism takes place where the nodes vote on what its updated\nvalue for the reference would be. This vote succeeds when a quorum of replica\nnodes have successfully written the ref, and the write succeeds.\n\nOne of our remote procedure calls (RPCs) in Gitaly runs `git-fetch(1)` for repository mirroring. By\ndefault, when `git-fetch(1)` is run, it will update any references that are able\nto be fast-forwarded and fail on any reference that has since diverged will not\nbe updated.\n\nAs mentioned above, whenever there is an operation that modifies a repository, there\nis a voting mechanism that ensures the same modification is made to all replica nodes.\nTo dive in even a little deeper, our voting mechanism leverages Git's reference transaction hook,\nwhich runs an executable once per reference transaction. `git-fetch(1)` by default will\nstart a reference transaction per reference it updates. A fetch that updates hundreds or\neven thousand of references would thus vote once per reference that gets updated.\n\nIn the following sequence diagram, we are only showing one Gitaly node, but for a Gitaly Cluster\nwith, let's say, three nodes, what happens with the Gitaly primary also happens in\nthe replicas.\n\n```mermaid\nsequenceDiagram\n    participant user\n    participant GitlabUI as Gitlab UI\n    participant p as Praefect\n    participant g0 as Gitaly (primary)\n    participant git as Git\n    user->>GitlabUI: mirror my repository\n    GitlabUI->>p: FetchRemote\n    activate p\n    p->>g0: FetchRemote\n    activate g0\n    g0->>git: fetch-remote\n    activate git\n    git->>g0: vote on refs/heads/branch1 update\n    g0->>p: vote on refs/heads/branch1 update\n    git->>g0: vote on refs/heads/branch2 update\n    g0->>p: vote on refs/heads/branch2 update\n    git->>g0: vote on refs/heads/branch3 update\n    g0->>p: vote on refs/heads/branch3 update\n    deactivate git\n    note over p: vote succeeds\n    p->>GitlabUI: success\n    deactivate g0\n    deactivate p\n\n```\n\nThis is inefficient. Ideally we would want to vote once per batch of references\nupdated from one `git-fetch(1)` call. There is an option `--atomic` in\n`git-fetch(1)` that will open one reference transaction for all references\nupdated by `git-fetch(1)`. However, when `--atomic` is used, a `git-fetch` call will fail if any references have since diverged. This is not how we want repository mirroring to work. We actually want `git-fetch` to update whichever refs it can.\n\nSo, that means we cannot use the `--atomic` flag and are thus stuck voting per reference we update.\n\n### Solution: Handle the reference update ourselves\nThe way we are solving this inefficiency is to handle the reference update\nourselves. Instead of relying on `git-fetch(1)` to both fetch the objects and\nupdate all the references, we can use the `--dry-run` option of `git-fetch(1)`\nto first fetch the objects into a quarantine directory. Then if we can know\nwhich references *would* be updated, we can start a reference transaction\nourselves with `git-update-ref(1)` and update all the refs in one transaction,\nhence triggering a single vote only.\n\n```mermaid\n\nsequenceDiagram\n    participant user\n    participant Gitlab UI\n    participant p as Praefect\n    participant g0 as Gitaly (primary)\n    participant git as Git\n    user->>Gitlab UI: mirror my repository\n    Gitlab UI->>p: FetchRemote\n    activate p\n    p->>g0: FetchRemote\n    g0->>git: fetch-remote --dry-run --porcelain\n    activate git\n    note over git: objects are fetched into a quarantine directory\n    git->>g0: branch1, branch2, branch3 will be updated\n    deactivate git\n    g0->>git: update-ref\n    activate git\n    note over git: update branch1, branch2, branch3 in a single transaction\n    git->>g0: reference transaction hook\n    deactivate git\n    g0->>p: vote on ref updates\n    note over p: vote succeeds\n    p->>Gitlab UI: success\n    deactivate p\n\n```\n\nA requirement for this however, is that we would be able to parse the output of\n`git-fetch(1)` to tell which refs will be updated and to what values. Currently\nin `--dry-run`, `git-fetch(1)`'s output cannot be parsed by a machine.\n\n[Patrick Steinhardt](https://gitlab.com/pks-gitlab), Staff Backend Engineer, Gitaly, added a  `--porcelain` [option to git-fetch](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-fetch#Documentation/git-fetch.txt---porcelain)\nthat causes `git-fetch(1)` to gives its output in a machine-parseable format.\n\n```\n> git fetch --porcelain --dry-run --quiet\n* cd7ec0e2505463855d04f0a685d53af604079bdf 023a4cca58ac713090df15015a2efeadc73be522 refs/remotes/origin/master\n* 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000 b4a007671bd331f1c6f5857aa9a6ab95d500b412 refs/remotes/origin/alejguer-improve-readabiliy-geo\n  2314938437eb962dadd6a88f45d463f8ed2c7cec 3d3e36fa40e9b87b90ef31f80c63c767d0ef3638 refs/remotes/origin/ali/document-keyless-container-signing\n+ c8107330f8d5a938f6349743310db030ca5159e6 e155670196e4974659304c79e670b238192bce08 refs/remotes/origin/fc-add-failed-jobs-in-mr-part-2\n+ 9ec873de405b3c5078ad1c073711a222e7734337 eb7947e37d05460a94c988bf1f408f96228dd50d refs/remotes/origin/fc-mvc-details-page\n* 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000 36d214774f39d3c3d0569df8befd2b46d22ea94b refs/remotes/origin/group-runner-docs\n+ b357bfdec53b96e76582ac5dd64deb2d35dbe697 7b85d775b1a46ea94e0b241aa0b6aa37ae2e0b69 refs/remotes/origin/jwanjohi-add-abuse-training-data-table\n+ c9beb0b9c0b933903c12393acaa2c4447bb9035f fd13eda262c67a48495a0695659fea10b32e7e02 refs/remotes/origin/jy-permissions-blueprint\n+ 9ecf5a7fb7ca39a6a4296e569af0ddff1058a830 3341369e650c931c46d9880f3b781dc1e21c9f75 refs/remotes/origin/kassio/spike-pages-review-apps\n```\n\nThis change allows us to be much more efficient when mirroring repositories.\n\nDetails of the patch series, including discussions can be found [here](https://lore.kernel.org/git/cover.1683721293.git.ps@pks.im/).\n\n## 2. A new way to read Git attribute files\n[Git attribute](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/git_attributes.html) is\na way to define attributes in a Git repository such as syntax highlighting. Until now, Git only read `.gitattribute` files in the wokrtree or the\n`.git/info/attributes` files. On Gitaly servers, we store repositories on disk\nas [bare\nrepositories](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-clone#Documentation/git-clone.txt---bare).\nThis means that on the server we don't keep worktrees around. To\nsupport gitattributes on GitLab then, we use a workaround whereby when the user\nchanges attributes on the default branch, we copy the contents of the blob\n`HEAD:.gitattribute` to the `info/attributes` file.\n\n\u003Cpre class=\"mermaid\">\nflowchart TD\n  A[User A] -->|edit HEAD:.gitattributes\u003Cbr/>git push| B[Gitaly]\n  B --> |copy HEAD:.gitattributes\u003Cbr/>to info/attributes| C[info/attributes file]\n  D[GitLab UI] --> |Display code with syntax highlighting| B\n  B -.->|how should I do syntax highlighting?\u003Cbr/>Read info/attributes file| C   \n\u003C/pre>\n\n### Solution: New git option to read attribute files directly\nTo get rid of this extra step of copying a blob to `info/attributes`,\nI added a new git\n[option](https://git-scm.com/docs/git#Documentation/git.txt---attr-sourcelttree-ishgt)\n`--attr-source=\u003Ctree>` whereby a caller can pass in a tree from which Git will\nread the attributes file directly. This way Git can read the attributes blob directly\nwithout a worktree and without having to copy the contents to `info/attributes` each time it changes.\n\n\u003Cpre class=\"mermaid\">\nflowchart TD\n    A[User A] -->|edit HEAD:.gitattributes\u003Cbr/>git push| B[Gitaly]\n    D[GitLab UI] --> |Display code with syntax highlighting|B\n    B --> |Directly read the HEAD:.gitattributes blob|B\n\u003C/pre>\n\nHaving this feature in Git allows us to simplify this process a lot. We no longer\nhave to manually copy over the contents to a separate file. Internally, this\nallows us to delete two RPCs, reducing complexity and improving performance.\n\nDetails of this patch series, including discussions can be found [here](https://lore.kernel.org/git/pull.1470.v6.git.git.1683346530487.gitgitgadget@gmail.com/).\n\n## 3. Bug fix in commit-graph generation numbers\nA regression for truncated commit-graph generation numbers is a bug that we have been hitting for\nspecific repositories, corrupting the commit-graph. The [commit\ngraph](https://git-scm.com/docs/commit-graph) is an important Git optimization\nthat speeds up commit graph walks. Commit graph walks happen whenever Git has to\nwalk through commit history. Any time we display commit history in the UI, for\ninstance, it  will trigger a commit graph walk. Keeping these fast is crucial to a\nsnappy browsing experience.\n\n### Solution: A patch series to fix the bug\nPatrick submitted a patch series to fix the regression for truncated commit-graph generation numbers bug \nDetails of this patch series, including discussions can be found [here](https://lore.kernel.org/git/f8a0a869e8b0882f05cac49d78f49ba3553d3c44.1679904401.git.ps@pks.im/).\n\n## 4. Fix for stale lockfiles in `git-receive-pack`\n`git-receive-pack(1)` is a Git command that handles the server-side of pushes. When `git push` is run\nagainst a GitLab server, Gitaly will handle the `ssh` or `http` request and\nspawn a `git-receive-pack(1)` process behind the scenes to handle the push.\n\n`git-receive-pack(1)` will write a lockfile when processing packfiles in order\nto prevent a race condition where a concurrent garbage-collecting process tries\nto delete the new packfile that is not yet being referenced by anything.\n\nWhen the `git-receive-pack(1)` process dies prematurely for whatever reason, this\nlockfile was being left around instead of being cleaned up. Busy repositories\nthat received many pushes a day could grow in size quickly due to the\naccumulation of these lockfiles.\n\n### Solution: A patch series to clean up unused lockfiles\nPatrick fixed this by submitting a patch series that allows `git-receive-pack(1)` to clean up its unused lockfiles. This allows GitLab to save space on its servers from having to keep useless lockfiles around.\n\nDetails of this patch series, including discussions can be found [here](https://lore.kernel.org/git/e1ee1d8026a361bc58d16bc741e2b347ada7a53e.1678431076.git.ps@pks.im/).\n\n## 5. Fixed geometric repacking with alternate object databases\n[Geometric repacking](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-repack#Documentation/git-repack.txt---geometricltfactorgt)\nis a repacking strategy where instead of packing everything into on giant pack\neach time, several packs are kept around according to a geometric progression\nbased on object size.\n\nThis is useful for large and very busy repositories so that housekeeping doesn't\nhave to pack all of its objects into a giant pack each time.\n\nUnfortunately, geometric repacking had various corner case bugs when an\nalternate object database was involved. At GitLab, we leverage the Git\nalternates mechanism to save space in the case of forks. A fork of a repository\nshares most files. Instead of keeping a second copy of all the data, when we\ncreate a fork, we can deduplicate this data by having both the source\nrepository, as well as the fork repository share objects by pointing to a third\nrepository. This means that only one copy of a blob needs to be kept around\nrather than two.\n\nGeometric repacking bugs prevented it from working in an object database that\nwas connected to an alternate object database.\n\n### Solution: A patch series\nThese bugs have been fixed via a patch series from Patrick. This\nhelps us as we improve our implementation of object pools in Gitaly.\n\nDetails of this patch series, including discussions can be found [here](https://lore.kernel.org/git/cover.1681452028.git.ps@pks.im/).\n",[877,703,749,9],{"slug":1345,"featured":6,"template":685},"contributions-to-latest-git-release","content:en-us:blog:contributions-to-latest-git-release.yml","Contributions To Latest Git Release","en-us/blog/contributions-to-latest-git-release.yml","en-us/blog/contributions-to-latest-git-release",{"_path":1351,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1352,"content":1357,"config":1362,"_id":1364,"_type":13,"title":1365,"_source":15,"_file":1366,"_stem":1367,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/contributor-after-single-code-base",{"title":1353,"description":1354,"ogTitle":1353,"ogDescription":1354,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1151,"ogUrl":1355,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":1355,"schema":1356},"Contributing to GitLab after move to a single codebase","How contributors can benefit from the move to a single codebase for GitLab Community and Enterprise Editions.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/contributor-after-single-code-base","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Contributing to GitLab after move to a single codebase\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Ray Paik\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-10-02\",\n      }",{"title":1353,"description":1354,"authors":1358,"heroImage":1151,"date":1359,"body":1360,"category":792,"tags":1361},[744],"2019-10-02","\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"true\" /}\n\n\n\nBy now, many readers will already be familair with GitLab's move to a single Rails codebase for GitLab Community(CE) and Enterprise(EE) Editions. The motivation for the change and work involved were well documented in blog posts by [Marin Jankovski](/blog/merging-ce-and-ee-codebases/) and [Yorick Peterse](/blog/a-single-codebase-for-gitlab-community-and-enterprise-edition/). Also, if you had an open merge request (MR) in CE, you probably saw messages from the GitLab bot (`@gitlab-bot`) like the one below. \n\n![GitLab bot message](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/Bot-closing-GitLab-FOSS-MR.png){: .shadow.medium.center} \n## Only impacts contributions to the new GitLab repository\n\nI want to highlight a couple of things with this move to a single codebase. First, if you are contributing to other GitLab projects such as [Charts](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/charts/gitlab), [GitLab Design System](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-services/design.gitlab.com), [GitLab UI](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ui), [Omnibus](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/omnibus-gitlab), [Runner](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-runner), etc., this move to a single Rails codebase for CE & EE will not have any impact on your contribution workflow. \n## Licenses remain the same\n\nNext, there is no change to licensing. GitLab CE will remain open source under the MIT license. GitLab EE code will reside in the [`ee` directory](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/tree/master/ee) in the [new gitlab (formerly gitlab-ee) project](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab) and will remain source available under a proprietary license.  \n## Higher efficiency and easier to contribute\n\nWith this move to a single codebase, there will be less duplicate work and manual intervention required from GitLab team members in the future. This gives them more bandwidth for higher value activities, including helping with wider community contributions.\n\nThe single codebase should also simplify things for wider community members, as you can now search [for issues in one place](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/issues), and there's also [one place for MRs](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/merge_requests).\n\nAs another example for improvement, in the past, contributors occasionally had to deal with `ee_compat_check` errors when they submitted an MR in CE. This required opening an MR in EE (or asking a GitLab team member to open an EE MR) and then wait for it to be merged before continuing with the CE MR. This was a pain point for many contributors, and I am excited that this will be eliminated with the single codebase. \n## Re-submitting MRs against the new GitLab project\n\nIf you have an MR that was auto-closed by the GitLab bot in CE (now [GitLab FOSS](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-foss)), you can continue your work by creating a new MR in the [new gitlab project](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab) following the steps outlined in the GitLab bot message above. If you have any questions or encounter issues when you open a new MR, please feel free to [mention](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/group/subgroups/#mentioning-subgroups) the reviewers from your original MR or me and ask for help.  \n\nDuring and after the transition, I was happy to see MR's continuing to come in from the wider community so it doesn't look like this was a major disruption. However, if you have any questions or feedback you are welcome to [open an issue in gitlab](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/issues) or reach out to me at `rpaik@gitlab.com`.\n\n[\"GitLab application screengrab\"](https://unsplash.com/photos/ZV_64LdGoao) by [Pankaj Patel](https://unsplash.com/@pankajpatel) on Unsplash\n{: .note}",[9,794,749],{"slug":1363,"featured":6,"template":685},"contributor-after-single-code-base","content:en-us:blog:contributor-after-single-code-base.yml","Contributor After Single Code Base","en-us/blog/contributor-after-single-code-base.yml","en-us/blog/contributor-after-single-code-base",{"_path":1369,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1370,"content":1375,"config":1380,"_id":1382,"_type":13,"title":1383,"_source":15,"_file":1384,"_stem":1385,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/contributor-post-hannes",{"title":1371,"description":1372,"ogTitle":1371,"ogDescription":1372,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1037,"ogUrl":1373,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":1373,"schema":1374},"GitLab Code Contributor: Hannes Rosenögger","Core team member Hannes Rosenögger shares his experience contributing to GitLab since 2014.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/contributor-post-hannes","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"GitLab Code Contributor: Hannes Rosenögger\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Ray Paik\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2018-11-20\",\n      }",{"title":1371,"description":1372,"authors":1376,"heroImage":1037,"date":1377,"body":1378,"category":747,"tags":1379},[744],"2018-11-20","\nFor this month's blog post, we're featuring another [Core Team](/community/core-team/) member [Hannes Rosenögger](https://gitlab.com/haynes).\n\n### When did you first contribute to GitLab?\n\nMy first [MR to close multiple issues with one commit](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/merge_requests/263) was back in December 2014. So that's almost four years ago!\n\n### Why and how did you decide to contribute to GitLab?\n\n I used the Community Edition privately and noticed that mentioning multiple issues in an MR only closed the first issue. Since GitLab was open source and the fix was easy, I decided to fix it myself. GitLab's open policy about everything within the company was also a huge factor.\n\n### Which area(s) of the GitLab product have you been contributing to?\n\nI guess it's been pretty random for me. Most of my contributions have been on the backend side and documentation fixes, but if I see something that I can easily fix or I need a feature for my work, I try to make a contribution. I also provide support on the #gitlab IRC channel on freenode. My IRC handle is `haynes`.\n\n### Can you tell us what you do professionally?\n\nI am a Java software developer for a public sector organization in Germany.\n\n### What do you like to do when you're not working?\n\nWhen I'm not working, I'm probably doing something for my local scout group. I enjoy working with the kids and teaching. I also like to fix things from coffee machines to cars. Basically anything that I can fix with a bit of work.\n\n\u003C!-- carousel -->\n\n\u003Cdiv id=\"carousel-example-generic-5\" class=\"carousel slide medium center\" data-ride=\"carousel\" data-interval=\"10000\">\n  \u003C!-- Indicators -->\n  \u003Col class=\"carousel-indicators\">\n    \u003Cli data-target=\"#carousel-example-generic-5\" data-slide-to=\"0\" class=\"active\">\u003C/li>\n    \u003Cli data-target=\"#carousel-example-generic-5\" data-slide-to=\"1\">\u003C/li>\n    \u003Cli data-target=\"#carousel-example-generic-5\" data-slide-to=\"2\">\u003C/li>\n  \u003C/ol>\n\n  \u003C!-- Wrapper for slides -->\n  \u003Cdiv class=\"carousel-inner\" role=\"listbox\">\n    \u003Cdiv class=\"item active\">\n          \u003Cimg src=\"/images/blogimages/Hannes-blogpost/workbench.jpg\" alt=\"Hannes on workbench\">\n    \u003C/div>\n    \u003Cdiv class=\"item\">\n      \u003Cimg src=\"/images/blogimages/Hannes-blogpost/dishwasher.jpg\" alt=\"Hannes working on his dishwasher\">\n    \u003C/div>\n    \u003Cdiv class=\"item\">\n      \u003Cimg src=\"/images/blogimages/Hannes-blogpost/washing_machine.jpg\" alt=\"Washing machine repair\">\n    \u003C/div>\n\n  \u003C/div>\n\n  \u003C!-- Controls -->\n  \u003Ca class=\"left carousel-control\" href=\"#carousel-example-generic-5\" role=\"button\" data-slide=\"prev\">\n    \u003Csvg class=\"glyphicon glyphicon-chevron-left\" width=\"11\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 11 19\" xmlns=\"http://www.w3.org/2000/svg\">\u003Cpath d=\"M.44 10.13l8.345 8.345 2.007-2.007-6.814-6.814 6.814-6.815L8.785.832.44 9.177a.652.652 0 0 0-.202.477c0 .183.067.343.202.477z\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"/>\u003C/svg>\n    \u003Cspan class=\"sr-only\">Previous\u003C/span>\n  \u003C/a>\n  \u003Ca class=\"right carousel-control\" href=\"#carousel-example-generic-5\" role=\"button\" data-slide=\"next\">\n    \u003Csvg class=\"glyphicon glyphicon-chevron-right\" width=\"11\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 11 19\" xmlns=\"http://www.w3.org/2000/svg\">\u003Cpath d=\"M10.59 10.13l-8.344 8.345L.24 16.468l6.814-6.814L.24 2.839 2.246.832l8.345 8.345a.652.652 0 0 1 .201.477.652.652 0 0 1-.201.477z\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"/>\u003C/svg>\n    \u003Cspan class=\"sr-only\">Next\u003C/span>\n  \u003C/a>\n\u003C/div>\n\n### What advice do you have for others who may be interested in contributing to GitLab?\n\nContributing to GitLab is easier than it looks at a first glance and you can contribute to the community in many different ways. For example, if you want to help out translating the GitLab user interface to your native language on [CrowdIn](https://translate.gitlab.com/), this does not require programming skills or any special setup on your laptop. Also when you want to contribute code, reviewers are normally quite fast in getting back to you and are more than happy to help if you have any questions.\n\nIf you are unsure how to get started or you need help, anyone should feel free to ping me on Twitter ([@hrosenoegger](https://twitter.com/hrosenoegger)) or in the #gitlab IRC channel on [freenode](http://freenode.net/).\n\n### Anything else you want to share with the community?\n\nI love the fact that GitLab actually listens to the community. Even after they make a decision to add a new, paid feature, when community members believe it makes more sense to have the feature in [GitLab Core](/pricing/#self-managed) or the free tier of [GitLab.com](/pricing/), they will actually port it back. The [Squash and Merge feature](/releases/2018/06/22/gitlab-11-0-released/#squash-and-merge-in-gitlab-core-and-gitlabcom-free) is a good example of that.\n\n## Interested in learning how you can contribute?\n\nA good place to start is the [Contributing to GitLab page](/community/contribute/), where you can learn how you can contribute to GitLab code, documentation, translation, and UX design.\n\nIf you have any questions, you are always welcome to reach me at rpaik@gitlab.com.\n\n_Note: This post is part of [a series featuring people who contribute to GitLab](/blog/tags.html#contributors)._\n",[9,794,749,750],{"slug":1381,"featured":6,"template":685},"contributor-post-hannes","content:en-us:blog:contributor-post-hannes.yml","Contributor Post Hannes","en-us/blog/contributor-post-hannes.yml","en-us/blog/contributor-post-hannes",{"_path":1387,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1388,"content":1393,"config":1398,"_id":1400,"_type":13,"title":1401,"_source":15,"_file":1402,"_stem":1403,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/contributor-post-jacopo",{"title":1389,"description":1390,"ogTitle":1389,"ogDescription":1390,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1037,"ogUrl":1391,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":1391,"schema":1392},"GitLab Code Contributor: Jacopo Beschi","Core Team member Jacopo Beschi shares why he loves contributing to GitLab.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/contributor-post-jacopo","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"GitLab Code Contributor: Jacopo Beschi\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Ray Paik\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2018-09-06\",\n      }",{"title":1389,"description":1390,"authors":1394,"heroImage":1037,"date":1395,"body":1396,"category":747,"tags":1397},[744],"2018-09-06","\n\nThis is the second blog post [highlighting GitLab community members](/blog/contributor-post-vitaliy/)\nwho are making code contributions to GitLab. This month, we're featuring Jacopo\nBeschi, who is based in Italy and is also a member of the [Core Team](/community/core-team/).\n\n### How long have you been contributing to GitLab?\n\nI've been contributing since late 2016.\n\n### Why and how did you decide to contribute to GitLab?\n\nI was looking for an interesting open source software application mostly written\nin Ruby to contribute to. After some Googling around, I found GitLab and instantly\nfell in love with the application and this community.\n\n### Which areas of the GitLab product do you contribute to?\n\nI've contributed to multiple areas of GitLab, such as [backend](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/merge_requests/18757),\n[frontend](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/merge_requests/9890),\n[API](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/merge_requests/16478),\n[Utility](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/merge_requests/11579),\nand [Quality](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/merge_requests/15188)\nwhich are written in Rails.\n\nI haven’t had a chance to contribute to the Golang part of GitLab, such as\n[GitLab Runner](https://docs.gitlab.com/runner/), [Gitaly](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/administration/gitaly/),\nor [GitLab Workhorse](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-workhorse).\n\n### Can you tell us what you do professionally?\n\nCurrently, I work as technical lead for [Iubenda](http://www.iubenda.com), a SaaS\nprovider focused on privacy and cookie policies.\n\n### What do you like to do when you're not working?\n\nWhen I’m not working, I enjoy training in the gym and spending time with my wife and friends.\n\n### What advice do you have for others who may be interested in contributing to GitLab?\n\nDon’t be nervous about getting started! This [Contributing to GitLab page](/community/contribute/)\nexplains all the steps you need to take in order to be a successful contributor,\nand I encourage people to start there.\n\nGitLab also has a lot of [online documentation](https://docs.gitlab.com/) that\nyou could search in order to solve most common questions that developers have.\n\n### Do you have anything else you’d like to share?\n\nContributing to GitLab not only enhances your resume but also allows you to get\nin touch with great people who can help you improve your technical knowledge.\nIn addition, your contribution to GitLab will affect the lives of thousands of\ndevelopers around the globe!\n\n## Interested in learning how you can contribute?\n\nAs Jacopo already suggested, a good place to start is the\n[Contributing to GitLab page](/community/contribute/), where you can learn how you can\ncontribute to GitLab code, documentation, translation, and UX design.\n\nIf you have any questions, you are always welcome to reach me at rpaik@gitlab.com.\n\n_Note: This post is part of [a series featuring people who contribute to GitLab](/blog/tags.html#contributors)._\n",[9,794,749,750],{"slug":1399,"featured":6,"template":685},"contributor-post-jacopo","content:en-us:blog:contributor-post-jacopo.yml","Contributor Post Jacopo","en-us/blog/contributor-post-jacopo.yml","en-us/blog/contributor-post-jacopo",{"_path":1405,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1406,"content":1411,"config":1416,"_id":1418,"_type":13,"title":1419,"_source":15,"_file":1420,"_stem":1421,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/contributor-post-luke",{"title":1407,"description":1408,"ogTitle":1407,"ogDescription":1408,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1037,"ogUrl":1409,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":1409,"schema":1410},"GitLab Code Contributor: Luke Picciau","New contributor Luke Picciau shares why he started contributing to GitLab.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/contributor-post-luke","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"GitLab Code Contributor: Luke Picciau\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Ray Paik\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2018-10-04\",\n      }",{"title":1407,"description":1408,"authors":1412,"heroImage":1037,"date":1413,"body":1414,"category":747,"tags":1415},[744],"2018-10-04","\nFor this month's blog post, we're featuring a new contributor [Luke Picciau](https://gitlab.com/Qwertie), who started contributing to GitLab a few months ago.\n\n### When did you first contribute to GitLab?\nMy first contribution was in July 2018, with my MR to [add a button for regenerating 2FA codes](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/merge_requests/20295).\n\n### Why and how did you decide to contribute to GitLab?\nI have been using GitLab pretty heavily since 2014. I decided to start contributing in order to practice developing features on a large project. Because I am very familiar with features of GitLab from the user perspective, navigating the code was easy and I was able to start adding new features quickly.\n\n### Which area(s) of the GitLab product are you interested in contributing to?\nI’d love to look into the new [Web IDE](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/web_ide/) and see what improvements could be made, as I see this as a useful tool. Personally, I’d like to use it to write posts for my static site and see the compiled result in my browser as well.\n\n### Can you tell us what you do professionally (or academically if you're going to school)?\nI am a full stack web developer. I primarily use Rails and VueJS. Currently I am also studying for a Bachelor of Information Technology at the University of South Australia. I’m also building an open source website for fitness tracking and analytics of GPS recordings. It’s not quite ready to use yet, but I am pushing regular updates to [the repo](https://gitlab.com/pikatrack/pikatrack).\n\n### What do you like to do when you're not working or studying?\nI’ll often be helping open source projects such as mapping the local area on [Open Street Map](https://www.openstreetmap.org). I also love to go down to the mountain bike parks around Adelaide.\n\n### Can you tell us where you live and what you like about your area?\nI live in [Adelaide, South Australia](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Adelaide+SA,+Australia/@-35.0278392,134.1260638,6z/). My favorite thing about the area is living close to so many national parks and amazing mountain bike trails which give endless exploration possibilities.\n\n![Luke on his mountain bike](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/Luke_Picciau_mountain_biking_new.jpg){: .shadow.small.center}\n\n### What advice do you have for others who may be interested in contributing to GitLab?\nOne of the things I find most useful is using an IDE or text editor with “go to definition” support. This allows you to click on function and class names and be taken to the place where they are defined. This, in my opinion, is an essential feature for working on a codebase as large as GitLab, especially in a language like Ruby, where it can be difficult to work out where things have been imported from. I personally use [RubyMine](https://www.jetbrains.com/ruby/), but I have been told [Vim](https://www.vim.org/) can also be set up with good Ruby support. Another tip I have is if you get part way through making a change and get stuck on something or need advice on what should be done, commit the changes and [create a merge request](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/merge_requests/creating_merge_requests.html#doc-nav) with what you have done and any questions you have. Someone should reply to the merge request to help you get the changes finished and ready for merge.\n\n## Interested in learning how you can contribute?\n\nA good place to start is the [Contributing to GitLab page](/community/contribute/), where you can learn how you can contribute to GitLab code, documentation, translation, and UX design.\n\nIf you have any questions, you are always welcome to reach me at rpaik@gitlab.com.\n\n_Note: This post is part of [a series featuring people who contribute to GitLab](/blog/tags.html#contributors)._\n",[9,794,749,750],{"slug":1417,"featured":6,"template":685},"contributor-post-luke","content:en-us:blog:contributor-post-luke.yml","Contributor Post Luke","en-us/blog/contributor-post-luke.yml","en-us/blog/contributor-post-luke",{"_path":1423,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1424,"content":1429,"config":1434,"_id":1436,"_type":13,"title":1437,"_source":15,"_file":1438,"_stem":1439,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/contributor-post-siemens",{"title":1425,"description":1426,"ogTitle":1425,"ogDescription":1426,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1037,"ogUrl":1427,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":1427,"schema":1428},"GitLab Code Contributor: Alexis Reigel","Alexis Reigel shares his experience as a GitLab contributor on behalf of Siemens.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/contributor-post-siemens","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"GitLab Code Contributor: Alexis Reigel\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Ray Paik\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2018-12-18\",\n      }",{"title":1425,"description":1426,"authors":1430,"heroImage":1037,"date":1431,"body":1432,"category":747,"tags":1433},[744],"2018-12-18","\nFor this month's blog post, we're featuring [Alexis Reigel](https://gitlab.com/koffeinfrei). Alexis was also an [MVP for GitLab 9.5 and 10.8](/community/mvp/).\n\n![Alexis Reigel](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/Alexis_Reigel.jpeg){: .shadow.small.center}\n\n### How did you get involved with contributing to GitLab?\n\nMy Siemens colleagues have been using GitLab since 2013 with [GitLab 5.2](/releases/2013/05/22/gitlab-5-dot-2-released/). The *[upstream first](https://www.redhat.com/blog/verticalindustries/why-upstream-contributions-matter-when-developing-open-source-nfv-solutions/)* principle is important at Siemens, as they don't want to maintain local patches/forks of software. I was hired to contribute features to GitLab that are needed at Siemens, and this give-and-take process between contributors and users is what is great about open source software. My first contribution was the ability to add a [custom brand header logo in emails](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/merge_requests/9049), which I created on Feb. 7, 2017 and was merged on Feb. 22, 2017.\n\n### What was your experience with the first merged MR?\n\nThere was no controversy with my first MR, and therefore not much debate before it was merged. The review was very quick and the relevant people chimed in right from the start. For some of the later, more complicated merge requests, it was not always this straightforward. Depending on how complicated the MR is and how many people from GitLab participate, the process may take longer and generate a lot of discussions.\n\n### What advice do you have for others who may be interested in contributing to GitLab? In particular, any insights you can share with current GitLab customers who may be thinking about making code contributions?\n\nFirst, I recommend reviewing existing MRs and issues before submitting an MR. In many cases, there are already discussions and potential solutions for a certain feature or bug fix. It's also helpful to find out [who from GitLab](/company/team/) is relevant or responsible for a certain area so you can ping the right person from the start.\n\nThe initial contribution should always be a minimal solution or what GitLab calls a [\"Minimum Viable Change (MVC)\"](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/product/product-principles/#the-minimal-viable-change-mvc), because the solution will often change with feedback. The initial contribution should be considered a starting point for collaboration between the contributor and GitLab team-members.\n\nIn some cases, a contributor may need to be patient with their MR, as depending on the topic and complexity it may take some time to move things forward. The people from GitLab are always very kind and friendly so the discussions are respectful.\n\n### Do you have other colleagues at Siemens who also contribute to GitLab? How do you go about planning and working on your contributions?\n\nYes, there are several colleagues who are active within the GitLab community and you will see [Siemens mentioned in MRs](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/merge_requests/?scope=all&utf8=%E2%9C%93&state=merged&search=siemens).\n\nMy Siemens colleagues collect issues and feature requests internally and prioritize them based on how important and urgent they are. After discussing feature requests with coworkers to make sure we have a common understanding of the intended functionality, I start to work on the issues according to their priority. I have a lot of freedom and trust from Siemens on what the solution I contribute should look like.\n\n### What do you like to do when you're not working?\n\nI work on several other free and open source projects such as [Metaflop](https://www.metaflop.com/), [Mykonote](https://github.com/panter/mykonote/blob/master/README.md), and others in my spare time. Apart from that, I like spending time with my family and friends. If there's any time left, I make and listen to music or watch a movie or two.\n\n### Anything else you want to share with the community?\n\nGitLab is a great product and is one of the friendliest and healthiest open source communities. Contributing to such a large project may seem daunting at first, but will pay off in the end. Your contribution will be appreciated by GitLab team-members as well as everyone who uses the product.\n\n## Interested in learning how you can contribute?\n\nA good place to start is the [Contributing to GitLab page](/community/contribute/), where you can learn how you can contribute to GitLab code, documentation, translation, and UX design.\n\nIf you have any questions, you are always welcome to reach me at rpaik@gitlab.com.\n\n_Note: This post is part of [a series featuring people who contribute to GitLab](/blog/tags.html#contributors)._\n",[9,794,749,750],{"slug":1435,"featured":6,"template":685},"contributor-post-siemens","content:en-us:blog:contributor-post-siemens.yml","Contributor Post Siemens","en-us/blog/contributor-post-siemens.yml","en-us/blog/contributor-post-siemens",{"_path":1441,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1442,"content":1447,"config":1452,"_id":1454,"_type":13,"title":1455,"_source":15,"_file":1456,"_stem":1457,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/contributor-post-vitaliy",{"title":1443,"description":1444,"ogTitle":1443,"ogDescription":1444,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1037,"ogUrl":1445,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":1445,"schema":1446},"GitLab Code Contributor: Vitaliy Klachkov","Core Team member Vitaliy Klachkov shares how he started contributing to GitLab.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/contributor-post-vitaliy","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"GitLab Code Contributor: Vitaliy Klachkov\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Ray Paik\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2018-08-08\",\n      }",{"title":1443,"description":1444,"authors":1448,"heroImage":1037,"date":1449,"body":1450,"category":747,"tags":1451},[744],"2018-08-08","\nWelcome to our new blog series featuring code contributors from the GitLab community! This blog will highlight the wonderful contributions made by GitLab community members and will hopefully inspire others to contribute to GitLab. For the first blog post, we are happy to welcome [Vitaliy “blackst0ne” Klachkov](https://gitlab.com/blackst0ne), who has been chosen as a [release MVP](/community/mvp/) three times!\n\n### How long have you been contributing to GitLab?\n\nI've been contributing since August 2016.\n\n### Why and how did you decide to contribute to GitLab?\n\nI read a news article about a new GitLab release and I didn’t even know what GitLab was back then. There was also a discussion on an example of a Rails-based project with a good codebase, and people suggested taking a look at GitLab.\n\nI was intrigued and decided to take a closer look at GitLab. I actually found\nroom for improvement in the codebase so I started pushing a few merge requests (MRs). I received responses within 1-2 days and I was very impressed. With some of the other communities, I’m used to waiting weeks for feedback.\n\nSo, I kept submitting more merge requests and so far, I have 227 merged MRs. I’m proud that I’m one of the top 50 contributors among 2000+ GitLab [code contributors](http://contributors.gitlab.com/) that include GitLab employees.\n\n### Which areas of the GitLab product do you contribute to?\n\nMostly it has been backend changes, but many of my MRs touched the frontend as well. I spent my time bringing popular features (e.g. [squash and merge to CE](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/merge_requests/squash_and_merge.html#doc-nav), [mermaid support](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/markdown.html#mermaid), [switch markdown engine to CommonMark](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/merge_requests/14835), [customizable branch name from issues](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/merge_requests/13884), etc.), fixing technical debts (e.g. [migrate all spinach specs to rspec](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/merge_requests?scope=all&utf8=%E2%9C%93&state=all&author_username=blackst0ne&label_name%5B%5D=technical%20debt&label_name%5B%5D=Quality&search=Spinach)), upgrading [GitLab to Rails 5.0](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/merge_requests?scope=all&utf8=%E2%9C%93&state=all&author_username=blackst0ne&label_name%5B%5D=rails5), and many other improvements.\n\n### Can you tell us what you do professionally?\n\nI am a full-stack web developer at [GEOPHYSTECH LLC](https://geophystech.ru/). The company is focused on seismology, earthquakes, and everything related to earthquake hazards.\n\n### What do you like to do when you're not working?\n\nI’m a big fan of sports or anything that keeps my body moving, such as running, swimming, snowboarding, table tennis, volleyball, ice-blading, football, CrossFit workout, etc.\n\nI also enjoy [chess](https://lichess.org/), reading books/articles, and UX-related things. I’ve been collaborating with GitLab’s UX team.\n\n### What advice do you have for others who may be interested in contributing to GitLab?\n\nContributing to GitLab is easy. If you want the experience of being a part of a popular open source project, you are more than welcome to join the GitLab community! You can also ping me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/blackst0ne) if you have any questions or need any help as you get started.\n\n### Do you have anything else you’d like to share?\n\nGitLab has some nice [swag](https://shop.gitlab.com/)! I’ve gotten some great ones for my release MVPs.\n\n## Interested in learning how you can contribute?\n\nA good place to start would be the [Contributing to GitLab page](/community/contribute/), where you can learn how you can contribute to GitLab code, documentation, and translation.\n\n_Note: This post is part of [a series featuring people who contribute to GitLab](/blog/tags.html#contributors)._\n",[9,794,749,750],{"slug":1453,"featured":6,"template":685},"contributor-post-vitaliy","content:en-us:blog:contributor-post-vitaliy.yml","Contributor Post Vitaliy","en-us/blog/contributor-post-vitaliy.yml","en-us/blog/contributor-post-vitaliy",{"_path":1459,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1460,"content":1465,"config":1470,"_id":1472,"_type":13,"title":1473,"_source":15,"_file":1474,"_stem":1475,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/contributor-program-update",{"title":1461,"description":1462,"ogTitle":1461,"ogDescription":1462,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1151,"ogUrl":1463,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":1463,"schema":1464},"Updates from the GitLab contributor community","Here's what's happening with the wider contributor community.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/contributor-program-update","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Updates from the GitLab contributor community\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Ray Paik\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-04-17\",\n      }",{"title":1461,"description":1462,"authors":1466,"heroImage":1151,"date":1467,"body":1468,"category":747,"tags":1469},[744],"2019-04-17","\n\nI joined GitLab in June 2018, and it's been exciting to work with our wider community of contributors.\nOne of the first things I did when I started was to look into community metrics to get a better\nunderstanding of the community, and here are a couple of numbers I'd like to share:\n\nSince 2016, about 15 percent of merged MR for the [GitLab Community Edition](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce)\nwere contributed by community members (see the chart below). In addition, we had over 200\nfirst-time contributors to GitLab between the 11.5 and 11.9 releases, and it's been fun seeing [people\ncelebrate their first merged MRs on Twitter](https://twitter.com/hashtag/myFirstMRmerged?src=hash).\n\n![Community contribution to CE](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/contributor-pgm-blogpost/CE_Merged_MRs_since_Jan_2016.png){: .medium.center}\n\nIt's definitely fun being part of a growing community, and I wanted to provide a quick update\non a number of items that we have been working on.\n\n## Core Team updates\n\n### Monthly calls\n\nThe [Core Team](/community/core-team/) consists of individuals who have made sustained contributions\nto GitLab and their mission is to represent the wider GitLab community.\nI started scheduling a regular call with Core Team members\nand I've been very impressed with the quality of discussions we have each month.\nCore Team members helped improve responsiveness to community contributions, Hackathons,\nand even revamped the Core Team page itself. Everyone is welcome to join the call, and the\nlogistics, notes, slides, etc. are available on the [Monthly Core Team meeting page](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-core-team/general/wikis/monthly-core-team-meeting).\nIf you want to watch recordings of previous meetings, you can check out the [Core Team meeting playlist](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFGfElNsQthZ12EUkq3N9QlThvkf3WGnZ).\n\n![GitLab Core Team](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/contributor-pgm-blogpost/Core_Team.png){: .shadow.small.center}\n\n### New additions to the team\n\nThere have also been changes to the Core Team composition. To provide additional support,\nthere will be up to two GitLab company team members forming part of the\nCore Team. So, I'm excited to share that [Rémy Coutable](https://gitlab.com/rymai) and\n[Winnie Hellmann](https://gitlab.com/winh) are now members of the Core Team.\nWinnie was actually a Core Team member prior to joining GitLab, and Rémy has been working\nwith Core Team members for the past several years, so they're perfect additions to the team.\n\nIn addition to the two GitLab team-members, [Ben Bodenmiller](https://gitlab.com/bbodenmiller)\nand [George Tsiolis](https://gitlab.com/gtsiolis) joined the Core Team in the past several months.\nAs you will see in the next section, both Ben and George were two of the top code contributors in 2018.\n\n## Recognizing regular contributors\n\nIn addition to the Core Team members, we also have dozens of members of the wider community\nmaking regular contributions to GitLab. In order to recognize their work, I started a\n[top contributors page](/community/top-annual-contributors/index.html) and\nplan to update this each year to highlight regular contributors. Following examples from other\nopen source communities, we now have badging for three different levels of contributions.\nShortly, we will be sending out special GitLab merchandise to these contributors so they can\ncelebrate their accomplishments. My hope is that we will see an increase in the number of regular\ncontributors in the years to come. In addition to the number of contributors, I also want to improve the diversity of regular contributors – whether it's gender, geography, occupation, etc. – and will start a conversation on this topic in various forums, including the Core Team meeting.\n\n![Contributor badges](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/contributor-pgm-blogpost/contributor_badges.png){: .shadow.small.center}\n\n## \"Contribute for prize\" issues\n\nIf you participated in the [Q1 Hackathon](/blog/q1-hackathon-recap/),\nyou probably remember that we highlighted an issue in each [product stage](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/product/categories/)\nto encourage people to contribute for a special hackathon prize. Following the success of this\nin the Hackathon, we created a new label `Contribute for prize` to encourage community members\nto work on priority issues on an ongoing basis. You can find more information in the [contributor success handbook page](/handbook/marketing/developer-relations/contributor-success/community-contributors-workflows.html#supporting-the-wider-community-contributors)\nand I encourage everyone to [search for issues with the label `Contribute for prize`](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues?scope=all&utf8=%E2%9C%93&state=opened&label_name[]=Contribute%20for%20prize) to start working on them.\n\n## How do I get started with contributing?\n\nA good place to start is the [Contributing to GitLab page](/community/contribute/), where you can learn how you can\ncontribute to GitLab code, documentation, translation, and UX design.\n\nIf you have any questions, you are always welcome to reach me at rpaik@gitlab.com.\n\n[\"Gitlab application screengrab\"](https://unsplash.com/photos/ZV_64LdGoao) by [Pankaj Patel](https://unsplash.com/@pankajpatel) on Unsplash\n{: .note}\n",[9,794,749],{"slug":1471,"featured":6,"template":685},"contributor-program-update","content:en-us:blog:contributor-program-update.yml","Contributor Program Update","en-us/blog/contributor-program-update.yml","en-us/blog/contributor-program-update",{"_path":1477,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1478,"content":1484,"config":1491,"_id":1493,"_type":13,"title":1494,"_source":15,"_file":1495,"_stem":1496,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/coordinating-documentation-projects-gitlab",{"title":1479,"description":1480,"ogTitle":1479,"ogDescription":1480,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1481,"ogUrl":1482,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":1482,"schema":1483},"Coordinating major documentation projects with GitLab","Members of The Good Docs Project explain how to plan, coordinate, and release major documentation projects using GitLab.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749669791/Blog/Hero%20Images/abstractprocess.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/coordinating-documentation-projects-gitlab","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Coordinating major documentation projects with GitLab\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Alyssa Rock\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Aaron Peters, Member, Good Docs Project\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2023-08-24\",\n      }",{"title":1479,"description":1480,"authors":1485,"heroImage":1481,"date":1488,"body":1489,"category":747,"tags":1490},[1486,1487],"Alyssa Rock","Aaron Peters, Member, Good Docs Project","2023-08-24","\n[The Good Docs Project](https://thegooddocsproject.dev/) recently achieved a significant milestone: releasing [version v1.0.0 of our project](https://gitlab.com/tgdp/templates/-/releases/v1.0.0). It was an exciting moment for [our community of contributors](https://go.gitlab.com/16yEa3) dedicated to improving the quality of software documentation by sharing best practices — the first time we felt confident putting our production-ready documentation templates into the world for other software projects to review, use, and help us improve.\n\nOrganizing and executing a release of this magnitude requires extensive planning and sophisticated project management tools. Luckily, our community uses GitLab, so we had everything we needed at our disposal.\n\nIn this article, we'll explain how we used GitLab to meet our goal of bringing Version 1.0 (codenamed \"Capilano\") to the world. Our release process consists of four general phases:\n* [Scheduling](#scheduling-a-release)\n* [Planning](#planning-a-release)\n* [Tracking](#tracking-a-release)\n* [Releasing](#release-day)\n\nWe'll share how we use GitLab in each of those phases to achieve a successful project release.\n\n## Scheduling a release\n[The Good Docs Project](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/meet-partner-the-good-docs-project/) releases template updates twice a year: on June 15 and December 15. Each of our releases receives both a number and a codename in honor of a famous bridge (because we're \"bridging the documentation gap for our users\"). Last December, for example, we issued [Version 0.3.0, codenamed \"Brooklyn Bridge\"](https://thegooddocsproject.dev/blog/template-release-0.3.0-using-our-own-templates/) release. In June, we finished [Version 1.0.0, which was codenamed \"Capilano\"](https://gitlab.com/tgdp/templates/-/releases/v1.0.0) for [a bridge in Canada](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capilano_Suspension_Bridge)). And now we're starting work on the [Dragon](https://gitlab.com/groups/tgdp/-/milestones/4) release, which gets its name from [a bridge on the River Han in Vietnam](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_Bridge_(Da_Nang)).\n\n![The Good Docs Project Release Process](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/tgdp-release-cycle.jpg){: .shadow}\n\nOur release schedule prioritizes *work time* over *work scope*. We set goals we wish to accomplish with every release, then use the release deadline as a motivational tool to get projects done. However, we [don't delay releases](https://handbook.gitlab.com/teamops/measurement-clarity/#prioritize-due-dates-over-scope) for a particular release initiative per se. Instead, we try to accurately scope and track our release initiatives to ensure they complete in time for their desired release.\n\n## Planning a release\nFor the first month of our six-month release cycle, each of The Good Docs Project's working groups or teams determines initiatives for the cycle. They usually hold an initial brainstorming session, which involves using a synchronous collaboration tool (like Miro) to determine which ideas to include as official goals for the release. But after confirming and committing what we want to do with each release, we migrate all those objectives to GitLab, where we communicate them to the rest of the community. That process generally looks like this:\n* Open an issue in a release's respective repository and we tag it with the milestone for that release\n* Attach [scoped labels](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/labels.html#scoped-labels) to indicate which working group is assigned to that task\n* Assign an initial [health status](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/issues/managing_issues.html#health-status) of \"On track\"\n* Assign the issue [a weight](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/issues/issue_weight.html) to indicate its importance\n\nThen, in a general community meeting where we end the release planning process, everyone identifies what they'll commit to, and we begin using the milestone to track progress and [a global project board to track the health status](https://gitlab.com/groups/tgdp/-/boards/5867329?milestone_title=Dragon%20release) when we do stand-ups to [report on progress](https://gitlab.com/groups/tgdp/-/milestones/4).\n\nTo prioritize effectively, we draw on guidance from our team of template product managers, who [perform extensive user research](https://tinyurl.com/template-brainstorming-report) into the templates our users or potential users think we should add to the roadmap. We attend conferences and engage with both technical writers and developers to hear what they want from our product. This team of product managers then distills this information into a long-term product roadmap that informs which template issues are strategically important to our project. We then translate that roadmap into issues in [our project backlog](https://gitlab.com/tgdp/templates/-/issues/?sort=updated_desc&state=opened&first_page_size=100).\n\n## Tracking a release\nGaining access to [GitLab's project management features](/pricing/feature-comparison/) was one of our primary motivations for adopting the platform in the first place. These features allow us to track and monitor our progress toward a release. We love that with GitLab we can manage multiple sub-projects and repositories under our organization, but still view all the issues on a \"single pane of glass.\" This allows working groups and teams to work in their individual repositories, but gives us a high-level overview of their work at the organizational level, using features like milestones and scoped labels.\n\nTo track our releases, we configure a project milestone that runs for the full release time period. The milestone shows all the initiatives we're working on, as well as our progress toward each on [an organization-wide burndown chart](https://gitlab.com/groups/tgdp/-/milestones/3#tab-issues). We use [scoped labels](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/labels.html#scoped-labels) (labels that can only be assigned to one value at a time) on each issue to track which working group is working on that initiative. We also use GitLab's [health status feature](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/issues/managing_issues.html#health-status) to track whether the initiative is on track or at risk of falling behind schedule. On top of that, we create a project board that helps us visualize all the project's active issues and initiatives, filtered by each working group. Our project board provides insights into the work each group is doing and gives us a sense of the release's overall progress toward our release goals.\n\nThese boards are a focal point of our weekly general meetings. We review the milestone and project board, then check in with working group and team leads to make sure their work toward the release is going well. These meetings are opportunities to identify potential blockers preventing (or threatening to prevent) the work from getting done — or to communicate if any of our earlier estimates need to be adjusted. We build some flexibility into our release planning and tracking processes in case we need to make mid-release changes or course corrections. For example, we determine which individual template projects we'll add them to a release *during the release process itself, rather than during the release planning stage we descibed earlier. Since those projects are dependent on volunteer work that can't always be controlled by the project leads, we wait to officially add them to a release until we can be certain a template project will be ready for release day.\n\n## Release day\nWhen release day finally arrives, our [Tech Team](https://thegooddocsproject.dev/who-we-are/#tech-team) meets to tag the release in the templates repository and build our artifacts, including all our zip files and tarballs for our templates. To do that, the team:\n* Verifies that all merge requests are complete\n* Creates a tag for the templates repository for the main branch and adds a tag message indicating it is for a release\nAdds a release title, tags it with our milestone for that release, confirms the date, and adds the release notes (using [our community's own release notes template](https://gitlab.com/tgdp/templates/-/releases/v1.0.0), of course) by using the `Create Release` button on the release screen\n* Creates the release; GitLab generates all the files from our repository, including zips, tarballs, and JSON artifacts\n* Publishes a link to our release and the artifacts on our website\n\nWe try to ensure we've recognized and tagged every project member who contributed directly to the templates release. That includes people who wrote templates, improved existing templates, or created examples for our templates. Then, the Tech Team publishes the artifacts and release notes to our website and publishes an announcement to all our internal and external communication channels.\n\nWe believe it's important to take breaks. For that reason, our project always takes a three-week break after release day. For those three weeks, we encourage all our project members to get some well-deserved rest and relaxation. We don't hold any meetings during this time, and we encourage people to only communicate lightly with other project members.\n\nThen we regroup in July or January — and start the release process all over again!\n\nIt's not too late to join our next release and experience this process firsthand. Just visit [The Good Docs Project community page](https://thegooddocsproject.dev/community/) to learn how to get started.\n\nThe [GitLab Open Source Partners](https://go.gitlab.com/030Ue3) are building the future of open source on GitLab. Connect with them on [Gitlab.com](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/marketing/community-relations/open-source-program/gitlab-open-source-partners).\n{: .note}\n",[749,9,705],{"slug":1492,"featured":6,"template":685},"coordinating-documentation-projects-gitlab","content:en-us:blog:coordinating-documentation-projects-gitlab.yml","Coordinating Documentation Projects Gitlab","en-us/blog/coordinating-documentation-projects-gitlab.yml","en-us/blog/coordinating-documentation-projects-gitlab",{"_path":1498,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1499,"content":1505,"config":1512,"_id":1514,"_type":13,"title":1515,"_source":15,"_file":1516,"_stem":1517,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/creating-a-transparent-digital-democracy",{"title":1500,"description":1501,"ogTitle":1500,"ogDescription":1501,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1502,"ogUrl":1503,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":1503,"schema":1504},"Government agency builds transparent democracy using GitLab","The Cook County Assessor’s office explains how they're using GitLab to help create a new level of government transparency.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749679611/Blog/Hero%20Images/cook-county-blog-unsplash.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/creating-a-transparent-digital-democracy","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"How one government agency is creating a transparent digital democracy with GitLab\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Brein Matturro\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-09-02\",\n      }",{"title":1506,"description":1501,"authors":1507,"heroImage":1502,"date":1509,"body":1510,"category":747,"tags":1511},"How one government agency is creating a transparent digital democracy with GitLab",[1508],"Brein Matturro","2019-09-02","\n\nAt GitLab Connect Chicago, Robert Ross, chief data officer at the Cook County Assessor’s Office,\npresented the talk, “An experiment in digital democracy: How the Cook County Assessor’s\nOffice is using GitLab to reach a new level of transparency.”\n\nThe Chicago Assessor’s Office is responsible for predicting the value of over a million pieces of\nreal estate and reassessing them every three years. Record keeping has always been on paper and\nonly recently has “marginally sophisticated computer programming” been used. Now the Assessor's Office\nwants to turn the process over to software algorithms.\n\n“In a world where the computer is doing the heavy lifting, policy is code and code is policy,”\nRobert says. The algorithms used in assessing a property are dependent on a number of variables. If the\ncode variables are central to the assessment office, as it is for Cook County, it becomes\nimperative that it is made public. “[Our office] ran on a platform of fair, ethical, and\ntransparent assessments. In order to achieve that third pillar, we absolutely have to publish\nthe code that we use to value (a) house,” Robert says.\n\n## Modernizing software and viewpoints\n\nThe Assessment Office had a limited number of days to completely replicate the existing data\nformats that were in place from the previously elected office and to create a transparent\nplatform where property owners could understand how their assessment came to be. There were other\nchallenges too, such as legacy scripts, the inability to integrate older software, and zero\nassistance from the previous office.\n\nRobert and his team turned to GitLab to publish all of their code on residential modeling.\nThey have four repositories with more than 880 commits, all of which the public is able to access.\n“We’re using GitLab completely differently. Our product is your tax assessment and we have to\ndeploy the product on time because if we don’t, the entire government falls apart,” Robert says.\n“We will make mistakes and we have to document those mistakes so that we can be transparent and\ndo our jobs as well as we can.”\n\n## Creating radical policy shifts with transparency\n\nThe ability for property owners to access and own the information that creates their estate value\nhas never been done before at this level. “No county assessor has ever used a public-facing\nrepository for their work,” Robert says. In fact, establishing governing policies has customarily\nbeen done behind closed doors. Cook County has taken an experimental step towards open source\ngovernment policies. “Very few government agencies do it,” he says.\n\nThe Cook County office doesn’t want to stop there. This is just the first step in what it hopes\nare future electoral victories. “We need to demonstrate that transparency is ‘good politics’…\nif transparency becomes a successful evolutionary trait among politicians, you get more of it.”\n\nWant to hear about how Robert and the Cook County Assessment Office use GitLab? Watch his\npresentation in its entirety here:\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n  \u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/K8ROmhwphMg\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\u003C/figure>\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\nCover image by [Element5 Digital](https://unsplash.com/@element5digital) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com)\n{: .note}\n",[1200,9,749],{"slug":1513,"featured":6,"template":685},"creating-a-transparent-digital-democracy","content:en-us:blog:creating-a-transparent-digital-democracy.yml","Creating A Transparent Digital Democracy","en-us/blog/creating-a-transparent-digital-democracy.yml","en-us/blog/creating-a-transparent-digital-democracy",{"_path":1519,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1520,"content":1525,"config":1530,"_id":1532,"_type":13,"title":1533,"_source":15,"_file":1534,"_stem":1535,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/creationline-post",{"title":1521,"description":1522,"ogTitle":1521,"ogDescription":1522,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1037,"ogUrl":1523,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":1523,"schema":1524},"Meet Creationline team members who contribute to GitLab","Creationline contributes to GitLab as a reseller. Three team members explain how it works.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/creationline-post","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Meet Creationline team members who contribute to GitLab\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Ray Paik\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-11-27\",\n      }",{"title":1521,"description":1522,"authors":1526,"heroImage":1037,"date":917,"body":1527,"category":747,"tags":1528},[744],"\nFor this edition of the [GitLab contributor blog posts](/blog/tags.html#contributors), I'm\nexcited to introduce Creationline, which is a [GitLab reseller in Japan](/resellers/creationline/). As you read this blog post, you will find Creationline is not a typical reseller. Their team were able to help both their customers and the GitLab community through their contributions. Here's what three Creationline employees had to share with us.\n\n## Decision to partner with Gitlab and contributing as a reseller\n#### [Jean-Baptiste Vasseur](https://gitlab.com/jvasseur), Agile Coach and DevOps Consultant\n\nWhen we explored the [DevOps](/topics/devops/) landscape about 3 years ago, we accidentally came across [GitLab’s handbook](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/). This was a revelation for us! Pushing transparency to a point where job applicants know how GitLab members are expected to behave with candidates, a company culture where people are not afraid to communicate their failures, published company business targets and how the team is planning to achieve them, and of course how an open source software philosophy applied to every aspect of GitLab. We felt connected to so many aspects of GitLab’s company culture that I wanted to find a way to work together.\n\nAs [Creationline](http://www.creationline.com/gitlab) was already reselling licenses for other cloud and DevOps companies, and as GitLab was looking for more partners in different countries at that time, we felt confident we had a very good match and started distributing GitLab licenses in June, 2017.\n\nI usually invest a lot of my time prospecting clients, providing technical and value chain consulting, and contributing to the local community by co-organizing meetups and delivering CI/CD workshops. While I also love writing code – I come from an engineering background – it's a challenge to find the time to make open source contributions. However, while I was consulting for a large IT firm that was developing an internal DevOps package built around GitLab, I had an opportunity to make a valuable contribution to GitLab on the company's behalf. The team had a lot of passion for the project and loved working with the GitLab product, but they got blocked by a missing API and were not comfortable enough with their English to open a merge request.\n\nAs consultants, we did not have the responsibility of adding features or fixing issues on GitLab, but I really wanted to help our client. I explored the source code, figured out the pattern/coding style, and opened my first [merge request](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-foss/merge_requests/22296). Review happened almost immediately, and GitLab team members were very nice and also challenged me to apply some refactoring, which helped me learn even more about the source code.\n\n![Open Source Summit Japan, 2019](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/creationline-blogpost/Creationline-OSS-Japan.jpg){: .shadow.medium.center}\nCreationline and GitLab team members at Open Source Summit-Japan\n{: .note.text-center}\n\n## Journey from an end user to a regular contributor to an evangelist\n#### [Hiroyuki Sato](https://gitlab.com/hiroponz), GitLab Evangelist\n\nI started to contribute to GitLab back in 2012. At that time I was already using GitLab at work, and I wanted to fix a bug that I was facing. This issue was preventing the source code diff from being displayed on the screen, but it was only occurring when using Japanese. As this issue was not seen in other languages, this was not a high priority bug, but it was impacting us severely. I found it very natural to fix it myself and to open a [merge request](https://github.com/gitlabhq/gitlabhq/pull/2100). In order to solve this, I also had to first fix the gem ‘grit_ext’ that GitLab was using, and created [another merge request](https://github.com/gitlabhq/grit_ext/pull/1).\n\nBoth merge requests got reviewed and merged within three days! This experience was so exciting that I started to contribute more and created [multiple merge requests](https://github.com/gitlabhq/gitlabhq/pulls?q=is%3Apr+author%3Ahiroponz+is%3Aclosed), and eventually I was awarded the [MVP](https://about.gitlab.com/community/mvp/) for GitLab's 5.1 release.\n\nLater on, as I really loved GitLab as a product, I started to explore if there was a way for me to work more closely with GitLab. This is when I met Creationline, which had just become the exclusive reseller in Japan and I decided to join them in April, 2018.\n\nNow, I am involved in pre-sales, marketing, customer support, and I also offer trainings on how to get the best out of GitLab. Of course, I still invest a part of my time to [contribute to GitLab](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/merge_requests?%0Ascope=all&utf8=%E2%9C%93&state=merged&author_username=hiroponz) to help customers overcome issues/challenges, and this is one of my favorite parts of the job!\n\n## Dogfooding at Creationline\n#### [Yuko Takano](https://gitlab.com/takano_cl), Customer Success Manager\n\nAs a reseller team, we wanted to have more opportunities to use GitLab on a daily basis so we can support our customers better. We also wanted to experience the continuous server side operations, and set up our own instance so that we can capitalize on this experience.\n\nWe started using GitLab inside the GitLab reseller team, and then expanded it to various business functions within our organization. We now use a lot of GitLab features in order to manage source code, visualize our sales and marketing workflow, track translation work, organize OKRs with epics, and we continue to look for other areas to explore.\n\n![GitLab CI workshop](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/creationline-blogpost/Creationlin-GitLab-workshop.jpg){: .shadow.medium.center}\nCreationline team running the GitLab CI Workshop\n{: .note.text-center}\n\n## Interested in learning how you can contribute?\n\nA good place to start is the [Contributing to GitLab page](/community/contribute/), where you can\nlearn how you can contribute to GitLab's code, documentation, translation, and UX design.\n\nIf you have any questions, you are always welcome to reach me at rpaik@gitlab.com.\n",[9,749,750,1529],"releases",{"slug":1531,"featured":6,"template":685},"creationline-post","content:en-us:blog:creationline-post.yml","Creationline Post","en-us/blog/creationline-post.yml","en-us/blog/creationline-post",{"_path":1537,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1538,"content":1544,"config":1550,"_id":1552,"_type":13,"title":1553,"_source":15,"_file":1554,"_stem":1555,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/debian-customizes-ci-tooling-with-gitlab",{"title":1539,"description":1540,"ogTitle":1539,"ogDescription":1540,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1541,"ogUrl":1542,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":1542,"schema":1543},"Debian customizes CI tooling with GitLab","Debian developer Santiago Ruano Rincón explains the Linux distribution's custom solution for improving and expediting the open source software packaging process.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749663000/Blog/Hero%20Images/tanukilifecycle.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/debian-customizes-ci-tooling-with-gitlab","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Debian customizes CI tooling with GitLab\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Santiago Ruano Rincón\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2023-09-19\",\n      }",{"title":1539,"description":1540,"authors":1545,"heroImage":1541,"date":1547,"body":1548,"category":747,"tags":1549},[1546],"Santiago Ruano Rincón","2023-09-19","\nI still remember the day I broke a widely used critical tool for open source developers around the world.\nAs part of the [Debian Linux distribution project](https://www.debian.org/), I maintain [grep](https://tracker.debian.org/pkg/grep), the GNU/Linux application used to search for text patterns in files.\nI had just uploaded a new Debian release of grep to the Debian archive, when some hours later, a Debian friend called me to let me know other Debian developers were unable to boot their personal computers.\n\nThat was late in 2005 – ever since then I'd wished for a way to prevent that scenario from happening again.\n\nToday, that solution exists.\nIt's part of Salsa, Debian's GitLab implementation, which powers Debian development for more than 900 developers in the global Debian community.\nThanks to GitLab's robust CI/CD functionality, those developers are able to test their packages *before* releasing them to the public Debian archive — saving them from causing the kind of turmoil I accidentally caused.\n\n> [Join us at Open Source Summit Europe 2023](https://go.gitlab.com/dPQ92t) to learn more about GitLab's dedication to open source.\n\nIn this article, I'll explain how that tool, called [Salsa CI](https://salsa.debian.org/salsa-ci-team/pipeline/), helps Debian developers using GitLab streamline software development, accelerate package maintenance, and significantly reduce time-consuming re-work.\n\n## Debian with extra Salsa\nSalsa CI is one of the Debian community's custom-built continuous integration tools.\nIt's part of the Debian GitLab instance ([Salsa](https://wiki.debian.org/Salsa)), and helps Debian maintainers manage roughly [9,000 projects](https://codesearch.debian.net/search?q=pipeline-jobs+path%3Adebian%2F.*.yml&literal=0&perpkg=1).\n\n### How Salsa CI works\nAs a Linux distribution, Debian packages open source software from multiple upstream sources. \nWhen new upstream source code is released, maintainers can test that code to ensure it will build and run reliably for Debian users as part of the Debian release cycle.\n* Packages appear first in [Debian Unstable](https://wiki.debian.org/DebianUnstable).\n* If those packages don't introduce regressions or serious bugs, they can migrate to [Debian Testing](https://wiki.debian.org/DebianTesting).\n* When a new Debian release is published, those packages move to [Debian Stable](https://wiki.debian.org/DebianStable).\n\nSalsa CI helps increase the probability that packages can pass from Unstable to Testing reliably, quickly, and without issue.\nIn effect, it emulates the Debian build process, adding several quality checks to identify errors before they would affect Debian users. \nWhen new source code triggers a Salsa CI pipeline, 17 different jobs run to build and test it automatically.\nSalsa CI checks to see whether the to-be-uploaded packages build on multiple architectures (at the moment, amd64 and i386, and optionally on Arm), runs [autopkgtest test suites](https://wiki.debian.org/ContinuousIntegration/autopkgtest) to try to identify potential regressions, and checks for common errors with our custom linter, [lintian](https://wiki.debian.org/Lintian), among other tests.\nYou can view all the details at Debian's public GitLab instance (I maintain the `grep` package for Debian, so I'll offer that one as [an example of Salsa CI in action](https://salsa.debian.org/debian/grep/-/pipelines/576674)).\n\n![An overview of Salsa CI running on Debian's grep package](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/debian-grep-salsa-overview.png){: .shadow}\n\n## Life before Salsa CI\nMaintainers have been iterating on the Salsa CI pipeline for more than four years now. \nBut I have not forgotten what life as a package maintainer in the Debian community was like without it.\n\nMost of the work Salsa CI performs today is work that community members would otherwise need to perform manually. \nSo it proceeded slowly and was prone to more errors.\nWhile use of Salsa CI isn't compulsory for Debian maintainers, many choose to use it for their work because it saves them an incredible amount of time and effort — and because it leads to fewer breaking packages.\nMaintainers no longer need to run their own package tests locally; instead, Salsa performs this work remotely.\n\nAnd it works quickly.\nIdentifying issues with [Debian's primary CI system](https://ci.debian.net) when testing packages might require several hours, days, or even a month. \nSalsa CI reduces that time horizon to several *minutes* (or hours, in the worst cases), depending on the complexity of the package. For example:\n* Without Salsa CI, maintainers manually upload their packages and must wait for build results from the Debian build network (and they must do this for each architecture they wish to test). Usually, if a build fails, maintainers test on bespoke \"[porterboxes](https://wiki.debian.org/PorterBoxHowToUse)\" tailored to specific architectures. Using Salsa CI, however, maintainers can test x86 and Arm package builds easily — after a single `git push` command.\n\n* Running `autopkgtest` on [ci.debian.net](https://ci.debian.net/) (the official and central CI infrastructure for Debian) tests only the packages that have been built by the build servers and installed in the archive. `autopkgtest` is run for migration reference monthly. In Salsa CI, however, `autopkgtest` runs immediately after the amd64 build job has finished, decreasing review cycle times.\n\n## Salsa CI in the open source ecosystem\nOverall, the Debian community has been pleased with the progress Salsa CI maintainers have made since the tool's creation four years ago.\nOther open source communities are taking notice, too.\nFor instance, Salsa CI has become the basis for even more complex CI pipelines in projects like [Kali Linux](https://go.gitlab.com/G1XROS).\nWe're delighted to see that something we created to solve our own issues and improve our own work is making a positive impact on the open source ecosystem more broadly.\n\n*Editor's note: Debian developers [Alexander Wirt](https://gitlab.com/formorer) and [Otto Kekäläinen](https://gitlab.com/ottok) contributed to this article.*\n\n[Join us at Open Source Summit Europe 2023](https://go.gitlab.com/dPQ92t) to learn more about GitLab's dedication to open source.\n{: .note}\n",[749,9,705],{"slug":1551,"featured":6,"template":685},"debian-customizes-ci-tooling-with-gitlab","content:en-us:blog:debian-customizes-ci-tooling-with-gitlab.yml","Debian Customizes Ci Tooling With Gitlab","en-us/blog/debian-customizes-ci-tooling-with-gitlab.yml","en-us/blog/debian-customizes-ci-tooling-with-gitlab",{"_path":1557,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1558,"content":1564,"config":1571,"_id":1573,"_type":13,"title":1574,"_source":15,"_file":1575,"_stem":1576,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/devops-and-the-scientific-process-a-perfect-pairing",{"title":1559,"description":1560,"ogTitle":1559,"ogDescription":1560,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1561,"ogUrl":1562,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":1562,"schema":1563},"DevOps and the scientific process: A perfect pairing","Research teams have taken to DevOps principles and practices. Find out why and how to adopt DevOps in your organization.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749668378/Blog/Hero%20Images/hans-reniers-lQGJCMY5qcM-unsplash.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/devops-and-the-scientific-process-a-perfect-pairing","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"DevOps and the scientific process: A perfect pairing\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Christina Hupy, Ph.D.\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2022-02-15\",\n      }",{"title":1559,"description":1560,"authors":1565,"heroImage":1561,"date":1567,"body":1568,"category":814,"tags":1569},[1566],"Christina Hupy, Ph.D.","2022-02-15","\nThe scientific process and the DevOps lifecycle. At first glance, it’s hard to imagine a connection. Yet, if you look at how some of GitLab’s customers and community members are marrying the two, it makes perfect sense.\n\nTake, for example, the European Space Agency (ESA), which uses GitLab extensively for a variety of purposes, including version control, enabling collaboration, increasing security, and coordinating the intellectual resources of its 22 member states. ESA  has more than 140 groups and 1,500 projects stored on its GitLab instance. In the first year of using the DevOps Platform, ESA ran more than 60,000 pipeline jobs, allowing the organization to deploy code faster and to simplify its toolchain. The projects range from mission control systems, onboard software for spacecraft, image processing, and monitoring tools for lLabs. The ESA IT Department also uses GitLab to host its code tools and configurations infrastructure. Since adopting GitLab, ESA has enjoyed a culture of collaboration that is increasing around the organization.\n\nAs you can see with the ESA example, the connection between research and DevOps is powerful. Let’s examine why this combination works so well.\n\nThe scientific process moves through stages: asking a question, conducting background research, constructing a hypothesis, testing your hypothesis by doing an experiment, analyzing data, and reporting results. This process is very often iterative as new information is discovered throughout. It also is very collaborative as researchers work together to formulate hypotheses, gather data, and analyze the data.  Many artifacts are generated throughout the process, including data, analysis scripts, results, and research papers. Often, software itself is built to run equipment, labs, or process data.\n\nDevOps, the set of practices and tools that combines software development and information technology operations, also moves through stages. [These stages](/stages-devops-lifecycle/) include manage,  plan, create, verify, and release. DevOps is also very iterative and collaborative and many different types of artifacts are generated along the way.\n\n![Alt text for your image](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/devopsinscience1.png)\n\n## How the scientific process and the DevOps lifecycle align\n\nWe aren’t the only ones who noticed the similarities! As researchers were looking for tools to help them organize their plans, data, scripts, and results in a way that allowed them to work collaboratively and efficiently, they started using source control management. Storing their artifacts in a central repository had immediate benefits for collaboration.  It was a natural progression from there expanding across the DevOps lifecycle. As the shift happened and scientists began using the DevOps lifecycle for the scientific process, the results were transformational. Shifting the approach of science to follow the DevOps lifecycle resulted in increased transparency, collaboration, reproducibility,  speed to results, and data integrity.\n\nIn this transformation, the first stages of the scientific method – observing and hypothesizing – equate to the DevOps plan stage.  Hypotheses and research tasks can be managed and documented in issue tracking systems. Issues define what work needs to be done and progress can be tracked with milestones and labels. No information is lost in separate email threads or local documents. Assigning issues to users, along with approver and reviewer features, can make the research process highly efficient among collaborators, graduate students, and mentors.\n\nData collected during the testing stage is stored in a central repository where source control management (SCM) keeps them safe and accessible.  [Git technology](/topics/version-control/what-is-centralized-version-control-system/) allows all changes to be controlled, tagged, versioned with branches, and peer-reviewed through merge requests.  Analysis scripts are also stored in [source code management](/solutions/source-code-management/) as well and run using [continuous integration](/solutions/continuous-integration/)(CI), a.k.a. the verify stage. Containerization is used to replicate computing environments and ensure reproducible results.\n\n## The role of documentation\n\nDevOps platforms are able to transform the scientific research process because the whole research lifecycle can be documented with a single source of truth in a repository,  open, shared, and accessed. Where, currently, only final results are reviewed and published in the form of papers, leaving the rest of the process mostly opaque to reviewers and the public, the DevOps workflow allows access to and collaboration on all stages of the scientific lifecycle. As this one repository hosts all stages of the scientific process, metrics can be generated on all contributions. Researchers around the world can use the same containers, environment, and analysis on their own data ensuring reproducible science.\n\n## Breaking down research silos\n\nMost research today is happening sequentially, with locally optimized research groups working in silos. We often see duplication of work, incomplete documentation of results, and intransparent data and analysis. The DevOps transformation is shifting science to concurrent science where researchers are working collaboratively, with full transparency for reviewers.\n\n![Alt text for your image](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/devopsinscience2.png)\n\n## Examples of the Research-DevOps alliance\n\nLet’s take a look at some examples, in addition to ESA mentioned at the outset. Researchers at MathWorks use DevOps tools workflows to perform requirements-based testing on an automotive lane-following system with Model-Based Design, as mentioned in this article [“Continuous Integration for Verification of Simulink Models”](https://www.mathworks.com/company/newsletters/articles/continuous-integration-for-verification-of-simulink-models-using-gitlab.html).\n\nData and code are stored in an SCM and then  are forked to a testing branch.  CI pipelines are used to run various experiements and  tests on the code. When a test-case failure is detected in a GitLab CI pipeline, the researchers create an Issue to track and discuss the bugfix. The bug is reproduced locally in MATLAB, the issue is fixed, and the tests are run locally. The changes are reviewed on the testing branch. These changes can be committed to the testing branch where the verify, test, and build process is repeated. Researchers then create a merge equest to send the changes of the test branch into the master branch and close the corresponding Issue.\n\nAccording to the authors, “CI is gaining in popularity and becoming an integral part of Model-Based Design”.  The benefits of using CI cited by the researchers include: repeatability, quality assurance, reduced development time, improved collaboration, and audit-ready code.\n\nThe Square Kilometre Array Organisation (SKAO) is leading the design of the globally distributed radio telescope SKA, using GitLab SCM and CI for scientific collaboration, development efficiency, and transparency. According to Lead Software Architect Marco Bartolini, “The large success is having been able to onboard code and software projects from many different organizations and with very different tools and technology into one single platform, easily. It was not a pain, and now we got it all under control. So that's brilliant.”\n\nThe sky is the limit for how DevOps is transforming the scientific research process – perhaps it could transform yours.  Vist [GitLab for Education Program](/solutions/education/) to learn more and watch our “GitLab for Scientific Research” video below.\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n  \u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/4PRFhDIV_4Q\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\">\u003C/iframe>\n\u003C/figure>\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\nCover image by [Hans Reiners](https://unsplash.com/photos/lQGJCMY5qcM) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/)\n",[682,9,1570],"customers",{"slug":1572,"featured":6,"template":685},"devops-and-the-scientific-process-a-perfect-pairing","content:en-us:blog:devops-and-the-scientific-process-a-perfect-pairing.yml","Devops And The Scientific Process A Perfect Pairing","en-us/blog/devops-and-the-scientific-process-a-perfect-pairing.yml","en-us/blog/devops-and-the-scientific-process-a-perfect-pairing",{"_path":1578,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1579,"content":1585,"config":1591,"_id":1593,"_type":13,"title":1594,"_source":15,"_file":1595,"_stem":1596,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/devops-in-education-2021-survey-results",{"title":1580,"description":1581,"ogTitle":1580,"ogDescription":1581,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1582,"ogUrl":1583,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":1583,"schema":1584},"DevOps in Education 2021 Survey results","DevOps and GitLab are helping transform higher education. Here's what we learned.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749668253/Blog/Hero%20Images/pencil2.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/devops-in-education-2021-survey-results","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"DevOps in Education 2021 Survey results\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Christina Hupy, Ph.D.\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2022-05-04\",\n      }",{"title":1580,"description":1581,"authors":1586,"heroImage":1582,"date":1587,"body":1588,"category":814,"tags":1589},[1566],"2022-05-04","\n\nIn fall 2021 we launched our second annual DevOps in Education Survey. Over 460 respondents from all regions of the world shared insights on how DevOps and GitLab are transforming higher education. \n\n## Key findings \n\n- **One platform for the win**: Respondents' enthusiasm for teaching GitLab's single DevOps platform increased 190% over 2020; survey takers also pointed to the way GitLab can tie culture to operations as key (up 189% year over year), and they also value student portfolio management (up 200%). \n\n- **CI/CD success**: Academic institutions reported high rates of adoption of GitLab’s CI/CD features both within the classroom and in all other use cases. \n\n- **Flexibility is key**: Deployment flexibility stands out again as a major advantage of GitLab at institutions of higher education. Security and authentication are the primary drivers. \n\n- **GitLab spreads the DevOps love**: Multiple departments within an academic institution are reporting they’re now using GitLab and 21% of respondents said the ability to install multiple instances across a campus was a GitLab advantage (up 6% from 2020).\n\n- **…and more spread = branching out**: Because GitLab has one complete platform, higher ed. respondents report they’re expanding their DevOps footprint to include additional stages like Secure. The three most used stages in education continue to be Source Control Management, Plan, and Verify. Release and Package are also seeing nearly 30% adoption by respondents. \n\n- **Planning features**: Educators find planning features such as multi-level epics, issue tracking features, labels, and project management highly useful tools. \n\n## Why DevOps belongs in the classroom\n\nThe benefits of teaching or learning GitLab came through clearly in the survey. The fact that GitLab is a single DevOps tool was key for 58% of respondents, up from just 20% in 2020. \n\nWhat are the benefits of teaching or learning GitLab?\n\n![Chart of the benefits of teaching or learning GitLab](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/gleducation2021.png)\n\n## How GitLab in education works\n\nDeployment flexibility is critical to universities because security and server access can be controlled (81%), all while integrating with user authentication systems (54%). The ability to host multiple instances per institution was also a factor for 21% of respondents, up 6% from last year – another sign that cross-campus adoption is growing.\n\nAdvanced features (only available in the Ultimate tier) are used by 35% of respondents, which remained fairly consistent from 2020. Security features including container scanning, SAST, advanced security testing, custom DAST, and compliance management were among the most frequently mentioned. Multi-level epics and free guest users were commonly mentioned as well. \n\n## Use cases and DevOps stages\n\nThe most common use of GitLab in education was source control management with 53% of respondents actively using, followed by Verify (Continuous Integration) at 40%, Plan (issue tracking, labels) 38%,  Manage (authentification, compliance management) at 28%, Package 29% and Release (Continuous Delivery) at 29%. The top four tools other than GitLab used by respondents were GitHub (76%), GitHub Actions (24%), Jenkins (26%), and BitBucket (17%). \n\nFaculty respondents noted the value of bringing industry tools to the classroom. One wrote, “Thank you for the GitLab Program. It makes it possible for us to manage students' software engineering projects in a modern development environment.”\n\n## Leveraging GitLab to boost skills\n\nThe 2021 survey asked an additional question regarding what specific skills are being taught with GitLab in the classroom. The three top skills taught with GitLab are: CI/CD (40%), collaboration and communication (36%), application development and design (30%). Other key skills included understanding process flows and analytics, modern computer technology and architectures, and system architectures. \n\n## About the participants\n\nOf the respondents, 35.9% have and use a GitLab subscription while 37% do not. The majority of respondents (78%) were at a university. There were 50 departments listed in the results; 40% were in a Computer Science Department and 32% in Information Technology. Of those respondents using GitLab, 23 departments were represented. These departments ranged across the academic disciplines including biology, economics, physics, business, and engineering. Respondents were 46% faculty and staff, 41% students, and 7% Administrators. We had a range of respondents from around the world: 39% were from North America, 28% from Europe, 18% from Asia 18%, and 9% from South America. \n\n## GitLab for Education\n\nWe believe that *everyone can contribute*. We are committed to bringing DevOps to education institutions around the world. We provide free, unlimited, top-tier licenses to qualifying educational institutions for teaching, learning, and research. [Learn more here](/solutions/education/). \nAnd see all the results from the [GitLab for Education 2020 Program Survey report](/solutions/education/edu-survey/edu-survey-2020.pdf).\n",[682,1590,9],"production",{"slug":1592,"featured":6,"template":685},"devops-in-education-2021-survey-results","content:en-us:blog:devops-in-education-2021-survey-results.yml","Devops In Education 2021 Survey Results","en-us/blog/devops-in-education-2021-survey-results.yml","en-us/blog/devops-in-education-2021-survey-results",{"_path":1598,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1599,"content":1605,"config":1611,"_id":1613,"_type":13,"title":1614,"_source":15,"_file":1615,"_stem":1616,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/devops-on-the-edge-a-conversation-about-gitlab-and-arm",{"title":1600,"description":1601,"ogTitle":1600,"ogDescription":1601,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1602,"ogUrl":1603,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":1603,"schema":1604},"DevOps on the edge: Upcoming collaborations between GitLab and Arm","Check out the latest news from the technical evangelist team about upcoming initiatives from GitLab and Arm.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749682923/Blog/Hero%20Images/gitlab-arm-collaboration.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/devops-on-the-edge-a-conversation-about-gitlab-and-arm","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"DevOps on the edge: Upcoming collaborations between GitLab and Arm\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Priyanka Sharma\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-10-08\",\n      }",{"title":1600,"description":1601,"authors":1606,"heroImage":1602,"date":1607,"body":1608,"category":747,"tags":1609},[936],"2019-10-08","\nDevOps has moved from being a trend to an established cornerstone of the software development and delivery lifecycle. Today, the best practices of DevOps are being applied, in new and unique ways, to edge computing. As a board member of the Cloud Native Computing Foundation, I participate in open source communities regularly and over the years, I have collaborated with various folks from Arm because today where there is the edge, there is Arm.\n\nAs the technical evangelism leader at GitLab, I got involved with folks from the Arm project when collaborating on [CNCF.ci](http://cncf.ci). GitLab is a complete [DevOps platform](/solutions/devops-platform/), delivered as a single application. A key component of our product is our CI/CD pipeline that is well loved and used in the industry. Arm, through its market leadership in the mobile and embedded space, is now expanding into infrastructure space for edge-to-cloud applications. There is tremendous potential to grow within this emerging space and offer software developers a frictionless environment to develop innovative software at a rapid pace, securely.\nArm is having their annual conference [Arm TechCon 2019](https://www.armtechcon.com/) this week in San Jose, California, and I thought this is a great opportunity to highlight key projects and activities happening within the ecosystem involving Arm and GitLab:\n\n### GitLab for edge base research projects\n\nEric Van Hensbergen, R&D fellow from Arm's Research team, has been leading an effort to [use GitLab for edge base research projects](https://community.arm.com/developer/research/b/articles/posts/continuous-cross-architecture-integration-with-gitlab) creating multi-architecture images using Docker containers, including running GitLab’s 64-bit Runner on Arm instances on public cloud providers such as Packet Cloud and AWS. You can [access the runner](https://packages.gitlab.com/runner/gitlab-runner) for yourself too!\n\n### Stream processing on the edge\n\nLast month at [GitLab Commit Brooklyn](/blog/wrapping-up-commit/), GitLab’s first ever user conference, Eduardo Silva, principal engineer from Arm Treasure Data, [delivered a talk on the benefits of stream processing on the edge](https://gitlabcommit2019brooklyn.sched.com/event/TPDd/picking-up-speed-logging-stream-processing) in distributed systems using [Fluent Bit](https://fluentbit.io/) (a [Fluentd](https://www.fluentd.org/) open source sub-project).\n\n### Join the CNCF CI Working Group Monthly Meeting\n\nToday, all projects on [CNCF.CI](https://cncf.ci/) are being built and tested on both x86 and Arm architecture inside a Kubernetes test environment hosted on Packet’s bare metal infrastructure. For anyone interested, the working group hosts open meetings every month. More details are available in their [Monthly Meeting doc](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NA4N6PvNEkHX1yzaDFr19Xlru-amRxNi2pliqudmYNA/edit). It’s a great group and I recommend people attend.\n\nThere are a lot of exciting activities happening in the edge-to-cloud and DevOps space. As a developer evangelist, I know the value Arm brings to the ecosystem and am excited to see the commencement of the GitLab and Arm partnership. More announcements to come in the near future. Stay tuned!",[108,1610,230,9],"cloud native",{"slug":1612,"featured":6,"template":685},"devops-on-the-edge-a-conversation-about-gitlab-and-arm","content:en-us:blog:devops-on-the-edge-a-conversation-about-gitlab-and-arm.yml","Devops On The Edge A Conversation About Gitlab And Arm","en-us/blog/devops-on-the-edge-a-conversation-about-gitlab-and-arm.yml","en-us/blog/devops-on-the-edge-a-conversation-about-gitlab-and-arm",{"_path":1618,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1619,"content":1625,"config":1632,"_id":1634,"_type":13,"title":1635,"_source":15,"_file":1636,"_stem":1637,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/donatinator-open-source-donation-platform",{"title":1620,"description":1621,"ogTitle":1620,"ogDescription":1621,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1622,"ogUrl":1623,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":1623,"schema":1624},"The Donatinator: Simple donation solution for charities","This guest author shares his passion project: a free and open source solution for small charities and non-profits to accept donations online.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749679940/Blog/Hero%20Images/donatinator-open-source.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/donatinator-open-source-donation-platform","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"The Donatinator: A simple, secure way to accept donations to your charity or non-profit\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Andrew Chilton\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-02-06\",\n      }",{"title":1626,"description":1621,"authors":1627,"heroImage":1622,"date":1629,"body":1630,"category":747,"tags":1631},"The Donatinator: A simple, secure way to accept donations to your charity or non-profit",[1628],"Andrew Chilton","2019-02-06","\n\nMany small non-profits or charity organizations all over the world find it really difficult to accept one-off donations or set up monthly subscriptions online. I know this from firsthand experience.\n\nLast year my wife came to me asking how the organization she volunteers at – a mothers’ support group – could accept donations on their website. My first thought was that the (free) hosting provider they were using would have a feature to do that, but no, not unless you pay, and for a small charity even $10 or $20 per month is too expensive.\n\nMy second thought was to investigate hosting or donation portals. Here's where the journey started.\n\n## Donation platforms offer a mixed bag\n\nAfter looking at various donation platforms, we realised that many differences exist and that you can't always have it all. Some of them:\n\n* Are only http unless you pay up front.\n* Support single donations OR subscriptions, but not both.\n* Are based around a fundraising model (to attain a target amount) but don't support ongoing payments.\n* Are US only, but since we're in New Zealand we needed something that would work here.\n* Provide an iframe payment page but not all.\n* Have a free tier but others required payment from day 1.\n* Don't have a team plan such that members of the charity committee can log in and administer the portal.\n\n## Looking for an open source solution\n\nI kept thinking to myself that there must be an open source project out there already that could do all of this for free. Small charities and non-profits don't have the ability to pay for things up front, especially when it's not part of their core mission. After a while reading, reviewing, comparing, and planning, my non-negotiable for the platform became that \"We didn't have to pay more than necessary.\"\n\nThe only fee we wouldn't be able to get around was credit card processing. Added that we would only pay a percentage fee once we receive a donation rather than up front was also a good result.\n\nBeing a coder and being unimpressed with the status quo, I started coding. Within a month [The Donatinator](http://donatinator.org/) ([demo](https://donatinator.herokuapp.com/), [code](https://gitlab.com/donatinator/)) was born.\n\n## The Donatinator\n\nShortly after launch, The Donatinator can already accept one-off or recurring donations, add and edit simple Markdown pages, and allow multiple team members to log in for administration and basic reporting.\n\nMore features are planned, but the most important thing about the project is that it should be guided by a few founding principles. These are (far from perfect, but a good start):\n\n- The software should be open source so it is free for the end user, for now and always.\n- A basic installation should run within the free tier of various hosting providers.\n- The user should only have to pay for credit card processing fees (but if we can get around this one day we will!) 😃\n\n## Why open source?\n\nAllowing anyone and everyone to use, download, install, change, contribute, and enjoy The Donatinator is paramount to enabling every organisation anywhere to accept donations and allow them to continue the great work they are doing and the help they are providing.\n\n### Why GitLab?\n\nSince we ourselves are open source, choosing a code-hosting provider that is also open source aligns with our values nicely. \u003Cplug> GitLab is the natural home of projects like us and we're very grateful of their hospitality (as well as their 2,000 CI pipeline minutes per month!). \u003C/plug>\n\nFunnily enough this also brought home the idea that it's not actually just the technology that is the interesting part of the project. GitLab's handbook has a great page on values but a very small part of that is the idea of [boring solutions](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#efficiency) which we're also using to guide our technology decisions, keeping things simple and lite.\n\n### A word on pragmatism\n\nEven though we'd love everything to be open source, we know we can't have everything. With that we'd like to thank the following companies that we're currently using to make The Donatinator fulfill its aim. With free plans on Heroku, Google, Glitch, Zeit, MailGun, and others, we should be able to achieve these goals for charities who may only receive a few donations each month, which can make all the difference between helping people or closing down completely due to insufficient funds. Also thanks to Stripe for having a discounted fee for registered charities to maximize each and every donation.\n\nWhich leads me to a confession ...\n\n## A high high, and a low low\n\nStarting a new project is always exciting. Tap tap, code, test, commit, one late night after another. But then the bad news came ...\n\nThe small charity all of this work was initially done for decided to use an existing donor platform. I can understand why, but rather than dwelling on it, I decided to continue working on The Donatinator anyway. I'm still convinced there is a place for it in the world and a variety of people and organisations can benefit from it, if only they knew about it.\n\n## Asking for help, contributions, and donations\n\nWithout shame I am now asking you all for help. The Donatinator is a new project and there is still lots to do, however there are three main areas in which help would be awesome and greatly appreciated!\n\n### Please contribute!\n\nFirstly, contributions of [code](https://gitlab.com/donatinator/donatinator/) and [documentation](https://gitlab.com/donatinator/docs/) are welcome and very important. Participating in the [community](https://spectrum.chat/donatinator) also helps a project thrive and we'd love to chat to you about your needs and requirements.\n\n### Please donate!\n\nSecondly, I'm looking for [patrons and sponsorship](https://donate.donatinator.org/) (yes, it's self hosted) to be able to take the project forward faster. Sustainable open source is still a panacea but I believe it can happen. I don't believe that the charities and non-profits who use The Donatinator should have to pay for the use of it but that means we need to look elsewhere to help with sustainability.\n\n### Please spread the word!\n\nAnd finally but most importantly – users! If there are no users, then there is no project.\n\nIf you know a person, a non-profit, or a charity who could use [The Donatinator](http://donatinator.org/), please get in touch with them. Many are run by non-technical volunteers and they would love to have your help in setting up online donations. Get in touch with us too, for help or if you have any questions – we'd love to hear about your progress and your feedback would be invaluable!\n\n(You could also run The Donatinator yourself for your own open source project or for your own patron portal. Hint hint! 😃)\n\nThere is lots of functionality penciled in for future Donatinator releases but there is nothing like having real users provide ideas or ask for specific features. This is a terrific opportunity to help the helpers ... so come on, let's make it happen! We can do this 😃\n\nCover image by [Steve Johnson](https://unsplash.com/photos/0sPFjdcRhko?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/search/photos/coins?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText)\n{: .note}\n",[749,9,1200],{"slug":1633,"featured":6,"template":685},"donatinator-open-source-donation-platform","content:en-us:blog:donatinator-open-source-donation-platform.yml","Donatinator Open Source Donation Platform","en-us/blog/donatinator-open-source-donation-platform.yml","en-us/blog/donatinator-open-source-donation-platform",{"_path":1639,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1640,"content":1646,"config":1652,"_id":1654,"_type":13,"title":1655,"_source":15,"_file":1656,"_stem":1657,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/dotscience-mlops-integration",{"title":1641,"description":1642,"ogTitle":1641,"ogDescription":1642,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1643,"ogUrl":1644,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":1644,"schema":1645},"Dotscience announces MLOps integration with GitLab","The combination of GitLab and Dotscience provides a fully integrated DevOps & MLOps platform.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749680952/Blog/Hero%20Images/dotscience-gitlab.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/dotscience-mlops-integration","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Dotscience announces MLOps integration with GitLab\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Chris Sterry, Dotscience\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-12-18\",\n      }",{"title":1641,"description":1642,"authors":1647,"heroImage":1643,"date":1649,"body":1650,"category":296,"tags":1651},[1648],"Chris Sterry, Dotscience","2019-12-18","\n\nToday, I am proud to announce our new partnership with GitLab and [Dotscience](https://dotscience.com). GitLab and Dotscience are passionate about bringing [DevOps tools](/topics/devops/) and processes to the AI/ML ecosystem with the goal of achieving MLOps. The combination of GitLab and Dotscience provides a fully integrated DevOps & MLOps platform by combining source repository, issue tracking, and continuous integration. Together we can offer a machine learning environment that provides the ability to build, train, deploy, monitor, reproduce data, code, and models, and collaborate on notebooks.\n\n## Dotscience and GitLab integration\n\nThe integration highlights include the following:\n\n* Combine Dotscience and GitLab to achieve a complete DevOps & MLOps platform\n* Apply the same merge request workflow you know and love in GitLab to AI & ML projects with [Jupyter](https://jupyter.org) Notebooks, data, parameters & metrics with Dotscience\n* Customize the Docker images you build in Dotscience by implementing the Docker build step of deploying an ML model to production as a GitLab repo, custom Dockerfile + build pipeline\n\n## Let’s see it in action\n\n[Luke Marsden](https://uk.linkedin.com/in/luke-marsden-71b3789) and I sat down with [Tina Sturgis](/company/team/#TinaS), manager of partner marketing at GitLab, and provided a little overview of the integration.\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n  \u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/xIyoq6gnyEo\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\u003C/figure>\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\nReady to give it a spin? The easiest way to get started is to sign up for a free trial at Dotscience and read the integration [documentation](https://dotscience.com/partners/gitlab/).\n\nDotscience is also available on-prem, on AWS, Azure and Google Cloud, and in multi-cloud configurations.\n\nIf you have questions, please join our [Slack](https://join.slack.com/t/dotmesh-community/shared_invite/enQtMjU0NzczMTQ2MDgxLTY5MmMwZDdmZjVmOTQ3MjYxMjg3OGQwYzg5MTdiZDJmNTc3Y2I3ZWI2NTUzMGQxNTY3MDVlNTllOWJmNTE4NDQ) channel.\n",[9,230,703],{"slug":1653,"featured":6,"template":685},"dotscience-mlops-integration","content:en-us:blog:dotscience-mlops-integration.yml","Dotscience Mlops Integration","en-us/blog/dotscience-mlops-integration.yml","en-us/blog/dotscience-mlops-integration",{"_path":1659,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1660,"content":1665,"config":1670,"_id":1672,"_type":13,"title":1673,"_source":15,"_file":1674,"_stem":1675,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/drupal-moves-to-gitlab",{"title":1661,"description":1662,"ogTitle":1661,"ogDescription":1662,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":849,"ogUrl":1663,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":1663,"schema":1664},"Come on in! Drupal is moving to GitLab","Free and open source platform Drupal is moving to GitLab to accelerate developer velocity and attract new talent and contributors to the project.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/drupal-moves-to-gitlab","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Come on in! Drupal is moving to GitLab\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Rebecca Dodd\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2018-08-16\",\n      }",{"title":1661,"description":1662,"authors":1666,"heroImage":849,"date":1667,"body":1668,"category":747,"tags":1669},[723],"2018-08-16","\nWe never get tired of hearing about [open source projects joining the GitLab fold](/blog/welcome-gnome-to-gitlab/). So, welcome to GitLab, [Drupal](https://www.drupal.org/)! In light of this news, we chatted to Director of Engineering for the Drupal Association, [Timothy Lehnen](https://drupal.org/u/hestenet), about the project and why they're moving to GitLab.\n\n## Q&A\n\n- [What is Drupal?](#what-is-drupal)\n- [How is Drupal used?](#how-is-drupal-used-how-does-it-help-people)\n- [How many contributors work on the project?](#how-many-contributors-work-on-the-project)\n- [Why might someone use Drupal over other content management tools?](#why-might-someone-use-drupal-over-other-content-management-tools)\n- [Why are you migrating to GitLab?](#why-are-you-migrating-to-gitlab)\n- [How do you expect this move to beneficial to Drupal?](#how-do-you-expect-this-move-to-beneficial-to-drupal)\n- [How can people get involved in the project?](#how-can-people-get-involved-in-the-project)\n\n### What is Drupal?\n\nDrupal is a platform for building ambitious digital experiences. It was one of the first open source content management systems released more than 17 years ago, and is now used to power content-driven experiences including: the web, mobile, augmented reality, in-flight entertainment, medical devices, and more. Drupal is also the leading platform for building the open web. In a time when the dangers of walled-garden content publishers are becoming more and more clear, Drupal is a powerful tool to keep control in the hands of creators.\n\n### How is Drupal used? How does it help people?\n\nDrupal powers important platforms for engagement all over the world. In the governmental space you can find Drupal powering systems like [NASA.gov](https://www.nasa.gov/), the Australian [GovCMS](https://www.govcms.gov.au/), and the European Union. In the commerce space, Drupal is used to power traditional ecommerce websites, but also the holistic point-of-sale and accounting systems of the billion dollar businesses like ZKungFu, the largest directly operated food chain in China. Drupal is also the backbone of healthcare and higher education systems across the globe. Drupal can even be found behind the scenes running internal systems for the world's largest technology companies.\n\nFinally, Drupal empowers individuals and small teams to rapidly respond to current events, pitching in to give back to their communities. For example, UC Davis just launched their [Article 26 Backpack](https://www.drupal.org/blog/building-digital-backpacks-for-syrian-refugees) program for Syrian refugees, powered by Drupal.\n\n### How many contributors work on the project?\n\nIn the past year 111,783 people have contributed to Drupal in some form on Drupal.org. Over the course of the last 17 years, many hundreds of thousands of people have contributed in some way to the Drupal project.\n\n### Why might someone use Drupal over other content management tools?\n\nDrupal is a tool for building many kinds of internet-connected applications (not just websites), and is a powerful tool whenever you want to deliver rich, meaningful experiences. Drupal's not the best choice for brochure-ware sites, but that doesn't mean it's only limited to the enterprise. In any situation where you are managing large volumes of data, personalizing content for your end-users, or need a content hub to be consumed by a variety of interfaces and end-points, Drupal is an excellent choice.\n\n>In any situation where you are managing large volumes of data, personalizing content for your end-users, or need a content hub to be consumed by a variety of interfaces and end-points, Drupal is an excellent choice\n\nEven when your needs are less ambitious, Drupal has a rich library of modules and third-party integrations that provide the building blocks for powerful platforms.\n\n### Why are you migrating to GitLab?\n\nThe Drupal project began before Git was invented. The first version [control system](/topics/version-control/what-is-centralized-version-control-system/) that the project used was CVS, before the project migrated to Git in 2012. Over the course of almost two decades the Drupal project has developed our own contribution practices and developer tools, and while many of those tools and practices are leading examples in the open source world, others have fallen behind. For example, the Drupal project still handles code contributions through a patch workflow rather than through a pull/merge request workflow that has become the standard for collaborative development.\n\nWhen we began the search for a new partner to help us modernize our developer tooling, we set the following goals:\n\n- Adopt a developer workflow that will be familiar to the millions of developers outside our community\n- Preserve those unique elements of how we collaborate that have made the Drupal project so successful:\n    - Many-to-one collaboration: that is to say, many developers collaborating on a single solution to a problem\n    - Maintainer approval workflow\n    - Picking up on longstanding issues where other collaborators left off\n    - Contribution credit\n- If possible, leverage an expert partner who will help keeping our tooling up to date as open source collaboration tools continue to evolve\n\nDuring our search, GitLab was emerging as a powerful new player in the code collaboration market, and of all the teams we spoke to, GitLab's leadership demonstrated the greatest commitment to working with us to find a solution that would work for the Drupal project. The combination of that commitment to collaboration and the powerful featureset that GitLab continues to improve at a rapid pace is what helped us make our ultimate decision.\n\n### How do you expect this move to beneficial to Drupal?\n\nMoving our code collaboration tools to GitLab will help Drupal to accelerate developer velocity, and attract new talent and contributors to the project.\n\nBy giving Drupal contributors access to a merge request workflow, inline editing tools, code review, and other features of the GitLab platform they can spend less time on the administrivia and more time building Drupal.\n\n>By giving Drupal contributors access to a merge request workflow, inline editing tools, code review, and other features of the GitLab platform they can spend less time on the administrivia and more time building Drupal\n\nSimilarly, by adopting a toolchain that is much more familiar to the up-and-coming generation of developers, we can lower the barriers to entry for new contributors to join our community. For more information about the Drupal project's journey towards selecting GitLab, check out our [blog series on Drupal.org](https://www.drupal.org/drupalorg/blog/developer-tools-initiative-part-5-gitlab-partnership).\n\n### How can people get involved in the project?\n\nThe Drupal community has a comprehensive [Getting Involved Guide](https://www.drupal.org/getting-involved-guide) that can help individuals find their place in the Drupal community. There are also meet ups and conferences around the world that are a great way to start your Drupal journey. In particular, DrupalCon will be coming to [Seattle from April 8-12 2019](https://events.drupal.org/seattle2019).\n\nThe Drupal project's motto has always been \"Come for the code, stay for the community\" and seventeen years later, that's a sentiment we still believe in.\n",[749,9],{"slug":1671,"featured":6,"template":685},"drupal-moves-to-gitlab","content:en-us:blog:drupal-moves-to-gitlab.yml","Drupal Moves To Gitlab","en-us/blog/drupal-moves-to-gitlab.yml","en-us/blog/drupal-moves-to-gitlab",{"_path":1677,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1678,"content":1683,"config":1688,"_id":1690,"_type":13,"title":1691,"_source":15,"_file":1692,"_stem":1693,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/everyone-can-get-certified",{"title":1679,"description":1680,"ogTitle":1679,"ogDescription":1680,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":718,"ogUrl":1681,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":1681,"schema":1682},"Everyone Can Get Certified!","GitLab Learn learning platform now available to the GitLab wider community","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/everyone-can-get-certified","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Everyone Can Get Certified!\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Christine Yoshida\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2021-04-20\",\n      }",{"title":1679,"description":1680,"authors":1684,"heroImage":718,"date":1685,"body":1686,"category":703,"tags":1687},[1060],"2021-04-20","**Please note we have new resources since this article was first published:**\n\n* **[Register for a free GitLab University account](https://university.gitlab.com/) using your Gitlab.com login.**\n* **Find our current exams on our [Certifications page](https://university.gitlab.com/pages/certifications), which are available for purchase.**\n* **Use [GitLab with Git Essentials](https://university.gitlab.com/courses/gitlab-with-git-essentials-s2) as a replacement for GitLab 101 and 201 courses.**\n\n\u003Cbr>\nAt GitLab we believe in an inclusive approach for thriving as team members and contributing as part of the wider community. That’s why we are excited to highlight our [GitLab Learn](https://university.gitlab.com/) learning platform, which is newly available to the GitLab wider community. \n\nNow anyone can learn, and anyone can get certified! To get started visit GitLab Learn and create an account. \n\n## Free Certification Pathways \n\nOn GitLab Learn you’ll find learning paths and certifications that we make available to GitLab team members as well as the wider GitLab community.   \n\nHere are some of the free certification and badge pathways you’re welcome to complete on the site, created by the GitLab [Learning & Development Team](https://university.gitlab.com/):  \n- GitLab 101 certification that covers Git basics and fundamental concepts such as branches, commits, version control, DevOps, GitLab issues, and merge requests.\n- GitLab 201 certification  \n- Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Training certification \n- Remote Work Foundations badge \n- Bias Towards Asynchronous Communication badge \n\n## GitLab Technical Certifications \n\nOver the past 12 months GitLab launched 6 [new technical certifications](https://university.gitlab.com/pages/certifications), which focus on everything from continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) to security and project management.\n\nThese certifications were made available to GitLab Professional Services customers who purchased live instructor-led GitLab training for their teams and [GitLab Commit 2020](/events/commit/) attendees. As a result of our latest iteration efforts we are beginning to roll out self-service, asynchronous versions to make them available for everyone on GitLab Learn!  \n\n### New Async Technical Certification Option \n\nWe’re now bundling together the three main components you need to earn the [GitLab Certified Associate certification](https://university.gitlab.com/courses/gitlab-with-git-essentials-certification-exam) asynchronously: A self-study eLearning preparation course, a certification knowledge exam, and a graded hands-on exam you complete in a GitLab sandbox environment. This self-service GitLab training bundle is available on GitLab Learn and is priced at USD $650.  \n\n#### Amazing Positive Response to Our Promotion! \n\nWe’ve had an overwhelmingly positive response to our certifications on GitLab Learn and have reached our planned user limit on the discount code we offered in just 2 days instead of 10!\n\nThe promotion is over, but if you are interested in hearing from us about future offerings and GitLab Learn activities, please [create an account](https://university.gitlab.com/) to view our certification announcements. \n\n*Steps for Enrolling:*\n\nWe recommend using Google Chrome, clearing your cookies, and ensuring you have cookies enabled. If you prefer to use a mobile device, create your account on a desktop system first and then use the Edcast mobile app on Google Play or the Apple App Store for the best experience. \n\n1. In Google Chrome, navigate to [GitLab Learn](https://university.gitlab.com/) and click \"Login with your email and password\" then click the purple Sign Up button to create an account. If you are a GitLab Team Member you do not need to create an account and you can use the orange SSO button.\n2. Once logged in, locate the GitLab Certified Associate Pathway and click the orange Enroll button. This will take you to a separate webpage to enter your discount code.  \n3. On this webpage click Proceed with Order and fill in your details.\n4. On the Payment Method screen, add your payment method.\n5. Click the Place Order button and then click the Go to My Content Now button to access the content.\n\n## Your comments are welcome here!  \n\nTell us how GitLab certifications have helped you or your team thrive.\n",[9,1064,703,550],{"slug":1689,"featured":6,"template":685},"everyone-can-get-certified","content:en-us:blog:everyone-can-get-certified.yml","Everyone Can Get Certified","en-us/blog/everyone-can-get-certified.yml","en-us/blog/everyone-can-get-certified",{"_path":1695,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1696,"content":1702,"config":1708,"_id":1710,"_type":13,"title":1711,"_source":15,"_file":1712,"_stem":1713,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/everyone-who-has-contributed",{"title":1697,"description":1698,"ogTitle":1697,"ogDescription":1698,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1699,"ogUrl":1700,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":1700,"schema":1701},"Visualizing 11 years of GitLab contributions","Check out this animated video, which beautifully visualizes every contribution since our start.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749682555/Blog/Hero%20Images/gitlabeveryonecontributesdna.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/everyone-who-has-contributed","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Visualizing 11 years of GitLab contributions\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Darwin Sanoy\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2022-12-19\",\n      }",{"title":1697,"description":1698,"authors":1703,"heroImage":1699,"date":1705,"body":1706,"category":1282,"tags":1707},[1704],"Darwin Sanoy","2022-12-19","\n\nGitLab’s mission is to make it so that **[everyone can contribute](/company/mission/#mission)**. While I have been experiencing this mission for three years, I wondered if there was a way to visualize the effect of having everyone contribute over GitLab's history. It turns out there is. An open source project known as [Gource](https://gource.io/) can create an animated visualization of the commit history of a repository. I ran it against the GitLab repository and it visualizes 11 years of busy developers contributing over 300,000 commits to GitLab - covered in just under 10 minutes of video. Each node in the visualization is a file and the count of various file types is shown on the left.\n\nA big thank you to absolutely everyone who has made contributions to GitLab over the years. Hopefully this visualization helps you have a greater sense of this community.\n\nGitLab has recently published the management principles that help enable the \"everyone can contribute\" mission within GitLab. This new people management framework is called [TeamOps](/teamops/). Everyone can learn and become certified in TeamOps through GitLab’s learning portal.\n\nAs another mile marker of the power of the everyone can contribute mission, GitLab also just celebrated one year as [a public company](/blog/one-third-of-what-we-learned-about-ipos-in-taking-gitlab-public/)!\n\nI hope you enjoy Gource’s video visualization, which is filled with the glow of light - seems very appropriate for the many global cultural festivals at this time of year that use light and fireworks to celebrate their communities!\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n\u003Ciframe width=\"1870\" height=\"937\" src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/QxLzyJDljpg\" title=\"\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen>\u003C/iframe>\n\u003C/figure>\n\n\nIf you'd like to become a contributor, check out our [contribution guide](/community/contribute/).\n",[9,750,705],{"slug":1709,"featured":6,"template":685},"everyone-who-has-contributed","content:en-us:blog:everyone-who-has-contributed.yml","Everyone Who Has Contributed","en-us/blog/everyone-who-has-contributed.yml","en-us/blog/everyone-who-has-contributed",{"_path":1715,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1716,"content":1722,"config":1729,"_id":1731,"_type":13,"title":1732,"_source":15,"_file":1733,"_stem":1734,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/first-code-to-ci-cd-deployments-in-5-minutes",{"title":1717,"description":1718,"ogTitle":1717,"ogDescription":1718,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1719,"ogUrl":1720,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":1720,"schema":1721},"A journey from the first code to CI/CD deployments in 5 minutes?","From writing, building, and testing code to reviewing, releasing, and deploying in 5 minutes. Is this possible? Learn which hurdles you might encounter and how to solve them. Spoiler: Without Kubernetes.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749665823/Blog/Hero%20Images/snow-speed-unsplash.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/first-code-to-ci-cd-deployments-in-5-minutes","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"A journey from the first code to CI/CD deployments in 5 minutes?\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Michael Friedrich\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2020-12-15\",\n      }",{"title":1717,"description":1718,"authors":1723,"heroImage":1719,"date":1725,"body":1726,"category":792,"tags":1727},[1724],"Michael Friedrich","2020-12-15","\n{::options parse_block_html=\"true\" /}\n\nSoftware architecture and [DevOps](/topics/devops/) strategies are hard. Trust me, I know from experience. In my previous role, I was involved in \"all the things\" relating to our DevOps lifecycle, and we faced issues with everything from [continuous deployment (CD)](/topics/ci-cd/) to database management to implementing microservices.\n\nDo any of these scenarios sound familiar?\n\n- We want to adopt microservices but our application is not ready.\n- We know Kubernetes and containers are awesome but we cannot figure out how to get started.\n- We want to do CD but we are still doing manual deployments.\n\nIf you are facing one of these situations, you are not alone. I have lived through them in past roles and now spend my days talking to and helping folks across the industry who are facing these problems (and worse). These common problems lead to a larger conversation at GitLab: Why does it take 20 minutes or more to create a production app in 2020?\n\nThis question is why we challenged ourselves (okay, it's why Sid challenged us) to create a 5 minute production app. The goal is to get from having a free AWS account to a Rails/Node production app with a persistent [serverless](/topics/serverless/) database, Auto DevOps, Single Sign-On (SSO), Redis, object storage, and email in 5 minutes using only the GitLab UI.\n\nOur vision for the 5 minute production app is to provide everyone with a pathway to efficient deployments by minimizing infrastructure dependencies. This builds on learned lessons from [Auto DevOps](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/topics/autodevops/) and [Infrastructure as Code with Terraform](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/infrastructure/) (for example, by removing the requirement for Kubernetes).\n\n### Common problems\n\n#### Kubernetes and microservices\n\nKubernetes and containers can be overwhelming. The value they add comes with increased levels of complexity. Similarly, microservices can improve efficiency and high availability but they may not fit for all application architectures. Large rewrites might be necessary to take advantage of the benefits they provide.\n\nHeroku and Cloud Native Build Packs are a great way to automate Docker image creation with all dependencies but not all use cases are covered. When these deployments break, debugging can be hard without in-depth knowledge of the components. Defining and maintaining the dependencies in the build process by yourself can help, for example in your own Docker container group using the [GitLab Container Registry](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/packages/container_registry/).\n\n#### Backend requirements\n\nA web application can have a stateful backend where it stores persistent data. This can be a file on disk, a database server or an object storage in the cloud. The stored data can be user settings, inputs into web forms and generated content for example.\n\nDepending on the programming language, the interaction with the backend can get complex. A database client library is required to communicate with a PostgreSQL server. The database schema needs to be initialised, and future changes require incremential schema updates. The schema update migrations can be automated by the application. This requires client libraries providing this functionality. Ruby on Rails uses rake db tasks while it can get more complicated with PHP.\n\nThe database server needs to be running in order for the web application to work. This can happen on the same host, a central database cluster, or a cloud service such as Amazon Aurora. Someone must be responsible for keeping the server running, monitoring it, and managing software updates.\n\nAll backend solutions require maintenance. As a developer, you want to have these steps automated and abstracted. Your code communicates with the backend interfaces as a blackbox, expecting them to be healthy and operational when the application starts.\n\n### Path to resolution\n\n#### Deploy and run the application\n\nThe production environment for a basic web application requires the following steps:\n\n- Start/Detect the database server or service\n- Initialize/Migrate the database schema\n- Start the web application\n- Schedule periodic health checks and add performance monitoring\n\nIn addition to the boot steps, these web applications can depend on additional libraries and packages. Common best practice is to define them in the programming language's package dependency manager, for example `requirements.txt` with Python, or `Gemfile` with Ruby. The software deployment process evolved over the years with packaging the application into container images, containing the application and all dependencies. The CI/CD jobs do not need to add any extra steps for software installation. As a developer, you don’t care about the OS or distribution where the application is deployed.\n\n#### Choose your stack\n\nThe decision to choose the \"right\" tools for the job can be hard. It helps to define the required steps and map them onto existing functionality provided by GitLab:\n\n- Provision a new virtual machine\n- Define the state with Infrastructure as Code\n- Build and deploy the application\n- Run the application\n\nWe have decided start with AWS as a deployment scenario:\n\n- Ask for AWS credentials for EC2\n- Run Terraform and provision the VM\n- Create AWS Aurora RDS as PostgreSQL backend\n- Install application package dependencies into a container image\n- Pull the image on the host\n- Run and monitor the application\n\nThis process involves lots of steps, requiring different tools and frameworks. After all those years, isn’t there a ready-to-use workflow to abstract this and have everything automatically deployed?\n\n### How we settled on the stack for the 5 min production app\n\n1. AWS: Biggest cloud\n2. Terraform: Most popular infrastructure provisioning\n3. Auto DevOps: Same direction\n\nWe have refined the decisions during the implementation of the deployment process. The first iteration attempted to work without container images. This resulted in having many different ways to distribute and install software. We decided to take one step back and use container images to build the web application as package. The GitLab container registry works as package repository. The container image is pulled and run on the deployed host.\n\nAWS provides Aurora RDS as serverless PostgreSQL database service. We decided to use an existing service in the first iteration, and evaluate database instance management in the future. Terraform as deployment provisioner allows us to build on the foundation from our [Infrastructure as Code integration](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/infrastructure/). The first apps are written in Ruby on Rails and [Python](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-de/5-min-prod-app-python-web), we are planning with more to come soon.\n\n![GitLab CI/CD pipeline deployment](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/5-min-prod-app/gitlab_cicd_pipeline_deployed.png){: .shadow.medium.center}\n\n![AWS EC2 view](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/5-min-prod-app/aws_ec2_view.png){: .shadow.medium.center}\n\nOur vision for the 5 minute production app flow:\n\n1. Go to GitLab.com.\n2. Sign in with your AWS account.\n3. New Project.\n4. Rails/Node/etc. template.\n5. Write some code and create a merge request.\n6. Get a review app and test results in the MR.\n7. Merge the MR.\n8. Automatically deployed to production.\n9. Share URL of production app with a friend.\n10. Production app has a persistent state and can reset passwords via email (DB, s3, redis, mail) and provides the full Auto DevOps features (Monitoring, etc.).\n11. No manual steps for setting up DB, s3, redis, mail. Terraform takes care of automated setup.\n12. All within AWS in the free tier.\n13. No command line or terminal required, everything accessible in the GitLab UI.\n\n### What comes next\n\nThe next iterations include more scenarios and questions:\n\n- Domain and SSL support\n- Review environments and rollbacks\n- Python web application with database migrations\n- NodeJS app with a PostgreSQL backend\n- Support for more cloud providers and local deployments\n- Decoupled database server management\n\nThe deployment template will soon be [merged into GitLab Core](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/merge_requests/49487). This is great news for everyone joining us for feedback and tests. Let us know what you think, and follow our progress with these resources:\n\n- [Issue Board](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/5-minute-production-app/deploy-template/-/boards)\n- [Recordings on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL05JrBw4t0Krf0LZbfg80yo08DW1c3C36)\n- [Deploy Template project](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/5-minute-production-app/deploy-template)\n\nCover image by [Nicolas J Leclercq](https://unsplash.com/@nicolasjleclercq?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/s/photos/speed-snow)\n",[940,1728,9],"CD",{"slug":1730,"featured":6,"template":685},"first-code-to-ci-cd-deployments-in-5-minutes","content:en-us:blog:first-code-to-ci-cd-deployments-in-5-minutes.yml","First Code To Ci Cd Deployments In 5 Minutes","en-us/blog/first-code-to-ci-cd-deployments-in-5-minutes.yml","en-us/blog/first-code-to-ci-cd-deployments-in-5-minutes",{"_path":1736,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1737,"content":1743,"config":1749,"_id":1751,"_type":13,"title":1752,"_source":15,"_file":1753,"_stem":1754,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/first-time-open-source-contributor-5-things-to-get-you-started",{"title":1738,"description":1739,"ogTitle":1738,"ogDescription":1739,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1740,"ogUrl":1741,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":1741,"schema":1742},"First time open source contributor? 5 things to get you started","Open source really is *open* but it can be difficult to know where (and how) to jump in. Here's our best advice.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749671390/Blog/Hero%20Images/developers-choose-open-source.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/first-time-open-source-contributor-5-things-to-get-you-started","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"First time open source contributor? 5 things to get you started\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"GitLab\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2022-02-07\",\n      }",{"title":1738,"description":1739,"authors":1744,"heroImage":1740,"date":1746,"body":1747,"category":679,"tags":1748},[1745],"GitLab","2022-02-07","If you haven’t yet contributed to an open source software project, you may be eager to get going. Contributing to open source is a [great way to learn, teach, and build your technical expertise](https://clearcode.cc/blog/why-developers-contribute-open-source-software/). And it feels good to be part of a community. Yet your first time contributing can be intimidating. Here are five things you need to know to get up and running on open source:\n\n1. Contributing isn’t just about writing code. Open source projects need help on a variety of things, starting with coding, but also things like designing navigation and menus, writing documentation, managing timelines, organizing open issues, moderating message boards and answering questions. [Other ways to get started/](https://www.hanselman.com/blog/get-involved-in-open-source-today-how-to-contribute-a-patch-to-a-github-hosted-open-source-project-like-code-52) File a bug and suggest a patch for it or suggest a feature. In short, [there are many ways to contribute](https://opensource.guide/how-to-contribute/#why-contribute-to-open-source), in line with your interests and expertise. And no matter what you give, you’ll meet people and become an appreciated member of the group – sometimes contributing on ancillary things will earn you more points than coding.  \n\n2. Confusion is ok. If you’re bewildered at first, it’s not just because you’re a newbie. Each open source project has its own culture, [including terms of art, behavior norms, accepted practices](https://opensource.guide/how-to-contribute/#orienting-yourself-to-a-new-project), etc. So, even if you work for years on one project and are completely up to speed on what life is like there, it’s more than likely your next project will be totally different. There are some things that are usually present, such as the [roles of people on the project](https://opensource.guide/leadership-and-governance/), including author, owner, maintainer, contributor and committer. But the fact is, it will take time, observation and interacting with project members to understand how things are done within a project – and whether or not you are a good fit. If the vibe is not right, go elsewhere. There are so many projects that could use your support.    \n\n3. If there is a code of conduct, you need to get familiar with it. Not all open source projects will have a [code of conduct](https://opensource.guide/code-of-conduct/). When you’re interested in a project, be sure to see if there is a code of conduct and, if so, what it says. That way, you won’t make a gaffe without realizing it (and having to hear about it from everyone else). At a high level, respect the other participants (see number 5, below). If there is no explicit code of conduct, there are [core values and norms](https://opensource.com/open-organization/21/8/leadership-cultural-social-norms) that are recognized in the open source community. Chief among these are kindness and worldwide collaboration.\n\n4. Open Source Projects often have community governance models. There are [three types of org structures](https://opensource.guide/leadership-and-governance/) generally associated with open source projects: BDFL (Benevolent Dictator for Life; [Python](/blog/beginner-guide-python-programming/)is [one example](https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/benevolent-dictator-for-life/m03m3r0l?hl=en), meritocracy (this exact term may not be used but it’s about the relative “merit” of contributions; [Apache projects](https://www.apache.org/index.html#projects-list) follow this model) or liberal contribution (under which the people who contribute the most have the most say; [Node.js](https://openjsf.org) and [Rust](/blog/rust-programming-language/)are examples). In recent years, the BDFL model has [fallen out of favor](https://readwrite.com/open-source-magento-roy-rubin-bdfl/) in some circles as it leaves the project vulnerable if a leader steps away. [As Jason Baker wrote](https://opensource.com/article/18/7/bdfl) on OpenSource.com, “How an open source project is governed can have very real consequences on the long-term sustainability of its user and developer communities alike.” Just something to keep in mind.\n\n5. When in doubt, ask away, there are no dumb questions. As with any group you might belong to, you and the other members will be happier if the tone is welcoming and kind. Essentially, you’re there to collaborate so respect is important. Open source participants tend to be diverse in every possible way, stay open and considerate. Women traditionally are underrepresented in open source, [so be encouraging](https://internethealthreport.org/2019/codes-of-conduct-in-open-source-communities/). Try not to waste people’s time and provide as much context as needed in issues and conversations. Most projects will set the expectation that participants should [respect each other and be civil](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/MDN/Contribute/Open_source_etiquette) in their interactions. \n\nThe rules are a lot like the ones you may have learned in your childhood: Observe before you jump in, share your knowledge generously, always thank people who help you, and play well with others. Don’t be tempted to add to threads just to see your name. Try to find answers to questions within the community before you ask. Read the README file. [Read the documentation](https://gomakethings.com/open-source-etiquette/). If you do ask a question or send a pull request, be patient. Don't expect an immediate reply and don’t keep posting the same question. People have different priorities and might have been caught up with work and life. Make sure you have buy-in from project implementers before you send in actual code. This shows you want to contribute and you respect the work that has gone on before you.    \n\nReady to get started? Here are some success stories from our community to inspire you:\n* Dave Barr wrote about [“Why new software engineers should contribute to GitLab”](https://davebarr.dev/why-new-software-engineers-should-contribute-to-gitlab/)\n\n* [You’re hired! Two GitLab contributors turn their success into full-time engineering roles](/blog/you-are-hired-two-gitlab-contributors-turn-their-success-into-full-time-engineering-roles/)",[749,682,9],{"slug":1750,"featured":6,"template":685},"first-time-open-source-contributor-5-things-to-get-you-started","content:en-us:blog:first-time-open-source-contributor-5-things-to-get-you-started.yml","First Time Open Source Contributor 5 Things To Get You Started","en-us/blog/first-time-open-source-contributor-5-things-to-get-you-started.yml","en-us/blog/first-time-open-source-contributor-5-things-to-get-you-started",{"_path":1756,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1757,"content":1763,"config":1770,"_id":1772,"_type":13,"title":1773,"_source":15,"_file":1774,"_stem":1775,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/five-devops-platform-benefits-that-inspire-gitlab-users",{"title":1758,"description":1759,"ogTitle":1758,"ogDescription":1759,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1760,"ogUrl":1761,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":1761,"schema":1762},"Five benefits that inspire users to become GitLab advocates","Learn how a single tweet led to insight from our advocates on how they use GitLab to improve their work and their own lives.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749663383/Blog/Hero%20Images/tanuki-bg-full.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/five-devops-platform-benefits-that-inspire-gitlab-users","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"5 DevOps platform benefits that inspire GitLab users to become GitLab advocates\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Omar Fernandez\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2021-11-23\",\n      }",{"title":1764,"description":1759,"authors":1765,"heroImage":1760,"date":1767,"body":1768,"category":814,"tags":1769},"5 DevOps platform benefits that inspire GitLab users to become GitLab advocates",[1766],"Omar Fernandez","2021-11-23","\n\nAt GitLab, we believe that a [single DevOps platform helps teams](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/product/single-application/) to collaborate better and deliver software faster and with better security. In September, GitLab’s CEO Sid Sijbrandij [asked on Twitter](https://twitter.com/sytses/status/1440799819119824898) for volunteers willing to share their stories of advocating for the adoption of GitLab. Over the following days, GitLab team members interviewed 25 GitLab advocates who offered to share their experiences. Among other things, we asked them: \n\n- How did you first encounter GitLab?\n- Why have you advocated for the adoption of GitLab?\n- How has advocating and using GitLab in your organization benefited you? \n\nOur advocate interviews validated that GitLab’s single-application [DevOps Platform](/solutions/devops-platform/) has unlocked value for GitLab users. Below are excerpts of some of these interviews to give you the opportunity to hear directly from GitLab users. In them, you'll learn about five GitLab benefits that converted these users into advocates. \n\n## 1. A single application helps focus on work that matters\n\nGitLab’s single application helps users to focus on work that matters. GitLab reduces the need to context-switch as users no longer need to jump across disparate point-solutions. Users are better able to focus, stay on task, and drive business results.\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n\n\u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/pMWXn6NslEE\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\n\u003C/figure>\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\nSam Briesemeister highlights the benefits of working on one platform, being able to link the work done to a specific issue, and increasing developer productivity. By using GitLab, users save time in their life. \n\n_“What [investing in GitLab] ultimately does is, actually, we’re saving somebody’s time [in] their life. We’re not wasting their life.”_\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n\n  \u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/YcsT53c_Nuo\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\n\u003C/figure>\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\nProfessor Neil Gershenfeld speaks about how GitLab allows his labs to do what used to require five separate solutions, one each for web serving, teaching classes, access control, documentation, and security. \n\n_When asked how GitLab has made your life better, Professor Gershenfeld said: “It’s almost hard to answer because it’s like ‘why do I like air?’ It’s just sort of, most of my work ends up in GitLab. It’s just a natural part of my working day.”_\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n\n\u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/nUY8RrOyGPo\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\n\u003C/figure>\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\nPhilipp Westphalen, one of our [GitLab Heroes](https://about.gitlab.com/community/heroes/members/), speaks about GitLab’s ease of use and how having a single tool instead of multiple separate solutions allows him to focus on getting things done. \n\n_“For me, it feels like home... It’s really easy to use... and you can focus on getting things done.”_\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n\n\u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/heFWR23Z5nw\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\n\u003C/figure>\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\nPavle Djuric also speaks to us about the ability to focus on work and GitLab’s ease of use.\n\n_“[Working in GitLab] makes you feel very professional. You feel like you’re doing your job. You’re way more efficient as a team.”_\n\n## 2. Reducing manual tasks through automation\n\nSeveral advocates spoke about the benefits of automating tasks within GitLab to free up time for more productive activities. \n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n\n\u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/HW0ByLmG8sY\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\n\u003C/figure>\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\nAndrew Jones speaks about using GitLab to reduce repetitive tasks. He can’t imagine going back to the old way of doing things with many manual tasks. \n\n_“It just takes care of the stuff that would normally be laborious, painful repetitive stuff and allows you to focus on your primary function. I couldn’t imagine working without GitLab. I can’t imagine going back to the old way.”_\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n\n\u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/oN1cieaeLBk\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\n\u003C/figure>\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\nJan Mikes tells us about automation and the ability to get things done without context switching or moving across apps. This helps his productivity and efficiency. \n\n_“There’s high demand for CI engineers and since I work as an architect, this is a high-demand skill, to write pipelines, optimize performance, shorten the time from writing the code to deploy to production. And all of this I can deliver and that’s another reason why I love GitLab, because anything that comes to my mind, I figure some way how to do it with GitLab CI.”_\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n\n\u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/SvQUM6DL1B4\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\n\u003C/figure>\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\nMarc-Aurele Brothier speaks to us about how the adoption of GitLab helped his team be more efficient and streamline collaboration. \n\n_“[A customer was] very happy because we could demonstrate [to] them that, with [GitLab], that they could create the release, open a PR, say I want to deploy in our environment, and just accept it, and it was done two minutes later and it was automated. So it’s not anymore like asking someone, sending emails, or sending a request to another team. Just you do it and you get it.”_\n\n## 3. Improved transparency and collaboration\n\nTransparency and Collaboration are two of [GitLab’s values](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/), so it was great to hear how adopting GitLab helps teams operate in a more transparent and collaborative manner. \n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n\n\u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/1rdtQ3tvDtg\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\n\u003C/figure>\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\nGerben Geijteman tells us that collaboration and communication are enhanced by the transparency you get in GitLab by having the solution, or code, linked to directly from the issue tracker. This benefits collaboration with other team members and with clients. \n\n_“GitLab for me unifies it all in the same place so everyone is looking at the same code in the same direction with the same quality level.”_\n\n_“In projects where we have direct customer communication, we like to also use GitLab because GitLab gives you a more direct mode of communication. You can say we fixed this issue with this particular line of code at that particular moment in time. And it takes away intermediate layers of communication... and it keeps everything in context.”_\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n\n\u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/pWVEnIQjGbE\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\n\u003C/figure>\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\nSebastian Schmid talks about how, since the adoption of GitLab, different teams in his organization are able to share and reuse source code more easily.\n\n_“Before [GitLab], only the team working on the code was able to see the code... [After starting to use GitLab] they started to use source code from other teams and collaborate in code with other teams.”_ \n\n_“People could start to contribute to our product and they don’t need to have some special skills. They just could write [an] issue, could paste some screenshots and stuff like that, and some engineers could take this and improve the product.”_\n\n## 4. A welcoming community\n\nAnyone can directly contribute to our open source GitLab core and help enhance the GitLab platform. We appreciated hearing advocates talk about their experiences contributing to GitLab and how welcoming the GitLab community has been. \n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n\n  \u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/qy9f-7DI_5k\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\n\u003C/figure>\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\nDave Barr speaks about the value of working on a platform with an open source core and how great it is to see GitLab employees interact with contributors in the same way that they would with other GitLab employees. \n\n_“How you interact with that community is really telling. The way GitLab staff does that is really embracing, welcoming, open to feedback. They provide feedback; it's just like you’re a staff member. The approach they take to community contributions is the same exact approach they take for a staff merge request and that’s a fantastic approach.”_ \n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n\n\u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/LNp3ioZr5mg\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\n\u003C/figure>\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\nGary Bell talks to us about how welcoming, responsive, and understanding the GitLab community is with new people who want to contribute. \n\n_“Personally, I’ve just found the overall GitLab community to be very welcoming and very understanding. Just the patience people have... they’re just welcoming and willing to give the time to help. That’s been absolutely fantastic to feel that, which is something that I’ve not felt when I’ve tried to contribute to other open source projects before.”_\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n\n\u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/4-z3QjPzFPk\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\n\u003C/figure>\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\nSimilarly, Sven Patrick Meier shares with us his journey from identifying a potential feature, proposing it, and working through the process to get the contribution accepted. \n\n_“[I submitted a contribution] and the maintainers of the project commented on my feature request and said ‘great idea,’ and I provided the template as a basic example. They helped me with so many things, and, right now, I’m right before the first contribution to that awesome product that I use every day.”_ \n\n## 5. Exposure to end-to-end modern software development\n\nUsers talk about how GitLab helps introduce them to modern software development practices. They appreciated GitLab’s monthly releases packed with new features. \n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n\n\u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/YMydvPCIg44\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\n\u003C/figure>\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\nMarcos Ortiz praises GitLab’s ease of use and how it made it easier to onboard team members. Marcos also speaks about how, when you get used to the way of doing things on GitLab, you can internalize beneficial development practices.\n\n_“When you get used to all these practices, load code frequently, to get everything in branch inside your repo story, I believe you can be faster in development.”_ \n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n\n\u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/fP50GWZxz48\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\n\u003C/figure>\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\nIn our discussion with Andy Malkin and Michael Kalange, we hear about how they feel that GitLab is not only on the cutting edge, but also a very reliable part of their work. \n\n_“When I use [GitLab], I feel like I’m on the cutting edge. A lot of time in tech you can feel like you’re using something and you know it’s outdated, but I don’t have that feeling with GitLab. When I’m using GitLab, I feel that you really are pushing the boundaries in terms of what’s the next thing that we need.”_ \n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n\n\u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/7gU12X10718\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\n\u003C/figure>\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\nChris Evans speaks to us about how GitLab's neatly organized user interface helped him learn more about the overall DevOps processes and tools.\n\n_“[I] started off as a network engineer [and] I ended up [in] some sysadmin-related roles but I was never really exposed to the software development lifecycle... but just through choosing GitLab as a project management platform, I was exposed to so many of the tools of the trade for this other industry, software engineering, and I was able to almost learn those in a way without having to use them directly.”_  \n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n\n\u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/JhfFlSBQ7tY\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\n\u003C/figure>\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\nSimilarly, Ion Nistor tells us about how he gets exposed to new areas and tools in DevOps by using GitLab. \n\n_“I like to learn. Many of the things that GitLab brings are related to new technologies and new ways of doing things. GitLab in this sense acted [as a] gateway to new technologies. I have to learn about DevOps more, about containers, and these are benefits for my personal development.”_ \n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n\n\u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/yuBeOxqnou4\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\n\u003C/figure>\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\nDibyadarshi Dash, a past intern at GitLab, highlights how having a single, integrated product to develop software made it easier for him to learn about software development end-to-end. \n\n_“I got a good exposure to what the software development lifecycle looks like because it was all in one platform, all in GitLab. The writing, coding, merging, deploying, testing, everything was in one platform. And I feel that because it was all in one integrated platform, I got a good holistic exposure to the whole cycle and I understood the cycle even better.”_ \n\n## Bringing it all together\n\nThe GitLab advocates reinforced our belief in GitLab’s value as a single DevOps platform. The advocates talked about being able to focus on getting work done, using automation to reduce manual steps, and transparently collaborating with their colleagues. They also highlighted how GitLab helps them get exposed to and learn about the modern software development process end-to-end thanks to our fast innovation and how our welcoming open source community has made it possible for them to contribute features to GitLab.\n",[682,750,9],{"slug":1771,"featured":6,"template":685},"five-devops-platform-benefits-that-inspire-gitlab-users","content:en-us:blog:five-devops-platform-benefits-that-inspire-gitlab-users.yml","Five Devops Platform Benefits That Inspire Gitlab Users","en-us/blog/five-devops-platform-benefits-that-inspire-gitlab-users.yml","en-us/blog/five-devops-platform-benefits-that-inspire-gitlab-users",{"_path":1777,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1778,"content":1784,"config":1790,"_id":1792,"_type":13,"title":1793,"_source":15,"_file":1794,"_stem":1795,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/five-ways-resist-service-wrapping-buyer-based-open-core",{"title":1779,"description":1780,"ogTitle":1779,"ogDescription":1780,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1781,"ogUrl":1782,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":1782,"schema":1783},"5 Ways to resist the threat of service-wrapping with buyer-based open core","Commercial open source businesses are at risk of commoditization by hypercloud providers – here are some ways to avoid the trap.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749680537/Blog/Hero%20Images/osls-buyer-based-open-source.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/five-ways-resist-service-wrapping-buyer-based-open-core","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"5 Ways to resist the threat of service-wrapping with buyer-based open core\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Vanessa Wegner\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-04-03\",\n      }",{"title":1779,"description":1780,"authors":1785,"heroImage":1781,"date":1787,"body":1788,"category":747,"tags":1789},[1786],"Vanessa Wegner","2019-04-03","\n\nGitLab makes money as a commercial open source software (COSS) business. As you\nmight imagine, open source is at risk of becoming commoditized, just by its\ninherent characteristic of being completely … open. In today’s age of hyperclouds,\nopen source businesses are under threat of [service-wrapping via cloud\nproviders like Amazon](https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/new-open-distro-for-elasticsearch/), Microsoft, and Google.\n\nTo avoid commoditization, [GitLab has tried a number of business models](/blog/monetizing-and-being-open-source/), from\ndonations to consultancy to single-tenant service, but none of them worked.\nFinally, we settled on open core. At this year’s Open Source Leadership Summit,\nour CEO [Sid Sijbrandij](/company/team/#sytses) talked about where GitLab has hedged its bet to avoid becoming obsolete.\nAs Sid describes in the presentation below, there are five key methods for resisting\ncommoditization with buyer-based open core.\n\n## Watch the presentation\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n  \u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/G6ZupYzr_Zg\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\u003C/figure>\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\n## Key takeaways\n\n### What is buyer-based open core?\n\nBuyer-based means that GitLab offers [four different tiers of the software](/pricing/), which offer different functionality based\non what each buyer persona needs.\n\n### How do you generate revenue with buyer-based open core?\n\nEach tier focuses on what the buyer wants – and nothing more. It is also priced\naccordingly. Those at a higher level in the organization often have more budget\nauthority – so they can spend budget on what provides value for them.\n\n### How can COSSes avoid commoditization?\n\n1. Insert proprietary functionality in a majority of your use cases.\n1. Offer many proprietary features.\n1. Offer interaction through a user interface, rather than through APIs.\n1. Cater to price-insensitive buyers.\n1. Attract users that rarely contribute to open source.\n\nLearn more about these best practices and how GitLab has implemented them by\n[watching Sid’s presentation](https://youtu.be/G6ZupYzr_Zg), or viewing his slides below:\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n\u003Ciframe src=\"https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vRzKYXPPenZlKkbun3AklJP-xgrC4ga-AqBRyVxOAs2tczZ1VNNUGriYy0vF8iBccuT58rDcwateT3P/embed?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"960\" height=\"569\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" mozallowfullscreen=\"true\" webkitallowfullscreen=\"true\">\u003C/iframe>\n\u003C/figure>\n\nCover image by [Nastuh Abootalebi](https://unsplash.com/@sunday_digital) on\n[Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/photos/eHD8Y1Znfpk)\n{: .note}\n",[9,749,706],{"slug":1791,"featured":6,"template":685},"five-ways-resist-service-wrapping-buyer-based-open-core","content:en-us:blog:five-ways-resist-service-wrapping-buyer-based-open-core.yml","Five Ways Resist Service Wrapping Buyer Based Open Core","en-us/blog/five-ways-resist-service-wrapping-buyer-based-open-core.yml","en-us/blog/five-ways-resist-service-wrapping-buyer-based-open-core",{"_path":1797,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1798,"content":1803,"config":1809,"_id":1811,"_type":13,"title":1812,"_source":15,"_file":1813,"_stem":1814,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/free-period-for-cicd-external-repositories",{"title":1799,"description":1800,"ogTitle":1799,"ogDescription":1800,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":784,"ogUrl":1801,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":1801,"schema":1802},"The free period of CI/CD for GitHub is ending soon","The free-of-charge use of CI/CD for GitHub is ending soon, so you'll need to upgrade to continue using this feature.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/free-period-for-cicd-external-repositories","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"The free period of CI/CD for GitHub is ending soon\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Parker Ennis\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2020-03-12\",\n      }",{"title":1799,"description":1800,"authors":1804,"heroImage":784,"date":1806,"body":1807,"category":703,"tags":1808},[1805],"Parker Ennis","2020-03-12","\n\n[CI/CD for GitHub](/solutions/github/) is a feature that lets you use any Git-based repository as a host in combination with GitLab CI/CD regardless of where your source code lives – [GitHub](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/ci_cd_for_external_repos/github_integration.html), [Bitbucket](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/ci_cd_for_external_repos/bitbucket_integration.html), or any other Git server. To introduce this feature to the large number of users with private repos hosted on GitHub.com, we made it available to users [free of charge](/blog/six-more-months-ci-cd-github/) for a limited time only.\n\nWe then [extended the free period](/blog/ci-cd-github-extended-again/) for an additional limited time. We’ve set the final end date for this free period for March 22, 2020.\n\nIf you wish to continue using [CI/CD for private external repositories](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/ci_cd_for_external_repos/index.html) past March 22, 2020, you will need to upgrade your plan to at least a [Silver plan](/pricing/).\n\nOf course, you always have the option of migrating your project to [GitLab.com](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/import/github.html). As part of our commitment to our value of transparency and open source, all public repositories on GitLab.com get all of the features in our top-tier Gold plan for free. If your repo on GitHub.com is public, then it gets mirrored to GitLab.com as a public repo and you have access to CI/CD capabilities.\n\nNote: If you are only using [repository mirroring](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/repository/repository_mirroring.html#pulling-from-a-remote-repository) without CI/CD then you only need a Bronze plan to continue using this functionality.\n\nSo, what exactly does this mean for you?\n\n*  The ability to mirror private external repositories and run CI/CD on them will no longer be available as of March 22, 2020, unless the repositories have been made public or you have upgraded to an eligible GitLab plan.\n*  Since [GitLab Pages](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/pages/) can only be published through GitLab CI, users who were using a GitHub repository with private projects and haven't upgraded to an eligible GitLab plan will be unable to have private pages.\n\nWe've designed this process to be a smooth transition for our users. If you have any additional questions about the change, or how this impacts you and your teams, please don’t hesitate to reach out:\n*  For general questions or pricing inquiries, please contact our **[Sales team](/sales/)**.\n*  For technical questions or concerns, please review our **[Support options](/support/)**.\n\nThanks!\n",[108,682,9,749],{"slug":1810,"featured":6,"template":685},"free-period-for-cicd-external-repositories","content:en-us:blog:free-period-for-cicd-external-repositories.yml","Free Period For Cicd External Repositories","en-us/blog/free-period-for-cicd-external-repositories.yml","en-us/blog/free-period-for-cicd-external-repositories",{"_path":1816,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1817,"content":1823,"config":1828,"_id":1830,"_type":13,"title":1831,"_source":15,"_file":1832,"_stem":1833,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/freedesktop-org-migrates-to-gitlab",{"title":1818,"description":1819,"ogTitle":1818,"ogDescription":1819,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1820,"ogUrl":1821,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":1821,"schema":1822},"Welcome to GitLab, freedesktop.org!","Freedesktop.org, the home of open source desktop technology development, has migrated to GitLab to improve their workflow and modernize their service.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749671252/Blog/Hero%20Images/gitlab-desktop-org-cover.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/freedesktop-org-migrates-to-gitlab","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Welcome to GitLab, freedesktop.org!\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Rebecca Dodd\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2018-08-20\",\n      }",{"title":1818,"description":1819,"authors":1824,"heroImage":1820,"date":1825,"body":1826,"category":747,"tags":1827},[723],"2018-08-20","\nSorry to [keep banging on about it](/blog/drupal-moves-to-gitlab/), but we get pretty excited when [open source projects](/blog/welcome-gnome-to-gitlab/) tell us they’re [#movingtogitlab](/blog/movingtogitlab/). There’s always more room at our inn. So we’re very happy to welcome [freedesktop.org](https://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/) into the fold! We chatted to Daniel Stone, project administrator, about what the project does and why they’re joining us.\n\n## Q & A\n\n- [What is freedesktop.org?](#what-is-freedesktoporg)\n- [How is freedesktop.org used?](#how-is-fdo-used)\n- [What's the connection between freedesktop.org, X Window System, and Linux?](#whats-the-connection-between-fdo-x-window-system-and-linux)\n- [How many contributors work on the project?](#how-many-contributors-work-on-the-project)\n- [Why would someone use freedesktop.org instead of macOS or Microsoft Windows?](#why-would-someone-use-fdo-instead-of-macos-or-microsoft-windows)\n- [Why are you migrating to GitLab?](#why-are-you-migrating-to-gitlab)\n- [How are you anticipating the move to be beneficial?](#how-are-you-anticipating-the-move-to-be-beneficial)\n\n### What is freedesktop.org?\n\nCreated in 2000 by Havoc Pennington (a GNOME developer), freedesktop.org (or fd.o) is a [forge](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forge_(software))-type hosting site. The idea was to create a neutral collaboration space between [GNOME](/blog/welcome-gnome-to-gitlab/), [KDE](/blog/welcome-kde/), Enlightenment, and other open source desktops. Unlike integrated systems, like Windows and macOS, the open source desktop lacks a lot of shared foundations: what should you open files with, how should you manage windows, and so forth.\n\nOriginally fd.o was a home for these desktop developers to collaborate on common standards, so programs could run portably with the same functionality across different desktops. In 2004, xwin.org was formed by a group of open source graphics developers unhappy with the closed-shop state of the XFree86 project. The two projects of fd.o and xwin.org merged shortly after xwin.org’s founding, with fd.o playing host to the X.Org Foundation, which supervises and facilitates the ongoing development of the graphics stack.\n\nOver the years since, our role as a neutral home for all sorts of desktop technology development has seen us add projects such as GStreamer, LibreOffice, and PulseAudio to our diverse family. Some projects such as systemd and Flatpak originally began their development on fd.o, but moved out to other hosting platforms which better suited their needs and workflow.\n\n### How is fd.o used?\n\nMost of our projects are invisible to users: NetworkManager is probably responsible for driving your Wi-Fi under the hood, though you’re unlikely to interact with it directly. Mesa and Wayland/X.Org will provide the underlying plumbing to render your games and your whole UI, but these are mostly invisible. Your desktop probably leans heavily on the D-Bus message-passing system. Most of it is plumbing.\n\n### What's the connection between fd.o, X Window System, and Linux?\n\nAs part of the graphics stack, fd.o hosts the development of the Linux kernel’s graphics development: drivers from all vendors part of the mainstream kernel (and some which aren’t yet!) use our Git hosting, mailing lists, bug tracking, and other services to build the core kernel graphics infrastructure. All this development happens on our infrastructure, which is then fed into the core Linux kernel during its \"merge window\" every release.\n\nThe X.Org Foundation tries to enable the work of a wide body of open source graphics projects. Originally X.Org itself was just the X Window System, but over the years the code evolved out of X.Org into a number of enabling projects. These include not just alternative window systems such as Wayland, the Mesa 3D graphics library for hardware-accelerated OpenGL, OpenGL ES and Vulkan, Cairo and Pixman for software rendering, libinput for input device handling, and much more. We play host to all those projects, with the Foundation providing an accountable body for administrative work, conference organization, and so on.\n\nOther freedesktop.org projects, as said before, provide all the glue around the margins of your desktop. Providing a database of available applications and preferred MIME type handlers, network device management, inter-process communication, a PDF renderer; in general, all the things we can do well in one place, to enable people who want to write desktop environments to focus on the thing that matters to them: building the actual desktop!\n\nAs part of this, we’ve always tried to stay strenuously vendor-neutral and also project-neutral within the desktop community. Rather than \"picking winners\" or enforcing directions on external projects, we try to slowly and gently build consensus as a neutral forum.\n\n### How many contributors work on the project?\n\nHard to say! We have around 1,300 registered users who directly commit to our family of projects. Not all of them are active of course, but many developers do not have direct commit access and aren’t represented in that figure. We have around 25,000 people subscribed to our various development mailing lists.\n\n### Why would someone use fd.o instead of macOS or Microsoft Windows?\n\nMuch like GitLab, freedesktop.org is an open source, open-participation, neutral platform. Running an open source desktop through distributions such as Arch, Debian, Fedora, or Ubuntu – all of which use our enabling technology – gives the user a fully open source system. This is incredibly empowering: as a user, you have the ability to dive into any part of your system, make the changes you want to see, and participate openly in these projects to see your improvements work upstream.\n\n>As a user, you have the ability to dive into any part of your system, make the changes you want to see, and participate openly in these projects to see your improvements work upstream\n\n### Why are you migrating to GitLab?\n\nOver the years fd.o has been running, we’ve accumulated a wide variety of services: our LDAP-based account system forked back in 2004, Bugzilla for issue tracking, Mailman for mailing lists, cgit and hand-rolled Git hosting, Patchwork for pulling patches from the mailing list when they are submitted for review, Jenkins for build infrastructure, ikiwiki for project wikis, still an FTP server somewhere; the list goes on.\n\nIn terms of workflow, we simply can’t provide some of our projects the workflow they want with this infrastructure. Over the years since we begun, the norm of software development has moved from throwing patches around via email, to fully distributed version control with integrated review and issue tracking, and so on. On paper we provide those services, but integration between them involves a lot of duct tape, and this shows to the users. We saw multiple projects either leave fd.o and move to alternate hosting platforms, or just not develop on our infrastructure to begin with, because we weren’t offering anything like the same level of functionality and convenience as those services.\n\n>Over the years, the norm of software development has moved from throwing patches around via email, to fully distributed version control with integrated review and issue tracking, and so on. On paper we provide those services, but integration between them involves a lot of duct tape, and this shows to the users.\n\nOne of the issues with freedesktop.org being such a diverse family, is that there is no central driven organization behind it. The site is currently run by three volunteers, all of whom keep the site running in our spare time. Maintaining all these services – many of them forked to add now-essential features like spam prevention, as well as our own custom local work for service integration – takes a surprising amount of time, to the point where just keeping it running is about all we can do. Actual improvements are very difficult to implement in the time we have, and even when we can do them, making sure all our projects can take full advantage of them is sometimes too much for us.\n\n### How are you anticipating the move to be beneficial?\n\nFirstly, for the workflow, having linked repository management, issue tracking, code review, CI pipelines and feedback, container repositories, wikis, and websites, provides functionality we couldn’t before – or at least, we were providing a pale imitation of it. As all of this is provided in [GitLab Core](/pricing/) and backed by a single coherent permission model, we are able to open these services up to our member projects who can work with them autonomously, rather than waiting for the admins to deal with services for them.\n\nFrom an admin point of view, having a single application which takes care of all of this will drastically reduce the time we spend treading water and dealing with the impedance mismatch between the disparate services we’ve had until now. Bringing GitLab up on Kubernetes has not been without its challenges as we attempt to bring our service administration skills up into the 21st century, but already it’s shown us that we can move drastically quicker than we have been able to in the past.\n\n>From an admin point of view, having a single application which takes care of our entire workflow will drastically reduce the time we spend treading water and dealing with the impedance mismatch between the disparate services we’ve had until now\n\nIn terms of service modernization, another huge improvement is a modern approach to identity and security. Running an open community site in 2018 is not a fun place to be: not just keeping on top of security vulnerabilities, but targeted break-in attempts and spam. A lot of our previous services aren’t designed to deal with this kind of abuse. Having a single identity service on GitLab – which can link to external identity providers such as Google and GitLab.com, and make use of two-factor authentication – is a huge leap forward for us. Similarly, a coherent approach to spam which doesn’t involve spending an evening trawling through SQL tables by hand makes dealing with spam actually practical!\f\n\n### How can people get involved?\n\nSince we are an umbrella of diverse projects, there's no single answer. We keep a [list of our active projects on our website](https://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/GettingInvolved/): pick the one that's closest to your heart, check out their site and repo, and send your first MR.\n",[749,9,1200,1222],{"slug":1829,"featured":6,"template":685},"freedesktop-org-migrates-to-gitlab","content:en-us:blog:freedesktop-org-migrates-to-gitlab.yml","Freedesktop Org Migrates To Gitlab","en-us/blog/freedesktop-org-migrates-to-gitlab.yml","en-us/blog/freedesktop-org-migrates-to-gitlab",{"_path":1835,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1836,"content":1842,"config":1847,"_id":1849,"_type":13,"title":1850,"_source":15,"_file":1851,"_stem":1852,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/get-involved-with-gitlab-meetups",{"title":1837,"description":1838,"ogTitle":1837,"ogDescription":1838,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1839,"ogUrl":1840,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":1840,"schema":1841},"Get involved with GitLab Meetups","Level up your career and network by becoming an organizer, speaker, or host.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749679108/Blog/Hero%20Images/japanmeetup.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/get-involved-with-gitlab-meetups","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Get involved with GitLab Meetups\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"John Coghlan\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2020-03-05\",\n      }",{"title":1837,"description":1838,"authors":1843,"heroImage":1839,"date":1844,"body":1845,"category":792,"tags":1846},[1020],"2020-03-05","\n{::options parse_block_html=\"true\" /}\n\nGitLab's meetup community had a great year in 2019. Our membership grew by more than 400% as we launched new groups around the world - expanding our community to more than 20 countries. Thank you to all of our meetup members, speakers, hosts, and, especially, the community organizers who enabled this growth and continue to support the GitLab community.\n\nAs the GitLab Developer Relations team looks ahead to 2020 and beyond, our focus remains the same: create a community where [everyone can contribute](/company/mission/#mission). In order to fulfill that mission, we need to continue growing our community programs - including our meetup community. In this post, I'll share why meetups are important to GitLab, why you should get involved with meetups, four ways to get involved, and how GitLab can help. Let's get started.\n\n## Why GitLab loves meetups\n\nGitLab started as an open source project, GitLab the company was started as a show HN post, and our founders joined forces because of a tweet. In conversations with investors, journalists, and job candidates, GitLab's CEO Sid proudly shares stats about the number of contributions we get from our community each release (regularly surpassing [200 MRs per release](https://gitlab.biterg.io/goto/937475d38035f496df3501c9b30af5ef)). Community has been a big part of GitLab since the beginning and remains critical to our success.\n\n#### In-person interactions are important\n\nWhile GitLab has adopted an all-remote culture, we recognize the value of [in-person interactions](/company/culture/all-remote/in-person/). In fact, we have numerous programs to bring our teams together ranging from team members meetups, where folks from nearby areas gather to co-work, to our Contribute events which bring the entire company together. Our belief in the value of in-person interactions applies to our community as well, and is why we invest in GitLab meetups, [Commit conferences](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hi2D0Se_VnA), and many other community and industry events.\n\n#### Lowering the barrier to entry\n\nMeetups also align with our [diversity, inclusion and belonging](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#diversity-inclusion) value. Meetups are typically free and their scale and distribution means they happen just about anywhere - allowing folks who may not be able to spend money on conference tickets and travel to participate. They create opportunities for community members to contribute - particularly first-time speakers. This allows folks who are new to a community to contribute sooner. By lowering the barriers to entry, we can increase participation from folks who are new to our community or tech communities, in general.\n\n![GitLab Hamburg Meetup](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/get-involved-with-gitlab-meetups/hamburgmeetup.jpg){: .shadow.center}\n\u003C!-- image: https://twitter.com/se_sda/status/1228348295560548352/photo/1 -->\nGitLab Hamburg Meetup\n{: .note.text-center}\n\n## Why you should get involved in meetups\n\nParticipating in meetups is a great way to make new connections, develop new skills, and advance your career.\n\n#### Find your community\n\nMeetups tend to bring together folks with similar interests and values. These shared interests can make it easier to forge relationships and, ultimately, friendships. By growing your number of connections, you can also open up doors to professional opportunities such as recruiting new team members or connecting with people who are hiring.\n\n#### Expand your skillset\n\nWhether you're new to tech or looking to develop new skills, meetups are an opportunity to develop core skills needed for success - particularly communication and collaboration. Successful meetups rely on the contributions of a well-prepared speaker, an organized host, and proactive members with a versatile organizer serving as the central point of contact between these parties.\n\nParticipation in meetups will allow you to meet folks with varying levels of skills in different technologies. This enables interactions with people from whom you can learn and others to whom you can teach - a duality that can accelerate learning.\n\n#### Follow your passion\n\nIf you're passionate about a technology or programming language, meetups are a way to grow the interest in those topics, increase your influence in their community, and help advocate and champion them. Take GitLab, for example. Whether you're interested in GitLab because it makes you more productive or you align with our values, by participating in our meetups, you can help promote GitLab's value and values to the people around you.\n\n![GitLab Nigeria Community](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/get-involved-with-gitlab-meetups/nigeriameetup.jpg){: .shadow.center}\n\u003C!-- image: https://secure.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/1/0/1/f/600_487144127.jpeg -->\nGitLab Nigeria Community\n{: .note.text-center}\n\n## How you can contribute\n\nWithout an organizer and community members, it's impossible to have a meetup. Hosts and speakers also play key roles in successful meetups.\n\n#### Become an organizer\n\nI love meetup organizers. They are the magic behind the meetups. They plan, market, coordinate, and execute the events. They recruit speakers and hosts. They attract, engage, and retain members. They are speakers, communicators, planners, managers, marketers, community managers, and CEOs for their communities. The skills required as an organizer will prepare them for leadership opportunities within their organizations and in other communities. Simply put, these folks are leaders who know how to get things done.\n\n**If you'd like to organize a GitLab meetup, create an issue using our [Meetup Organizer template](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/marketing/community-relations/evangelist-program/general/issues/new?issuable_template=meetup-organizer).**\n\n#### Become a speaker\n\nBy becoming a speaker, you will develop a critical skill needed to lead teams and organizations. You can also expand your network and following which can open new doors or career paths such as developer evangelism. Warren Buffett has even suggested that developing your public speaking skills can increase your earnings potential by 50%. You'll also have the opportunity to recruit for your company, promote your product or business, and gain new social media followers. If you leverage your experience at meetups to speak at conferences, you'll typically be provided with support for travel and free tickets to the conference creating new opportunities for professional development and networking. Many top speakers are often paid for their talks.\n\n**Do you want to speak at a GitLab meetup? Open a [Meetup Speaker issue](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/marketing/community-relations/evangelist-program/general/issues/new?issuable_template=meetup-speaker) to let us know.**\n\n#### Become a host\n\nFinding venues to host our groups is a common blocker for organizers. As a host, you'll be able to provide learning and development opportunities to your team, increase your influence in the local tech community, and showcase your office to groups of local technologists. Most meetups are happy to have their hosts do a short pitch about their product or recruiting efforts. As an all-remote company, we cannot offer our own space but we would love to work with local technology organizations who are passionate about GitLab and align with our values to host GitLab Meetups.\n\n**Ready to host a GitLab meetup? Please use our [Meetup Venue template](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/marketing/community-relations/evangelist-program/general/issues/new?issuable_template=meetup-venue) to indicate your interest.**\n\n#### Become a member\n\nIf you just want to attend, that is great, too. We encourage you to start by attending a local meetup and engaging with your fellow community members. Often times the conversations that happen among the community members at a meetup are as valuable as the talks.\n\n**Interested in joining a GitLab meetup group? Visit our [Pro page](https://www.meetup.com/pro/gitlab) on Meetup.com to find a group near you.**\n\n![London Meetup Speaker](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/get-involved-with-gitlab-meetups/londonmeetup.jpg){: .shadow}\n\u003C!-- image: https://twitter.com/aogunbowale/status/1202307697179279362/photo/1 -->\nLondon GitLab Meetup Group\n{: .note.text-center}\n\n## How GitLab can help you\n\nAs stated on our [Meetups page](/community/meetups/), GitLab supports community leaders who want to organize meetups and tech events in their cities and hometowns. GitLab is a complete DevOps platform, delivered as a single application, so most events that discuss the software development lifecycle and developer experience are eligible for GitLab support.\n\nWe detail how GitLab supports meetups in our [handbook](/handbook/marketing/developer-relations/evangelist-program/), as well, but the key points you should know are:\n* **For organizers**:\n  * We have a dedicated program manager who has created materials and documentation to help ensure your event is a success and who is available to help support organizers through the planning process.\n  * We will provide [financial support of up to $500](/handbook/marketing/developer-relations/evangelist-program/#meetup-expenses) for meetup events.\n  * We will provide swag for your community members.\n  * We will help connect you with speakers and hosts in your area.\n* **For speakers:**\n  * We have a dedicated program manager who can connect you with speaking opportunities in your area.\n  * We have a dedicated program manager and a tech evangelism team available to help you prepare your presentation.\n  * We will provide templates and decks that you can leverage to help you prepare.\n* **For hosts:**\n  * We are always happy to connect interested hosts with our local organizers.\n  * We ensure our hosts are able to connect with the GitLab community at the events they host.\n* **For members**:\n  * We have a global network of meetups that we hope you will join.\n  * Don't see a meetup near you? Let us know and we can help you start one or prioritize recruiting an organizer in your area.\n\n## Get started\n\nTo get involved in the GitLab community, please reach out and let us know how you'd like to contribute:\n\n* [**Become a Meetup Organizer**](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/marketing/community-relations/evangelist-program/general/issues/new?issuable_template=meetup-organizer)\n* [**Become a speaker**](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/marketing/community-relations/evangelist-program/general/issues/new?issuable_template=meetup-speaker)\n* [**Volunteer your venue**](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/marketing/community-relations/evangelist-program/general/issues/new?issuable_template=meetup-venue)\n* [**Find a GitLab meetup near you**](https://www.meetup.com/pro/gitlab)\n\nOf course, if there are other ways GitLab can help, please let me know. You can either reach out to me via [email](mailto:evangelists@gitlab.com), tweet at [me](https://twitter.com/john_cogs), or make an edit to our handbook and send me an [MR](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/www-gitlab-com/blob/master/source/handbook/marketing/developer-relations/evangelist-program/index.html.md.erb). Remember: everyone can contribute.\n\nCover image by [@jumpei_ikegami](https://twitter.com/jumpei_ikegami) on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/jumpei_ikegami/status/1120995560649969665)\n{: .note}\n",[9],{"slug":1848,"featured":6,"template":685},"get-involved-with-gitlab-meetups","content:en-us:blog:get-involved-with-gitlab-meetups.yml","Get Involved With Gitlab Meetups","en-us/blog/get-involved-with-gitlab-meetups.yml","en-us/blog/get-involved-with-gitlab-meetups",{"_path":1854,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1855,"content":1861,"config":1867,"_id":1869,"_type":13,"title":1870,"_source":15,"_file":1871,"_stem":1872,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/get-ready-for-commit",{"title":1856,"description":1857,"ogTitle":1856,"ogDescription":1857,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1858,"ogUrl":1859,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":1859,"schema":1860},"How to get the most out of GitLab Commit","We’re taking over the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn and opening up our world to you. Here’s everything you need to know.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749664134/Blog/Hero%20Images/gitlabcommitbrooklyn.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/get-ready-for-commit","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"How to get the most out of GitLab Commit\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Emily Kyle\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-09-13\",\n      }",{"title":1856,"description":1857,"authors":1862,"heroImage":1858,"date":1864,"body":1865,"category":296,"tags":1866},[1863],"Emily Kyle","2019-09-13","\nWe’re (almost!) ready – are you? The inaugural GitLab Commit in Brooklyn is just around the corner.  We wanted to share some details on the event and how to get the most out of it while you’re onsite and after it’s over.\n\nWhen planning this event we made the strategic choice to avoid convention centers and stuffy hotel ballrooms. We like to be a bit more playful (and out of the box) in how we approach our community and events. We decided to model this event after a block party and on Tuesday September 17 we’ll be taking over 8 venues. On your walk from the subway you’ll notice the street has been “GitLabbed” and will be full of signs. Everything – signs, content, staff – will welcome you. If we did it right it will be quirky, fun, innovative, collaborative, and inclusive. A small block in Brooklyn will _be_ GitLab for a day. We can’t wait to share that vision with everyone attending.\n\nStart by checking in at the Williamsburg Hotel, 96 Wythe Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11249\n(between Nassau St. on the G or Bedford Ave. on the L). Don’t forget to grab breakfast treats and coffee.\nOver the course of the day we will also have sessions and activities in and around the following\nvenues: the  [Wythe Hotel](https://wythehotel.com), [Schimanski](https://www.schimanskinyc.com),\n[Brooklyn Bowl](https://www.brooklynbowl.com), [Kinfolk 90](https://kinfolklife.com/locations/kinfolk-90/) & [Kinfolk 94](https://kinfolklife.com/locations/kinfolk-94/). Each venue serves a specific function and has its own personality but each one flows seamlessly into the next one.\n\n![Map of GitLab Commit](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/gitlabcommitmap.png){: .shadow.small.center.wrap-text}\n\nIt’s a neighborhood takeover!\n{: .note.text-center}\n\n## Remember to schedule\n\nYou can find the schedule [here](https://gitlabcommit2019brooklyn.sched.com). To get the most out of your day on site, we suggest building out your schedule in the sched link just mentioned so you can reserve your slot in each of the tracks. There will be 3 tracks – cloud native, DevOps in action, and powered by GitLab – and each will be color coded to help you navigate throughout the day.\n\n## And it’s not over yet…\n\nWe will close out the day of sessions at the historic Brooklyn Bowl directly following the day’s packed lineup for networking, food & beverages and of course bowling. The party kicks off at 5 pm.\n\n## Other important details\n\nLooking for a well brewed cappuccino or latte?  Kinfolk 90 will be serving Commit attendees with a badge from 12pm-5pm at no charge, so drop in between sessions.\n\nHave questions about our product offerings, a nagging support item, want deeper insight into our security offerings, or time to visit with some of our sponsors?  The Library at the Williamsburg Hotel will be open all day for some one-to-one interaction.\n\nLastly we have a [few spots still open](https://about.gitlab.com/events/commit/) if you want to get in on this action packed day of learning! There is also still time to sign up for our [London event](/events/commit/#) in October.\n",[9,750,274,682,1178],{"slug":1868,"featured":6,"template":685},"get-ready-for-commit","content:en-us:blog:get-ready-for-commit.yml","Get Ready For Commit","en-us/blog/get-ready-for-commit.yml","en-us/blog/get-ready-for-commit",{"_path":1874,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1875,"content":1880,"config":1886,"_id":1888,"_type":13,"title":1889,"_source":15,"_file":1890,"_stem":1891,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/get-the-most-out-of-a-ceo-shadow-program",{"title":1876,"description":1877,"ogTitle":1876,"ogDescription":1877,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":718,"ogUrl":1878,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":1878,"schema":1879},"15 tips to succeed at GitLab's CEO Shadow program","A CEO shadow program can be invigorating, but also intimidating. Here are strategies to help you make the most of the experience.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/get-the-most-out-of-a-ceo-shadow-program","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"15 tips to succeed at GitLab's CEO Shadow program\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Neil McCorrison\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2021-11-02\",\n      }",{"title":1876,"description":1877,"authors":1881,"heroImage":718,"date":1883,"body":1884,"category":679,"tags":1885},[1882],"Neil McCorrison","2021-11-02","\n\nYou may already know that GitLab offers an incredible thing called the CEO Shadow program where anyone in the company is able to spend time with CEO and co-founder [Sid Sijbrandij](/company/team/#sytses). It's an opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at how our company functions.\n\nThere is a lot of [information](https://www.youtube.com/c/GitLabUnfiltered/search?query=ceo%20shadow) available about the program. But for anyone considering a CEO shadow program, either at [GitLab](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/ceo/shadow/#alumni) or another company, here are 15 pieces of advice to get the most out of the experience.\n\n## 1. Take lots of notes\n\nI took copious notes in a separate document because there were so many interesting things that happened - things that I want to remember, follow up on and learn more about. I've heard other shadows have had a notepad handy. Also consider how to further leverage recordings. Even in a normally unrecorded session (like a 1:1), Sid may start a recording to capture fidelity above what notes alone provide. It's an amazing trick.\n\n## 2. Be open to anything\n\nSid asked about his presentation [energy score](https://blog.energybroker.ie/whats-your-personal-energy-rating), danced the [cabbage patch](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabbage_Patch_(dance)) during a 1:1 to celebrate a win, and was able to match everyone's energy in a discussion. So make sure to bring that energy! Also, did you know we have a [songbook](/company/culture/songbook/) that everyone can contribute to?\n\n## 3. Make the most of breaks\n\nTen-hour days of back-to-back meetings are no joke. Take the [time to refresh](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/ceo/shadow/#tips-for-remote-shadows) during the day when you have breaks.\n\n## 4. You won't be alone\n\nAt GitLab, you are one of two active shadows following the [\"see one, teach one\" rotation](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/ceo/shadow/#rotation-rhythm). Expect to build a great partnership with your co-shadow.\n\n## 5. Be a good partner\n\nKeep your co-shadow visible in the Zoom gallery view. It’s nice to see body language cues. It’s important to constantly help each other out between note-taking and other tasks.\n\n## 6. Everyone can benefit from a coach\n\nSid has a coach to perfect his communication and presentation skills, and others can benefit from one as well. There are lots of resources available to GitLab employees that are highly recommended, including [Modern Health](/handbook/total-rewards/benefits/modern-health/).\n\n## 7. Keep your communications organized\n\nUtilize the [sidebar sections feature in Slack](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/communication/#organizing-your-slack-sidebar-by-priority). Group the pertinent CEO Shadow channels and team members. You'll want to make sure you stay on top of those messages.\n\n## 8. Tame your schedule management software\n\nIf you have [Clockwise](/handbook/tools-and-tips/other-apps/#clockwise) installed, it will override your status in Slack and pause notifications (the `z` indicator). This can mean missing important messages depending on your configuration. You can disable this by running `cw settings` and pausing the status override.\n\n## 9. MRs are essential\n\nYes, [everything starts with an MR](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/communication/#start-with-a-merge-request): Have a concern, idea or suggestion? It’s going to get more traction if you take a stab at drafting it through an MR first.\n\n## 10. Experiment with your screen layout\n\nNotes on the left or right? Place them at the top of your screen near the camera. It can be easy to sink into taking notes and forget that you are often live on YouTube. Check your video once in a while to check your posture, eye placement and lighting. Don't forget to smile!\n\n## 11. Time-keeping is important\n\nUse the [time-keeping shell script](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/ceo/shadow/#keeping-time) to ensure meetings [end on time](/company/culture/all-remote/meetings/#start-on-time-end-on-time). It’s amazing, simple and something a lot of shadows continue to use after the program.\n\n## 12. Don't overthink taking notes\n\nDon’t try to understand context when someone starts talking. Just try to capture what they said accurately. Taking effective notes and having [live doc meetings](/company/culture/all-remote/live-doc-meetings/) are amazing skills that the shadow program will catapult you into.\n\n## 13. Listen carefully\n\nExpect to be asked for questions in or following [Valley meetings](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/ceo/shadow/#valley-meetings). They are a unique opportunity and another great chance to participate.\n\n## 14. Early is the new on-time\n\nYou should always join a meeting a minute or two before. I found that doing this during the shadow program gave me extra time to chat with participants – and often Sid – before the main meeting started.\n\n## 15. Get a true glimpse at our core values\n\nYou'll see [transparency](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#transparency) at work. You'll see that our [E-group](/company/team/e-group/) is full of personable, down-to-earth people who thrive on collaboration. You'll hear iteration mentioned - a lot. Not because it's a buzzword, but because it's a highly effective way to develop software.\n\n> Sid said it best: \"Iteration is one of our super powers. It's super hard to do, but when you get it right, it's super effective. It allows you to innovate quickly.\"\n\n**[Join GitLab](/jobs/) and become a CEO Shadow yourself!**\n",[706,816,9],{"slug":1887,"featured":6,"template":685},"get-the-most-out-of-a-ceo-shadow-program","content:en-us:blog:get-the-most-out-of-a-ceo-shadow-program.yml","Get The Most Out Of A Ceo Shadow Program","en-us/blog/get-the-most-out-of-a-ceo-shadow-program.yml","en-us/blog/get-the-most-out-of-a-ceo-shadow-program",{"_path":1893,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1894,"content":1899,"config":1904,"_id":1906,"_type":13,"title":1907,"_source":15,"_file":1908,"_stem":1909,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/git-resources-for-visual-learners",{"title":1895,"description":1896,"ogTitle":1895,"ogDescription":1896,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":806,"ogUrl":1897,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":1897,"schema":1898},"5 Git resources for visual learners","Learning Git is not commonplace in code instruction, yet it is essential for modern software development. These sites get you started.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/git-resources-for-visual-learners","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"5 Git resources for visual learners\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"PJ Metz\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2022-09-14\",\n      }",{"title":1895,"description":1896,"authors":1900,"heroImage":806,"date":1901,"body":1902,"category":747,"tags":1903},[811],"2022-09-14","\n[Git](https://Git-scm.com/doc) is free and open source version control and has become the industry standard for keeping track of changes in software. A recent [survey](https://www.jetbrains.com/lp/devecosystem-2021/) by JetBrains states that 93% of developers surveyed use Git for source control.  Even though it’s used by almost every software developer, it’s still not ubiquitously taught as part of coding courses. Many people end up learning Git either on the job or on their own.\n\nWe’ve gathered a list of sites to learn Git, whether you’re brand-new to it or you need to fine-tune your skills. These five resources are largely focused on visual learning and use either video-based tools or an interactive website or game. \n\n\n**1. [Oh My Git](https://ohmyGit.org/)**\n\nOh My Git is a gamified way of learning Git commands that includes a visualization of what effect your actions have on the repository. It’s card-based for early beginners. Think of it like Hearthstone or Magic the Gathering, but better for learning. It can also be played by using the command line as well. Start playing today! \n\n**2. [Git for Computer Scientists](https://eagain.net/articles/git-for-computer-scientists/)**\n\nI love the abstract for this site: “Quick introduction to Git internals for people who are not scared by words like Directed Acyclic Graph.” This website has lots of helpful graphs for people who aren’t necessarily working explicitly in software, and is intended for a specific audience of computer scientists; be aware before heading in. \n\n**3. [Learn Git Branching](https://Github.com/pcottle/learnGitBranching#learnGitbranching)**\n\nSometimes, the complicated part of Git is understanding what is actually happening when you’re creating or working with multiple branches. This visualization tool helpfully creates a real-time display of changes to commit trees. \n\n**4. [Explain Git with D3](https://onlywei.github.io/explain-git-with-d3/)**\n\nThis is such a great resource and one that everyone should have bookmarked. This website lets you type commands in a CLI and immediately see graphs representing what you did on the right. It has an open playground mode where you can just do whatever you like as well as structured lessons for common Git commands. If you use Git but it just feels like magic, then this is a great website for deepening your understanding of what Git does. \n\n**5. [Git for ages 4 and up](https://youtu.be/1ffBJ4sVUb4?t=125)**\n\nThis is a fantastic video of Michael G. Schwern at Linux conf.au in 2013. Using children's toys, Michael gives us a great example of what exactly goes on in Git. It’s an entertaining video with important basics and concepts for anyone struggling to understand Git. \n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n  \u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/1ffBJ4sVUb4\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\u003C/figure>\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\n## Did you know? \n\nGitLab offers free Ultimate tier licenses to qualifying educational institutions when used for learning, teaching, or research? Learn more [here](/solutions/education/).\n",[877,749,9],{"slug":1905,"featured":6,"template":685},"git-resources-for-visual-learners","content:en-us:blog:git-resources-for-visual-learners.yml","Git Resources For Visual Learners","en-us/blog/git-resources-for-visual-learners.yml","en-us/blog/git-resources-for-visual-learners",{"_path":1911,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1912,"content":1918,"config":1924,"_id":1926,"_type":13,"title":1927,"_source":15,"_file":1928,"_stem":1929,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/gitlab-2018-year-in-review",{"title":1913,"description":1914,"ogTitle":1913,"ogDescription":1914,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1915,"ogUrl":1916,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":1916,"schema":1917},"2018: GitLab's year in review","Take a look at the highlight reel from 2018 – from landing $100M in funding to welcoming a host of great open source projects to GitLab.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749670162/Blog/Hero%20Images/happy-holidays-cover.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/gitlab-2018-year-in-review","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"2018: GitLab's year in review\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Emily von Hoffmann\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Rebecca Dodd\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-01-10\",\n      }",{"title":1913,"description":1914,"authors":1919,"heroImage":1915,"date":1921,"body":1922,"category":296,"tags":1923},[1920,723],"Emily von Hoffmann","2019-01-10","\n\nIn 2018, we added 289 new team members, raised another round of funding, spread the word about remote work, surpassed 2,000 contributors, welcomed some awesome open source projects to GitLab, and shipped 12 releases. It's been a banner year for GitLab, so before diving into 2019, we invite you to peer back through the mists of time at the top events from the past year, according to our community:\n\n- [Product news](#product-news)\n- [Community news](#community-news)\n- [Company news](#gitlab-news)\n\n## Product news\n\n### We announced GitLab Serverless\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"false\" /}\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"center\">\n\n  \u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Announcing GitLab Serverless 🚀\u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/Iu4GwHsaYK\">https://t.co/Iu4GwHsaYK\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— GitLab (@gitlab) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/gitlab/status/1072521159638482945?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 11, 2018\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote>\n  \u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003C/div>\n\n### We introduced Meltano\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"false\" /}\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"center\">\n\n  \u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Hey, data teams! We're working on a tool just for you. Read all about Meltano, from \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/jakecodes?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@jakecodes\u003C/a> & @tayloramurphy1 ✌️  \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/egEzILPNzu\">https://t.co/egEzILPNzu\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— GitLab (@gitlab) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/gitlab/status/1024773311367131137?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 1, 2018\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote>\n  \u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003C/div>\n\n### You got _really_ excited about the Web IDE\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"false\" /}\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"center\">\n\n  \u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">👋 Meet the GitLab Web IDE!\u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/vhx2RR1uU6\">https://t.co/vhx2RR1uU6\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— GitLab (@gitlab) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/gitlab/status/1007679206187249664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 15, 2018\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote>\n  \u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003C/div>\n\n### We successfully migrated to GCP and have noticed some improvements\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"false\" /}\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"center\">\n\n  \u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">What's up with \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/W0iwxWzEZ8\">https://t.co/W0iwxWzEZ8\u003C/a>? I wrote an analysis of \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/gitlab?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@GitLab\u003C/a>'s stability and performance since we migrated to \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/googlecloud?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@googlecloud\u003C/a> in August.\u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/8JvvbVq9wJ\">https://t.co/8JvvbVq9wJ\u003C/a> \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoogleCloud?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#GoogleCloud\u003C/a> \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cloud?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Cloud\u003C/a> \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/DevOps?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#DevOps\u003C/a> \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/SaaS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#SaaS\u003C/a> \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/performance?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#performance\u003C/a> \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/L6TWhh2Z0B\">pic.twitter.com/L6TWhh2Z0B\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— Andrew Newdigate (@suprememoocow) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/suprememoocow/status/1050467664584462337?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 11, 2018\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote>\n  \u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003C/div>\n\nAND you can check out [all our releases from 2018 (and from all time) over here](/releases/categories/releases/).\n\n## Community news\n\n### GNOME moves to GitLab\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"false\" /}\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"center\">\n\n  \u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Anyway, I'm proud of \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/gnome?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@gnome\u003C/a> because we achieved it, we made a huge effort on adapting and will continue doing it because that's who we are. And with this, I want to announce that the mass migration to \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/gitlab?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@gitlab\u003C/a> is now completed! Welcome all to 2018! 🎉\u003C/p>— Carlos Soriano (@csoriano1618) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/csoriano1618/status/1001501640623640577?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 29, 2018\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote>\n  \u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003C/div>\n\n### Drupal moves to GitLab\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"false\" /}\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"center\">\n\n  \u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Welcome to the party \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/drupal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@drupal\u003C/a>! 🎉 \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/umLw6YlSTl\">https://t.co/umLw6YlSTl\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— GitLab (@gitlab) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/gitlab/status/1030164542360375296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 16, 2018\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote>\n  \u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003C/div>\n\n### Freedesktop.org moves to GitLab\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"false\" /}\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"center\">\n\n  \u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">We get pretty excited when open source projects tell us they’re \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/movingtogitlab?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#movingtogitlab\u003C/a>. Welcome, \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/freedesktop?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#freedesktop\u003C/a>! \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/oLIfXZb7Va\">https://t.co/oLIfXZb7Va\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— GitLab (@gitlab) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/gitlab/status/1031864994747609088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 21, 2018\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote>\n  \u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003C/div>\n\n### Errrrrybody is #movingtogitlab\n\nWell, not _quite_, but 10x the normal daily number is still a big deal 😎\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"false\" /}\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"center\">\n\n  \u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">We're seeing 10x the normal daily amount of repositories \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/movingtogitlab?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#movingtogitlab\u003C/a> \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/7AWH7BmMvM\">https://t.co/7AWH7BmMvM\u003C/a> We're scaling our fleet to try to stay up. Follow the progress on \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/hN0ce379SC\">https://t.co/hN0ce379SC\u003C/a> and \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/movingtogitlab?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@movingtogitlab\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— GitLab (@gitlab) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/gitlab/status/1003409836170547200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 3, 2018\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote>\n  \u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003C/div>\n\n### Y'all had _feelings_ about burnout\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"false\" /}\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"center\">\n\n  \u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">‣ Don't go straight to work after you wake up.\u003Cbr>‣ Put \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/Slack?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Slack\u003C/a> notifications on dnd on weekends. \u003Cbr>‣ When you notice someone in a different time zone should be asleep, tell them.\u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/zKiytIMXsJ\">https://t.co/zKiytIMXsJ\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— GitLab (@gitlab) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/gitlab/status/975463098676076544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 18, 2018\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote>\n  \u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003C/div>\n\n### And everyone struggles with Git sometimes\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"false\" /}\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"center\">\n\n  \u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Git happens! Here's how to fix it 💅\u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/IMAuDH8j3P\">https://t.co/IMAuDH8j3P\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— GitLab (@gitlab) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/gitlab/status/1058445892464902146?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 2, 2018\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote>\n  \u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n  \u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">How & why to keep your Git commit history clean 💻✨ via \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/Kushal_Pandya?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@Kushal_Pandya\u003C/a> \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/HbYv2KsyGQ\">https://t.co/HbYv2KsyGQ\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— GitLab (@gitlab) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/gitlab/status/1006245935675006977?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 11, 2018\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote>\n\u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003C/div>\n\n### We celebrated 20 years of open source ❤️\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"false\" /}\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"center\">\n\n  \u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">We're excited to celebrate the 20th anniversary of open source this year at \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/OSCON?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#OSCON\u003C/a>! Check out our brief history of OSS ✨ \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/ox2s1rDS9f\">https://t.co/ox2s1rDS9f\u003C/a> \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/LIdQtQWeoO\">pic.twitter.com/LIdQtQWeoO\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— GitLab (@gitlab) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/gitlab/status/1018886162851811328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 16, 2018\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote>\n  \u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003C/div>\n\n### And made GitLab Gold free for open source projects and educational institutions 🎉\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"false\" /}\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"center\">\n\n  \u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Today, we're excited to announce that GitLab Ultimate and Gold are now free for educational institutions and open source projects 💜\u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/5PA08IYnwM\">https://t.co/5PA08IYnwM\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— GitLab (@gitlab) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/gitlab/status/1004033746897719298?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 5, 2018\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote>\n  \u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003C/div>\n\n### We celebrated inspiring GitLab users\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"false\" /}\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"center\">\n\n  \u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Video and blog about my journey from stunting motorcycles to \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/Kubernetes?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Kubernetes\u003C/a> - and some gushing about my love for \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/gitlab?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@gitlab\u003C/a> \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/ro73lucF7n\">https://t.co/ro73lucF7n\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— Leah Petersen (@eccomi_leah) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/eccomi_leah/status/1009894688906792960?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 21, 2018\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote>\n\u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003C/div>\n\n### And there was lots of love for GitLab swag\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"false\" /}\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"center\">\n\n\u003C!-- first tweet -->\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Thanks for the swag \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/gitlab?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@gitlab\u003C/a>. That's one reason to contribute 😃 \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/58Z1PsGTen\">pic.twitter.com/58Z1PsGTen\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— Amit Rathi (@amittrathi) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/amittrathi/status/1074562107545272320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 17, 2018\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote>\n\u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003C!-- second tweet -->\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">It’s the first time that I receive a birthday gift from the company that I work for. It’s simple, small and modest... but it goes a long way. Thanks \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/gitlab?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@gitlab\u003C/a> I love them 😍👍🎉 \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/AMCUdQevFu\">pic.twitter.com/AMCUdQevFu\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— Matej Latin (@matejlatin) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/matejlatin/status/1039473209291231232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 11, 2018\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote>\n\u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">When it comes to swag, \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/gitlab?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@gitlab\u003C/a> has raised the bar. This is an actual wooden pin. More pins as swag please 😬 cheers \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/samdbeckham?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@samdbeckham\u003C/a> \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/bcZtvqAjPE\">pic.twitter.com/bcZtvqAjPE\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— Sophie Koonin (@type__error) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/type__error/status/1058105160176726017?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 1, 2018\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote>\n\u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Thank you to \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/gitlab?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@gitlab\u003C/a> for the swag! Dear participants, we have many things for you 😁 \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/9BINX4UbLD\">pic.twitter.com/9BINX4UbLD\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— TechForum eXplore (@TeXWL) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/TeXWL/status/1011652998953611268?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 26, 2018\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote>\n\u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">First package of swag for our CI/CD \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/Hackathon?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Hackathon\u003C/a> arrived - yes: there will be \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/gitlab?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@gitlab\u003C/a> socks! 49 people RSVPed so far - it‘s gonna be epic! via \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MeetupDE?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@MeetupDE\u003C/a> \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/fZtBd7VZRi\">https://t.co/fZtBd7VZRi\u003C/a> \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/qyLbTeZN2t\">pic.twitter.com/qyLbTeZN2t\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— Michael Lihs (@kaktusmimi) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/kaktusmimi/status/970199201320665088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 4, 2018\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote>\n\u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003C/div>\n\n## GitLab news\n\n### We announced Series D funding and joined the 🦄 club\n\nIn September we [announced $100 million in Series D funding](/blog/announcing-100m-series-d-funding/), led by ICONIQ Capital. This brought our valuation to over $1 billion, and we couldn't be more excited to use this momentum to become best-in-class in every DevOps software category, from planning to monitoring.\n\n### We made #44 on the Inc. 5000 list\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"false\" /}\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"center\">\n\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">ICYMI: We made number 44 on the \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/inc5000?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#inc5000\u003C/a> list of 2018's fastest-growing companies 🎉: \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/x3jBqItfVK\">https://t.co/x3jBqItfVK\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— GitLab (@gitlab) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/gitlab/status/1032201460946268160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 22, 2018\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote>\n\u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003C/div>\n\n### We hung out IRL in beautiful Cape Town\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"false\" /}\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"center\">\n\n  \u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Good morning from Cape Town! It's Day 6 of the GitLab Summit 😍 \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/WHvaSnKHM4\">pic.twitter.com/WHvaSnKHM4\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— GitLab (@gitlab) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/gitlab/status/1034402765974450176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 28, 2018\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote>\n  \u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003C/div>\n\n### We made #17 on YC's 2018 Top Companies list\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"false\" /}\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"center\">\n\n  \u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Feeling proud of everyone \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/gitlab?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@GitLab\u003C/a>: as of October 2018, we are number 17 of the \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/ycombinator?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@YCombinator\u003C/a> Top Companies List, among companies like Airbnb, Stripe, Dropbox, Reddit and Twitch \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/UQZCaBAUeJ\">https://t.co/UQZCaBAUeJ\u003C/a> \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/YUJbDhRSyq\">pic.twitter.com/YUJbDhRSyq\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— Pedro MS (@PedroMScom) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/PedroMScom/status/1068146315404763139?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 29, 2018\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote>\n  \u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003C/div>\n\n### And we debuted some 🔥 integrations\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"false\" /}\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"center\">\n\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Apple just announced Xcode 10 is now integrated with GitLab \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/eQbtiY4IYm\">pic.twitter.com/eQbtiY4IYm\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— GitLab (@gitlab) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/gitlab/status/1003764673454342144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 4, 2018\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote>\n\u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003C/div>\n\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"false\" /}\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"center\">\n\n  \u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">We’re so excited to announce the new GKE integration for GitLab! Now you’re just moments away from a scalable development environment. \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/4RRVOXlrwz\">https://t.co/4RRVOXlrwz\u003C/a> \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/RSWwZDSPup\">pic.twitter.com/RSWwZDSPup\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— GitLab (@gitlab) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/gitlab/status/981916957527044096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 5, 2018\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote>\n  \u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003C/div>\n\n\nThat's all for now! We can't wait to see what 2019 will bring 🌟 As always, come hang out and tweet us your thoughts [@gitlab](https://twitter.com/gitlab).\n",[9,706,703,749],{"slug":1925,"featured":6,"template":685},"gitlab-2018-year-in-review","content:en-us:blog:gitlab-2018-year-in-review.yml","Gitlab 2018 Year In Review","en-us/blog/gitlab-2018-year-in-review.yml","en-us/blog/gitlab-2018-year-in-review",{"_path":1931,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1932,"content":1938,"config":1944,"_id":1946,"_type":13,"title":1947,"_source":15,"_file":1948,"_stem":1949,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/gitlab-and-the-three-ways-of-devops",{"title":1933,"description":1934,"ogTitle":1933,"ogDescription":1934,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1935,"ogUrl":1936,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":1936,"schema":1937},"GitLab and the three ways of DevOps","DevOps isn't just an esoteric philosophy - it actually is a roadmap for faster and safer software releases, if you choose the right tool. Here's how to take the principles of DevOps and get the most out of the One DevOps Platform.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749667845/Blog/Hero%20Images/gl15.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/gitlab-and-the-three-ways-of-devops","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"GitLab and the three ways of DevOps\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Vlad Budica\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2022-06-15\",\n      }",{"title":1933,"description":1934,"authors":1939,"heroImage":1935,"date":1941,"body":1942,"category":814,"tags":1943},[1940],"Vlad Budica","2022-06-15","\n\nMost of my daily conversations are focused on features and very deep technical concepts, which provide valuable and actionable insight. However, we miss the fact that tools and technology are leveraged to solve business challenges. When talking about features and technology, it's very easy to see the possible financial gain when replacing different tools with a unified platform. But it's missing all the improvement opportunities that will provide value at all the levels of a company from developers to executives.\n\nThe reality is that we're working in very complex systems, making it hard to see the forest from the trees. As an engineer, you're focused on solving the next immediate problem that arises without taking a step back to reevaluate the system itself. In some cases, the problem itself is created by the design of our software development lifecycle (SDLC). As an executive, it's difficult to balance the effort required to address the technical challenges with the pressure that comes from the business in this ever-increasing rhythm of change.\n\nMy goal with this article is to provide a high-level map that contains the most important DevOps principles and a shortcut. I know this is a bold statement as there is a lot of literature on this topic but my approach will be different.\n \nFirst, I'm going to use the [Three Ways](https://itrevolution.com/the-three-ways-principles-underpinning-devops/) as coined in [The DevOps Handbook](https://www.amazon.com/DevOps-Handbook-World-Class-Reliability-Organizations/dp/1942788002) because those are the three foundational principles of DevOps as they were refined from Lean, the Toyota Production System, Theory of Constraints, Six Sigma, and System Thinking principles. Second, I'll reference GitLab as the tool of choice because I think a good tool lets you focus on the work at hand, and GitLab does just that.  \n\n> You’re invited! Join us on June 23rd for the [GitLab 15 launch event](https://page.gitlab.com/fifteen) with DevOps guru Gene Kim and several GitLab leaders. They’ll show you what they see for the future of DevOps and The One DevOps Platform.\n\nHere is a short description of what the Three Ways are, what they're about, and why you should care.\n\n## First Way: Maximize flow\n\nThe First Way is all about making work/value flow better through the whole value stream (left to right), and to do that, we need to have a systems thinking approach and always look at the end-to-end result. In the case of IT, this means we optimize for speed from the moment we had the idea, to generating value with software running in production.\n\nWe need to have a good understanding of the system to find potential bottlenecks and areas of improvement. Our improvements should always lead to better overall performance, be aware of the cases in which local enhancements lead to global degradation, and avoid that.\n\nIn this process, it is crucial to stop defects from passing downstream from one workflow stage to another. Why? Because defects generate waste (of time and resources).\n\n## Second Way: Feedback loops\n\nThe Second Way deals with feedback loops, amplifying and shortening feedback loops so that we get valuable insight into the work we're doing. The feedback can be related to the code that's written or the improvement initiatives. Feedback loops maximize flow from right to left of the value stream.\n\nQuick, strong feedback loops help build quality into the product and ensure that we're not passing defects downstream. The quicker we do this the quicker and cheaper we can solve them, continuously keeping our software in a deployable state. It's easier for a developer to fix a bug when they are working on that change, and the code and the thought process are fresh in their mind. Suppose days or even weeks pass between the moment of the commit and the moment we realize there is a problem with the change. It will be significantly harder to address the problem, not to mention that we probably realized the problem only when trying to deploy the software and we have a service that's not working on our hands. On the flip side, feedback loops enable learning and experimentation, a point on which I’ll return a bit later.\n\nUsually, more developers lead to more productivity but, as presented in [The State of DevOps Report](https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/devops-sre/announcing-dora-2021-accelerate-state-of-devops-report), this is true only for high performers. Why? If we have a team of 50 developers and problems aren't immediately detected, technical debt builds up. Things will only get worse when we have 100 developers because they will generate even more technical debt with every development cycle. A natural tendency would be to add more developers in the hope velocity will get better, but it will degrade, so we add even more developers, and things degrade even more, and deployment frequency starts to suffer as it takes a lot of time to fix all the problems that came from upstream in order to get to a deployable state.\n\n## Third Way: Continuous experimentation and learning\n\nThe Third Way is about creating a culture of trust where continuous experimentation and learning can thrive. This leverages the first two ways in order to be successful.\n\nMaking work flow easily through the value stream enables us to experiment and even take some risks, while failing fast and inexpensively. Feedback loops act as the guardrails that help us keep the risk in check but also facilitate learning because learning happens only when strong fast feedback is available. We can have a scientific approach, experiment with things, and extract the learning and improvement that results from these experiments and their feedback.\n\nThis is an iterative process that will lead to mastery (through increased repetition). This should be coupled with an environment where this local learning becomes global and is integrated into the daily work of all the teams. For this approach to work and start getting some results, 20% of our time should be reserved for these improvement activities. I'm aware how difficult it can be to carve 20% of your time for improvement initiatives when dealing with urgent problems is your full-time job. Protecting this improvement time helps us pay our technical debt and make sure things are not spiraling out of control.\n\n## GitLab and the Three Ways\n\t\nNow that we presented the Three Ways of DevOps, maximizing flow (left to right), feedback loops (maximizing flow right to left) and having a continuous learning process, implementing them requires some effort from a tooling and process perspective.\n\nIt’s time to introduce GitLab into the picture, the only DevOps platform that covers the whole SDLC. Why is this useful for you? Because there is a synergy that happens when all the capabilities you need are provided in the same platform, the result is more than the sum of the components. Additionally, a good tool lets you focus on your work, not on the tool itself, so you can spend more time and effort driving your DevOps transformation. The fact that you’ll spend less money and time integrating different tools is the first immediate return of your investment.\n\nWhen the goal is to maximize flow from left to right, GitLab can facilitate that, starting from idea to production. Having the benefit of being a platform built from the ground up, work can flow from Planning to the commit and source code management stage and forward to CI/CD seamlessly. Any person involved in the SDLC can perform their work from the same UI. All the information they need is available without a need to switch through different UIs while paying the mental context-switching cost associated when using disparate tooling. \n\nGitLab provides different control mechanisms to make sure that if defects are introduced they are isolated and they don’t move downstream. Working in short-lived feature branches, different controls around merging and MR Request Approval rules act as gates. \n\nBy having everything on the same platform it’s easier to understand the whole flow of work, coupling this with our Value Stream Metrics enables everyone involved to get a better understanding of the overall system and find potential bottlenecks and improvement opportunities.\n\n### Improved flow\n\nAs mentioned, flow in one direction - left to right - is not enough to deliver better software products faster. Feedback loops that are quick and provide strong feedback are crucial for great business outcomes. From a developer perspective, the results of the CI pipeline provides immediate feedback about your change. If this pipeline contains security scans it’s even better. Providing feedback from a security standpoint ensures that we’re not deploying vulnerable code and it gives the developer the opportunity to go back and fix it immediately. This is very actionable feedback that also provides a learning opportunity because the security reports come with information about the vulnerabilities, and also where possible, a potential solution to the vulnerability. All this is available for you without any additional work to integrate different tools.\n\nSwitching perspectives, someone that needs to review or approve a code change has everything they need at their fingertips in one place. It’s straightforward to pull in or “@mention” other necessary parties and they’ll get access to all necessary context. A decision can be made immediately and it’s based on accurate and clear feedback that you can trace back to the initial idea. \n\n### Metrics matter\n\nTaking another step back, we get different metrics (Value Stream, Contribution) at the project level. This is one of the advantages that comes with a platform approach, and these insights are very easy to obtain and feed back into the process. When doing software development at scale, more senior managers need this feedback at an even higher level, and, therefore, these are available across multiple teams, projects, or departments. All this information is very valuable from a current perspective, but also it helps guide and shape business decisions. If the velocity isn’t what is needed by the business we can look to remove bottlenecks, improve things or invest in some key areas.\n\nWith these two capabilities in place, we have a framework in which we can iterate quickly and safely. Experimentation becomes easy and very safe, we can test different business hypotheses, and see which ones work best with our customers. This should happen on an ongoing basis because this is the cornerstone of innovation.\n\n### Context is critical \n\nEvery experiment that we perform, every problem that we solve becomes valuable learning that should be accessible to everyone in the organization. Having everything (context, actions, results, learning) in one place enables us to open things up so that everyone can contribute. This requires an environment of trust where everyone feels comfortable to run small experiments that lead to improvements, and where these improvements can diffuse in your entire organization. By having a tool that just works and provides everything you need without any additional work, you gain back capacity that you can use to improve your product, overall system, or organization.\n\nIt’s been a long journey up to this point, with the purpose of taking a look beyond immediate feature comparisons and the immediate financial gain that is realized when replacing multiple tools with one. We looked at the core principles of DevOps as a map in your DevOps transformation and at GitLab as a tool to facilitate that. Improving very complex systems is hard, driving that change through your company is a challenge, knowing that you have a tool that just delivers on your needs you can focus on developing code and on your continuous improvement efforts.\n\nI hope this is useful to everyone involved in the SDLC, from the engineers who need to work with and within the system everyday, to senior leaders who need to deliver business results.\n",[682,9,750],{"slug":1945,"featured":6,"template":685},"gitlab-and-the-three-ways-of-devops","content:en-us:blog:gitlab-and-the-three-ways-of-devops.yml","Gitlab And The Three Ways Of Devops","en-us/blog/gitlab-and-the-three-ways-of-devops.yml","en-us/blog/gitlab-and-the-three-ways-of-devops",{"_path":1951,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1952,"content":1957,"config":1962,"_id":1964,"_type":13,"title":1965,"_source":15,"_file":1966,"_stem":1967,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/gitlab-at-scale",{"title":1953,"description":1954,"ogTitle":1953,"ogDescription":1954,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1151,"ogUrl":1955,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":1955,"schema":1956},"Join the GitLab Community Day at SCaLE 18x!","If you're attending SCaLE 18x, here's how you can find the GitLab community at the event.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/gitlab-at-scale","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Join the GitLab Community Day at SCaLE 18x!\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Ray Paik\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2020-02-17\",\n      }",{"title":1953,"description":1954,"authors":1958,"heroImage":1151,"date":1959,"body":1960,"category":792,"tags":1961},[744],"2020-02-17","\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"true\" /}\n\n\n\nWe just returned from [FOSDEM](https://fosdem.org/2020/), where we had a great time meeting with and talking to GitLab community members. We will be on the road again to Southern California in a few weeks at [SCaLE 18x](https://www.socallinuxexpo.org/scale/18x), and hope to meet with wider GitLab community members at the event! If you are not familiar with SCaLE, it is the largest volunteer-organized open-source and free software event in North America. This year will be the 18th edition of the conference, and the SCaLE team provided us with a 40% discount code for GitLab community. When you [register](https://register.socallinuxexpo.org/reg6/), you can use the code `GIT` for the discount!\n\n### GitLab Community Day\n\nThis year, we are organizing a [GitLab Community Day](https://www.socallinuxexpo.org/scale/18x/gitlab-community-day), where we will have a discussion on resources for the wider community, a hands-on workshop on how you can contribute to GitLab, and a tutorial on how to use GitLab.\n\nSeveral team members from the [GitLab Developer Relations team](https://about.gitlab.com/company/team/?department=community-relations) will be at SCaLE 18x this time around. If you're interested in learning more about GitLab's programs for supporting code contributors, educational institutions, evangelists, open source communities, and more, we'd love to meet you in person.\n\n- **WHEN**: Friday, March 6th, from 1:30 p.m to 5:30 p.m. \n- **WHERE**: **Ballroom F** at the Pasadena Convention Center\n\nYou can find more information on topics and speakers on the [Gitlab Community Day issue](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/marketing/community-relations/evangelist-program/general/issues/900). You are welcome to add feedback or suggestions directly on the issue.  \n\n### DevOpsDay LA \n\nGitLab will again be a sponsor for [DevOpsDay LA](https://www.socallinuxexpo.org/scale/18x/devopsday-la) at SCaLE, and we will have a **GitLab booth** in the DevOpsDay LA exhibit area on March 6th. If you want to come talk to GitLab team members about anything DevOps, please swing by our booth and checkout some GitLab swag. Speaking of swag, there will also be a raffle at 3:35pm where the winner will get a Nintendo Switch! So, please be sure to enter the raffle while you visit the GitLab booth. \n\n- **WHEN**: Friday, March 6th, all day \n- **WHERE**: **Ballroom DE** at the Pasadena Convention Center\n\n\n### Talks given by GitLab team members at SCaLE 18x\n\nA couple of GitLab team members will be speaking at the conference:\n\n- On Friday March 6th, [Francis Potter](https://gitlab.com/francispotter) will discuss [The Future of DevOps and the Importance of Right-to-Left Thinking](https://www.socallinuxexpo.org/scale/18x/presentations/future-devops-and-importance-right-left-thinking) in the DevOps track.\n- On Saturday March 7th, I ([Ray Paik](https://gitlab.com/rpaik)) will be talking about [Building a thriving community in (for-profit) open source projects](https://www.socallinuxexpo.org/scale/18x/presentations/building-thriving-community-profit-open-source-projects) in the Mentoring track. \n\n\n\nPlease come say hi 👋 at SCaLE, and we look forward to seeing many of you in sunny Southern California!\n",[9,794,749],{"slug":1963,"featured":6,"template":685},"gitlab-at-scale","content:en-us:blog:gitlab-at-scale.yml","Gitlab At Scale","en-us/blog/gitlab-at-scale.yml","en-us/blog/gitlab-at-scale",{"_path":1969,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1970,"content":1976,"config":1981,"_id":1983,"_type":13,"title":1984,"_source":15,"_file":1985,"_stem":1986,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/gitlab-chatops-will-become-available-to-everyone",{"title":1971,"description":1972,"ogTitle":1971,"ogDescription":1972,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1973,"ogUrl":1974,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":1974,"schema":1975},"We're making GitLab ChatOps available to everyone!","As a holiday gift, the ChatOps functionality in GitLab will be open sourced","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749679978/Blog/Hero%20Images/holiday-gift.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/gitlab-chatops-will-become-available-to-everyone","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"We're making GitLab ChatOps available to everyone!\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Sid Sijbrandij\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2018-12-24\",\n      }",{"title":1971,"description":1972,"authors":1977,"heroImage":1973,"date":1978,"body":1979,"category":296,"tags":1980},[833],"2018-12-24","\n\nGitLab is an open-core project that has both open-source and source-available code.\nThe [likely type of buyer determines which tier a feature goes into](/company/pricing/#the-likely-type-of-buyer-determines-what-features-go-in-what-tier).\nIf the buyer for a feature is an individual contributor, we [promise to open-source it](/company/stewardship/#what-features-are-paid-only).\n\nWe don't always get this classification right. When something that is already open source should be source-available, we leave it open source — and when something should be open-source, we fix it.\n\nThe latter is the case for [GitLab ChatOps](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/chatops/). ChatOps lets you run commands from chat (right now Slack and Mattermost are supported). Running these commands in a channel allow everyone to be on the same page about what happened. We use it in production, for example to publish and deploy GitLab and to run database queries:\n\n![alt text](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/chatops.png \"Logo Title Text 1\")\n\nWe discovered that the people that care most about this feature are individual contributors, so we'll open source this feature in GitLab 11.9.\n\nThe ChatOps market has not taken off the way that many of us (including myself) predicted.\nThe first ChatOps client was Hubot and its popularity [has dwindled since 2015](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&geo=US&q=hubot).\nI was really excited for the next generation of ChatOps provided by [the Cog project](https://github.com/operable/cog), but the company behind this initiative [had to wind down](https://blog.operable.io/cog-marches-on-8956b4fb74fe).\n\nIn talking with industry experts, I think there are five ingredients needed to make ChatOps successful:\n\n1. Monitoring: ChatOps is great for troubleshooting together, so it should be easy to show a graph.\n1. Queryability: allow a parameter, for example a SQL command to run, or to show a graph of a specific server. \n1. Permissions: People should have different levels of access, preferably [Role Based Access Control (RBAC)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Role-based_access_control).\n1. Zero-config: You should have access to a lot of functionality without any setup required. \n1. Consistency: ChatOps should work the same throughout the organization.\n\nI think monitoring and queryability were innovations in Hubot. In Hubot anyone with access could do anything, this was fixed when Cog added permissions. GitLab adds zero-config and consistency so that everything works out of the box. Things are able to work out of the box in GitLab because it is a single application for the entire DevOps lifecycle. GitLab knows how to deploy an application with [Auto DevOps](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/topics/autodevops/). In GitLab you have [monitoring](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/administration/monitoring/) with metrics and tracing.\n\nCurrently the functionality in ChatOps doesn't have commands for deployments and metrics by default. We hope that open-sourcing the functionality will enourage more use of ChatOps and more contributions to it.\n\nThe wider community has become more active this year, with more than 150 contributions to all different parts of GitLab in the last release.\n\nFor this we are most grateful.\nHappy holidays!\n",[9],{"slug":1982,"featured":6,"template":685},"gitlab-chatops-will-become-available-to-everyone","content:en-us:blog:gitlab-chatops-will-become-available-to-everyone.yml","Gitlab Chatops Will Become Available To Everyone","en-us/blog/gitlab-chatops-will-become-available-to-everyone.yml","en-us/blog/gitlab-chatops-will-become-available-to-everyone",{"_path":1988,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":1989,"content":1995,"config":2001,"_id":2003,"_type":13,"title":2004,"_source":15,"_file":2005,"_stem":2006,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/gitlab-ci-cd-features-improvements",{"title":1990,"description":1991,"ogTitle":1990,"ogDescription":1991,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1992,"ogUrl":1993,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":1993,"schema":1994},"GitLab CI/CD's 2018 highlights","We move quickly, always with an eye to the future, but let's take a moment to look back on how GitLab CI/CD has evolved in the past six months.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749663779/Blog/Hero%20Images/cicd-2018_blogimage.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/gitlab-ci-cd-features-improvements","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"GitLab CI/CD's 2018 highlights\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Jason Yavorska\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-01-21\",\n      }",{"title":1990,"description":1991,"authors":1996,"heroImage":1992,"date":1998,"body":1999,"category":296,"tags":2000},[1997],"Jason Yavorska","2019-01-21","\nHello everyone, and happy New Year! For those who don't know me, my name is [Jason Yavorska](/company/team/#jyavorska) and I've been the product manager of GitLab CI/CD since around the middle of last year. 2018 was a big year for CI/CD improvements in GitLab, and I'm so proud of our team and what we've been able to deliver in partnership with you, our users. Even just looking back on the last six months of improvements, we've delivered a ton of changes that move our vision for CI/CD forward, address important asks from our users, and build the foundation for an amazing 2019.\n\nBelow are a few of the highlights from my time here so far; be sure to let me know in the comments if I missed something that meant a lot to you.\n\n## Access control for GitLab Pages\n\nOne of the most amazing things about working for an open core company like GitLab is that our community of users can play an outsized role in how our product grows and develops, thanks to their always impressive contributions. Last year we introduced [Access control for Pages (11.5)](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues/33422), a feature with 304 👍 that was actually part of our 2019 vision, and was built thanks to a significant community contribution from MVP [Tuomo Ala-Vannesluoma](https://gitlab.com/tuomoa).\n\nThis was not just a great feature, but also highlights how GitLab and community contributors can work together to do amazing things. It came out shortly after I joined as a new product manager here, and it really opened my eyes to the possibilities inherent in working together transparently and openly with our user community. Now I don't think I could ever go back to any other way of working.\n\n## Feature flags\n\nI'm always looking for ways to expand our horizons and bring more great capabilities into the CI/CD space, and the team achieved that last year with [Allow users to create and manage feature flags for their applications (11.4)](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ee/issues/6220). A major piece of our 2018 vision, feature flags are so important to continuous delivery workflows since they allow you to safely isolate delivering your code to production, from the moment users engage with it, giving you more control and better options when it comes to how and when you deliver software.\n\n![CI/CD feature flags](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/cicd-feature_flags.png){: .shadow.medium.center}\n\n## Pipelines for merge requests\n\nSometimes, what you do in one year may be valuable on its own, but it also helps establish a foundation for more in the future. A common request from the community last year had been to make pipelines more aware of merge requests, so that at runtime, information such as the target branch, merge request name and ID, and other information was available to the pipeline. In 2018 we introduced [`only/except: merge_requests` for merge request pipelines (11.6)](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues/15310), which created this linkage. One great way to take advantage of this feature already is to use it to only create [Review Apps](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/review_apps/) on merge requests, helping to save money on environments versus creating them for every pipeline.\n\nPerhaps even more exciting than this feature on its own, is that it will continue to evolve and grow into the ability to [Run a pipeline on what the merged result will be](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ee/issues/7380). I can already say with confidence that this will be a game changer for teams that want to prioritize keeping their `master` branch green. As far as predicting the future outside of GitLab, I'm still accepting merge requests for that 😉\n\n![pipelines for merge requests](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/cicd-mr_pipelines.png){: .shadow.medium.center}\n\n## Usability improvements for the merge request widget\n\nSpeaking of merge requests, in general the team has made a lot of improvements to how the merge request widget interacts with CI/CD. We added [JUnit XML Test Summary (11.2)](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues/45318), part of our 2018 vision to make testing a more interactive part of the CI pipeline. We also now [Show enhanced information on running deploys (11.5)](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues/25140), and [Link directly to changed pages in Review App (11.5)](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues/33418), which uses [Route Maps](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/environments/index.html#go-directly-from-source-files-to-public-pages-on-the-environment) to send you directly to the updated content. Both of these changes were welcome improvements that made it much easier to see what was going on, all in one place.\n\n![CI/CD review app link](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/cicd-reviewapp_link.png){: .shadow.medium.center}\n\n## #movingtogitlab\n\n[#movingtogitlab](https://twitter.com/hashtag/movingtogitlab?src=hash) was an exciting movement in 2018, and I wanted to ensure a great experience for everyone checking us out, even if they were just trying out GitLab CI or other features, and still using GitHub for repositories. One of the challenges that people ran into early on was the way status checks were named by GitLab CI, which didn't play nicely with the way GitHub expected them to work. The team was able to introduce [Name status checks consistently to support GitHub-integrated CI workflow (11.5)](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues/53902) as a change to unblock this, ensuring a valuable experience for everyone, even if you weren't ready to go \"all in\" on GitLab yet.\n\n## Stewardship\n\nHere at GitLab, we take [stewardship of open source](/company/stewardship/) seriously. I was very happy to move the `include:` keyword from paid to free, because I know how important it is for CI/CD users to support proper reuse instead of copy-pasted code. [Move \"include external files in .gitlab-ci.yml\" from Starter to Core (11.4)](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues/42861) (with a grand total of 267 👍 on the issue) achieved this, and opened up new doors, not just for avoiding duplication, but also for more secure ways of implementing common workflows by moving compliance, security, and governance job implementation to a centrally controlled location.\n\n## Honorable mentions\n\nThere wasn't enough time to cover everything in this post without making it a mile long, but there are a few other honorable mentions I want to call out:\n\n- [11.2: Manually stopping environments](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues/25388) (with 245 👍 from our users) added the ability to manually stop your environments, such as review apps, instead of only through pipeline automation.\n- [11.3: Improve handling of includes in `.gitlab-ci.yml` to better enable script reuse/templates](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues/51521) introduced a new way to `extend` your job definitions using templates, including from across different files.\n- [11.4: Run jobs only/except when there are changes for a given path or file](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues/19232) (with a whopping 424 👍) gave you the ability to control whether a job runs or not, based on which files were changed.\n- [11.4: Add support for interactive web terminal to Docker executor](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-runner/issues/3467) let you connect an interactive to a build/deploy environment and troubleshoot on the live runner host.\n- [11.4: Add timed deployments to AutoDevOps incremental rollouts](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ee/issues/7545) enabled new deployment strategies where the rollout was done over time in phases.\n- [11.5: `parallel` job keyword to speed up pipelines](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues/21480) added an easy way to run parallel instances of a job without creating duplicate jobs in your `gitlab-ci.yml`.\n- [11.6: Allow pipelines to be deleted by project owners](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues/41875) (265 👍) gave control over removing old and invalid pipelines, as well as those which may have accidentally included sensitive information in the outputs.\n\n## What's next?\n\nOf course, the mission to improve GitLab CI/CD doesn't stop here. We're bringing [Brendan O'Leary](/company/team/#olearycrew) on board as the full-time product manager for CI (what we call the [Verify stage](/stages-devops-lifecycle/verify/)), freeing me up to focus entirely on CD (what we call [Release](/stages-devops-lifecycle/release/)). We're also significantly growing headcount for the engineering teams supporting us. Having full-time product managers and larger teams dedicated to each of these stages is going to allow us to deliver even more amazing things, even faster.\n\nI've touched on a couple points above, but tried to avoid making this a preview of what's coming for CI/CD in 2019. If you're interested in where Brendan and I are headed, you can visit our direction pages for [Verify (CI)](/direction/verify/) and [Release (CD)](/direction/release/), and feel free to reach out to us directly if you'd like to have a conversation – we'd love to chat about your ideas. Being a transparent, open core company, we also welcome participation in all of our public issues (which you'll find linked to from the above direction pages). For me, the best part of this job is interacting with you, the users of GitLab, so thank you for that opportunity. Here's to another great year of working together to make the job of delivering software fun and rewarding!\n\n## Just one more thing...\n\nI'd be remiss if I didn't mention how great GitLab is as a place to work. If you're interested in joining our all-remote team, we're constantly growing and looking for great PMs and others to join us. Check out [our jobs page](/jobs/) to learn more. I'd encourage you to apply even if you don't see an exact match – GitLab is great at finding the right fit for the right personality, even if that's not exactly listed on our hiring website. If you're really unsure, feel free to reach out to me directly ([@j4yav](https://twitter.com/j4yav)) and I'll help you get in touch with the right person.\n",[940,9,705,706,749],{"slug":2002,"featured":6,"template":685},"gitlab-ci-cd-features-improvements","content:en-us:blog:gitlab-ci-cd-features-improvements.yml","Gitlab Ci Cd Features Improvements","en-us/blog/gitlab-ci-cd-features-improvements.yml","en-us/blog/gitlab-ci-cd-features-improvements",{"_path":2008,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2009,"content":2015,"config":2020,"_id":2022,"_type":13,"title":2023,"_source":15,"_file":2024,"_stem":2025,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/gitlab-commit-cfp-closing-soon",{"title":2010,"description":2011,"ogTitle":2010,"ogDescription":2011,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2012,"ogUrl":2013,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":2013,"schema":2014},"Apply to speak at GitLab Commit!","Share your story with the wider GitLab community.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749678515/Blog/Hero%20Images/gitlab-commit-header.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/gitlab-commit-cfp-closing-soon","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Apply to speak at GitLab Commit!\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Priyanka Sharma\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-07-15\",\n      }",{"title":2010,"description":2011,"authors":2016,"heroImage":2012,"date":2017,"body":2018,"category":296,"tags":2019},[936],"2019-07-15","\nHello there! The inaugural [GitLab Commit conferences](/events/commit) are coming this fall, and I'm thrilled to invite you to attend **and** speak. After taking over Brooklyn and London, GitLab will be heading to San Francisco in January and the [Call for Papers](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdbDLOt7jYDlvZqgs2-IlOoLexszEZ0zGghA3HB-VEq_vVICA/formResponse) is now open. We believe that everyone can contribute, and so we want to hear from you, so apply now to share your insights, innovations, and inspirations. But don't wait too long; the Call for Papers closes on October 21 at 11:59 PM Pacific.\n\nOur community is essential to GitLab, and your unique points of view are what will power great GitLab Commit events. If you need help with your submissions, feel free to reach out to me directly on Twitter – [@pritianka](https://twitter.com/pritianka) – or send an email to the Commit team at commit@gitlab.com. We're delighted to support and elevate your voices.\n\nBelow is more information about the event. Check out what we're cooking up, and I look forward to seeing all of your talk proposals!\n\n## What is Commit?\n\nGitLab Commit brings together the GitLab community to connect, learn, and inspire. You’ll learn about exciting new technologies and hear how creators like you are innovating the future of software development.\n\nGitLab Commit is coming to San Francisco on Jan. 14, 2020!\n\nWe invite you to speak at [GitLab Commit](/events/commit) and share your software journey. We’re looking for stories that showcase the power of DevOps in action. Share the technologies and strategies you’ve employed, your challenges and successes, or a behind-the-scenes look at how you're building something incredible.\n\n**Results** is a [GitLab company value](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#results) – and the theme of this conference – so proposals that share clear results (such as improved cycle times by 30% or reduced MTTR by 45%) will be prioritized.\n\n## Session types\n\nWe're accepting proposals for 30-minute lectures or panels, 20-minute live coding demos, 10-minute lightning talks, and ideas for 'birds of a feather' discussions.\n\n## Tracks\n\n#### Cloud native\nLearn how to leverage cloud native technologies like Kubernetes, severless, and [multicloud](/topics/multicloud/) to build and run applications better and faster.\n\n#### DevOps in action\nExpect to walk away with practical advice and examples of how others navigated their DevOps transformations. These sessions focus on actions and results rather than high-level ideas.\n\n#### Live coding\nThese adrenaline-pumping sessions will feature doers on stage, live coding, debugging, and hacking. Join along on your laptop or just enjoy the show.\n\n#### Powered by GitLab\nSoftware has eaten the world, and we are all better for it. Hear how developers like you are building on GitLab to solve large-scale problems across the world, from humanitarian crises to space exploration.\n\n## Looking for inspiration?\n\nHere are some ideas to help you get started:\n\n* The single application for cloud native: How you utilize multiple (not necessarily all) GitLab product stages from Manage to Plan, Create, Verify, Package, Secure, Release, Configure, Monitor, and Protect your software DevSecOps lifecycle\n* Planning and managing DevOps: Tips, tricks, and lessons learned about how to organize, plan, and deliver across groups and projects. Share how you estimate, plan sprints, create boards, and keep your project moving forward.\n* Social coding: DevOps is a team effort – we learn from each other. In this track learn how to master Git, code reviews, and innersourcing to make it easier for you to share and ship faster.\n* Automated, secure, and reliable applications: From CI and CD to security, automation is the foundation of DevOps transformation. In this track, we are exploring best practices and insights into what it takes to rapidly iterate and deliver at the speed of business.\n* Cloud native and Kubernetes: GitLab + Kubernetes = Awesome\n\n## Deadline\n\nThe Call For Papers for GitLab Commit San Francisco closes October 21! [Get more details and to submit your talks here](https://forms.gle/cJGtGythtaoi4ucB8).\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n  \u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/hi2D0Se_VnA\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\u003C/figure>\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n",[274,9],{"slug":2021,"featured":6,"template":685},"gitlab-commit-cfp-closing-soon","content:en-us:blog:gitlab-commit-cfp-closing-soon.yml","Gitlab Commit Cfp Closing Soon","en-us/blog/gitlab-commit-cfp-closing-soon.yml","en-us/blog/gitlab-commit-cfp-closing-soon",{"_path":2027,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2028,"content":2033,"config":2038,"_id":2040,"_type":13,"title":2041,"_source":15,"_file":2042,"_stem":2043,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/gitlab-commit-london-speakers",{"title":2029,"description":2030,"ogTitle":2029,"ogDescription":2030,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2012,"ogUrl":2031,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":2031,"schema":2032},"Get a first look at the lineup for GitLab Commit London!","Meet the speakers – and get the schedule – for the upcoming GitLab Commit conference in London.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/gitlab-commit-london-speakers","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Get a first look at the lineup for GitLab Commit London!\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"GitLab\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-08-29\",\n      }",{"title":2029,"description":2030,"authors":2034,"heroImage":2012,"date":2035,"body":2036,"category":296,"tags":2037},[1745],"2019-08-29","\n\nWe are (forgive us) _properly chuffed_ to announce the amazing speaker lineup for our upcoming\nuser conference, GitLab Commit, on October 9 in London! The London edition of Commit will feature\nan inspiring group of speakers from many of the leading technology organizations in Europe and around the world.\n\nDown a cobblestone drive in the heart of the City of London is [The Brewery](https://www.thebrewery.co.uk/),\nwhere your journey will begin. For one day only, this 18th-century brewery plays host to leaders and\ninnovators who will share their voyages of automation, exploration, and transformation. You'll gain\ninsights to increase velocity and shape the future of development. And then we'll wrap it all up with\na [mini golf party](https://swingers.club/uk) in the moonlight. Jolly good stuff!\n\n [Join us for our first user conference! Register now.](#register-today)\n {: .alert .alert-gitlab-purple .text-center}\n\n## The lineup\n\nLocation coolness aside, the stories and talks are why you should come to GitLab Commit. We've\nworked hard to create a user-centric conference with speakers who not only build great software every day\nbut strive to modernize the process as they do so.\n\nThe GitLab Commit London keynotes will include:\n\n![speaker card alberto gisbert](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/gitlab-commit-london-speakers/gitlab-commit-london-alberto-gisbert-speaker-card.png){: .shadow.small.right.wrap-text}\n\n#### Establishing a DevOps culture @ Porsche:  A GitLab success story\n##### Alberto Gisbert & Dennis Menge, software engineers at Porsche AG\n\nIn early 2018, Porsche set a goal to become a digital company. However, neither the culture\nnor infrastructure supported modern software development. Automation, cloud infrastructure, and\nbetter collaboration were needed. Software engineers Alberto Gisbert and Dennis Menge share\nPorsche's journey to digital transformation from a developer point of view.\n\n![speaker card matt smith](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/gitlab-commit-london-speakers/gitlab-commit-london-matt-smith-speaker-card.png){: .shadow.small.left.wrap-text}\n\n#### Zero to K8s: As fast as possible\n##### Matt Smith, software engineer lead, OSCE Team, Capgemini UK\n\nMatt will share his success story starting with no code and no infrastructure to having a\nfunctioning proof of concept application with frontend, backend and database, all\nrunning on Kubernetes. He'll explain how he got there quickly using GitLab and open source\nscripts and tools.\n\n![speaker card alexandru viscreanu](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/gitlab-commit-london-speakers/gitlab-commit-london-alexandru-constantin-viscreanu-speaker-card.png){: .shadow.small.right.wrap-text}\n\n#### Flying from base to native within the clouds\n##### Alexandru Constantin Viscreanu, platform engineer, Kiwi.com\n\nToday's PaaS landscape is filled with a wide variety of choices so Kiwi.com is constantly working on improving\nits infrastructure stack to take advantage of the many building blocks cloud providers have to offer. In\nthis talk Alex will be sharing how Kiwi manages to keep the technology up to date and what\nlessons have been learned from migrating their services over the years.\n\n## GitLab Commit London tracks\n\n### Cloud native\n\nLearn how to leverage cloud native technologies like Kubernetes, serverless, and [multicloud](/topics/multicloud/) to build\nand run applications better and faster. In \"The beauty of Gitlab CI/CD,\" with Getty Orawo, a software\ndeveloper at Podii, Getty will discuss her journey through DevOps and how she learned to autodeploy.\n\n### DevOps in action\n\nWe all need practical advice and examples of how others have navigated DevOps transformations so\nthese sessions focus on actions and results rather than high-level ideas. In \"Zero-cost infrastructure\nand automatic deployments for small teams,\" with George Tsiolis, UX engineer, and Niki Kontoe,\nbackend engineer, at Ubitech, the speakers will discuss how they planned their engineering\nefforts and improved their development workflows using source code management, code reviews,\ncontinuous integration, and continuous deployment practices.\n\n### Powered by GitLab\n\nSoftware has eaten the world and we are all better for it. Hear how developers like you are\nbuilding on GitLab to solve large, real-world problems including humanitarian crises and even space exploration.\nIn \"Four years with GitLab at Ocado Technology,\" with Piotr Kurpik and Artur Frysiak,\nDevOps engineers at Ocado, the co-presenters will focus on how they honed in on one and only source\ncode tool and the successes and challenges that have shaped their experiences.\n\n## Agenda\n\n\u003Ca id=\"sched-embed\" href=\"//gitlabcommit2019london.sched.com/\">View the GitLab Commit 2019 - London schedule & directory.\u003C/a>\u003Cscript type=\"text/javascript\" src=\"//gitlabcommit2019london.sched.com/js/embed.js\">\u003C/script>\n\n### Register today\n\nDon't wait to register as tickets are going fast! You can still get £99 off if you register before\nSeptember 23 with code [commit99](https://gitlabcommit2019ldntickets.eventbrite.com?discount=commit99).\n",[274,9,1610],{"slug":2039,"featured":6,"template":685},"gitlab-commit-london-speakers","content:en-us:blog:gitlab-commit-london-speakers.yml","Gitlab Commit London Speakers","en-us/blog/gitlab-commit-london-speakers.yml","en-us/blog/gitlab-commit-london-speakers",{"_path":2045,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2046,"content":2051,"config":2056,"_id":2058,"_type":13,"title":2059,"_source":15,"_file":2060,"_stem":2061,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/gitlab-commit-speaker-announcement",{"title":2047,"description":2048,"ogTitle":2047,"ogDescription":2048,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2012,"ogUrl":2049,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":2049,"schema":2050},"See who will be speaking at GitLab Commit!","Announcing the speakers for our inaugural GitLab Commit conference in Brooklyn.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/gitlab-commit-speaker-announcement","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"See who will be speaking at GitLab Commit!\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Gitlab\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-08-07\",\n      }",{"title":2047,"description":2048,"authors":2052,"heroImage":2012,"date":2053,"body":2054,"category":296,"tags":2055},[1745],"2019-08-07","\n\nWe're excited to announce the first round of speakers for our inaugural [GitLab Commit](/events/commit) conference in Brooklyn! This group of speakers includes thought leaders and industry experts, members of both the GitLab team and wider community, and people from diverse backgrounds with diverse perspectives. \n\nBrilliant minds from the likes of Delta Air Lines, Goldman Sachs, T-Mobile, DigitalOcean, VMware, and Cloud Native Computing Foundation will join GitLab CEO and co-founder Sid Sijbrandij for an unforgettable day of learning and networking.\n\nAttendees can expect great conversations and insights on how to bring teams together to deliver code quickly and securely, and how to push innovation forward at lightning speeds. We look forward to seeing you there on **September 17th** and experiencing a unique event that is taking over Williamsburg, Brooklyn. \n\n### Venue and Location\n\nGitLab Commit Brooklyn will not only take place at the [Williamsburg Hotel](https://www.thewilliamsburghotel.com/), but will be a Williamsburg neighborhood *takeover*. Every venue in a two block radius will have its own theme, immersing you in the city. From a graffiti wall to a trip to a brewery, your day of learning about the future of software development will be full of creative inspiration.\n\nHear talks, mix and mingle with new and old friends at the Williamsburg hotel, Wythe Hotel, Kinfolk, Schimanski’s and end the night at Brooklyn Bowl. \n\nRegister by August 15, 11:59 pm PT with code: commit99 to save $99 on conference passes!\n{: .alert .alert-info .text-center}\n\n### GitLab Commit Brooklyn speakers\n\n#### Keynote: “How Delta Became Truly Cloud Native: Avoiding the vendor-lock”\n\n– Jasmine James, IT Manager - DevOps Center of Excellence, Delta Air Lines\n\n#### Keynote: “Creating a CI/CD Pipeline with GitLab and Kubernetes in 20 Minutes”\n\n– Eddie Zaneski, Senior Director Security, DigitalOcean\n\n#### Keynote: “Implementing an Open Source Culture at NASA”\n\n– Marshall Cottrell, Lead Engineer, Platform Team, MRI Technologies\n\n#### “Being budget conscious in a continuously automated world”\n\n– Tim Davis, Cloud Advocate, VMware\n\n#### “Running GitLab and GitLab CI in Kubernetes for the Enterprise”\n\n– Kyle Persohn, Senior Engineer, and Sean Corkum, Senior Engineer, Northwestern Mutual\n\n#### “Cloud Native Logging & Stream Processing”\n\n– Eduardo Silva, Principal Engineer, Arm/ Treasure Data\n\n#### “GovLab: Gitlab in the Federal Government”\n\n– Solomon Rubin, Cyber Security & Software Engineer, MITRE\n\n#### “How Containerized GitLab CI Pipelines Can Help You Streamline Your Infrastructure Deployments”\n\n– Nico Meisenzahl, Senior Consultant, panagenda\n\n#### “Automation and Iteration: How a small agency team takes advantage of Gitlab to test and deploy rapidly across environments”\n\n– Cory Zibell, Technology Lead, Digital Surgeons\n\n#### “The after-effects of contributing to open source”\n\n– George Tsiolis, UX Engineer, Ubitech\n\n#### “Dynamically managing group permissions using GitOPS and the Gitlab API”\n\n– Philip Marc Schwartz, Principal Software Engineer, CDP Platform, T-Mobile\n\n#### “Using chaos engineering in Gitlab pipelines for faster hardening”\n\n– Umasankar Mukkara, Co-founder and COO, MayaData\n\n### Also featuring...\n\n#### George Grant\nVP - Technology Fellow, Goldman Sachs\n\n#### Dan Kohn\nExecutive Director, Cloud Native Computing Foundation\n\n#### Christopher Bolton\nSenior Systems Engineer, Delta Air Lines\n\n#### Claire Carroll\ndbt Community Manager, Fishtown Analytics\n\n#### Nicole Schultz\nSenior Engineer, Northwestern Mutual\n\n#### Mike Nick\nSenior Engineer, Northwestern Mutual\n\n#### Karthik Satchitanand\nQuality & Automation Lead, MayaData\n\n#### Sid Sijbrandij\nCo-founder & CEO, GitLab\n\n#### Philippe Lafoucrière\nDistinguished Engineer - Secure, GitLab\n\n#### Emilie Schario\nData Engineer, Analytics, GitLab\n\n#### Marin Jankovski\nEngineering Manager, GitLab\n\n#### Lee Matos\nSupport Engineering Manager, GitLab\n\n#### Jason Plum\nSenior Distribution Engineer, GitLab\n\n## About GitLab Commit\n\nGitLab Commit is a home to learning and collaboration, so we can all experience success through DevOps transformations. We're confident that this lineup of speakers will inspire our audience and empower them to make themselves, their teams and organizations, and the open source and tech communities better.\n\nWe'll be bringing GitLab Commit to Brooklyn on September 17 and London on October 9. To find additional information and register, please visit our [GitLab Commit](/events/commit) site. We look forward to contributing with you soon!\n",[274,9],{"slug":2057,"featured":6,"template":685},"gitlab-commit-speaker-announcement","content:en-us:blog:gitlab-commit-speaker-announcement.yml","Gitlab Commit Speaker Announcement","en-us/blog/gitlab-commit-speaker-announcement.yml","en-us/blog/gitlab-commit-speaker-announcement",{"_path":2063,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2064,"content":2070,"config":2075,"_id":2077,"_type":13,"title":2078,"_source":15,"_file":2079,"_stem":2080,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/gitlab-community-day",{"title":2065,"description":2066,"ogTitle":2065,"ogDescription":2066,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2067,"ogUrl":2068,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":2068,"schema":2069},"Join the first GitLab Community Day and get started with CI","Learn about GitLab CI and get to know the community.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749681760/Blog/Hero%20Images/Community-day-banner-1.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/gitlab-community-day","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Join the first GitLab Community Day and get started with CI\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"John Coghlan\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2020-11-19\",\n      }",{"title":2065,"description":2066,"authors":2071,"heroImage":2067,"date":2072,"body":2073,"category":792,"tags":2074},[1020],"2020-11-19","\n\nWe are excited to host our first GitLab Community Day on Dec 1st, 2020. This will be a global event, with sessions at different times to enable everyone in the GitLab community to attend worldwide. For our first Community Day, we will focus on GitLab CI. Come and join us to learn more about CI and meet our community!\n\n## Who should attend\n\nAre you just starting to learn about GitLab or [Continuous Integration](/solutions/continuous-integration/)? If so, these Community Day sessions are a great way to accelerate your learning process.\nIf you already use GitLab CI, we'd love for you to join us to share your knowledge and experience with other community members.\nRegardless of where you are in your learning curve, we invite you to bring your projects and questions and learn in real-time with us.\n\n## What to expect\n\nThe GitLab Developer Evangelism team will walk you through an introduction to CI followed by hands-on exercises. These will show how to get started with GitLab CI and how to add security scanning to your pipelines. By the end of the session, you will have successfully created your own CI pipelines using GitLab.\n\nEveryone who participates in the Community Day events will be eligible for special GitLab swag and prizes.\n\n## Register\n\nWe are offering three sessions to enable our community members from around the world to participate. Please select the session that works best for you and register on Meetup.com.\n\n- Session #1 with [Abubakar Siddiq Ango](/company/team/#abuango) at [4:00PM CST](https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?iso=20201201T16&p1=3910): [RSVP](https://www.meetup.com/gitlab-virtual-meetups/events/274628363/)\n- Session #2 with [Michael Friedrich](/company/team/#dnsmichi) at [4:00PM GMT](https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?iso=20201201T16&p1=%3A): [RSVP](https://www.meetup.com/gitlab-virtual-meetups/events/274628394/)\n- Session #3 with [Brendan O'Leary](/company/team/#brendan) at [4:00PM PT](https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?iso=20201201T16&p1=3922): [RSVP](https://www.meetup.com/gitlab-virtual-meetups/events/274628411/)\n\n## Spread the word\n\nPlease help spread the word about our community day by sharing this on social media. Feel free to use the `#GitLabCommunityDay` hashtag so we can amplify your posts!\n",[108,9],{"slug":2076,"featured":6,"template":685},"gitlab-community-day","content:en-us:blog:gitlab-community-day.yml","Gitlab Community Day","en-us/blog/gitlab-community-day.yml","en-us/blog/gitlab-community-day",{"_path":2082,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2083,"content":2089,"config":2095,"_id":2097,"_type":13,"title":2098,"_source":15,"_file":2099,"_stem":2100,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/gitlab-community-forks",{"title":2084,"description":2085,"ogTitle":2084,"ogDescription":2085,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2086,"ogUrl":2087,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":2087,"schema":2088},"Community forks: A new, easier way to contribute to GitLab","Learn how we tackled a number of pain points and introduced an alternative to personal forks for open-source community contributions.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749664087/Blog/Hero%20Images/tanukicover.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/gitlab-community-forks","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Community forks: A new, easier way to contribute to GitLab\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Lee Tickett\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2023-04-04\",\n      }",{"title":2084,"description":2085,"authors":2090,"heroImage":2086,"date":2092,"body":2093,"category":296,"tags":2094},[2091],"Lee Tickett","2023-04-04","\nAt GitLab, we believe [everyone can contribute](/company/mission/#mission).\nIn my role, as a member of GitLab's Contributor Success team, I'm focused on ensuring that contributing to GitLab is as easy and rewarding as possible. In this article, I will share a recent experiment in improving the GitLab contributor experience for community members: community forks.\nI'll explain what they are and, more importantly, the positive impact we've seen community forks have on contirbutions to GitLab.\n\n## What is a community fork?\n\nGitLab team members and wider community members have different levels of access to canonical GitLab projects. GitLab team members can contribute directly to the GitLab codebase; wider community members need to work from forks in order to contribute. This leads to two very different experiences. If you'd previously tried to contribute to GitLab from a personal fork, you probably encountered one of the following frustrations:\n\n* You need to fork the project before you can begin working on a code contribution. (This can take a while for big projects such as\n  [GitLab](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab) and [www-gitlab-com](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/www-gitlab-com/).)\n* Collaboration is \"opt-in\". That is, a contributor must manually opt-in to allow maintainers to push commits to their merge requests,\n  and community members cannot push commits to team member branches.\n* Free tier quotas apply to individual contributors' forks. This can create a challenge when frequent contributors use up their free CI minutes allocation.\n* Personal forks need to be regularly updated (rebased) against the canonical projects.\n\nTo address issues like these in the past, we'd developed and introduced solutions like [cost factors](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/pipelines/cicd_minutes.html#cost-factor-for-community-contributions-to-gitlab-projects). Those worked to alleviate individual pain points, but our team wanted to test another idea, one we thought could address a number of these contribution hurdles at once.\n\nDrawing inspiration from [Moshe Weitzman](https://gitlab.com/weitzman) and a [similar solution from the Drupal project](https://gitlab.com/drupalspoons/webmasters/-/blob/master/docs/onboarding_user.md),\nwe imagined establishing a \"community fork\" of GitLab. Instead of working on innumerable, individual, isolated forks of GitLab,\nwider community members could **all** contribute to a **single, shared fork** of GitLab available to everyone.\n\n## Building the first fork\n\nI spun up an [issue](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/378608) and started to bounce ideas around.\nWe were sure to involve the GitLab security team and the wider community before starting an experiment.\nAfter some conversations, I took a [bias for action](https://handbook.gitlab.com/teamops/decision-velocity/#bias-for-action) and created the first community fork.\nI shared this with a few regular community contributors (thank you, [Marco](https://gitlab.com/zillemarco) and [Niklas](https://gitlab.com/Taucher2003) for beta testing and now also maintaining the forks).\nAfter a few weeks, we didn't encounter any problems, so we started spinning up forks of more GitLab projects, and invited more community members to join us.\n\nWe believe community forks have the following effects (you'll note that these tie back to the contribution challenges outlined above):\n\n* **Promote collaboration**\n  * Community members and team members can work on the same merge request (pushing commits to eachother's branches).\n  * They can also take over stuck/idle merge requests (from each other and from team members).\n* **Remove blockers**\n  * Personal CI minute and storage quotas do not apply to the community forks as they are part of the [GitLab for Open Source Program](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/marketing/developer-relations/community-programs/opensource-program/#gitlab-for-open-source-program)\n  which provides GitLab Ultimate tier benefits (including larger quotas).\n* **Improve efficiency**\n  * There is no longer a need to create a personal fork to get started contributing.\n  * Danger runs automatically, without the need to configure personal access tokens and CI variables.\n  * Pull mirroring keeps the community forks up to date, without regular manual rebasing.\n\n## What's next for community forks?\n\nThe experiment was considered a success based on the following:\n\n* The problems identified and effects predicted were confirmed.\n* Adoption has been simple. \n* Feedback has been positive (both from community members and GitLab team members).\n* No blocking issues/concerns have been identified.\n\nThus, we are moving from \"experiment\" to \"production\".\n\nThe community forks concept forms part of my team's Q1 (February - April) objectives and key results (OKRs).\nAs such, we have started updating the documentation and contributor guides and looking at opportunities\nfor automation and promotion (for example, via [`@gitlab-bot`](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/quality/triage-ops/-/merge_requests/1993)).\n\nWe're also looking for opportunities to handle forks differently in the product.\nFor example, there are several areas (such as the WebIDE) that only check for personal forks and don't consider other types of fork.\nSome backend [pre-requisite work](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/merge_requests/112167) has already started to facilitate this.\n\nWe have been working on automating and managing the community forks via Terraform.\nThis will make the process quicker, easier, and less prone to human error.\n\nThe Contributor Success team is already [dogfooding](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#dogfooding) the community forks, and promoting internally,\nhoping that eventually all GitLab team members will use the community forks.\nWe'd love other open source projects to experiment with the concept and it become a new \"norm\" in community-driven open source software development.\n\nYou can read more about the community forks in the [meta project](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-community/meta).\nThere you'll also find instructions for requesting access to community forks.\nIf you have additional questions, why not ask our community members over on [Discord](https://discord.gg/gitlab)?\n",[750,9],{"slug":2096,"featured":6,"template":685},"gitlab-community-forks","content:en-us:blog:gitlab-community-forks.yml","Gitlab Community Forks","en-us/blog/gitlab-community-forks.yml","en-us/blog/gitlab-community-forks",{"_path":2102,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2103,"content":2109,"config":2114,"_id":2116,"_type":13,"title":2117,"_source":15,"_file":2118,"_stem":2119,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/gitlab-contributor-days",{"title":2104,"description":2105,"ogTitle":2104,"ogDescription":2105,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2106,"ogUrl":2107,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":2107,"schema":2108},"Why we launched GitLab Contributor Days","Inside our decision to create an event where our contributors could gather in person to collaborate.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749668213/Blog/Hero%20Images/innersourcing-improves-collaboration-within-an-organization.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/gitlab-contributor-days","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Why we launched GitLab Contributor Days\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Lee Tickett\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2023-03-29\",\n      }",{"title":2104,"description":2105,"authors":2110,"heroImage":2106,"date":2111,"body":2112,"category":296,"tags":2113},[2091],"2023-03-29","\n\nGitLab hosted our first Contributor Days event in March as a fringe event of [CfgMgmtCamp](https://cfgmgmtcamp.eu/ghent2023/), which was held at [FOSDEM](https://fosdem.org/).\n\n## What is GitLab Contributor Days?\n\nGitLab Contributor Days is an in-person, unconference-style event geared toward collaboration. Attendees can work on contributions and engage with the wider community and GitLab team members. Mentors are on hand to help answer questions and collaborate on contributions.\n\n## How did GitLab Contributor Days come to be?\nMy role as a member of the GitLab's Contributor Success team is to improve the contributor journey. In the past, as an external GitLab community member, I wrote about [my own contributor journey](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/lee-tickett-my-gitlab-journey/)\nand [how being a GitLab Hero can elevate your company](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/gitlab-heroes-unmasked-elevating-my-company-using-gitlab/). I know how important it is to foster a sense of community among our contributors.\n\n[GitLab's hackathons](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/marketing/community-relations/contributor-program/hackathon/-/issues/27) accomplish this virtually, but I missed the in-person interaction. So I explored the idea of community building and contributing at in-person events. I started, as all things do at GitLab, with [an issue outlining the GitLab Contributor Days idea](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/quality/contributor-success/team-task/-/issues/63) and my team fully supported me.\n\nWe had a rough date and venue in mind, but after seeing how close it was to FOSDEM, [Nick Veenhof](https://gitlab.com/nick_vh), Director of Contributor Success, suggested tying it in as a fringe event to tap into a pool of potential contributors who could drop in while at the event.\n\n## The GitLab Contributor Days experience\n\nFOSDEM provided a great opportunity for GitLab team members to connect face-to-face – many, for the first time.\nSeeing how much everyone loves GitLab and just enjoyed stopping by, smiling, and taking some stickers, gave me that warm fuzzy feeling – very much the reason I became part of the GitLab community in the first place.\n\nOur fluid format worked well and included:\n* Live pairing with [Marco Zille](/company/team/?department=core-team#zillemarco) from the GitLab Core team\n* [Raimund Hook](https://gitlab.com/stingrayza) working on merge requests at the booth\n* Additional code-pairing throughout the event\n\nWe had a number of contributors spend the whole day with us, and plenty of drop-ins. We also garnered ideas to iterate our next event.\n\n## Collaborating on issues\nThe [curated issue list](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/quality/contributor-success/contributor-days/-/issues/1) provided a great starting point for attendees to dig in and collaborate with one another. Next time, we might use Post-It notes so contributors can see the collaboration progress in real time. \n\nHere are the livestreams from some of our collaboration sessions:\n\n* [Live stream 1: Frontend form field validation](https://youtu.be/_smqyD2I5UI)\n* [Live stream 2: Issue triaging](https://youtu.be/LumKxEa32cg)\n* [Live stream 3: Getting started with GDK and GitPod](https://youtu.be/uRJwNLnH_z4)\n\n\nIn addition to those already mentioned above, here are some GitLab team members and community members who participated and their contributions:\n\n* [Felix](https://gitlab.com/l33tname): [improve CSV import docs](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/merge_requests/111299)\n* [Marcel](https://gitlab.com/kornegoor): [improve CSV import docs](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/merge_requests/111339)\n* [Michael](https://gitlab.com/mikeblum): [fix gitlab/v1 API with database disabled](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/container-registry/-/merge_requests/1210)\n* [Laurent](https://gitlab.com/ali_o_kan): [improve devise error message](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/merge_requests/111445)\n* [Jon](https://gitlab.com/jdyb): [API to list project uploads](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/merge_requests/111444)\n* [Declon](https://gitlab.com/ideclon): [expose Discord via the API](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/merge_requests/111342)\n\nI'd like to also thank [Toshaan](https://www.linkedin.com/in/toshaan/) and [Kris](https://www.linkedin.com/in/krisbuytaert/) for hosting us.\n\nStay tuned for an announcement of our next Contributor Days event. Until then, join us on [Discord](https://discord.gg/gitlab) for our weekly livestreams, or for our upcoming [hackathon](/community/hackathon/).\n",[750,9],{"slug":2115,"featured":6,"template":685},"gitlab-contributor-days","content:en-us:blog:gitlab-contributor-days.yml","Gitlab Contributor Days","en-us/blog/gitlab-contributor-days.yml","en-us/blog/gitlab-contributor-days",{"_path":2121,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2122,"content":2128,"config":2133,"_id":2135,"_type":13,"title":2136,"_source":15,"_file":2137,"_stem":2138,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/gitlab-education-virtual-meetup",{"title":2123,"description":2124,"ogTitle":2123,"ogDescription":2124,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2125,"ogUrl":2126,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":2126,"schema":2127},"GitLab for Education: First Virtual Meetup","The GitLab for Education Program is excited to announce our first global virtual meetup on May 6th!","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749669510/Blog/Hero%20Images/classroom.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/gitlab-education-virtual-meetup","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"GitLab for Education: First Virtual Meetup\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Christina Hupy, Ph.D.\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2020-04-28\",\n      }",{"title":2123,"description":2124,"authors":2129,"heroImage":2125,"date":2130,"body":2131,"category":792,"tags":2132},[1566],"2020-04-28","\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"true\" /}\n\n\n\nThe GitLab for Education Program is excited to announce our first global virtual meetup on May 6th ([1:00 pm EDT/ 5:00 pm UTC](https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?iso=20200506T1700))!\n\n## About GitLab Meetups\n\nGitLab has a vibrant global meetup community with over 10,000 members from 20 plus countries. If you are new to GitLab meetups, they are events organized by our community members, community groups, or GitLab team members, where people get together to network, share ideas, and learn more about a broad range of topics in DevOps. Generally, there are speakers and some Q&A with plenty of time for interaction between attendees. While the majority of our previous meetups were in person, we recently launched virtual meetups with great success! We love virtual meetups because they can be more efficient, more collaborative, and more diverse and inclusive.\n\n## GitLab for Education\n\nThe [GitLab for Education Program](/solutions/education/), one of several programs run by the [Developer Relations team](/handbook/marketing/developer-relations/#our-mission), is where we foster the adoption of GitLab at educational institutions ranging from primary school up through Universities by providing free licenses of GitLab Gold or Ulitmate for the purposes of [teaching, learning, or research to qualifying educational institutions](/handbook/marketing/developer-relations/community-programs/education-program/#education-program-requirements). We are thrilled with the success thus far - we’ve issued **1.486 million seats to 800 institutions in 65 countries around the world**  - and we’re excited to build on this organic interest and take the program to the next level.\n\nAs we look forward to expanding our GitLab for Education Program in 2020, our primary goal is to foster a vibrant community for building relationships and sharing knowledge for all things related to education and DevOps. In this spirit, we’re excited to announce our first-ever Education Program Virtual Meetup.  We invite anyone who is interested to join us - you do not need to be a current Education Program member to attend. Our focus on the Developer Relations team has been to create a community where [everyone can contribute](/company/mission/#mission) and we are thrilled to extend these efforts into growing the education community.\n\n### Here is an overview of what we’ll cover:\n\n#### Introduction to our Team Members and overview of the GitLab for Education Program\n\nWe’ll start by introducing a few of our team members, John Coghlan our Senior Evangelist Program Manager, and Christina Hupy our Senior Education Program Manager. John runs our GitLab Meetup and GitLab Heroes programs.  Next, we’ll introduce Christina (that’s me!), who runs our GitLab for Education Program, and a few our Community Advocates. Then we’ll highlight a few key points about the GitLab for Education Program such as the types of licenses we offer, how your institution can sign up for them, and how you can contribute directly by engaging with us on issues on GitLab itself. We’ll answer any questions you might have about the program.\n\n#### We’ll touch on a broad range of topics including:\n\n* **Use Cases**\n  * How is your institution using GitLab?  We’d love to learn more about how your institution is using GitLab or how you are thinking about using GitLab if you are not yet signed up.\n\n* **Challenges**\n  * What are your biggest challenges in growing adoption of DevOps on your campus? Share ideas with us on what challenges you face while implementing and growing adoption of GitLab at your institution.\n\n* **Resources**\n  * What kinds of resources have been and would be most useful to you while using GitLab at your institution? What organizations have been you been involved with? As we continue to grow the Education Program, providing resources to our education community is a top priority. We’d love to hear from you on what would help you be successful.\n\n### Why join us?\n\nThis is a great opportunity to grow your network in education whether you are a student learning DevOps or a faculty or staff looking to share best practices for implementation on campus. Meetups are also a great way to increase your skillset by learning more about DevOps and GitLab alike. They are great forums for sharing ideas that could inspire you in your everyday workflows.\n\n**We hope you’ll consider joining us.** We are super excited to connect with all of you! Please feel free to share the invite to anyone who may be interested in learning more.\n\nThis event has taken place – you can [view the recording here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5axFWHj0SU).\n{: .alert .alert-info .text-center}\n\nPlease [email us](mailto:education@gitlab.com) with any questions.\n\nInterested in hosting your own meetup? Check out our [meetups page](https://about.gitlab.com/community/meetups/).\n\nCover image by [NeONBRAND](https://unsplash.com/photos/1-aA2Fadydc) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/)\n{: .note}\n",[9,794,274],{"slug":2134,"featured":6,"template":685},"gitlab-education-virtual-meetup","content:en-us:blog:gitlab-education-virtual-meetup.yml","Gitlab Education Virtual Meetup","en-us/blog/gitlab-education-virtual-meetup.yml","en-us/blog/gitlab-education-virtual-meetup",{"_path":2140,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2141,"content":2147,"config":2152,"_id":2154,"_type":13,"title":2155,"_source":15,"_file":2156,"_stem":2157,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/gitlab-fan-profile",{"title":2142,"description":2143,"ogTitle":2142,"ogDescription":2143,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2144,"ogUrl":2145,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":2145,"schema":2146},"Today is GitLab Fan Day","Join us in celebrating our most mysterious evangelist, GitLab Fan.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749671316/Blog/Hero%20Images/gitlab-fan-day.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/gitlab-fan-profile","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Today is GitLab Fan Day\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Rebecca Dodd\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2017-09-07\",\n      }",{"title":2142,"description":2143,"authors":2148,"heroImage":2144,"date":2149,"body":2150,"category":747,"tags":2151},[723],"2017-09-07","\n\nToday we're celebrating [GitLab Fan](https://gitlabfan.com/) and the great work they do to evangelize GitLab 🎉 Read on to learn more about the mysterious figure behind the Fan, and take a look around [our site](/) and see if you can spot any of their illustrations. Also, don't forget to visit us on Twitter to take part in our giveaway – you could get your hands on some awesome, custom GitLab Fan swag.  \n\n\u003C!-- more -->\n\nAt GitLab we're passionate about building a platform where everyone can contribute, and GitLab Fan is a great example of the work our community does, from creating [custom stickers for Telegram and Slack](https://gitlabfan.com/gitlab-stickers-for-telegram-and-slack-16639b2c126) to sharing [tutorials](https://gitlabfan.com/setting-up-your-own-fully-functional-gitlab-https-registry-ci-runners-79901ac617c0) and [takeaways from our culture](https://gitlabfan.com/7-examples-of-extreme-transparency-of-gitlab-e257796c9ef4).\n\nWhile GF's identity remains a mystery (Honest! If they're a GitLab team-member, they're undercover 🕵️), we did get a chance to ask them some questions:\n\n### What inspired you to launch GitLabFan.com?\n\nI used to work with GitLab a lot and I liked it, so I had a lot of thoughts I wanted to share with people.\n\n### Do you use GitLab for work or personal projects (or both)?\n\nMostly personal projects these days.\n\n### What kind of work do you do?\n\nI teach junior developers. By the way, I've started to work on [a course about GitLab CI](https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/learn-continuous-integration-with-gitlab-ci#/) ;)\n\n### Do you work for GitLab? (We have to ask!)\n\nNo, I don't :)\n\n### Have you ever thought about applying to work for GitLab?\n\nYup, I actually did that. But it was not a very serious intention, I did that for fun. Twice :)\n\n### If you could change or improve anything about GitLab, what would it be and why?\n\nI would love to see a built-in chat solution, in the same way that GitLab has built-in CI. That will save some time when you set up a new project, and I am also sure there would be some nice synergistic effects.\n\n**Thanks, GitLab Fan, for everything you do.**\n\n*We're giving away some specially designed GitLab Fan swag over on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/gitlab) – head there now to join in!*\n",[9,749],{"slug":2153,"featured":6,"template":685},"gitlab-fan-profile","content:en-us:blog:gitlab-fan-profile.yml","Gitlab Fan Profile","en-us/blog/gitlab-fan-profile.yml","en-us/blog/gitlab-fan-profile",{"_path":2159,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2160,"content":2165,"config":2170,"_id":2172,"_type":13,"title":2173,"_source":15,"_file":2174,"_stem":2175,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/gitlab-for-education-student-spotlights",{"title":2161,"description":2162,"ogTitle":2161,"ogDescription":2162,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":911,"ogUrl":2163,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":2163,"schema":2164},"Apply to be featured as a GitLab Student Spotlight","Feature your work on GitLab.com and get GitLab swag!","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/gitlab-for-education-student-spotlights","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Apply to be featured as a GitLab Student Spotlight\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Christina Hupy, Ph.D.\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2020-06-17\",\n      }",{"title":2161,"description":2162,"authors":2166,"heroImage":911,"date":2167,"body":2168,"category":792,"tags":2169},[1566],"2020-06-17","\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"true\" /}\n\n\n\n\nCalling all Students, Professors, and participants in the [GitLab Education Program](https://about.gitlab.com/solutions/education/): [Apply to the GitLab Student Spotlights](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdHzG0IEDw6VlUQDqWsweNRDIdM2HQpoBH-t2OzK1m0_SMeiQ/viewform?usp=sf_link), have your work featured on GitLab.com, and earn some GitLab Swag!\n\nWe want to know: how are you using GitLab for teaching, learning, or research?\n\n## GitLab for Education\n\nSince 2018, the [GitLab for Education](https://about.gitlab.com/solutions/education/) program has been providing free Gold subscriptions and Ultimate licenses to qualifying institutions for the purpose of teaching and learning. In two years, we’ve already provided licenses to over 800 educational institutions worldwide, with a total of 1.6+ million participants!\n\nAt GitLab, we believe that [Everyone can Contribute](https://about.gitlab.com/community/contribute/) - and we want to learn more about how our education communities around the world are contributing to and using GitLab.\n\n## What are Student Spotlights?\n\nThe Student Spotlights program will highlight amazing projects that students and professors are building and creating using GitLab.\n\nSelected projects will be featured via a video-recorded interview with the students and professors (if available) involved. Interviews and project links will be featured on the GitLab Unfiltered YouTube channel and the GitLab for Education main webpage!\n\nThe aim of Student Spotlights is two-fold. By showcasing the great work of our program participants, we want to inspire others to join and share their GitLab projects. Your stories and your work are the best way to share and spread the word!\n\nWe also want to connect and build relationships with institutions already using GitLab for teaching and learning. Our student spotlight participants will be some of the first engaged in our quickly growing education community!\n\n## Who Qualifies\n\nStudents, professors, researchers, and leaders in education using GitLab for Education licenses are eligible to submit projects to the Student Spotlights program.\n\n### Examples of Projects for Student Spotlights\n\n- Students using GitLab to host a blog or portfolio\n- Hosting a coding project using a GitLab repository\n- Managing a student club or project using GitLab issues\n- And more! We want to see all the creative, challenging, and dynamic ways you’re using GitLab.\n\n## Apply for the Student Spotlights Program\n\n- [Submit the Google Form to apply to be featured as a Student Spotlight](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdHzG0IEDw6VlUQDqWsweNRDIdM2HQpoBH-t2OzK1m0_SMeiQ/viewform?usp=sf_link)\n- Project applications will be reviewed by the Developer Relations team within 1 week of receiving your application.\n- If your project is chosen, you will be contacted via email to select a time for your video-recorded interview.\n- Christina Hupy, Program Manager of the GitLab Education program, or Samantha Lee, GitLab Community Advocate, will host a 15 minute recorded video interview with each participant to highlight their projects and share how they use GitLab for Education\n- Recorded interviews will be uploaded to GitLab Unfiltered and projects will be featured on the GitLab.com GitLab for Education page\n\n\nHave questions about GitLab Student Spotlights, or the GitLab for Education program? Email us at education@gitlab.com and let us know. We can't wait to see how you are using GitLab for Education!\n",[9,1590,794,1200],{"slug":2171,"featured":6,"template":685},"gitlab-for-education-student-spotlights","content:en-us:blog:gitlab-for-education-student-spotlights.yml","Gitlab For Education Student Spotlights","en-us/blog/gitlab-for-education-student-spotlights.yml","en-us/blog/gitlab-for-education-student-spotlights",{"_path":2177,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2178,"content":2183,"config":2188,"_id":2190,"_type":13,"title":2191,"_source":15,"_file":2192,"_stem":2193,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/gitlab-hackathon",{"title":2179,"description":2180,"ogTitle":2179,"ogDescription":2180,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1151,"ogUrl":2181,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":2181,"schema":2182},"Announcing the GitLab Hackathon","The first Hackathon event for the GitLab community will take place September 27-28.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/gitlab-hackathon","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Announcing the GitLab Hackathon\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Ray Paik\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2018-09-17\",\n      }",{"title":2179,"description":2180,"authors":2184,"heroImage":1151,"date":2185,"body":2186,"category":747,"tags":2187},[744],"2018-09-17","\n\nWhat makes GitLab a great community is that contributions to the GitLab product come from everyone, regardless of whether they are employed by GitLab or not. Concrete evidence of broad community contribution can be seen in the more than 2,500 merged  [“community contribution”](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/merge_requests?label_name%5B%5D=Community+contribution&scope=all&sort=weight&state=merged) MRs. This community contribution not only helps to enhance the GitLab product, but also brings fresh ideas and perspectives.\n\n![Screenshot showing more than 2,500 merged community MRs](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/2018-09-13-gitlab-hackathon-inline.png){: .shadow.medium.center}\n*\u003Csmall>MRs from community members not employed by GitLab\u003C/small>*\n\n## What's the deal?\n\n In order to build momentum and to provide a forum for community members to get together, I'm excited to announce that we're holding a [GitLab Hackathon on September 27 and 28](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/marketing/community-relations/contributor-program/hackathon/wikis/Q3%272018-hackathon). This virtual event will kick off at 07:00 UTC on the 27th and the focus will be to work on issues that are [\"Accepting merge requests\"](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues?label_name%5B%5D=Accepting+merge+requests&sort=weight_asc). As an incentive, anyone who has their MRs merged within a week of Hackathon period will receive a voucher for GitLab swag. We will also have a bigger prize for the person with the most MRs merged.\n\n## What else is going on?\n\nIn addition to hacking, we plan to invite community experts for quick presentations plus Q&A sessions on various topics over the two days. These sessions will also be recorded and available on [GitLab YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/gitlab). The Hackathon will be followed by the [Issue Bash](/community/issue-bash/) from September 29-30.\n\n## Where can I find help?\n\nFor communications during the Hackathon, we will use the new [GitLab Community room in Gitter](https://gitter.im/gitlabhq/community). We already have a [gitlabhq room](https://gitter.im/gitlabhq/gitlabhq) that’s been active with support discussions. However, we wanted to create a separate community room where contributors to GitLab can come together to have community-related discussions and to help each other as people have questions while contributing to GitLab. This is open to everyone, so please [join the room](https://gitter.im/gitlabhq/community) if you are not part of it already.\n\n## How do I get started with contributing?\n\nA good place to start is the [Contributing to GitLab page](/community/contribute/), where you can learn how you can\ncontribute to GitLab code, documentation, translation, and UX design.\n\nIf you have any questions, you are always welcome to reach me at rpaik@gitlab.com.\n\nCover image: [\"Gitlab application screengrab\"](https://unsplash.com/photos/ZV_64LdGoao) by [Pankaj Patel](https://unsplash.com/@pankajpatel).\n{: .note}\n",[9,794,749,274],{"slug":2189,"featured":6,"template":685},"gitlab-hackathon","content:en-us:blog:gitlab-hackathon.yml","Gitlab Hackathon","en-us/blog/gitlab-hackathon.yml","en-us/blog/gitlab-hackathon",{"_path":2195,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2196,"content":2202,"config":2208,"_id":2210,"_type":13,"title":2211,"_source":15,"_file":2212,"_stem":2213,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/gitlab-hackerone-bug-bounty-program-is-public-today",{"title":2197,"description":2198,"ogTitle":2197,"ogDescription":2198,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2199,"ogUrl":2200,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":2200,"schema":2201},"GitLab's HackerOne Bug Bounty Program is public today","With 200 reported vulnerabilities and $200,000 awarded already, our bug bounty program is now public and open for your contributions.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749666816/Blog/Hero%20Images/security-cover.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/gitlab-hackerone-bug-bounty-program-is-public-today","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"GitLab's HackerOne Bug Bounty Program is public today\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Kathy Wang\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2018-12-12\",\n      }",{"title":2197,"description":2198,"authors":2203,"heroImage":2199,"date":2205,"body":2206,"category":726,"tags":2207},[2204],"Kathy Wang","2018-12-12","\nToday, we are happy to announce that our [HackerOne bug bounty program](https://hackerone.com/gitlab) is now public. Since we opened our private bounty program in December 2017, we have been preparing to take this program public by working through some of the challenges of managing a bug bounty program. We have awarded over $200,000 in bounties since the bug bounty program went live last year. This means we mitigated nearly 200 vulnerabilities reported to us.\n\nOur first response time to newly submitted findings has decreased significantly, from an average of 48+ hours to just seven. That is a significant reduction achieved through security automation, and will help us scale, as well as better engage the hacker community.\n\nOn average, our mean time to mitigation (MTTR) for critical security issues is currently fewer than 30 days. Our current goal is to now focus on bringing the MTTR metric for medium-high security issues to under 60 days, on average.\n\nYesterday, we released a [webinar](https://www.hackerone.com/resources/gitlab-hps-for-startups) to announce our plans to be a public bug bounty program. In managing a [public bug bounty program](https://hackerone.com/gitlab), we will now be able to reward our hacker community for reporting security vulnerabilities to us directly through the program.\n\nThe past year has been a great journey of learning about managing such a program, and we have plans to further expand upon our public program in 2019 and beyond. We would also like to acknowledge some of our top contributors from the hacker community, including [ngalog](https://hackerone.com/ngalog), [jobert](https://hackerone.com/jobert), and [fransrosen](https://hackerone.com/fransrosen).\n\nCheck out the [program](https://hackerone.com/gitlab) to see how you can contribute!\n",[9,899],{"slug":2209,"featured":6,"template":685},"gitlab-hackerone-bug-bounty-program-is-public-today","content:en-us:blog:gitlab-hackerone-bug-bounty-program-is-public-today.yml","Gitlab Hackerone Bug Bounty Program Is Public Today","en-us/blog/gitlab-hackerone-bug-bounty-program-is-public-today.yml","en-us/blog/gitlab-hackerone-bug-bounty-program-is-public-today",{"_path":2215,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2216,"content":2222,"config":2227,"_id":2229,"_type":13,"title":2230,"_source":15,"_file":2231,"_stem":2232,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/gitlab-hero-devops-platform",{"title":2217,"description":2218,"ogTitle":2217,"ogDescription":2218,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2219,"ogUrl":2220,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":2220,"schema":2221},"How a GitLab engineer changed the future of DevOps","When Kamil Trzciński suggested we integrate GitLab version control and GitLab CI one into a single product, GitLab's pioneering DevOps Platform was born.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749681121/Blog/Hero%20Images/whatisgitlabflow.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/gitlab-hero-devops-platform","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"How a GitLab engineer changed the future of DevOps\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Sid Sijbrandij\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2020-10-29\",\n      }",{"title":2217,"description":2218,"authors":2223,"heroImage":2219,"date":2224,"body":2225,"category":703,"tags":2226},[833],"2020-10-29","\n\nJust recently, Gartner recognized [DevOps Value Stream Delivery](/solutions/value-stream-management/) Platforms as an emerging category in the software marketplace by publishing the new [Market Guide for DevOps Value Stream Delivery Platforms](https://page.gitlab.com/resources-report-gartner-market-guide-vsdp.html) (what we're calling a DevOps Platform). The Gartner report may not include the name \"Kamil Trzciński,\" but I want to recognize his contributions to this DevOps Platform category. If it weren't for his idea, we wouldn't have [launched GitLab as an all-in-one, single DevOps application](/blog/gitlab-master-plan/). It's a product that changed how engineers build software.\n\n**[[Learn more about our journey to the DevOps Platform](/blog/the-journey-to-a-devops-platform/)]**\n\nIt all started in 2015 with a GitLab runner that was built by one of the contributors from the wider community, [Kamil Trzciński](/company/team/#ayufan), who is now a distinguished engineer, Ops and Enablement, at GitLab. He wrote a runner that was faster, easier to run in parallel, easier to install, and easier to contribute to. We liked his runner so much that we deprecated ours to use his, and asked him to join our engineering team.\n\nAt that time, GitLab had two products: [GitLab Source Code Management](/solutions/source-code-management/) (SCM) and [GitLab Continuous Integration](/solutions/continuous-integration/) (CI). We were a DevOps company, but one with two key products that worked well together with some overlaps in code. Then Kamil made a suggestion that changed our company and has now defined a category: \"Why don't you combine the two to make GitLab a single application?\"\n\n[Dmitriy Zaporozhets](/company/team/#dzaporozhets), GitLab co-founder, thought there was no need to do it because the products were already perfectly integrated. And my gut reaction was no. Many of our customers were already building their own, DIY DevOps platforms with multiple tools. Combining GitLab SCM and GitLab CI would mean they got two tools where they expected only one. Our customers didn't seem to want an all-in-one tool, so why would we build it?\n\nBut as Kamil pointed out, there is a considerable amount of overlap between GitLab SCM and GitLab CI, and our engineers and users were spending a lot of development time and effort in managing functions and libraries that appeared in both technologies. In the end, we realized that it actually made a lot of engineering sense to build an all-in-one [DevOps platform](/solutions/devops-platform/). At first, our customers weren't sure about it – some even asked us to turn the CI function off in GitLab SCM because their engineers started using that over their official CI solution. But once we explained how much more efficient this made their application building efforts, they were sold. GitLab all-in-one meant one data store, fewer clicks, less context, and more efficiency in their application development processes. Kamil's idea was brilliant. Our developers were able to save development effort and didn't have to hop around between tools, same with the developers and operators who use GitLab to build their applications.\n\nWe wouldn't be where we are today if we didn't welcome the contributions of everyone in our globally distributed, open source software community. Just think, within one year, Kamil went from being a GitLab contributor who wanted to learn Go, to building a GitLab runner that blew us away, to redefining the **entire business strategy for our company**. It goes to show that companies are smarter when everyone can contribute.\n\nWatch the video below to hear Kamil describe how he came to join GitLab and made a proposal that went on to define the DevOps Platform category.\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n  \u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/CiJOTlU3wWs\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\u003C/figure>\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\n_Gartner, Market Guide for DevOps Value Stream Delivery Platforms, Manjunath Bhat, Hassan Ennaciri, Chris Saunderson, Daniel Betts, Thomas Murphy, Joachim Herschmann, 28 September 2020_\n\n**[[Welcome to the DevOps Platform era](/blog/welcome-to-the-devops-platform-era/)]**\n\n_Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose._\n\nCover image by [Fabio Bracht](https://unsplash.com/@bracht?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/photos/_z0DiiaIhB4)\n{: .note}\n",[682,9,706],{"slug":2228,"featured":6,"template":685},"gitlab-hero-devops-platform","content:en-us:blog:gitlab-hero-devops-platform.yml","Gitlab Hero Devops Platform","en-us/blog/gitlab-hero-devops-platform.yml","en-us/blog/gitlab-hero-devops-platform",{"_path":2234,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2235,"content":2241,"config":2246,"_id":2248,"_type":13,"title":2249,"_source":15,"_file":2250,"_stem":2251,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/gitlab-heroes-unmasked-elevating-my-company-using-gitlab",{"title":2236,"description":2237,"ogTitle":2236,"ogDescription":2237,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2238,"ogUrl":2239,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":2239,"schema":2240},"GitLab Heroes Unmasked: How I am elevating my company using GitLab","Tickett Enterprises Limited Director Lee Tickett shares the details of his ongoing journey to use the DevOps platform to its fullest.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749667569/Blog/Hero%20Images/heroestickett.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/gitlab-heroes-unmasked-elevating-my-company-using-gitlab","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"GitLab Heroes Unmasked: How I am elevating my company using GitLab\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Lee Tickett\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2022-05-12\",\n      }",{"title":2236,"description":2237,"authors":2242,"heroImage":2238,"date":2243,"body":2244,"category":814,"tags":2245},[2091],"2022-05-12","\n_A key to GitLab’s success is our vast community of advocates. Here at GitLab, we call these active contributors [\"GitLab Heroes\"](/community/heroes/). Each hero contributes to GitLab in numerous ways, including elevating releases, sharing best practices, speaking at events, and more. The \"GitLab Heroes Unmasked\" series is dedicated to sharing their stories._\n\nLee Tickett, director at IT development and support consultancy Tickett Enterprises Limited, is a GitLab hero and Core team member who continuously contributes to GitLab and provides exceptional feedback. In late 2020, he [wrote a blog](/blog/lee-tickett-my-gitlab-journey/) about how he came upon GitLab and began to use it as his company's platform.\n\nAt that point, his company was using GitLab in the following ways:\n\n- for version control\n- with a custom merge request approval process\n- as a custom UI for streamlined/standardized project creation\n- as an integration with our bespoke helpdesk platform\n- as a Windows runner with fairly basic CI\n\nThis blog picks up where that blog left off and gives insight into how Tickett Enterprises is making the most of GitLab's One DevOps Platform for its helpdesk, CRM integration, CI/CD, and more.\n\n## Migrating the helpdesk\n\nQuite some time ago, I decided to migrate from the bespoke helpdesk platform and use GitLab for issue tracking. Here's [an epic](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/5323) I created just over two years ago to start discussing my plans.\n\nI built a bespoke migration tool using C#, which connects directly to the existing\nhelpdesk database and pushes the data into GitLab using the API. This includes:\n\n- groups (each company in our helpdesk will become a group in GitLab with a single `Helpdesk` project)\n- issues (every ticket in our helpdesk will become an issue in GitLab, estimates will be included and quotes converted to weights)\n- notes\n- attachments\n- time logs\n- labels (type, class, department, and \"status\" will be migrated to labels)\n\n### Helpdesk workflow\n\nAfter discussing different approaches with the GitLab team and the community, we came up with the first iteration of our workflow process. The status of tickets in our helpdesk system becomes scoped labels in GitLab. It looks similar to the following:\n\n![Workflow Issue Board](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/workflow-issue-board.png)\n\nWe have two relatively small teams so we can also leverage boards to distribute and manage\nwork within the team:\n\n![Department Issue Board](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/department-issue-board.png)\n\nWe will be leveraging the [GitLab Triage](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/ruby/gems/gitlab-triage)\nRubyGem and [Triage Ops](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/quality/triage-ops) project to handle\nreactive and scheduled automation, such as: \n\n- opening pending issues once they reach their due date (this field has been slightly repurposed)\n- nudging users when issues have been pended, but no due date has been assigned\n- nudging the team when issues have not been triaged (labeled, estimates/quotes attached, etc.)\n\nGitLab triage will run as a scheduled pipeline from inside of GitLab, and Triage Ops (formerly known as Triage Serverless) will run as webhooks in AWS Lambda (triggered by webhooks). We may potentially transition some of our existing customizations from C# to GitLab Triage/Triage Ops, too. \n\n## Building out CRM\n\nOne of the biggest challenges moving our helpdesk over to GitLab was the inability to tie issues to Customers. So, roughly a year ago, I decided to start building out a [Customer Relations Management](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/crm/) (CRM) feature. \n\nYou can see some of the work that has gone into the CRM so far: [CRM Merged MRs](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/merge_requests?scope=all&state=merged&label_name[]=CRM).\n\nIt’s surprising how much work is needed for what seems like a mostly simple feature. Despite careful planning, there were many surprises that caused significant headaches. I was hoping to formally release this in December 2021, but it looks like June 2022 is more feasible now.\n\n### Reporting\n\nCompared to our previous bespoke SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) report suite pulling directly from our helpdesk, reporting is very limited. We tried using SSRS with a SQL Server linked to our GitLab Postgres server, but kept hitting walls. We are now moving forward using Google Data Studio (with a direct database connection).\n\nAlthough we still have a way to go, we've managed to achieve some really great results.\n\n![Scheduled Pipelines Report](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/scheduled-pipelines-report.png)\n\nHere's an example of a report we've started to build to increase the visibility of our scheduled interfaces now that we're leveraging CI/CD more.\n\n### Challenges\n\nOne obstacle we were faced with was the inability to achieve a lot of our goals at the instance level. Some GitLab functionality is at the project level, some at the group, and some at an instance. As a result, we had to create a temporary single root group and create all groups beneath it. \n\n## Moving to Linux/Docker for CI/CD pipelines\n\nWe have almost moved completely to Linux/Docker for our CI/CD pipelines, using several custom images:\n\n- our [custom .NET image](https://gitlab.com/tickett/dotnet.core.selenium) simply adds chromedriver to the default `mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/core/sdk:latest` image to add Selenium support for UI testing\n- our [custom Android/Gradle image](https://gitlab.com/tickett/docker-android-gradle) provides a stable build environment for our Clover apps (which require v1 APK signing no longer supported in Android Studio).\n\nYou can see sample `.gitlab-ci.yml` templates in the relevant projects.\n\nWe now have our test summary and [coverage visualization](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/testing/test_coverage_visualization.html) displayed in merge requests, which is a total game changer! \n\n## GitLab for intranet\n\nWe've been using SharePoint for as long as I can remember, and I'm not a fan.\n\nAs great as a WYSIWYG interface is, I believe it brings with it:\n\n- a lack of consistency\n- a pretty awful audit trail\n- no review/approval process\n\nSo let's try and learn from the best. Can we use GitLab pages? Absolutely!\n\nWe picked Hugo purely as it seems the most popular (most forked GitLab pages project template). Similarly, the [Relearn theme](https://themes.gohugo.io/themes/hugo-theme-relearn/) seems to be the most popular for docs. \n\nIt's still a work in progress, but we’re exploring a structure similar to:\n\n```text\nClients\n-Client A\n--System A\n--System B\n-Client B\n--System C\n--System D\nInternal\n-Process A\n-Process B\n```\n\nNot too dissimilar to GitLab, but hugely amplified, we want to pull multiple projects, not just our Hugo repo.\n\nThe following  is our `.gitlab-ci.yml`:\n\n```yaml\nimage: registry.gitlab.com/pages/hugo:latest\nvariables:\n GIT_SUBMODULE_STRATEGY: recursive\ngrab-docs:\n tags:\n   - docker\n image:\n   name: ruby:2.7.5-slim\n script:\n   - cd ${CI_PROJECT_DIR}\n   - gem install gitlab\n   - ruby grab_docs.rb\n artifacts:\n   untracked: true\n\ntest:lint:\n tags:\n   - docker\n image:\n   entrypoint: [\"\"]\n   name: davidanson/markdownlint-cli2\n script:\n   - cp $MARKDOWN_LINT_CONFIG ./.markdownlint-cli2.jsonc\n   - markdownlint-cli2 \"content/**/*.md\"\n needs:\n   - grab-docs\n\ntest:\n tags:\n   - docker\n script:\n   - apk add --update --no-cache git\n   - hugo\n except:\n   - master\n needs:\n   - test:lint\n\npages:\n tags:\n   - docker\n script:\n   - apk add --update --no-cache git\n   - hugo\n artifacts:\n   paths:\n     - public\n only:\n   - master\n needs:\n   - grab-docs\n   - test:lint\n```\n\nThe first `grab-docs` step runs a custom Ruby script to:\n\n- interrogate our GitLab instance, looping through all groups and projects\n- grab the `README.md` and `/doc` folder\n- add frontmatter for last update date and link to the repo \n- update and fix all markdown paths\n\n```ruby\n#!/usr/bin/env ruby\n\nrequire 'fileutils'\nrequire 'gitlab'\n\n$api = Gitlab.client(endpoint: ENV['PRODUCTION_API_ENDPOINT'], private_token: ENV['GITLAB_API_TOKEN'].to_s)\n$projects = $api.projects(per_page: 50)\n\ndef grab_files(project)\n file = $api.file_contents(project.id, 'README.md')\n return unless file&.start_with?('",[9,750,1200],{"slug":2247,"featured":6,"template":685},"gitlab-heroes-unmasked-elevating-my-company-using-gitlab","content:en-us:blog:gitlab-heroes-unmasked-elevating-my-company-using-gitlab.yml","Gitlab Heroes Unmasked Elevating My Company Using Gitlab","en-us/blog/gitlab-heroes-unmasked-elevating-my-company-using-gitlab.yml","en-us/blog/gitlab-heroes-unmasked-elevating-my-company-using-gitlab",{"_path":2253,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2254,"content":2260,"config":2267,"_id":2269,"_type":13,"title":2270,"_source":15,"_file":2271,"_stem":2272,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/gitlab-heroes-unmasked-lessons-from-early-mistakes",{"title":2255,"description":2256,"ogTitle":2255,"ogDescription":2256,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2257,"ogUrl":2258,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":2258,"schema":2259},"Overcoming coding challenges to become a valued GitLab hero","Niklas van Schrick shares his journey from learning a new language to becoming an active contributor to GitLab.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749668009/Blog/Hero%20Images/wrong-way-2.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/gitlab-heroes-unmasked-lessons-from-early-mistakes","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"GitLab Heroes Unmasked: How a difficult start in coding led to being a valued contributor\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Jamie Rachel\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2022-04-26\",\n      }",{"title":2261,"description":2256,"authors":2262,"heroImage":2257,"date":2264,"body":2265,"category":814,"tags":2266},"GitLab Heroes Unmasked: How a difficult start in coding led to being a valued contributor",[2263],"Jamie Rachel","2022-04-26","\n\nA key to GitLab’s success is our vast community of advocates. Here at GitLab, we call these active contributors [\"GitLab Heroes\"](/community/heroes/). Each hero contributes to GitLab in numerous ways, including elevating releases, sharing best practices, speaking at events, and more.  [Niklas van Schrick](https://gitlab.com/Taucher2003), who currently works as a Developer trainee, has been an active GitLab Hero since November 2021. \n\nNiklas upholds the [GitLab values](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/), especially for transparency, by sharing his trials and discoveries with self-hosted instances. We all can learn from each other’s mistakes, which leads to collaborating to improve processes and build a better developer experience.\n\nHis journey to becoming a GitLab hero is detailed below.\n\n## A difficult beginning\n\n**Niklas van Schrick:** Every developer has to start somewhere. My journey started in May 2019 with Java and Minecraft. While development in Minecraft is great for fast results, based on my experience it’s not the best idea for a beginner.\n\nIt introduces the problem of learning a framework instead of the actual language and it delayed my learning process. I was able to write some functionality as plugins for a server, but I didn't know a single principle of the underlying language, Java. That led to code that was not easily maintainable. For each new functionality, I was building quickly without properly thinking about the structure of my code.\n\nWhen I was starting out, I learned from another developer. Although it is great to have someone guide you through the process, it can also lead to issues. My mistake was believing everything my mentor told me and not looking for solutions myself. In this way, I learned anti-patterns of code design, which led to a full refactoring of the project at a later time. It also slowed down my learning process further as I was asking for help before searching for solutions myself.\n\n## The importance of joining a developer community\n\n**Van Schrick:** In early 2020, we moved our projects to a self-hosted GitLab instance. It was my first experience with [version control](/topics/version-control/). It was a big advantage because we were able to see previous changes and easily identify the causes of bugs. I recommend using a version control system even in the early stages of your development journey, as it makes many things easier and keeps a history of your work. In the beginning, it is totally fine to just push to master or not even use a remote repository.\n\nA big improvement for me was joining a [developer community](/community/), as there are many developers who are happy to help. I learned many new concepts that were widely used by the developers of that community, and this led to much more maintainable code. You don't even have to actively ask in the community to learn new things.\n\nMost of the time, it is enough to keep up with the messages and read the conversations from others. In a helpful developer community, you always have someone who says, \"Why are you doing it like this? There are better ways to do this,\" and offers suggestions to improve the code.\n\n## Contribute, contribute, contribute\n\n**Van Schrick:** Another big step is to make contributions to open source projects. It allowed me to be part of the code review process from others, and learn from it. My first contribution to an open source project, which was not led by me, was a [typo fix in a GitLab view](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/merge_requests/54834). I was surprised at how well the code review went and how fast it got merged. The positive experience encouraged me to join an open source project as a maintainer, and it has been a great experience. I ended up being an active contributor to the GitLab project and a GitLab Hero.\n\n_GitLab welcomes every new contributor and has [many possibilities for your first contribution](/community/contribute/)._\n",[750,749,9],{"slug":2268,"featured":6,"template":685},"gitlab-heroes-unmasked-lessons-from-early-mistakes","content:en-us:blog:gitlab-heroes-unmasked-lessons-from-early-mistakes.yml","Gitlab Heroes Unmasked Lessons From Early Mistakes","en-us/blog/gitlab-heroes-unmasked-lessons-from-early-mistakes.yml","en-us/blog/gitlab-heroes-unmasked-lessons-from-early-mistakes",{"_path":2274,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2275,"content":2281,"config":2287,"_id":2289,"_type":13,"title":2290,"_source":15,"_file":2291,"_stem":2292,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/gitlab-issue-bash-december-2017",{"title":2276,"description":2277,"ogTitle":2276,"ogDescription":2277,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2278,"ogUrl":2279,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":2279,"schema":2280},"Join GitLab's December Issue Bash","Join us December 2017 and help us to squash some of the open issues in the GitLab Community Edition tracker!","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749680123/Blog/Hero%20Images/gitlab-issue-bash-june-2017-cover.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/gitlab-issue-bash-december-2017","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Join GitLab's December Issue Bash\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Mark Fletcher\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2017-11-20\",\n      }",{"title":2276,"description":2277,"authors":2282,"heroImage":2278,"date":2284,"body":2285,"category":296,"tags":2286},[2283],"Mark Fletcher","2017-11-20","\n\nThis December we'll be holding another of our quarterly issue bashes to allow the community to get involved in helping to squash some issues in the GitLab Community Edition issue tracker. We have over 1,800\n[GitLab contributors](http://contributors.gitlab.com/contributors/),\nand we are always looking for more people to join in and contribute to the project in any way that they can.\n\n\u003C!-- more -->\n\nOf course, some lucky contributors will be rewarded with awesome swag! 🙌\n\nWe now have [the issue bash landing page](/community/issue-bash/) with all the information about how exactly the Issue Bash works. Please take a look there and provide any feedback to our [feedback project](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/issue-bash/feedback) or propose changes directly [here](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/www-gitlab-com/blob/master/source/community/issue-bash/index.html.haml)!\n\n## When is it going to happen?\n\nWe'll kick it off at 00:01 UTC on Saturday, **December 16th**\nand will keep it up until 23:59 UTC on Sunday, **December 17th**.\n\n## Who can contribute?\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"true\" /}\n\n\u003Ci class=\"fab fa-gitlab\" style=\"color:rgb(107,79,187); font-size:.85em\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u003C/i>\n  \n**At GitLab, everyone can contribute!**\n  \n\u003Ci class=\"fab fa-gitlab\" style=\"color:rgb(107,79,187); font-size:.85em\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u003C/i>\n{: .alert .alert-webcast}\n\nThis is your chance to get involved! Most of the tasks don't require\ntechnical expertise, therefore, non-technical community\nmembers are definitely welcome and prize worthy!\n\n## How do you get involved?\n\nPlease see [the FAQ on the Issue Bash landing page](/community/issue-bash/#bash-q-a) to learn more about how to get involved.\n\n## Prizes\n\nWe have some awesome swag available to as prizes:\n\n- Five T-shirts\n- Four pairs of pajama pants\n- Three Moleskine notebooks\n- Two [PocketCHIPs](https://getchip.com/pages/pocketchip)\n- One messenger bag (filled with all the stuff listed above!)\n\n![GitLab Issue Bash - Prizes](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/gitlab-issue-bash-june-2017-prizes.png)\n\nUsers making any contributions to the project,\nbetween the start and end times of the event, will be entered into the random draw\nto win a prize. The contributions will be collated after the end of the event and\nprize winners, drawn at random, will be contacted in the weeks that follow.\n\nTo see how we draw winners at random please take a look at the [prize winner calculator project](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/issue-bash/prize-winner-calculator)\n\n## Questions? More info?\n\n[GitLab team](/company/team/) and [GitLab core team](/community/core-team/) members will be on hand to answer questions and close issues. Please mention them if you need any help or need attention on an issue\n\n* [@markglenfletcher](https://gitlab.com/markglenfletcher)\n* [@tnir](https://gitlab.com/tnir)\n* [@blackst0ne](https://gitlab.com/blackst0ne)\n",[274,9,749],{"slug":2288,"featured":6,"template":685},"gitlab-issue-bash-december-2017","content:en-us:blog:gitlab-issue-bash-december-2017.yml","Gitlab Issue Bash December 2017","en-us/blog/gitlab-issue-bash-december-2017.yml","en-us/blog/gitlab-issue-bash-december-2017",{"_path":2294,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2295,"content":2300,"config":2305,"_id":2307,"_type":13,"title":2308,"_source":15,"_file":2309,"_stem":2310,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/gitlab-issue-bash-june-2018",{"title":2296,"description":2297,"ogTitle":2296,"ogDescription":2297,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2278,"ogUrl":2298,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":2298,"schema":2299},"Join GitLab's June Issue Bash","Join us thin June and help us squash some of the open issues in the GitLab Community Edition tracker!","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/gitlab-issue-bash-june-2018","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Join GitLab's June Issue Bash\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Mark Fletcher\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2018-05-09\",\n      }",{"title":2296,"description":2297,"authors":2301,"heroImage":2278,"date":2302,"body":2303,"category":296,"tags":2304},[2283],"2018-05-09","\n\nThis June we'll be holding another of our quarterly issue bashes to allow the community to get involved in helping to squash some issues in the GitLab Community Edition issue tracker. We have over 1,900\n[GitLab contributors](http://contributors.gitlab.com/),\nand we are always looking for more people to join in and contribute to the project in any way that they can.\n\n\u003C!-- more -->\n\nOf course, some lucky contributors will be rewarded with awesome swag! 🙌\n\nCheck out [the Issue Bash landing page](/community/issue-bash/) for all the information about how it works. Please take a look there and provide any feedback to our [feedback project](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/issue-bash/feedback) or propose changes directly [here](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/www-gitlab-com/blob/master/source/community/issue-bash/index.html.haml)!\n\n## When is it going to happen?\n\nWe'll kick it off at 00:01 UTC on Saturday, **June 2nd**\nand will keep it up until 23:59 UTC on Sunday, **June 3rd**.\n\n## Who can contribute?\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"true\" /}\n\n\u003Ci class=\"fab fa-gitlab\" style=\"color:rgb(107,79,187); font-size:.85em\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u003C/i>\n  \n**At GitLab, everyone can contribute!**\n  \n\u003Ci class=\"fab fa-gitlab\" style=\"color:rgb(107,79,187); font-size:.85em\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u003C/i>\n{: .alert .alert-webcast}\n\nThis is your chance to get involved! Most of the tasks don't require\ntechnical expertise, therefore, non-technical community\nmembers are definitely welcome and prize worthy!\n\n## How do you get involved?\n\nPlease see [the FAQ on the Issue Bash landing page](/community/issue-bash/#bash-q-a) to learn more about how to get involved.\n\n## Prizes\n\nAs prizes, we have some awesome swag available:\n\n- 14 T-shirts\n- 1 T-shirt and Hoodie for a lucky contributor\n\nUsers making any contributions to the project,\nbetween the start and end times of the event, will be entered into the random draw\nto win a prize. The contributions will be collated after the end of the event and\nprize winners, drawn at random, will be contacted in the weeks that follow.\n\nTo see how we draw winners at random please take a look at the [prize winner calculator project](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/issue-bash/prize-winner-calculator).\n\n## Questions? More info?\n\n[GitLab team](/company/team/) and [GitLab core team](/community/core-team/) members will be on hand to answer questions and close issues. Please mention them if you need any help or need attention on an issue.\n\n* [@markglenfletcher](https://gitlab.com/markglenfletcher)\n* [@tnir](https://gitlab.com/tnir)\n",[274,706,9,749],{"slug":2306,"featured":6,"template":685},"gitlab-issue-bash-june-2018","content:en-us:blog:gitlab-issue-bash-june-2018.yml","Gitlab Issue Bash June 2018","en-us/blog/gitlab-issue-bash-june-2018.yml","en-us/blog/gitlab-issue-bash-june-2018",{"_path":2312,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2313,"content":2318,"config":2323,"_id":2325,"_type":13,"title":2326,"_source":15,"_file":2327,"_stem":2328,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/gitlab-issue-bash-march-2018",{"title":2314,"description":2315,"ogTitle":2314,"ogDescription":2315,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2278,"ogUrl":2316,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":2316,"schema":2317},"Join GitLab's March 2018 Issue Bash","Help us to squash some of the open issues in the GitLab Community Edition tracker!","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/gitlab-issue-bash-march-2018","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Join GitLab's March 2018 Issue Bash\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Mark Fletcher\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2018-02-15\",\n      }",{"title":2314,"description":2315,"authors":2319,"heroImage":2278,"date":2320,"body":2321,"category":296,"tags":2322},[2283],"2018-02-15","\n\nThis March we'll be holding another of our quarterly issue bashes to allow the community to get involved in helping to squash some issues in the GitLab Community Edition issue tracker. We have over 1,900\n[GitLab contributors](http://contributors.gitlab.com/),\nand we are always looking for more people to join in and contribute to the project in any way that they can.\n\n\u003C!-- more -->\n\nOf course, some lucky contributors will be rewarded with awesome swag! 🙌\n\nWe now have [the issue bash landing page](/community/issue-bash/) with all the information about how exactly the Issue Bash works. Please take a look there and provide any feedback to our [feedback project](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/issue-bash/feedback) or propose changes directly [here](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/www-gitlab-com/blob/master/source/community/issue-bash/index.html.haml)!\n\n## When is it going to happen?\n\nWe'll kick it off at 00:01 UTC on Saturday, **March 3rd**\nand will keep it up until 23:59 UTC on Sunday, **March 4th**.\n\n## Who can contribute?\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"true\" /}\n\n\u003Ci class=\"fab fa-gitlab\" style=\"color:rgb(107,79,187); font-size:.85em\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u003C/i>\n  \n**At GitLab, everyone can contribute!**\n  \n\u003Ci class=\"fab fa-gitlab\" style=\"color:rgb(107,79,187); font-size:.85em\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u003C/i>\n{: .alert .alert-webcast}\n\nThis is your chance to get involved! Most of the tasks don't require\ntechnical expertise, therefore, non-technical community\nmembers are definitely welcome and prize worthy!\n\n## How do you get involved?\n\nPlease see [the FAQ on the Issue Bash landing page](/community/issue-bash/#bash-q-a) to learn more about how to get involved.\n\n## Prizes\n\nAs prizes, we have some awesome swag available:\n\n- 14 T-shirts\n- 1 T-shirt and Hoodie for a lucky contributor\n\nUsers making any contributions to the project,\nbetween the start and end times of the event, will be entered into the random draw\nto win a prize. The contributions will be collated after the end of the event and\nprize winners, drawn at random, will be contacted in the weeks that follow.\n\nTo see how we draw winners at random please take a look at the [prize winner calculator project](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/issue-bash/prize-winner-calculator)\n\n## Questions? More info?\n\n[GitLab team](/company/team/) and [GitLab core team](/community/core-team/) members will be on hand to answer questions and close issues. Please mention them if you need any help or need attention on an issue\n\n* [@markglenfletcher](https://gitlab.com/markglenfletcher)\n* [@tnir](https://gitlab.com/tnir)\n",[9,274,749],{"slug":2324,"featured":6,"template":685},"gitlab-issue-bash-march-2018","content:en-us:blog:gitlab-issue-bash-march-2018.yml","Gitlab Issue Bash March 2018","en-us/blog/gitlab-issue-bash-march-2018.yml","en-us/blog/gitlab-issue-bash-march-2018",{"_path":2330,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2331,"content":2336,"config":2341,"_id":2343,"_type":13,"title":2344,"_source":15,"_file":2345,"_stem":2346,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/gitlab-issue-bash-september-2017",{"title":2332,"description":2333,"ogTitle":2332,"ogDescription":2333,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2278,"ogUrl":2334,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":2334,"schema":2335},"Join GitLab's September Issue Bash","Join us September 2017 and help us to squash some of the open issues in the GitLab Community Edition tracker!","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/gitlab-issue-bash-september-2017","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Join GitLab's September Issue Bash\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Mark Fletcher\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2017-08-08\",\n      }",{"title":2332,"description":2333,"authors":2337,"heroImage":2278,"date":2338,"body":2339,"category":296,"tags":2340},[2283],"2017-08-08","\n\nThis September we'll be holding another of our quarterly issue bashes to allow the Community to get involved in helping to squash some issues in the GitLab Community Edition issue tracker. We have over 1500\n[GitLab contributors](http://contributors.gitlab.com/contributors/),\nand we are always looking for more people to join in and contribute to the project in any way that they can.\n\n\u003C!-- more -->\n\nOf course, some lucky contributors will be rewarded with awesome swag! 🙌\n\nWe now have [the issue bash landing page](/community/issue-bash/) with all the information about how exactly the Issue Bash works. Please take a look there and provide any feedback to our [feedback project](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/issue-bash/feedback) or propose changes directly [here](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/www-gitlab-com/blob/master/source/community/issue-bash/index.html.haml)!\n\n## When is it Going to Happen?\n\nWe'll kick it off at 00:01 UTC on Saturday, **September 2nd**\nand will keep it up until 23:59 UTC on Sunday, **September 3rd**.\n\n## Who Can Contribute?\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"true\" /}\n\n\u003Ci class=\"fab fa-gitlab\" style=\"color:rgb(107,79,187); font-size:.85em\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u003C/i>\n  \n**At GitLab, everyone can contribute!**\n  \n\u003Ci class=\"fab fa-gitlab\" style=\"color:rgb(107,79,187); font-size:.85em\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u003C/i>\n{: .alert .alert-webcast}\n\nThis is your chance to get involved! Most of the tasks don't require\ntechnical expertise, therefore, non-technical community\nmembers are definitely welcome and prize worthy!\n\n## How do You Get Involved?\n\nPlease see [the FAQ on the Issue Bash landing page](/community/issue-bash/#bash-q-a) to learn more about how to get involved.\n\n## Prizes\n\nWe have some awesome swag ready for you:\n\n- Five T-shirts\n- Four pairs of pajama pants\n- Three Moleskine notebooks\n- Two [PocketCHIPs](https://getchip.com/pages/pocketchip)\n- One messenger bag (filled with all the stuff listed above!)\n\n![GitLab Issue Bash - Prizes](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/gitlab-issue-bash-june-2017-prizes.png)\n\nUsers making any contributions to the project,\nbetween the start and end times of the event, will be entered into the random draw\nto win a prize. The contributions will be collated after the end of the event and\nprize winners, drawn at random, will be contacted in the weeks that follow.\n\nTo see how we draw winners at random please take a look at the [prize winner calculator project](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/issue-bash/prize-winner-calculator)\n\n## Questions? More info?\n\n[GitLab team](/company/team/) and [GitLab core team](/community/core-team/) members will be on hand to answer questions and close issues. Please mention them if you need any help or need attention on an issue\n\n* [@markglenfletcher](https://gitlab.com/markglenfletcher)\n* [@blackst0ne](https://gitlab.com/blackst0ne)\n",[274,9,749],{"slug":2342,"featured":6,"template":685},"gitlab-issue-bash-september-2017","content:en-us:blog:gitlab-issue-bash-september-2017.yml","Gitlab Issue Bash September 2017","en-us/blog/gitlab-issue-bash-september-2017.yml","en-us/blog/gitlab-issue-bash-september-2017",{"_path":2348,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2349,"content":2355,"config":2359,"_id":2361,"_type":13,"title":2362,"_source":15,"_file":2363,"_stem":2364,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/gitlab-meetups-september-2019",{"title":2350,"description":2351,"ogTitle":2350,"ogDescription":2351,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2352,"ogUrl":2353,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":2353,"schema":2354},"GitLab Meetups: September 2019","Here’s a list of upcoming GitLab meetups in Mexico, Nigeria, France, and beyond!","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749679712/Blog/Hero%20Images/0919meetups.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/gitlab-meetups-september-2019","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"GitLab Meetups: September 2019\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"John Coghlan\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-09-02\",\n      }",{"title":2350,"description":2351,"authors":2356,"heroImage":2352,"date":1509,"body":2357,"category":792,"tags":2358},[1020],"\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"true\" /}\n\n\n\nCan't make it to Brooklyn for [GitLab Commit](/events/commit)? Here are some other places you'll find the GitLab community in September.\n\n#### Mexico City GitLab Meetup\n\nLearn how mastering Git and GitLab can accelerate the development flow of your company at this GitLab Meetup in Mexico City on September 12. Find more details and RSVP on [Meetup](https://www.meetup.com/Mexico-City-GitLab-Meetup/events/264219585/).\n\n#### Orange County GitLab Users Group\n\nThis meetup in Irvine, CA on September 12 will focus on how to build an awesome CI/CD pipeline. Demos welcome! Find more details and RSVP on [Meetup](https://www.meetup.com/Orange-County-GitLab-Users-Group/events/264251153/).\n\n#### Meetup GitLab Curitiba\n\nThe first GitLab meetup in Curitiba, Brazil on September 16 will focus on sharing tips and tricks about Git and GitLab. Find more details and RSVP on [Meetup](https://www.meetup.com/GitLab-Curitiba/events/263974680/).\n\n#### GitLab France Meetup\n\nOn September 19, our GitLab France Meetup will get together to hear about the benefits of using GitLab when adopting NoOps. There is room for a second speaker if you'd like to give a talk! Find more details and RSVP on [Meetup](https://www.meetup.com/GitLab-Meetup-France/events/264241152/).\n\n#### Frankfurt GitLab Meetup Group\n\nJoin the first meeting of the Frankfurt GitLab Meetup Group on September 20 to learn how to automate your pipelines with GitLab-CI, Helm and Kubernetes. Find more details and RSVP on [Meetup](https://www.meetup.com/Frankfurt-GitLab-Meetup-Group/events/263262111/).\n\n#### Tampa DevOps Meetup\n\nThe Tampa DevOps Meetup will be featuring GitLab at their September 25 meetup. Find more details and RSVP on [Meetup](https://www.meetup.com/Tampa-DevOps-Meetup/events/263485108/).\n\n#### GitLab Nigeria Community\n\nThis meetup on September 28 in Ayetoro will provide an introduction to Git and GitLab. Newcomers are welcome! Find more details and RSVP on [Meetup](https://www.meetup.com/GitLab-Nigeria-Community/events/263786647/).\n\n#### What's next?\n\nAre you ready to join a local community but don’t see an event near you? Take a look at the [GitLab Meetups page](/community/meetups) or reach out to [me](https://twitter.com/john_cogs/) to learn how GitLab can help you start a meetup in your area.\n",[9,274],{"slug":2360,"featured":6,"template":685},"gitlab-meetups-september-2019","content:en-us:blog:gitlab-meetups-september-2019.yml","Gitlab Meetups September 2019","en-us/blog/gitlab-meetups-september-2019.yml","en-us/blog/gitlab-meetups-september-2019",{"_path":2366,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2367,"content":2372,"config":2376,"_id":2378,"_type":13,"title":2379,"_source":15,"_file":2380,"_stem":2381,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/gitlab-october-2019-meetups",{"title":2368,"description":2369,"ogTitle":2368,"ogDescription":2369,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2352,"ogUrl":2370,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":2370,"schema":2371},"GitLab Meetups: October 2019","See where the GitLab community will be gathering this month","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/gitlab-october-2019-meetups","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"GitLab Meetups: October 2019\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"John Coghlan\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-10-02\",\n      }",{"title":2368,"description":2369,"authors":2373,"heroImage":2352,"date":1359,"body":2374,"category":792,"tags":2375},[1020],"\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"true\" /}\n\n\n\nCan't make it to London for [GitLab Commit](/events/commit)? Here are some other places you'll find the GitLab community in October.\n\n![GitLab Meetups map](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/gitlab-meetup-map-2019-10.jpg){: .shadow}\n\n#### GitLab Nigeria Community\n\nTake a deep dive into GitLab at this meetup in Bauchi, Nigeria on October 5. This meetup will cover Planning, Source Code Management, CI/CD, Monitoring & Security. Details and RSVP on [Meetup](https://www.meetup.com/GitLab-Nigeria-Community/events/263879735/). \n\n#### GitLab Polska\n\nThe GitLab Polska meetup group will gather in Warszawa on October 8 for talks on GitLab and updates on our latest release. Details and RSVP on [Meetup](https://www.meetup.com/GitLab-Polska/events/265018178/).\n\n#### GitLab Białystok\n\nThe second of two meetups in Poland on October 8, this event in Białystok will feature a talk on using GitLab for static pages. Details and RSVP on [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/events/692557334577918/).\n\n#### Frankfurt GitLab Meetup x Age of DevOps \n\nThe Frankfurt GitLab Meetup Group is partnering with the Age of DevOps meetup group for this event featuring talks on controlling Kubernetes appliations with GitLab and using GitLab for developers. The co-meetup will be in Weisbaden on October 10. Details and RSVP on [Meetup](https://www.meetup.com/GitLab-Nigeria-Community/events/264073442/).\n\n#### GitLab Nigeria Community \n\nLearn how to use Git like a pro at this community lead event in Abuja, Nigeria on October 18. Details and RSVP on [Meetup](https://www.meetup.com/GitLab-Nigeria-Community/events/264073442/).\n\n#### GitLab Hamburg Meetup\n\nThe GitLab community will meet in Hamburg, Germany on October 23 for a CLI-Tool \"Lab\" and a Q&A with some GitLab team members. Details and RSVP on [Meetup](https://www.meetup.com/GitLab-Meetup-Hamburg/events/264381595).\n\n#### Greater Atlanta GitLab Meetup\n\nDetails coming soon but mark your calendars for October 24!\n\n#### México City GitLab Meetup \n\nThis GitLab 101 workshop will teach attendees how to get started with GitLab. Details and RSVP on [Meetup](https://www.meetup.com/Mexico-City-GitLab-Meetup/events/265343816/).\n\n#### What's next?\n\nAre you ready to join a local community but don’t see an event near you? Take a look at the [GitLab Meetups page](/community/meetups) or reach out to [me](https://twitter.com/john_cogs/) to learn how GitLab can help you start a meetup in your area.\n",[9,274],{"slug":2377,"featured":6,"template":685},"gitlab-october-2019-meetups","content:en-us:blog:gitlab-october-2019-meetups.yml","Gitlab October 2019 Meetups","en-us/blog/gitlab-october-2019-meetups.yml","en-us/blog/gitlab-october-2019-meetups",{"_path":2383,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2384,"content":2389,"config":2394,"_id":2396,"_type":13,"title":2397,"_source":15,"_file":2398,"_stem":2399,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/gitlab-series-e-funding",{"title":2385,"description":2386,"ogTitle":2385,"ogDescription":2386,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1858,"ogUrl":2387,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":2387,"schema":2388},"Announcing $268 million in Series E funding","New funding and our $2.75 billion valuation will allow us to enhance monitoring and security capabilities.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/gitlab-series-e-funding","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Announcing $268 million in Series E funding\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"GitLab\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-09-17\",\n      }",{"title":2385,"description":2386,"authors":2390,"heroImage":1858,"date":2391,"body":2392,"category":296,"tags":2393},[1745],"2019-09-17","We’re excited to share that GitLab has completed a $268 million Series E round of fundraising that pushed the company’s valuation to $2.75 billion. This latest funding round was led by existing investors Goldman Sachs and ICONIQ, but also included participation from nine new-to-GitLab investors.\n\nOur plans for the funding are straightforward: GitLab will invest to make all of our [DevOps platform](/topics/devops-platform/) offerings, including monitoring, security, and planning, _best in class_ so we can enable our [enterprise customers](/enterprise/) to continue to bring products to market faster.\n\nAt a time when the DevOps tools market is expected to triple by 2023 (from $5.2 billion last year to $15 billion, according to IDC), it was clear there was an opportunity for our company to pursue additional funding.\n“To be competitive today, companies need to be 10x faster to market. We made an early bet that enterprises would benefit from a single application experience for DevOps teams to accelerate getting software products to market faster and more securely,” says CEO [Sid Sijbrandij](/company/team/#sytses). “I love hearing how our customers are innovating faster with a single DevOps application that enables Dev, Ops, and Security to collaborate, and this funding will help more organizations experience the benefits of this unified DevOps experience.”\n\nToday more than 100,000 organizations use GitLab, including Ask Media Group, Charter Communication, Delta Air Lines, Goldman Sachs, Ticketmaster, Nvidia, and [many more](/customers/). We just found out we were ranked 32nd in the [Forbes 2019 Cloud 100](https://about.gitlab.com/2019-09-11-gitlab-named-leader-in-forbes-cloud-100-list/) – and we were the only cloud-agnostic DevOps tool maker named! Our ARR (annual recurring revenue) growth rate is 143%, a sign of customer satisfaction and strong demand.\n\n## A fast pace\n\nThis latest fundraising effort happened less than a year after we announced our [Series D round of $100 million](/blog/announcing-100m-series-d-funding/). At that time the company was valued at $1.1 billion; with today’s announcement, our valuation has more than doubled in less than a year.\n\nIt’s been an amazing journey to get to this point, and it’s worth remembering where we came from. In 2015 fewer than 10 people worked at GitLab; today over 800 team members contribute from 55 countries around the world. And we’re still growing, as our [222 open positions](/jobs/) show. More than 4,800 people actively contribute code to GitLab, and we receive an average of 180 improvements to each monthly release. In March 2019 we had [one million merge requests](/blog/1-mil-merge-requests/), which was a milestone indeed.\nWe’re on this journey together and we couldn’t be more excited to see where it takes us. Today you’ll find us at our first ever user conference, [GitLab Commit](/events/commit/), in Brooklyn and then again in London on October 9. We’re looking forward to the inspiring customer stories that have made this all possible.\n\nThe funding was announced live in the [keynote of GitLab Commit Brooklyn](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LrgxOfWMXA&list=PLFGfElNsQthaaqEAb6ceZvYnZgzSM50Kg), also see [the playlist of all talks that day](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFGfElNsQthaaqEAb6ceZvYnZgzSM50Kg).",[703,9,274,705,1178],{"slug":2395,"featured":6,"template":685},"gitlab-series-e-funding","content:en-us:blog:gitlab-series-e-funding.yml","Gitlab Series E Funding","en-us/blog/gitlab-series-e-funding.yml","en-us/blog/gitlab-series-e-funding",{"_path":2401,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2402,"content":2407,"config":2413,"_id":2415,"_type":13,"title":2416,"_source":15,"_file":2417,"_stem":2418,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/gitlab-support-no-longer-processing-mfa-resets-for-free-users",{"title":2403,"description":2404,"ogTitle":2403,"ogDescription":2404,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":784,"ogUrl":2405,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":2405,"schema":2406},"GitLab Support is no longer processing MFA resets for free users","From August 15th, GitLab Support will no longer be manually removing MFA from free accounts.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/gitlab-support-no-longer-processing-mfa-resets-for-free-users","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"GitLab Support is no longer processing MFA resets for free users\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Lyle Kozloff\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2020-08-04\",\n      }",{"title":2403,"description":2404,"authors":2408,"heroImage":784,"date":2410,"body":2411,"category":703,"tags":2412},[2409],"Lyle Kozloff","2020-08-04","\n\nBack in 2018, I wrote a blog post on [Keeping your GitLab account safe (and accessible)](/blog/keeping-your-account-safe/) in which I outlined some of the ways that our users could make sure that they were keeping their accounts secure and recoverable.\n\nFast-forward to 2020 and GitLab as a company has matured. Today our users are starting to face attack-vectors that were previously unheard of on GitLab.com. As a result, we don’t want our security practices to be only going through the motions of security. We’ve all seen examples of companies whose Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) reset policies negate the security benefits of MFA on accounts. \n\nToday we’re announcing a change that will put account security wholly in the hands of our users.\n\n**As of Aug. 15th, 2020, GitLab Support will no longer process MFA resets for free accounts.**\n\nThis change means that if you’re using GitLab with MFA you will want to ensure that you have an appropriate set of backup methods to recover your account.\n\nNamely:\n- (Re)generate recovery codes and store them in a secure location\n- Use a hardware token whenever possible\n- Add an [SSH key](/solutions/source-code-management/) to your account to allow the generation of backup codes\n\nIf you are caught where you are not able to provide your MFA token and without these backup methods,  your account will be irrecoverable. \n\n### FAQ:\n\n#### What if I accidentally lose my phone/recovery keys or get a new laptop and forget to back up my SSH key?\n\nIf you lose your primary authentication method and all backup methods, your account will be irrecoverable.\n\n#### What if this is a work account?\n\nFor accounts occupying a paid seat, created with a company email address, [MFA resets can still be requested](/handbook/support/workflows/account_verification.html#access-with-support-intervention). There will be a minimum three business-day processing time and you'll be required to pass a number of security challenges to verify account ownership.\n\n#### I don’t like this and I want to tell someone.\n\nWe’re [accepting community feedback in this forum post](https://forum.gitlab.com/t/draft-gitlab-support-is-no-longer-processing-mfa-resets-for-free-users/40905), and invite contributors to share there. \n\n#### Can I add my phone number as a recovery method?\n\nWe’re discussing this in the [forum post](https://forum.gitlab.com/t/draft-gitlab-support-is-no-longer-processing-mfa-resets-for-free-users/40905), but phone numbers as a recovery method are problematic in many countries. \n\n#### Can I add X as a recovery method?\n\nGitLab is developed in collaboration with the wider community. We’re accepting merge requests and feature proposals in [gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/) and look forward to building together.\n\n_Learn more about [security best practices for your GitLab instance](/blog/gitlab-instance-security-best-practices/)._\n{: .alert .alert-info .text-center}\n",[9,899,703,749],{"slug":2414,"featured":6,"template":685},"gitlab-support-no-longer-processing-mfa-resets-for-free-users","content:en-us:blog:gitlab-support-no-longer-processing-mfa-resets-for-free-users.yml","Gitlab Support No Longer Processing Mfa Resets For Free Users","en-us/blog/gitlab-support-no-longer-processing-mfa-resets-for-free-users.yml","en-us/blog/gitlab-support-no-longer-processing-mfa-resets-for-free-users",{"_path":2420,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2421,"content":2427,"config":2433,"_id":2435,"_type":13,"title":2436,"_source":15,"_file":2437,"_stem":2438,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/gitlab-switches-to-dco-license",{"title":2422,"description":2423,"ogTitle":2422,"ogDescription":2423,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2424,"ogUrl":2425,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":2425,"schema":2426},"We're switching to a DCO for source code contributions","We want to make it even easier for everyone to contribute, by doing away with our Contributor License Agreement in favor of the Developer's Certificate of Origin.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749670464/Blog/Hero%20Images/gitlab-loves-open-source.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/gitlab-switches-to-dco-license","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"We're switching to a DCO for source code contributions\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Jamie Hurewitz\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2017-11-01\",\n      }",{"title":2422,"description":2423,"authors":2428,"heroImage":2424,"date":2430,"body":2431,"category":296,"tags":2432},[2429],"Jamie Hurewitz","2017-11-01","\n\nWe're committed to being [good stewards of open source](/blog/being-a-good-open-source-steward/),\nand part of that commitment means we never stop re-evaluating how we do that.\nSaying \"everyone can contribute\" is about removing barriers to contribution.\nFor some of our community, the Contributor License Agreement is a deterrent to\ncontributing to GitLab, so we're changing to a Developer's Certificate of Origin instead.\n\n\u003C!-- more -->\n\nMany large open source projects want to be masters of their own destiny.\nHaving the freedom to run your own infrastructure based on open source software,\ntogether with the ability to modify and audit source code and not be dependent\non a vendor, makes open source appealing. We want GitLab to be an option for everyone.\n\n## Why the change?\n\nA Contributor License Agreement (CLA) is the industry standard for open source\ncontributions to other projects, but it's unpopular with developers, who don't\nwant to enter into legal terms and are put off by having to review a lengthy\ncontract and potentially give up some of their rights. Contributors find the\nagreement unnecessarily restrictive, and it's deterring developers of open\nsource projects from using GitLab. We were approached by Debian developers to\nconsider dropping the CLA, and that's what we're doing.\n\n## What's changing?\n\nAs of today, we're rolling out changes so that contributors to the GitLab [source\ncode](/solutions/source-code-management/) will only be required to make contributions and bug fixes under a project\nlicense (MIT for all repositories with the exception of Omnibus which would be\nlicensed under Apache) and a [Developer's Certificate of Origin](https://developercertificate.org/) (DCO).\nThe DCO gives developers greater flexibility and portability for their\ncontributions, and it's one of the reasons that Debian and GNOME plan to migrate\ntheir communities and projects to GitLab. We hope this change\nencourages more developers to contribute to GitLab. Thank you Debian, for\nprompting us to make this change.\n\n> \"We applaud GitLab for dropping their CLA in favor of a more OSS-friendly\napproach. Open source communities are born from a sea of contributions that come\ntogether and transform into projects. This gesture affirmed GitLab's willingness\nto protect the individual, their creative process, and most importantly, keeps\nintellectual property in the hands of the creator.\" - Carlos Soriano, Board Director at GNOME\n\n>\"We’re thrilled to see GitLab simplifying and encouraging community\ncontributions by switching from a CLA to the DCO. We recognize that making a\nchange of this nature is not easy and we applaud the time, patience and\nthoughtful consideration GitLab has shown here.\" - Chris Lamb, Debian Project Leader\n\nYou can [read the analysis that informed our decision](https://docs.google.com/a/gitlab.com/document/d/1zpjDzL7yhGBZz3_7jCjWLfRQ1Jryg1mlIVmG8y6B1_Q/edit?usp=sharing).\nRead all about our [stewardship of GitLab Community Edition](/company/stewardship/).\n",[749,703,9],{"slug":2434,"featured":6,"template":685},"gitlab-switches-to-dco-license","content:en-us:blog:gitlab-switches-to-dco-license.yml","Gitlab Switches To Dco License","en-us/blog/gitlab-switches-to-dco-license.yml","en-us/blog/gitlab-switches-to-dco-license",{"_path":2440,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2441,"content":2447,"config":2454,"_id":2456,"_type":13,"title":2457,"_source":15,"_file":2458,"_stem":2459,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/gitlab-taught-in-korean-uni",{"title":2442,"description":2443,"ogTitle":2442,"ogDescription":2443,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2444,"ogUrl":2445,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":2445,"schema":2446},"Schooled in GitLab: Teaching our handbook at a South Korean university","Students at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies tackled our handbook. The students' favorite topics were compensation and remote work.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749673044/Blog/Hero%20Images/books-internship-post.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/gitlab-taught-in-korean-uni","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Schooled in GitLab: Teaching our handbook at a South Korean university\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Guenjun Yoo\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2020-01-29\",\n      }",{"title":2442,"description":2443,"authors":2448,"heroImage":2444,"date":2450,"body":2451,"category":747,"tags":2452},[2449],"Guenjun Yoo","2020-01-29","\nBusiness students at [Hankuk University of Foreign Studies](http://mis.hufs.ac.kr/) in Seoul, South Korea are studying the GitLab handbook and business model. The students are enthusiastic about GitLab and its story, says lecturer SanJoon Song in an email interview, but there was one problem: Our 3,000+ page handbook is a lot to swallow in one semester.\n\nSo Song had the class divide the handbook into 15 different categories, which different groups of students researched over the course of the semester. At the end of the term, the groups presented a summary of their category to the class.\n\n“Many engineers in Korea said that the GitLab handbook is good to read before starting up a business,” says Song. “However, there is a lot of reading in the handbook; too many pages for me.”\n\nThe level of transparency in the handbook was a revelation to Song and his students.\n\n“We didn't study [the handbook] only to focus on the content itself, but we tried to understand and share about the context of handbook; what conventions GitLab has and what protocols GitLab is trying to develop with its employees by this handbook,” says Song. “In Korea, this is very unusual to share such details of company goals and protocols with entire employees by handbook and for me, this approach is very new and fresh.”\n\n## Inside information\n\nSong was very surprised by how much “insider” information is available in our handbook and says he’s particularly amazed by the detailed explanations of what to do if things go wrong.\n\nOn the other hand, his students were most impressed by the details on [compensation](/handbook/total-rewards/compensation/compensation-calculator/calculator/) and incentives in the handbook, followed closely by the idea of remote work.\n\n“Personally I liked the concept of [‘accept mistakes’](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#accept-mistakes) in the efficiency section,” says Song. “We also talked a lot about GitLab’s [six values](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/).”\n\n![Breaking down the handbook](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/studyingthehandbook.jpg){: .shadow.medium.center}\nStudents in Song's class breaking down the handbook.\n{: .note.text-center}\n\nRemote work was also a big topic of discussion in Song's classroom.\n\n\"Many Koreans are interested in remote work,\" says Song. \"It is really great that people can work anywhere, anytime without having the stress of commuting. Remote work is not common in Korea yet. Only a few software developers are allowed to work from home but that is also partial and in a limited environment only. Many students also want to do the remote work but this is still kind of a dream.”\n\nSong is currently teaching a second GitLab-focused class, this time diving into project management and DevOps by looking at our product and Pivotal Labs. If there is one benefit Song thinks his students have taken away from studying GitLab it’s the importance of communication.\n\n“Communication between employees is one of the most important matters,\" says Song. \"By studying the GitLab handbook, my students and I learned an efficient way of communication between the employer and employees. The handbook explicitly shows how GitLab is trying to do the best way of communication between stakeholders; what is the company goal, why we established the goal and how we are achieving the goal.”\n\nSong hopes to inspire a future generation of entrepreneurs by studying the GitLab handbook in the classroom.\n\n“My students have studied the GitLab handbook for one semester. I hope this study can be their reference when they start their startup, so they can create their company goals and prototype in the direction of success, like GitLab.\"\n\n_If you’re interested in seeing more of Song’s curriculum, he shared it\n[here](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1u5J6Ypj6zwQJVjmrl1wd0eIv7Q_TYLJysDquhGMJimA/edit). You'll need to scroll down a bit._\n\nCover image by [Patrick Tomasso](https://unsplash.com/@impatrickt) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/)\n{: .note}\n",[816,9,682,749,982,2453],"startups",{"slug":2455,"featured":6,"template":685},"gitlab-taught-in-korean-uni","content:en-us:blog:gitlab-taught-in-korean-uni.yml","Gitlab Taught In Korean Uni","en-us/blog/gitlab-taught-in-korean-uni.yml","en-us/blog/gitlab-taught-in-korean-uni",{"_path":2461,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2462,"content":2467,"config":2473,"_id":2475,"_type":13,"title":2476,"_source":15,"_file":2477,"_stem":2478,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/gitlab-technical-certification-award-wins",{"title":2463,"description":2464,"ogTitle":2463,"ogDescription":2464,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":718,"ogUrl":2465,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":2465,"schema":2466},"GitLab Technical Certifications program wins 5 awards at LearnX Conference","GitLab's Tech Certification programs won 5 different awards at this year's LearnX conference.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/gitlab-technical-certification-award-wins","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"GitLab Technical Certifications program wins 5 awards at LearnX Conference\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Kendra Marquart\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2021-12-03\",\n      }",{"title":2463,"description":2464,"authors":2468,"heroImage":718,"date":2470,"body":2471,"category":899,"tags":2472},[2469],"Kendra Marquart","2021-12-03","\n\nIn June of this year our Professional Services team entered our [GitLab Technical Certification programs](/handbook/customer-success/professional-services-engineering/gitlab-technical-certifications/) into several different worldwide conferences and we are proud to announce that GitLab has won 5 awards at this year's LearnX learning impact awards! \n\nWe won 3 Gold awards for our [GitLab Certified CI/CD Specialist Self Paced Course](/services/education/gitlab-technical-certification-self-paced/) in the following categories: \n\n![LearnX gold award](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/learnxgold.png){: .shadow.small.left}\n\n- Best Certification Training Project \n- Best Game eLearning Design \n- Best Learning and Development Project \n\nWe won 2 Silver awards for our [GitLab Certified Associate Self Paced Course](/services/education/gitlab-technical-certification-self-paced/) in the following categories: \n\n![LearnX silver award](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/learnxsilver.png){: .shadow.small.left}\n\n- Best Micro/Bite Size eLearning Design \n- Best Content Curation Project\n\n## What is LearnX?\n\nThe LearnX Impact Awards is an annual event run by the LearnX Foundation, a not-for-profit organization promoting innovative workforce learning and supporting technologies. This conference is held once a year in November and highlights success in the learning and development space. \n\n## What GitLab Technical Certifications are Available?\n\nWe currenly offer the following [GitLab Technical Certifications](/handbook/customer-success/professional-services-engineering/gitlab-technical-certifications/), all of which are available as self-paced e-learnings in [GitLab Learn](/learn/) or as an [Instructor-Led class](/services/education/) with our Professional Services team.  \n\n\n",[705,706,9],{"slug":2474,"featured":6,"template":685},"gitlab-technical-certification-award-wins","content:en-us:blog:gitlab-technical-certification-award-wins.yml","Gitlab Technical Certification Award Wins","en-us/blog/gitlab-technical-certification-award-wins.yml","en-us/blog/gitlab-technical-certification-award-wins",{"_path":2480,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2481,"content":2487,"config":2495,"_id":2497,"_type":13,"title":2498,"_source":15,"_file":2499,"_stem":2500,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/gitlab-webhooks-get-smarter-with-self-healing-capabilities",{"title":2482,"description":2483,"ogTitle":2482,"ogDescription":2483,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2484,"ogUrl":2485,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":2485,"schema":2486},"GitLab Webhooks get smarter with self-healing capabilities","Introducing changes to webhook self-healing behavior, which reduce manual intervention and improve reliability. Discover the impact on your integrations and how to prepare.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749659756/Blog/Hero%20Images/REFERENCE_-_display_preview_for_blog_images.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/gitlab-webhooks-get-smarter-with-self-healing-capabilities","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"GitLab Webhooks get smarter with self-healing capabilities\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Magdalena Frankiewicz\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2024-11-14\",\n      }",{"title":2482,"description":2483,"authors":2488,"heroImage":2484,"date":2490,"body":2491,"category":2492,"tags":2493,"updatedDate":2494},[2489],"Magdalena Frankiewicz","2024-11-14","We're excited to announce upcoming changes to how GitLab handles webhooks, aimed at improving reliability and reducing manual intervention. These changes will affect GitLab.com users in the coming weeks. For GitLab Self-Managed users, the current auto-disabling webhook behavior is behind an existing [ops flag `auto_disabling_webhooks`](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/integrations/webhooks.html#auto-disabled-webhooks). The changes described here will be introduced behind the same feature flag.\n\nThis improvement is the result of a valuable community contribution by [Phawin Khongkhasawan](https://gitlab.com/lifez), exemplifying the power of our open source community in driving GitLab forward.\n\n## What's changing?\n\n- Currently, webhooks that result in 4xx errors become permanently disabled after multiple failures. With this update, all webhooks, regardless of the error type (4xx or 5xx), will have the ability to self-heal.\n- Failing webhooks will be temporarily disabled with an increasing backoff period, up to a maximum of 1 day. After a webhook fails for 40 times successively, it becomes permanently disabled.\n- All types of errors (4xx, 5xx, network errors, etc.) will be treated the same way, allowing for more predictable behavior and easier troubleshooting.\n- Webhooks that are currently permanently disabled will be migrated to be temporarily disabled with 40 failures, so they will remain permanently disabled.\n\n## Why this change matters\n\nReduced manual intervention: You'll no longer need to manually re-enable webhooks that have been disabled due to temporary issues.\n* **Improved reliability:** Webhooks will automatically attempt to recover from transient errors, ensuring your integrations remain functional.\n* **Better handling of temporary issues:** This change accounts for scenarios like temporary outages, deployments, or configuration changes that might cause temporary webhook failures.\n\n## What you need to do\n\n**1. Review your webhooks:** Take this opportunity to review your existing webhooks. If you have any that you no longer need, consider deleting them.\n\n**2. Update your monitoring:** If you rely on webhook status for monitoring, update your processes to account for the new behavior where webhooks may self-heal.\n\n**3. Test your integrations:** Once the change is rolled out, test your integrations to ensure they behave as expected with the new webhook handling.\n\n## Timeline and rollout\n\nThis feature is expected to be rolled out in GitLab 17.11.\n- For GitLab.com users, the changes will be applied automatically.\n- For Self-Managed and Dedicated users, the changes will only affect instances that have the auto_disabling_webhooks ops flag enabled.\n\n## Feedback and support\n\nWe value your feedback! If you encounter any issues or have suggestions regarding this change, please comment on our [webhook feedback issue](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/503733).\n\nFor any questions or concerns, please reach out to [GitLab Support](https://about.gitlab.com/support/) or consult our [webhooks documentation](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/integrations/webhooks.html).\n\nStay tuned for more updates, and thank you for being a part of the GitLab community!","bulletin-board",[9,750,479,705],"2025-03-24",{"slug":2496,"featured":6,"template":685},"gitlab-webhooks-get-smarter-with-self-healing-capabilities","content:en-us:blog:gitlab-webhooks-get-smarter-with-self-healing-capabilities.yml","Gitlab Webhooks Get Smarter With Self Healing Capabilities","en-us/blog/gitlab-webhooks-get-smarter-with-self-healing-capabilities.yml","en-us/blog/gitlab-webhooks-get-smarter-with-self-healing-capabilities",{"_path":2502,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2503,"content":2509,"config":2514,"_id":2516,"_type":13,"title":2517,"_source":15,"_file":2518,"_stem":2519,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/gitlabs-2024-bug-bounty-year-in-review",{"title":2504,"description":2505,"ogTitle":2504,"ogDescription":2505,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2506,"ogUrl":2507,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":2507,"schema":2508},"GitLab's 2024 bug bounty year in review","Who were the 2024 top 5 bug reporters? Find out in this look back at 12 months of bug hunting. Also learn how to participate in 2025's bug bounty program.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749664844/Blog/Hero%20Images/AdobeStock_941867776.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/gitlabs-2024-bug-bounty-year-in-review","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"GitLab's 2024 bug bounty year in review\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Ottilia Westerlund\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2025-01-06\",\n      }",{"title":2504,"description":2505,"authors":2510,"heroImage":2506,"date":2511,"body":2512,"category":899,"tags":2513},[894],"2025-01-06","It’s that time again when everyone reflects on the year that just passed, and the [Application Security](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/security/security-engineering/application-security/) team at GitLab is no different. We run the bug bounty program at GitLab, and every year we summarize our stats for those who are curious. We wouldn't be where we are without the collaboration of our bug bounty community, and we consider these awards hugely beneficial and money well spent. \n\n## GitLab Bug Bounty Program by the numbers \n\n* Awarded over US$1 million in bounties across 275 valid reports.  \n* Received a total of 1,440 reports from 457 researchers in 2024.  \n* Our busiest month was July, when we paid out over US$193,000!\n\n*Note: Data is accurate as of 31st of December, 2024.* \n\nYou can see program statistics updated daily on our [HackerOne program page](https://hackerone.com/gitlab).\n\n## GitLab Bug Bounty Researchers of the Year\n\nIt's time to shine a spotlight on the brilliant minds who have contributed to making GitLab more secure. Our bug bounty program continues to be a crucial part of our security strategy, and we're thrilled to recognize the outstanding efforts of our top researchers.\n\n### Most Valid Reports: joaxcar\n\nLeading the pack with an impressive 55 valid reports, [joaxcar](https://hackerone.com/joaxcar?type=user) has demonstrated exceptional dedication and skill in identifying potential vulnerabilities. joaxcar’s consistent contributions have played a significant role in enhancing GitLab's security posture, and has risen to our No. 1 contributing researcher.\n\n### Newcomer of the Year: a92847865\n\nWe're always excited to welcome fresh talent to our bug bounty program. This year, [a92847865](https://hackerone.com/a92847865?type=user) caught our attention by submitting 16 valid reports since their first submission on May 10. Their quick impact showcases the importance of new perspectives in security research.\n\n### Most Innovative Report: yvvdwf\n\nInnovation is key to staying ahead of potential threats. A report made by [yvvdwf](https://hackerone.com/yvvdwf?type=user) stood out for its creative approach to identifying a complex vulnerability. This kind of out-of-the-box thinking is invaluable in our ongoing security efforts.\n\n### Most Impactful Finding: ahacker1\n\nSometimes, a single discovery can have far-reaching implications. One of [ahacker1's](https://hackerone.com/ahacker1?type=user) reports was particularly impactful this year. This finding led to significant improvements in our pipeline security and API access controls. \n\n### Best Written Report: matanber\n\nClearly written communication is crucial in bug bounty reports. This year, [matanber](https://hackerone.com/matanber) provided an exceptionally detailed explanation of a complex Web IDE vulnerability. The report included comprehensive technical diagrams, relevant code snippets, and step-by-step explanations that showcased the issue perfectly. The clarity and thoroughness of the report made it easier for our team to understand, validate, and promptly fix the issue.\n\n### Special swag\n\nAs a token of our gratitude (in addition to the monetary reward, of course), we are sending our top bug bounty researchers some limited edition swag! Psst, winners, make sure to check your HackerOne emails!\n\n## Other highlights\n\nWe continued running our 90-day challenges where researchers focused on different areas of GitLab in return for an extra bug bounty bonus payout. We saw a great turnout for these, and it’s something we will look into continuing in 2025. \n\nWe also hosted another \"Ask a hacker AMA\" – this time with @ahacker1. [Read the recap blog](https://hackerone.com/ahacker1?type=user) or watch the interview:\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n  \u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/EPV0eNOOfv4?si=byNqXWKZzZLXfLfW\" title=\"GitLab Ask a Hacker AMA with Alexander Siyou Tan (@ahacker1)\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\u003C/figure>\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\n## Looking ahead\n\nAs we move into 2025, we're excited to see the new discoveries of our bug bounty community. Your efforts continue to be a cornerstone of our security strategy, helping us build a more secure platform for developers around the world.\n\nTo all our researchers: Thank you for your hard work, creativity, and commitment to security. Here's to another year of smashing bugs!\n\n> #### Learn how to participate in the [GitLab 2025 Bug Bounty program](https://hackerone.com/gitlab?type=team).\n",[898,899,9],{"slug":2515,"featured":6,"template":685},"gitlabs-2024-bug-bounty-year-in-review","content:en-us:blog:gitlabs-2024-bug-bounty-year-in-review.yml","Gitlabs 2024 Bug Bounty Year In Review","en-us/blog/gitlabs-2024-bug-bounty-year-in-review.yml","en-us/blog/gitlabs-2024-bug-bounty-year-in-review",{"_path":2521,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2522,"content":2528,"config":2534,"_id":2536,"_type":13,"title":2537,"_source":15,"_file":2538,"_stem":2539,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/gitops-next-big-thing-automation",{"title":2523,"description":2524,"ogTitle":2523,"ogDescription":2524,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2525,"ogUrl":2526,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":2526,"schema":2527},"Is GitOps the next big thing in automation?","We polled our community on Twitter to ask about GitOps. Here is what we found.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749681428/Blog/Hero%20Images/iac-gitops-blog-post_with-gl-logo.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/gitops-next-big-thing-automation","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Is GitOps the next big thing in automation?\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Chrissie Buchanan\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2020-07-14\",\n      }",{"title":2523,"description":2524,"authors":2529,"heroImage":2525,"date":2531,"body":2532,"category":679,"tags":2533},[2530],"Chrissie Buchanan","2020-07-14","\n\nInfrastructure management isn’t a new problem. After all, AWS has been publicly available since 2006. While the software development lifecycle is mostly automated, infrastructure remains a largely manual process that requires specialized teams. Infrastructure needs to be elastic, and automation would make that a much easier process than it is today.\n\n[GitOps](/topics/gitops/) is an emerging technology term that could be the answer many infrastructure teams have been searching for. At its core, GitOps is a process that helps teams automate IT infrastructure through processes they already use in application development.\n\nIt’s a framework we’re excited about. Naturally, we took it to Twitter.\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"false\" /}\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"center\">\n\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Where are YOU at with \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/GitOps?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#GitOps\u003C/a>?\u003C/p>— GitLab (@gitlab) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/gitlab/status/1277595216468418560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 29, 2020\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote> \u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003C/div>\n\n## What is GitOps?\n\nWhat makes [GitOps](/solutions/gitops/) unique is that it’s not a single product, plugin, or platform. Before we dive into what we can learn from these results, let’s define what exactly GitOps _is_.\n\nAt GitLab, we define GitOps as this:\n\n>GitOps is an operational framework that takes [DevOps](/topics/devops/) best practices used for application development such as version control, collaboration, compliance, and CI/CD, and applies them to infrastructure automation.\n\nGitOps happens in the same version control system as application development, enabling teams to collaborate more in a central location while benefiting from all the [built-in features of Git](https://devops.com/an-inside-look-at-gitops/). Infrastructure teams that practice GitOps use configuration files stored as code ([infrastructure as code](/topics/gitops/infrastructure-as-code/)).\n\nInfrastructure teams then take IaC and make changes using [merge requests](/blog/future-merge-requests-realtime-collab/) (MRs). Once changes are reviewed and approved, they are deployed using a CI/CD pipeline. With infrastructure changes codified, repeatable, and traceable, it leaves less room for human error and gets everyone on the same page.\n\n>GitOps = IaC + MRs + CI/CD\n\nWe thought it would be interesting to reach out to our Twitter followers to see just how many people are exploring this framework, or maybe haven’t heard of it at all. Here’s what we gleaned from our poll.\n\n## 23.8% use GitOps today\n\nWhile we have to admit that GitLab followers are probably going to be a sophisticated group, numbers like this are still very encouraging. If almost a quarter of respondents are using this new framework, it tells us that GitOps is a viable way of automating infrastructure.\n\n## 10.6% plan to implement GitOps\n\nImplementing a new process can be difficult, even for the most organized teams. GitOps allows for greater collaboration, but that is not necessarily something that comes naturally. For infrastructure teams used to making quick, manual changes, this new process is a big departure. If more than 10% of respondents are looking to get started with GitOps, we can help them understand what goes into adopting the new framework.\n\n## 11.6% have looked but not committed to GitOps\n\nThis kind of “shopping cart abandonment” differs from the type we’re most familiar with, but it has some similarities. For those that have heard of GitOps, what prevented them from implementing it and what hurdles did they anticipate?\n\nGitOps principles can be applied to all types of infrastructure automation, including VMs and containers, and can be very effective for teams looking to manage [Kubernetes clusters](/solutions/kubernetes/). But there might be some confusion on whether Kubernetes is required for GitOps (it’s not). Still, over 11% of respondents are familiar with GitOps but may not understand how it can apply to them.\n\n## 54% haven’t explored GitOps yet\n\nSince GitOps is still emerging, it’s not surprising that more than half of the respondents haven’t explored it yet. GitOps is an exciting topic because it offers automation using many of the same tools organizations already use, but before committing to a brand new process, it’s important for organizations to know how it works.\n\nCollaboration is part of what makes DevOps so effective, and [GitOps brings that same spirit of code collaboration into the infrastructure provisioning process](/topics/gitops/gitops-gitlab-collaboration/). Managing infrastructure through the same version control system used for application development brings a new level of transparency across the entire organization.\n\nAs we continue to explore GitOps, information like this poll lets us know where the community is in the adoption of new processes. Could GitOps be the next big thing in automation?\n\nIf you’d like to learn more about GitOps and how it works, check out this panel with GitOps experts from [Weaveworks](https://www.weave.works), [HashiCorp](https://www.hashicorp.com), [Ansible](https://www.ansible.com), and GitLab where we discuss:\n\n*   How GitOps is changing the landscape of infrastructure management\n*   What successful GitOps looks like\n*   What teams need to get started on their GitOps journey\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"true\" /}\n\n\u003Ci class=\"fab fa-gitlab\" style=\"color:rgb(107,79,187); font-size:.85em\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u003C/i>  \nWatch GitLab's [GitOps expert panel](/why/gitops-infrastructure-automation/) webcast\n  \u003Ci class=\"fab fa-gitlab\" style=\"color:rgb(107,79,187); font-size:.85em\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u003C/i>\n{: .alert .alert-webcast}\n\n**Read more about infrastructure:**\n\n[Why GitOps should be the workflow of choice](/blog/why-gitops-should-be-workflow-of-choice/)\n\n[How to use GitLab and Ansible to create infrastructure as code](/blog/using-ansible-and-gitlab-as-infrastructure-for-code/)\n\n[How infrastructure teams use GitLab and Terraform for GitOps](/topics/gitops/gitlab-enables-infrastructure-as-code/)\n",[108,682,9],{"slug":2535,"featured":6,"template":685},"gitops-next-big-thing-automation","content:en-us:blog:gitops-next-big-thing-automation.yml","Gitops Next Big Thing Automation","en-us/blog/gitops-next-big-thing-automation.yml","en-us/blog/gitops-next-big-thing-automation",{"_path":2541,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2542,"content":2547,"config":2553,"_id":2555,"_type":13,"title":2556,"_source":15,"_file":2557,"_stem":2558,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/gitter-moves-to-element",{"title":2543,"description":2544,"ogTitle":2543,"ogDescription":2544,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":784,"ogUrl":2545,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":2545,"schema":2546},"Gitter lands new home in Matrix with Element","Gitter’s new owner Element will continue to support and invest in the service and user communities.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/gitter-moves-to-element","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Gitter lands new home in Matrix with Element\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Eliran Mesika\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2020-09-30\",\n      }",{"title":2543,"description":2544,"authors":2548,"heroImage":784,"date":2550,"body":2551,"category":703,"tags":2552},[2549],"Eliran Mesika","2020-09-30","\n\nGitter, the open source [chat and networking platform](/blog/gitter-acquisition/), has been sold to secure chat application company [Element](https://element.io) which will continue to support and invest in the service and the user communities going forward.\n\nAs many of you are aware, GitLab has been focused this year on driving efficiency with a goal of extending our depth in our core product categories. That focus led us to look for a buyer for Gitter that could increase investment required to serve developers. With Element’s acquisition of Gitter, GitLab has more bandwidth to devote to our core business and Gitter will continue to have opportunities to thrive. \n\n“A great project chat is an essential element of most open source projects and Gitter is the leading open source solution,” says [Sid Sijbrandij](/company/team/#sytses), CEO, GitLab. “Under GitLab, Gitter’s community has grown to 1.7M users who have also contributed to improving the product for everyone. We are happy that Gitter will now have a fantastic home with Element. They have the momentum to quickly build on the success of Gitter to expand its footprint within the developer community and act as a driver for the rest of its business and the Matrix ecosystem. It’s a great home for Gitter.”\n\nElement is the company behind [Matrix](https://matrix.org), the open network for secure and decentralized communication with more than 20 million users. \n\n“It’s a privilege to have Gitter join Element,” says Matthew Hodgson, CEO and CTO at Element. “Gitter is the only chat platform focusing exclusively on developers, and we cannot wait to extend its reach to the entirety of the open Matrix network - confirming Matrix as an ideal home for open collaboration between software developers.”\n\nFounded in 2014, Gitter has operated as a standalone product, independent of GitLab, since 2017. Gitter is unique in its developer focus –  the tagline is “Where developers come to talk.” Used by large communities including [Node](https://gitter.im/nodejs/home), [TypeScript](https://gitter.im/Microsoft/TypeScript), [Angular](https://gitter.im/angular/home) and [Scala](https://gitter.im/scala/home), Gitter’s service is free, open source and has no commercial edition. A complete, indexed message history and robust integration [API](https://developer.gitter.im/docs/welcome) makes Gitter a perfect platform for managing communities around open-source projects. Gitter is available on the web with clients available for Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android.\n\n## Going forward\n\n[Element plans](https://element.io/blog/gitter-is-joining-element) to build out native Matrix connectivity, replacing the [matrix-appservice-gitter](https://github.com/matrix-org/matrix-appservice-gitter) bridge running since 2016. Over time, Gitter will effectively become a Matrix client.\n\nGet more details on this transition on the [Changelog podcast](https://cdn.changelog.com/uploads/podcast/414/the-changelog-414.mp3).\n\nMatrix has a [detailed Gitter transition plan](https://matrix.org/blog/welcoming-gitter-to-matrix) and welcomes [feedback on the process](https://matrix.to/#/#gitter:matrix.org).\n",[9,749,706],{"slug":2554,"featured":6,"template":685},"gitter-moves-to-element","content:en-us:blog:gitter-moves-to-element.yml","Gitter Moves To Element","en-us/blog/gitter-moves-to-element.yml","en-us/blog/gitter-moves-to-element",{"_path":2560,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2561,"content":2567,"config":2573,"_id":2575,"_type":13,"title":2576,"_source":15,"_file":2577,"_stem":2578,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/gnome-follow-up",{"title":2562,"description":2563,"ogTitle":2562,"ogDescription":2563,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2564,"ogUrl":2565,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":2565,"schema":2566},"GNOME: two years after the move to GitLab","Extensive CI/CD adoption and easier contributions are just a couple of the benefits of #movingtogitlab for GNOME.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749671276/Blog/Hero%20Images/gitlab-gnome.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/gnome-follow-up","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"GNOME: two years after the move to GitLab\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Nuritzi Sanchez\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2020-09-08\",\n      }",{"title":2562,"description":2563,"authors":2568,"heroImage":2564,"date":2570,"body":2571,"category":747,"tags":2572},[2569],"Nuritzi Sanchez","2020-09-08","\n\n_It's been a little over two years since the [GNOME project moved to GitLab](/blog/welcome-gnome-to-gitlab/). We wanted to check in to see what’s happening at GNOME these days and see if they had noticed an impact from their migration on their community and their software development lifecycle. To find out the latest, we spoke with [Carlos Soriano](https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlos-soriano-sanchez-4b361240/) and [Sri Ramkrishna](https://www.linkedin.com/in/sriram-ramkrishna/) from GNOME and combined their responses._ \n\n### How are you using GitLab at GNOME? \n\nGNOME is using GitLab’s [Community Edition](/install/ce-or-ee/), which is entirely open source.\n\nAll teams at GNOME have been using GitLab for over a year, including non-coding teams like engagement and design, and the board of directors. The GNOME Foundation’s staff is also using GitLab for things like grant writing and running the foundation. \n\nGNOME is using most features that GitLab has to offer, such as [CI/CD](/topics/ci-cd/) for testing, issue tracking, kanban boards, and labels. Labels and CI/CD are two of the most important features being used across the entire organization. \n\nIn addition to this, GNOME is using GitLab Pages for some of the landing pages for projects, and also to host documentation.\n\nThe only team that hasn’t fully been able to use GitLab is the GNOME translation team since they need a different set of permissions and roles than GitLab provides. For them, Bugzilla was more flexible, and so some of their workflow is still there and in other tools. However, they are using GitLab for issue tracking and coordination. \n\nHere's how [GNOME has set up its GitLab instance](https://gitlab.gnome.org/explore/groups).\n\n### What are some of the changes that you’ve noticed in your community? \n\nThe perception at GNOME is that the move to GitLab has made it easier for people to contribute to GNOME. \n\nOne noticeable difference is that a lot of people are now using the GNOME GitLab instance to host their own projects that are somehow related to GNOME but aren’t part of the core software produced by GNOME. This has increased GNOME’s developer community. \n \nAnother noticeable difference in the community is that, since moving to GitLab, there is more awareness around what CI/CD is and how important it is to the development process. CI/CD is being used extensively throughout the project. \n\nThere is now also more transparency at GNOME, which is both a blessing and a curse. More people from the wider community are able to see what’s happening in the development cycle, and are chiming in on issues and merge requests.  This has caused friction at times when things like designs were picked up by the wider community that weren’t ready for comments. \n\nUnfortunately, GNOME does not currently have metrics to share about the changes they’ve seen within their community; however, the overall sentiment has been positive towards the move to GitLab. GNOME is on the path to being a more data-driven organization than it has been in the past, and hopes to share more concrete data in the future. \n\n### What are some of the changes in GNOME’s software development lifecycle?\n\nThe biggest change in GNOME's software development lifecycle is that they can now build images for testing pipelines, something that couldn't be done before moving to GitLab. In the future, they hope to allow people to preview upcoming releases. \n\nDespite the positive changes in testing practices due to the move to GitLab, QA and wider community testing are still challenges for GNOME. (To be fair, GitLab's Global 2020 DevSecOps Survey found [QA/test remain challenging for everyone.](/developer-survey/)) Coordinating teams and members within a large free software project like GNOME is similar to doing so at a large commercial organization -- mostly around coordinating milestones and features spanning multiple teams. This means that GNOME has to hack around the limits of the GitLab Community Edition with homegrown tools.\n\nAnother big change to GNOME’s software development lifecycle is that there is now a closer relationship between designers and maintainers because there is more transparency on what the design team is doing.  \n\nThe move to GitLab has also shortened the cycle for developing [Flatpak](https://flatpak.org/), a software deployment and package management technology created by members of the GNOME community. The community can now automatically build Flatpak bundles and test changes against those instead of committing things to code. This shortens the feedback for QA, design, and releasing the software. \n\n### What do you think GitLab is doing well in supporting open source communities and what else would you like to see?\n\nOne of the things that GNOME appreciates most about GitLab is its transparency. It helps to know the roadmap and see what is being worked on in order to form proper expectations and plan ahead. \n\nGNOME is also happy that GitLab is continuing to grow its Developer Relations team and has invested in hiring an open source program manager. They are encouraged that GitLab now has a dedicated resource to understand the specific needs of open source communities on GitLab and craft a strategy to enable growth in this segment.\n\nUsing the Community Edition adds some challenges for open source communities since they often have to ask for features to be ported down. There are common features that are important to a lot of open source projects and communities and it is important to identify those and port them down. Having someone who can start conversations around these features is important. \n\nAnother area of opportunity for GitLab is to foster a closer relationship between the GitLab team and the community. GNOME would find it especially helpful to get to know GitLab engineers and product managers, in order to feel more comfortable collaborating with them. \n\nWhile there is more work to be done on this, GitLab is actively taking this feedback into account and is rolling out changes to the [GitLab forum](https://forum.gitlab.com/). Instead of being just a place to ask technical questions and find answers, there will soon be more of a social component as well.\n\n### What kind of organizations would you recommend GitLab for?\n\nLarge open source organizations that require coordination among various contributors will benefit from using GitLab. The project or organization doesn’t have to be super big, but when you have 20-40 people, or if your project is something that the industry depends on, GitLab is a great choice due to its features that enable project management, issue tracking, and CI for testing. \n\nAlso, if you’re into open source software, then GitLab is your best option from a feature to feature comparison. \n\n### What’s new at GNOME and what are some of the new things on the horizon?\n\nGNOME is continuing to invest in expanding its contributor base. Not only are they working on initiatives to improve and scale newcomer onboarding, but they are also hosting a [Community Engagement Challenge](https://www.gnome.org/news/2019/08/gnome-foundation-launches-coding-education-challenge/), along with Endless, to get a younger generation into open source. The Challenge has multiple stages and includes over $65,000 USD in cash and prizes. Phase One winners were recently announced at this year’s [GUADEC](https://events.gnome.org/event/1/), GNOME’s annual core conference. \n\nThis year’s GUADEC was done remotely due to the pandemic and was a huge success! If you missed it, be sure to check out the [GUADEC YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/user/GUADEC/) for videos of the talks. Coming soon will be the annual [GNOME.Asia Summit](https://www.gnome.asia/), and the [Linux App Summit](https://linuxappsummit.org/), which will be co-hosted again with [KDE](https://kde.org/). GNOME also hopes to hold a first-ever Pan African GNOME Summit (PAGS) in the upcoming year. \n\nFrom a technical standpoint, GNOME is trying to remove their over-reliance on mailing lists by using GitLab projects instead. The release team now makes “freeze break” requests in a GitLab project, and the security team uses a web form that opens a confidential issue in a GitLab project through the GitLab Service Desk feature.\n\nAfter enthusiastically adopting CI pipelines, GNOME projects are now trying to optimize their workflows to minimise time spent, bandwidth, and energy consumption.\n\nLast but not least, some GNOME members are working on implementing community health metrics in order to evolve into a more data-driven organization. The [App Ecosystem working group at CHAOSS](https://chaoss.community/participate/) was founded earlier this year as a result, and includes members from GNOME and KDE, among others. New members are encouraged to join!\n\n",[9,749,750],{"slug":2574,"featured":6,"template":685},"gnome-follow-up","content:en-us:blog:gnome-follow-up.yml","Gnome Follow Up","en-us/blog/gnome-follow-up.yml","en-us/blog/gnome-follow-up",{"_path":2580,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2581,"content":2587,"config":2591,"_id":2593,"_type":13,"title":2594,"_source":15,"_file":2595,"_stem":2596,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/goldman-sachs-partners-with-gitlab-for-next-gen-platform-strategies",{"title":2582,"description":2583,"ogTitle":2582,"ogDescription":2583,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2584,"ogUrl":2585,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":2585,"schema":2586},"Goldman Sachs partners with GitLab for next-gen platform strategies","Goldman Sachs’ George Grant shares how partnering with GitLab has modernized the development ecosystem.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749671845/Blog/Hero%20Images/serverless-ops-blog.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/goldman-sachs-partners-with-gitlab-for-next-gen-platform-strategies","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Goldman Sachs partners with GitLab for next-gen platform strategies\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Brein Matturro\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2020-01-24\",\n      }",{"title":2582,"description":2583,"authors":2588,"heroImage":2584,"date":1156,"body":2589,"category":679,"tags":2590},[1508],"\n\nMost people know Goldman Sachs as the global investment banking giant, but over the past few years the company has branched out to some pretty modern applications that go beyond the standard financial firm. At GitLab Commit Brooklyn 2019, [George Grant](https://www.linkedin.com/in/george-grant-21a9624), who runs the US SDLC engineering team at Goldman Sachs, explained how they’ve partnered with GitLab to help transform not only their development but the company as a whole.\n\n“It means we have to be a lot more nimble than we were in the past,” Grant says. “Now that we’re developing things that run on people’s iPhones, you need to have a different sort of infrastructure to do that.” The SDLC engineering team drives strategies for the development team, including legacy products, but also newer platforms like budgeting applications and the latest Apple credit card. The team is at the center of every business move within the organization.\n\n## Getting past the “dark times”\nGolman Sachs has about 10 [SDLCs running](/platform/), having grown organically into its own ecosystem over the years for various purposes. “Many of the things that we have at GS were designed in house – its our own workflow, our own tools doing code reviews, surrounding a minimum amount of external tools. Everthing thats involved in it is very tightly coupled with everything else,” Grant says.\n\nThe deployments, the issue tracker, the builds, and the testing are all linked together in order for everything to be controlled in one environment, including regulatory and compliance. This workflow is comfortable and controlled for users, but not ideal. “The problem is, it is sort of simultaneously its greatest strength and greatest weakness because the tightness of the coupling of the components makes it very difficult to replace any of the ones,” Grant says. If any part of the environment needs to be updated or switched out, it impacts all the others.\n\n\n\nThe engineering team started researching a new strategic direction, primarily looking for a modern Git-based solution. The goal was to find a tool that could alleviate developers’ SDLC workload and provide critical strategies for [cloud and Kubernetes](/2017/11/30/containers-kubernetes-basics/), allowing people to move away from the legacy stack. “You actually want to have something that gives you the freedom to innovate, but still have that control level around it.”\n\n## Creating a roadmap with GitLab\nGoldman Sachs chose GitLab as a way to move to the cloud, as an automation tool and to ultimately become the center of the ecosystem. “We didn’t want GitLab to be an island,” Grant says. Within the first two weeks of introducing GitLab, there were over 1600 users, underscoring the push for a new strategic platform.\n\nGitLab users can be innovative without restrictions. Each user group continues to work in their own world of tooling, but in a highly regulated environment. Reduced cycle times are another benefit, according to Grant. “We have one team that used to only be able to do a release every two weeks. Now they can do one and do another one five minutes later if they want to,” he says.\n\nFor an experienced company, the ability to integrate with legacy tools is important. On top of that, GS is embracing DevOps and QA metrics now that they have end-to-end visibility within the ecosystem. The transparency of GitLab allows Goldman Sachs to have input. “We have new ideas and new ways that we want to use the product to drive it strategically within GS,” Grant says.\n\n## Goldman Sachs and GitLab: Better together\nGoldman Sachs and GitLab have established a partnership. “The proof is in the pudding, as they say, and Goldman Sachs was very, very happy to become an investor in GitLab,” Grant says. As users of the tool, Goldman Sachs found it to be a natural investment opportunity. Bottom line, he says, people are demanding to use it more often. “We believe it is the strategic platform to take us into the future.”\n\nTo learn more about Goldman Sach’s implementation strategies, watch George Grant’s presentation from GitLab Commit Brooklyn 2019.\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n  \u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/Bu3nrxPy1-E\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\u003C/figure>\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\nPhoto by [Tomasz Frankowski](https://unsplash.com/@sunlifter?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText)\n{: .note}\n",[1200,108,682,877,9],{"slug":2592,"featured":6,"template":685},"goldman-sachs-partners-with-gitlab-for-next-gen-platform-strategies","content:en-us:blog:goldman-sachs-partners-with-gitlab-for-next-gen-platform-strategies.yml","Goldman Sachs Partners With Gitlab For Next Gen Platform Strategies","en-us/blog/goldman-sachs-partners-with-gitlab-for-next-gen-platform-strategies.yml","en-us/blog/goldman-sachs-partners-with-gitlab-for-next-gen-platform-strategies",{"_path":2598,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2599,"content":2604,"config":2610,"_id":2612,"_type":13,"title":2613,"_source":15,"_file":2614,"_stem":2615,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/google-summer-of-code-2024-contribute-to-gitlab-and-git-to-prepare",{"title":2600,"description":2601,"ogTitle":2600,"ogDescription":2601,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1541,"ogUrl":2602,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":2602,"schema":2603},"Google Summer of Code 2024: Contribute to GitLab and Git to prepare","Learning how to contribute to GitLab and Git can help you get ready to apply for Google's program for open source development.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/google-summer-of-code-2024-contribute-to-gitlab-and-git-to-prepare","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Google Summer of Code 2024: Contribute to GitLab and Git to prepare\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Nick Veenhof\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Christian Couder\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2023-12-20\",\n      }",{"title":2600,"description":2601,"authors":2605,"heroImage":1541,"date":2607,"body":2608,"category":747,"tags":2609},[2606,1320],"Nick Veenhof","2023-12-20","Google Summer of Code ([GSoC](https://summerofcode.withgoogle.com/)), a program that helps bring new contributors into open source software development, is just around the corner. So now is the time to start learning [how to contribute to GitLab](https://about.gitlab.com/community/contribute/) or Git and prepare ideas for GSOC 2024. GitLab has participated in GSOC for more than five years of the program's 20-year history, and the mentorship opportunity aligns well with our \"[Everyone can contribute](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/company/mission/)\" mission.\n\nIn 2023, GitLab team members mentored GSoC contributors working on GitLab and Git open source projects throughout the 12-week program. One example was the “Unify ref-filter formats with other --pretty formats” Git project. \n\n## Implementing new formatting options for Git commands\n\nKousik Sanagavarapu was selected as a 2023 GSOC contributor and was mentored by [Christian Couder](https://gitlab.com/chriscool), staff backend engineer on the GitLab Gitaly::Git team.\n\nKousik’s work focused on implementing some [new formatting options for Git commands](https://summerofcode.withgoogle.com/programs/2023/projects/rck3kmq2) like `git branch`, `git tag` and `git for-each-ref`. These commands use a formatting mechanism called the “ref-filter” format. The formatting options Kousik worked on were already available for other commands like `git log`, that use a different formatting mechanism called the “pretty” format. So the work involved porting these options from the “pretty” format to the “ref-filter” format.\n\nThanks to Kousik’s work, it’s now possible to use a number of new placeholders like %(signature), %(authoremail:mailmap), or %(describe) in the –format option of `git branch`, `git tag`, and `git for-each-ref` to get more information about the commits that branches, tags, or refs in general point to. [Read the documentation](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-for-each-ref/2.43.0#_field_names) for a description of these placeholders.\n\nThese improvements are available in the recently released Git 2.43.\n\n## How GSOC works\n\nOpen source organizations who participate – such as GitLab and Git – have to propose projects and provide mentors. Selected contributors are helped by the mentors and paid by Google during 12 or more weeks while they work on their projects. Contributors are evaluated three times by mentors: after a “Community Bonding” period, in the middle of the coding period, and after the coding period for a final evaluation.  \n\n## How to participate as a contributor\n\nTo apply to become a contributor for GSOC 2024, check out the [GSoC website](https://summerofcode.withgoogle.com/) and the [Google Open Source blog](https://opensource.googleblog.com). Interested parties should register [when selected organizations are announced](https://opensource.googleblog.com/2023/02/mentor-organizations-announced-for.html), which will happen in a few months. \n\nContributors will then be selected by the mentors after they have made a small contribution and after they have prepared an application document that details how they plan to achieve the proposed project they want to work on.\n\nProspective contributors can start learning about GitLab or Git right now to be fully ready to make a small contribution and prepare an application. [As Google says](https://opensource.googleblog.com/2023/02/mentor-organizations-announced-for.html), “The most successful applications come from contributors who start preparing now.” \n\nGitLab has a lot of documentation and tutorials [to learn how to contribute](https://about.gitlab.com/community/contribute/), while Git has a [Hacking Git page](https://git.github.io/Hacking-Git/) with a lot of helpful links.\n\n## How GitLab team members participate\n\nGitLab participates in GSOC as an open source organization and team members from different functional areas volunteer to mentor contributors and propose projects for them to work on.  \n\nIn 2023, GitLab team members mentored contributors on a number of GitLab-related projects, including  Pajamas Migration with the GitLab Foundations Team and improving the documentation for the contributor journey to GitLab.\n\n## How Git developers participate\n\nThe Git project also participates in GSoC as an open source organization, and Git developers who are interested in mentoring propose projects, and then select GSoC contributors.\n\nLast summer, in addition to the \"Unify ref-filter formats with other --pretty formats\" project, Git developers proposed the \"[More Sparse Index integrations](https://summerofcode.withgoogle.com/programs/2023/projects/Rkbc1Abe)\" project.\n\n## Mentoring and GitLab \n\nGitLab’s mission is “Everyone can contribute” and we understand that helping potential contributors through mentoring can achieve this goal. In addition to participating in external programs like GSOC and [Outreachy](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/outreachy-sponsorship-winter-2020/), GitLab has internal mentoring programs, including a [CEO Shadow program](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/ceo/shadow/) and a [Mentorship program for women](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/company/culture/inclusion/tmrg-gitlab-women/mentorship-program/).\n\nLearn more about [mentoring at GitLab](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/people-group/learning-and-development/mentor/).",[749,9,750,877,794],{"slug":2611,"featured":6,"template":685},"google-summer-of-code-2024-contribute-to-gitlab-and-git-to-prepare","content:en-us:blog:google-summer-of-code-2024-contribute-to-gitlab-and-git-to-prepare.yml","Google Summer Of Code 2024 Contribute To Gitlab And Git To Prepare","en-us/blog/google-summer-of-code-2024-contribute-to-gitlab-and-git-to-prepare.yml","en-us/blog/google-summer-of-code-2024-contribute-to-gitlab-and-git-to-prepare",{"_path":2617,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2618,"content":2624,"config":2631,"_id":2633,"_type":13,"title":2634,"_source":15,"_file":2635,"_stem":2636,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/gsoc-at-gitlab",{"title":2619,"description":2620,"ogTitle":2619,"ogDescription":2620,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2621,"ogUrl":2622,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":2622,"schema":2623},"Google Summer of Code at GitLab – some intern highlights","GitLab team members mentored student interns and helped them develop open source projects during Google Summer of Code.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749682129/Blog/Hero%20Images/gsoc_cover.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/gsoc-at-gitlab","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Google Summer of Code at GitLab – some intern highlights\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Aakriti Gupta\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2021-09-01\",\n      }",{"title":2619,"description":2620,"authors":2625,"heroImage":2621,"date":2627,"body":2628,"category":296,"tags":2629},[2626],"Aakriti Gupta","2021-09-01","\n\nGitLab participated in [Google Summer of Code](https://summerofcode.withgoogle.com/) for the first time this year. We hosted four student interns to work with us on four different projects under the supervision of two or three mentors each.\n\nFor the past 16 years, Google has hosted the Summer of Code to introduce students to the world of open source. Over the summer, student interns work on a project with an open source organization and are closely mentored by the developers of the open source project. More than [200 organizations](https://summerofcode.withgoogle.com/organizations/) participated this year.\n\nWe started off the summer with a two-week long community bonding period to get our students familiar with how we work at GitLab and helped them set-up their local development environments. During the 10-week program we worked through scoped projects with regular check-ins and [a final demo](https://youtu.be/--Neg5pwwnI) to conclude the program.\n\n## Meet the students\n\n### Alejandro Rusi\n[Alejandro](https://gitlab.com/rusi-ruse), a CS student from Argentina, worked on [enabling Courseware as Code](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/marketing/community-relations/contributor-program/gitlab-gsoc-2021/-/issues/4) through his project. Check out his [video presentation here](https://youtu.be/qgQQ4MgnKR4) and read [more about the project here](https://alejandro-rusi.gitlab.io/2021/05/31/toward-courseware). Alejandro said:  \n\n> They quickly made me feel welcome and part of Gitlab. All of the topics to choose from were very interesting, and all mentors seemed great.\n>\n> I would like to highlight a moment during GSoC where I wasn't able to do my normal workload due to a personal problem, and my mentors where incredibly supportive and understanding.\n\n### Anshuman Singh\n\n[Anshuman](https://gitlab.com/singhanshuman), a CS student who joined us from India, collaborated with the Static Analysis team to work on [writing vulnerability detection rules  for SAST](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/6089). Anshuman said: \n\n> For a beginner, it is normal to feel insecure about achieving specified tasks in your group.\n>\n> I am glad that my mentors Julian and Ross were there at every step of the program to provide support and clear my doubts about anything. It was such an enriching experience for me. I am glad to be the part of GitLab for this Google Summer of Code edition. :)\n\n### Cyrine Gamoudi\n\nA computer engineering student from Tunisia, [Cyrine](https://gitlab.com/CyrineG1) worked with the Static Analysis team on [porting SAST and Secret Detection rails platform code to GitLab CE](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/marketing/community-relations/contributor-program/gitlab-gsoc-2021/-/issues/6).\n\n> The project went very smoothly. I was able to achieve almost all of the planned milestones and I'm currently still in contact with my mentors, working on what was left. I enjoyed getting an inside look into how open source projects are maintained as well as how they evolve through time. It was also interesting to see the impact of historical architectural decisions on what could and could not be done later on.\n\n### Shubham Kumar\n\nNow in his final year of schooling, [Shubham](https://gitlab.com/imskr) from India helped the Geo team [improve our backup and restore features](https://shubhamkumar.live/blog/Improving-Backup-and-Restore-For-GitLab-GSoC-2021/).\n\n> Mentorship was amazing. Mentors helped me a lot whenever I had problem. Contributing to GitLab is very welcoming. I absolutely loved it.\n\n## GitLab mentors share their thoughts \n\n### What went well?\n\n- External organization\n  - The folks at Google were well organized, the entire schedule was available right at the beginning and the reminder emails were very informative and well timed.\n  - We used it to create our own calendar and that was very helpful.\n- Asynchronous working style\n\n> Having recorded meetings and an agenda doc was really helpful, especially for cases where one mentor went on holidays it was easy to catch up on things. Writing up a planning epic with our student Anshuman was really helpful to make sure that we were on the same page and to clearly define the project deliverables. - [Julian Thome](/company/team/#julianthome), senior vulnerability research engineer at GitLab. \n>\n> Related to this, GitLab's default mode of working that favors asynchronous communication and the written form feels very well-aligned with GSoC and working across time zones. Even without a large amount of overlap between working for myself and our mentee, it felt very effective and like we had a strong foundation in place to support communication and workflows (just point to our existing handbook and docs). - [Lucas Charles](/company/team/#theoretick), staff backend engineer, Secure, at GitLab.\n\n  - It was really useful to have two mentors on the project. This way it was easier sharing responsibilities and managing other priorities, especially when one mentor was out.\n\n### What could be improved? \n\n- We had considerable engagement on the project proposal issues but not as many applications.\n- GitLab is huge and a complex object model for students to hold onto.\n- Running GitLab locally requires a lot of resources.\n- The fork contribution model wasn't efficient for some projects.\n\n\n- Define the required skills for the project better\n> Since GSoC is 10 short weeks, making sure that the student has acquired all the required skills for the project before it starts would have allowed us to reduce the overall mentoring workload and to use mentoring time more efficiently by focusing on the project objectives. Next year, we can make better use of the \"Community Bonding\" period by giving the students more guidance and some time upfront to learn the required technologies/languages so that they are fully prepared before the coding phase begins. -  Julian\n\n- A clear \"victory task,\" possibly in the frontend, would have made some of the projects more \"visible\" and would have felt more complete.\n\n## Wrapping up\n\n[Tetiana Chupryna](/company/team/#brytannia), senior backend engineer, Secure, at GitLab sums up the experience of the mentors really well: \n\n> This program gave me a feeling of deep fulfilment as I was able to look at GitLab through the eyes of a community contributor and I hope that this project was useful for our student in her career, and she will return to GitLab one day as a contributor (we were lucky to have her on this project). So it was a summer well spent 🍎.\n\nWe hope GitLab can be back at Google Summer of Code next year!\n\n[Cover image](https://unsplash.com/photos/7RQf2X6aXXI) by [Raphaël Biscaldi](https://unsplash.com/@les_photos_de_raph)\n{: .note}\n\n",[9,750,2630,749,982],"google",{"slug":2632,"featured":6,"template":685},"gsoc-at-gitlab","content:en-us:blog:gsoc-at-gitlab.yml","Gsoc At Gitlab","en-us/blog/gsoc-at-gitlab.yml","en-us/blog/gsoc-at-gitlab",{"_path":2638,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2639,"content":2644,"config":2649,"_id":2651,"_type":13,"title":2652,"_source":15,"_file":2653,"_stem":2654,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/hackathon-recap",{"title":2640,"description":2641,"ogTitle":2640,"ogDescription":2641,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1151,"ogUrl":2642,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":2642,"schema":2643},"Recapping the first GitLab Hackathon","What we accomplished and learned from the Hackathon on September 27-28.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/hackathon-recap","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Recapping the first GitLab Hackathon\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Ray Paik\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2018-10-09\",\n      }",{"title":2640,"description":2641,"authors":2645,"heroImage":1151,"date":2646,"body":2647,"category":747,"tags":2648},[744],"2018-10-09","\n\nWhen we wrapped up our first Hackathon on September 28th, I was impressed both\nwith the energy from participants (including many first-time contributors) and\nwhat the GitLab community accomplished over two days.\n\n## So what did we accomplish?\n\nOne of the key goals of the event was to encourage community members to contribute\nMerge Requests (MRs), and the community delivered more than 20 MRs, with 15 of\nthem merged as of October 8th. You can see the list of MRs at the\n[Hackathon Community MRs page](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/marketing/community-relations/contributor-program/hackathon/issues/4).\nThis is pretty impressive when you consider that community members had a less than\n2-weeks notice for the event.\n\n## What else happened during the event?\n\nIn addition to hacking, we had several community experts deliver tutorial\nsessions on topics ranging from\n[GitLab Development Kit](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxn-0KSfNaU),\n[documentation](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GT2XOkpSi4&feature=youtu.be),\n[internationalization/translation](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJ9oSSx0qyY&feature=youtu.be),\n[UX design](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_nq5OCiktE&feature=youtu.be), and\n[Merge Request Coaches](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daCFv9tAQXw&feature=youtu.be).\nRecordings/slides from all the sessions can also be found on the [Hackathon wiki page](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/marketing/community-relations/contributor-program/hackathon/wikis/Q3%272018-hackathon).\nWe also identified a number of issues/bugs as listed on the [wiki](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/marketing/community-relations/contributor-program/hackathon/wikis/Q3%272018-hackathon#issuesbugs-found-during-the-hackathon),\nand we will certainly be following up on these.\n\n## Will there be another Hackathon event in the future?\n\nOur plan is to have a Hackathon event every quarter, and I'm excited to announce\nthat the Q4 Hackthon will take place on November 14-15. Stay tuned for further\nannouncements in another blog post and discussions on the\n[GitLab Community room in Gitter](https://gitter.im/gitlabhq/community)\nand on the [GitLab forum](https://forum.gitlab.com/). In addition,\nif you have any suggestions for topics and/or feedback on last month's event,\nplease mention them on the [GitLab Community room in Gitter](https://gitter.im/gitlabhq/community)\nto help us improve future Hackathons.\n\n## Hackathon prizes\n\nAs we announced at the Hackathon kickoff, everyone who had MRs merged will\nreceive a token of our appreciation so they can purchase GitLab merchandise at\nthe [GitLab store](https://shop.gitlab.com/). During the Hackathon period,\neight people had MRs merged and the \"grand prize\" winner with most MRs merged is\n[George Tsiolis](https://gitlab.com/gtsiolis) with seven merged MRs!\nCongratulations to everyone! I will reach out to all winners shortly.\n\n## How do I get started with contributing?\n\nA good place to start is the [Contributing to GitLab page](/community/contribute/), where you can learn how you can\ncontribute to GitLab code, documentation, translation, and UX design.\n\nIf you have any questions, you are always welcome to reach me at rpaik@gitlab.com.\n\nCover image: [\"Gitlab application screengrab\"](https://unsplash.com/photos/ZV_64LdGoao) by [Pankaj Patel](https://unsplash.com/@pankajpatel).\n{: .note}\n",[9,794,749,274],{"slug":2650,"featured":6,"template":685},"hackathon-recap","content:en-us:blog:hackathon-recap.yml","Hackathon Recap","en-us/blog/hackathon-recap.yml","en-us/blog/hackathon-recap",{"_path":2656,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2657,"content":2663,"config":2669,"_id":2671,"_type":13,"title":2672,"_source":15,"_file":2673,"_stem":2674,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/hiring-based-on-open-source-contributions-could-be-harmful",{"title":2658,"description":2659,"ogTitle":2658,"ogDescription":2659,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2660,"ogUrl":2661,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":2661,"schema":2662},"We all love open source, but hiring based on contributions could be harmful","An industry expert from Indeed says it's a bad idea to make hiring decisions based on GitHub activity.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749678750/Blog/Hero%20Images/man-coding.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/hiring-based-on-open-source-contributions-could-be-harmful","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"We all love open source, but hiring based on contributions could be harmful\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Aricka Flowers\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2018-11-16\",\n      }",{"title":2658,"description":2659,"authors":2664,"heroImage":2660,"date":2666,"body":2667,"category":747,"tags":2668},[2665],"Aricka Flowers","2018-11-16","\nThere’s been a lot of chatter about using open source contributions as a metric in the hiring process. After some intense discussions on social media, Ashe Dryden, a programmer and diversity advocate and consultant, [wrote about the ethical problems with hiring based on GitHub activity and open source contributions](https://www.ashedryden.com/blog/the-ethics-of-unpaid-labor-and-the-oss-community) back in 2013, and the topic resurfaces every few months.\n\nMost recently, [@ReBeccaOrg](https://twitter.com/ReBeccaOrg/status/954081973814755328) and [@Joemccann](https://twitter.com/joemccann/status/1004798006485573632) kicked up more discussion with their respective tweets, inspiring the head of open source at job site [Indeed.com](https://www.indeed.com/about), Duane O'Brien, to take it to the next level with a conference talk.\n\n\"This talk was inspired by a discussion from earlier in the year about a startup that tried to create a ranking algorithm to identify job candidates based solely on their GitHub activity,\" he explains. \"In fact, between the time that I started putting together the talk and the first time that I gave it, the topic had blown up on Twitter again because someone else had started talking about how they don't even look at resumes anymore, they just look at GitHub profiles. People were pointing out why this is problematic.\"\n\n### 1. It creates an uneven playing field\n\nWhile hiring based on GitHub profiles is not a universal practice, Duane says it has been going on for a while. He says the practice can inadvertently create bias.\n\n\"A problem with biasing your hiring process toward people who have a history of open source work is that it is likely you're expecting that they've done it in their free time\u003Csup>(1)(2)\u003C/sup>. And the demographic that historically has the most available free time [trends towards male](https://www.unece.org/info/media/news/statistics/2016/how-much-free-time-do-we-have/doc.html),\" he says. \"Because of this, there can be an unexpected effect of filtering out people who are primary caregivers or young parents, or people who are making a career transition and have to work two jobs, those who bear disproportionate household responsibilities, and so on.\"\n\n### 2. It plays up a sometimes unattainable standard\n\nAnother concern for critics of open source contribution-focused hiring is that it can perpetuate this mantra that you have to be coding nonstop to be considered a real developer.\n\n\"There's [this perception](https://www.codementor.io/@codementorteam/how-to-get-your-first-developer-job-even-if-you-don-t-have-a-cs-degree-8b60y8ch2), especially in Silicon Valley, that [if you are not eating, breathing, and sleeping code](https://www.businessinsider.com/why-one-programmer-hates-the-popular-eat-sleep-code-repeat-t-shirt-2016-5) at work and during all your spare time and don't have a bunch of [personal side projects](https://insights.dice.com/2013/11/15/improve-chance-landing-job-personal-project/), that you don't take it seriously or are [not as desirable of a candidate](https://techbeacon.com/what-do-job-seeking-developers-need-their-github) as someone who does spend all their time on coding,\" Duane says. \"I think that places an unfair claim on people's free time, and what they should be doing with it. Especially those with families. Most people expect flexibility and wouldn’t want to work for an employer who has unrealistic expectations.\"\n\n### Open source's place in hiring\n\nOpen source participation does have a role in hiring, but it should not be the be-all and end-all for a candidate. If you’re looking for someone who has experience working within a particular open source community or project, then it makes sense to look at the open source contributions of job candidates, O’Brien said. But in most cases, there are other ways to evaluate applicants and also keep the playing field even.\n\n\"If you're looking to hire for an engineering position and you've got two engineers, one of whom has a robust history of working in open source, and one of them who doesn't have any open source footprint at all, rather than automatically interpreting one candidate as less desirable than the other, I recommend finding another way to get a look at their skills,\" Duane advised. \"You can do that by asking them for code samples, or having them do panel interviews or take-home assessment-based assignments. Some companies are also offering contract work to potential candidates as a way to try them out on the job. Honeycomb.io has done some of this.\u003Csup>(3)\u003C/sup> This ‘hiring in production’ mentality seems to be emerging as a practice.\"\n\n### Suggestions for job hunters\n\nJob seekers who have little to no open source experience should be prepared for questions about their lack of participation. Be straightforward about your constraints, be it a lack of time, interest or opportunity, and offer code samples that allow employers to view your skills in action. Duane says it is also important to interview your potential employer to make sure their expectations are in line with your wants and needs.\n\nFor those looking to get some open source experience, there are a number of ways to get involved, including, of course, [GitLab](/community/contribute/). Duane pointed to paid opportunities like [Outreachy](https://www.outreachy.org/), which offers internships to people in underrepresented groups to support them in making their first contributions into open source, as well as bug bounties.\n\nDuane recently presented his talk at All Things Open and the Seattle GNU/Linux conference. He may present the talk again at a few more events in the near future.\n\n\"Since it's a topic that seems to come up in our social sphere every few months or so, I want to encourage us to go back and look at Ashe's blog post, and the other people who've already been talking about it,\" he said. \"There are many different ways to evaluate candidates besides just looking at their GitHub data, and it’s important that look at the whole picture when we evaluate candidates.\"\n\nWhat role do you think open source contributions should play in the hiring process? Sound off on Twitter and let us know [@GitLab](https://twitter.com/gitlab) or comment below.\n\n**Footnotes**\n\n[1](http://opensourcesurvey.org/2017/#insights),\n[2](https://assets.digitalocean.com/currents-report/DigitalOcean-Currents-Q4-2017.pdf),\n3 You can see some discussion of this in this [Twitter thread](https://twitter.com/DuaneOBrien/status/963499537154310145), which refers to the [first Sentry Scouts meetup](https://sentry.io/_/events/2018-01-17-sentry-scouts-1/).\n{: .note}\n",[816,749,9],{"slug":2670,"featured":6,"template":685},"hiring-based-on-open-source-contributions-could-be-harmful","content:en-us:blog:hiring-based-on-open-source-contributions-could-be-harmful.yml","Hiring Based On Open Source Contributions Could Be Harmful","en-us/blog/hiring-based-on-open-source-contributions-could-be-harmful.yml","en-us/blog/hiring-based-on-open-source-contributions-could-be-harmful",{"_path":2676,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2677,"content":2683,"config":2688,"_id":2690,"_type":13,"title":2691,"_source":15,"_file":2692,"_stem":2693,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/hiring-in-the-deep-end-of-the-talent-pool",{"title":2678,"description":2679,"ogTitle":2678,"ogDescription":2679,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2680,"ogUrl":2681,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":2681,"schema":2682},"DevOps hiring from the deep end of the talent pool","Time to broaden your search beyond four-year tech degrees to candidates with life experience, self-taught/bootcamp chops, and soft skills.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749663743/Blog/Hero%20Images/three-things-i-learned-in-my-first-month-at-gitlab.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/hiring-in-the-deep-end-of-the-talent-pool","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"DevOps hiring from the deep end of the talent pool\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"PJ Metz\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2022-02-01\",\n      }",{"title":2678,"description":2679,"authors":2684,"heroImage":2680,"date":2685,"body":2686,"category":816,"tags":2687},[811],"2022-02-01","\n\nWhen it comes to DevOps hiring, many companies have only waded into the shallow end of the pool to find talent. They’ve relied on a steady stream of university graduates rather than being a little more creative in their search and realizing that many DevOps professionals are created outside of traditional four-year institutions. So let’s explore the DevOps hiring opportunities that await in the deep end of the talent pool. \n\n## Non-traditional paths\n\nWhile four-year degrees are wonderful – the dream of a college education should be available to all who want it – the reality is there are a variety of barriers to attending college. For instance, many people don’t realize the opportunity within tech until later in their life, after they’ve already earned a different degree or have been working for several years in a different field. To get their DevOps skills, they pursue an alternative route such as bootcamps or teaching themselves. In fact, non collegiate paths are increasingly common; according to a report by Hired, 45% of software engineers have a computer science degree, but 24% are self-taught, and another 10% learned how to code through a bootcamp program.\n\n### DevOps bootcamps\n\nBootcamps offer rigorous and thorough training on a very specific set of tech-related skills such as full-stack web development, data science, and UX/UI design. These virtual or in-person programs are full-time or part-time, and there are many bootcamps available all over the world. Bootcamps are appealing because of their affordable cost and shorter time investment, compared to earning a four-year degree.\n\nOrganizations aiming to train their engineering teams like bootcamps because they can focus exclusively on skills needed for the job, modern frameworks and languages, and real-world applications, making their graduates well-versed in building today’s apps. \n\n### Self-taught DevOps\n\nDevelopers often learn to code while working in another career. Former educators, EMTs, and office managers everywhere are dedicating time outside of their professions to learning to write code and build apps.\n\nSelf-taught developers are an asset to a company because they have the discipline to learn tough concepts on their own and find ways to apply them. This is something that many other avenues of learning don’t offer. Because they had to find their own way, self-taught developers often have unique perspectives and the ability to problem-solve that are valuable to teams at all levels of tech. \n\nDevOps is a unique career in that proving what you know is incredibly important. So when it's time for DevOps hiring, don’t exclude these other paths. Where someone learned isn’t as important as what they learned — or what they can build. So when you’re hiring, or creating a bot that chooses which resumes and applications to move forward with, make sure you’re not [getting rid of qualified candidates](https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2021/09/07/harvard-business-school-study-says-software-overlooks-millions-of-qualified-job-candidates-heres-how-to-fight-back-against-the-bots/?sh=5a0f1ff813d3). \n\n## Why non-traditional?\n\nWorkers with non-tech backgrounds bring a lot to the table that should be considered along with their skill sets.\n\n### Diversify the knowledge\n\nPeople who choose non-traditional routes to tech are often people who have already been working at a professional level in another career. When you hire someone who took a different path to tech than college, you can benefit from their expertise as well as their experience from their former career. For instance, a former teacher brings the ability to present information and explain new concepts – both skills are essential in DevOps. Similarly, an office manager would know how to manage several different projects at once and understand how to work well within teams. \n\nIf diversity is important to your company, as it should be to every company, then looking beyond hiring only candidates with computer science degrees will help you to find that talent. Statistically speaking, [women and people of color are currently heavily under-represented in computer science programs across the U.S.](https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2020/06/major-madness-racial-and-gender-equity-in-computer-science), so they are likely to have other experiences such as bootcamps or be self-taught that would still qualify them for some of your DevOps hiring needs.   \n\n### Soft skills \n\nJust as important as technical skills are interpersonal skills, a.k.a. soft skills. [Teamwork, collaboration, and communication](/blog/soft-skills-are-the-key-to-your-devops-career-advancement/) are sometimes dismissed as secondary or unimportant compared to the candidate’s ability to write code. However, these skills are essential when working within a team and across an organization. Because [team-based work is central](/blog/future-proof-your-developer-career/#embrace-the-soft-skills) to implementing DevOps strategies, you should be hiring people with great soft skills to reduce friction. It is beneficial to the company to have a professional who can communicate with the lines of business and the C-suite about projects and goals. A college grad may have had internships and work experience, but a marketing designer or restaurant manager who has been in their respective businesses for 10 years already knows how to navigate a deadline-oriented workplace and communicate requirements to other stakeholders. \n\nAs you assemble your DevOps hiring strategy, don’t close yourself off to the idea of a non-traditional candidate. You might be surprised at how much they will enhance the dynamics of your DevOps team.\n",[682,816,9],{"slug":2689,"featured":6,"template":685},"hiring-in-the-deep-end-of-the-talent-pool","content:en-us:blog:hiring-in-the-deep-end-of-the-talent-pool.yml","Hiring In The Deep End Of The Talent Pool","en-us/blog/hiring-in-the-deep-end-of-the-talent-pool.yml","en-us/blog/hiring-in-the-deep-end-of-the-talent-pool",{"_path":2695,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2696,"content":2702,"config":2707,"_id":2709,"_type":13,"title":2710,"_source":15,"_file":2711,"_stem":2712,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/how-do-you-contribute",{"title":2697,"description":2698,"ogTitle":2697,"ogDescription":2698,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2699,"ogUrl":2700,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":2700,"schema":2701},"How do you contribute?","Your contribution graph captures a moment in time like few things can, and we want to celebrate it.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749679742/Blog/Hero%20Images/contribute-social-cover.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/how-do-you-contribute","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"How do you contribute?\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Emily von Hoffmann\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-05-07\",\n      }",{"title":2697,"description":2698,"authors":2703,"heroImage":2699,"date":2704,"body":2705,"category":747,"tags":2706},[1920],"2019-05-07","\n\nContribution graphs tell the story of your year.\n\nEspecially when you’re a daily user, they have a funny way of capturing not only professional milestones, but personal ones too. Vacations, sabbaticals, and family leave are all captured by characteristic little gray squares where no work is done. Equally telling are the times when work overflows into the weekends, or when it forms those satisfyingly deep navy streaks for consecutive days with over 30 commits each.\n\n![Inner narration when I look at my contribution graph](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/contribute-social-launch/evh_contribution_graph.png){: .shadow.center.medium}\n*\u003Csmall>\u003Ccenter>Some inner narration when I look at my contribution graph\u003C/center>\u003C/small>*\n\nUsing GitLab, you don’t just have to commit code in order to get the visual feedback for all of your hard work. Actions like commenting, opening, and closing issues and merge requests are also included. Your contribution graph is as unique as your fingerprint. It captures a moment in time like few things can, and we want to celebrate it. Check out some examples from the GitLab team:\n\n#### Tackling weekend side projects 🙌\n\n![Weekend side projects](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/contribute-social-launch/brendan-activity.png){: .shadow.center.medium}\n\n\n#### Managing a team 🗣\n\n![Managing a team](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/contribute-social-launch/lee-activity.png){: .shadow.center.medium}\n\n\n#### Going on parental leave 🤗\n\n![Parental leave](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/contribute-social-launch/brittany-activity.png){: .shadow.center.medium}\n\n\n#### Producing GitLab videos 🎥\n\n![Producing GitLab videos](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/contribute-social-launch/aricka-activity.png){: .shadow.center.medium}\n\n\n#### Cultivating perfect weekends 🙏\n\n![Cultivating perfect weekends](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/contribute-social-launch/sean-activity.png){: .shadow.center.medium}\n\n\n#### Managing this blog! 📝\n\n![Managing this blog](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/contribute-social-launch/rebecca-activity.png){: .shadow.center.medium}\n\n\n#### Starting a new job 💜\n\n![Starting a new job](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/contribute-social-launch/jeff-activity.png){: .shadow.center.medium}\n\n\n#### Advancing in your role 💪\n\n![Adjusting to a new role](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/contribute-social-launch/emilie-activity.png){: .shadow.center.medium}\n\n\n#### Flexing your skills 💻\n\n![Mastering your craft](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/contribute-social-launch/taurie-activity.png){: .shadow.center.medium}\n\n\n## Everyone can #contribute\n\nAt GitLab, we believe that everyone can contribute, and that means you! Whether you build software yourself or enable others who do; whether you write code, contracts, or novels; whether you manage a team at work or in your own household, your tasks and timelines can find a home in GitLab.\n\nSo tell us about your contributions! While we’re at GitLab [Contribute](/events/gitlab-contribute/) in New Orleans, we want to hear about all the ways that you contribute. Tweet a screenshot of your activity using #contribute, and tell us about your year as represented by your GitLab profile. Tweeting with the hashtag will enter you to win a swag bag to deck you out in GitLab gear from head to toe 😍\n\nWe can't wait to hear from you! Tweet us [@gitlab](https://twitter.com/gitlab).\n",[9],{"slug":2708,"featured":6,"template":685},"how-do-you-contribute","content:en-us:blog:how-do-you-contribute.yml","How Do You Contribute","en-us/blog/how-do-you-contribute.yml","en-us/blog/how-do-you-contribute",{"_path":2714,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2715,"content":2721,"config":2727,"_id":2729,"_type":13,"title":2730,"_source":15,"_file":2731,"_stem":2732,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/how-eclipse-foundation-champions-open-source-with-gitlab",{"title":2716,"description":2717,"ogTitle":2716,"ogDescription":2717,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2718,"ogUrl":2719,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":2719,"schema":2720},"How the Eclipse Foundation champions open source with GitLab","In this interview, learn how adopting GitLab helps the Eclipse Foundation be a more effective champion for open source.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749679184/Blog/Hero%20Images/eclipsefoundationcover.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/how-eclipse-foundation-champions-open-source-with-gitlab","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"How the Eclipse Foundation champions open source with GitLab\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Bryan Behrenshausen\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2023-10-19\",\n      }",{"title":2716,"description":2717,"authors":2722,"heroImage":2718,"date":2724,"body":2725,"category":747,"tags":2726},[2723],"Bryan Behrenshausen","2023-10-19","\nThe Eclipse Foundation is a pillar of the open source ecosystem. Home to more than 415 open source projects, the not-for-profit organization has been championing open source collaboration and innovation for more than two decades.\n\nGitLab plays a significant role in the Eclipse Foundation's operations, and the organization recently joined the GitLab [GitLab Open Source Partners](https://go.gitlab.com/030Ue3) community. To mark the occasion, I caught up with Denis Roy, IT director at the Eclipse Foundation, to chat about the organization's history, vision, and passion for open source development.\n\n**We're so excited to welcome the Eclipse Foundation to the GitLab Open Source Partners community. You've been champions of open source for quite some time. Tell us about your history and the mission that guides you today.**\n\nThe Eclipse Foundation was born in 2004, as a not-for-profit, [open source](https://go.gitlab.com/spHNym) software foundation with the goal of driving the evolution of the Eclipse Platform and its ecosystem of tools, plugins, and addons in a vendor-neutral, open, and transparent community. Since then, the Eclipse Foundation has become one of the world's largest open source software foundations. The foundation offers a mature, scalable, and business-friendly environment for open source software collaboration and innovation, hosting more than 415 open source projects, including runtimes, tools, and frameworks for a wide range of technology domains such as the Internet of Things, automotive, geospatial, systems engineering, and many others.\n\n> Connect with the GitLab Open Source Partners on [Gitlab.com](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/marketing/community-relations/open-source-program/gitlab-open-source-partners).\n\n**How does the Eclipse Foundation use GitLab? What has using GitLab helped you accomplish?**\n\nGitLab has allowed us to modernize our development platform, because it offers an integrated, cohesive environment to help maximize developer productivity while reducing the administrative overhead related to managing such a complex set of tools. With a single package to upgrade and maintain, and tight integration between code repositories, issue trackers, wikis, code review, and CI tools, it's easier for the Eclipse Foundation's IT team to stay up to date. This has allowed us to reduce our reliance on customized, in-house code.\n\nWhen we began our work in 2004, open source code hosting options were rudimentary and limited. At the time, we created our own forge by using a handful of tools that were not designed with interoperability in mind, including [CVS](https://www.nongnu.org/cvs/), [Bugzilla](https://www.bugzilla.org/), and [MediaWiki](https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/MediaWiki). When it came time to refresh our offering, it was an easy decision to replace our home-grown forge with GitLab, since GitLab offers a seamless integration of all these developer tools, and many more, within a single, easy-to-use package. This creates a very useful environment for our developers and allows the project teams to be productive while offering a familiar interface for interacting and building their user communities.\n\nAt this time, [the Eclipse Foundation's GitLab instance](https://gitlab.eclipse.org) hosts more than 70 [open source software projects](https://gitlab.eclipse.org/eclipse) and dozens of other projects that [help us manage and support our community](https://gitlab.eclipse.org/eclipsefdn).\n\n**How big is the Eclipse Foundation's IT team? What have you seen the team achieve after the migration to GitLab?**\n\nThe Foundation's IT team consists of a dozen people, split almost evenly between infrastructure, release engineering, security, and web development. Our migration to GitLab is still a work in progress, but it's allowing the Eclipse Foundation IT team to consolidate our code repositories, issues, and documentation onto a single platform with a modern and friendly UI. The same is also true for the Eclipse OSS projects that have, or are currently migrating from, \"pure Git\" to GitLab.\n\nWith GitLab, the team is seeing a notable decrease in both administrative overhead and user support, as using, managing, and maintaining GitLab on premise is straightforward and very robust. We're able to stay up-to-date with new GitLab releases easily, which scores extra points with our security team. We're able to use that freed time towards activities that benefit our community and provide extra value.\n\n**What's on the horizon for the Eclipse Foundation? What are your most important initiatives right now?**\n\nOne of the big initiatives we’re working on right now is improving the security of our open source projects. We’ve made a significant investment in security over the past year, including auditing some of our top projects for security concerns and we are looking to establish a [working group](https://www.eclipse.org/org/workinggroups/eclipse-cyber-risk-concept.php) to help us gain the resources we need to enhance our security processes across all of our operations.\n\nWe're also focused on growing the [Eclipse Software Defined Vehicle](https://sdv.eclipse.org/) community, which continues to gain momentum with new members like General Motors, Qualcomm, and Microsoft. The automotive industry is becoming increasingly willing to collaborate on open source software, and experience the technological and business benefits of doing so.  \n\n**How can GitLab community members get more involved in the Eclipse Foundation's work?**\n\nIt's easy! Browse the list of [Eclipse Projects](https://projects.eclipse.org/) and discover the Developer Resources section. Or browse the list of projects on Eclipse's [GitLab instance](https://gitlab.eclipse.org/eclipse) and send in those those merge requests!\n\n## Learn more\nThe [GitLab Open Source Partners](https://go.gitlab.com/030Ue3) are building the future of open source on GitLab. Connect with them on [Gitlab.com](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/marketing/community-relations/open-source-program/gitlab-open-source-partners).\n",[749,9,705],{"slug":2728,"featured":6,"template":685},"how-eclipse-foundation-champions-open-source-with-gitlab","content:en-us:blog:how-eclipse-foundation-champions-open-source-with-gitlab.yml","How Eclipse Foundation Champions Open Source With Gitlab","en-us/blog/how-eclipse-foundation-champions-open-source-with-gitlab.yml","en-us/blog/how-eclipse-foundation-champions-open-source-with-gitlab",{"_path":2734,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2735,"content":2741,"config":2747,"_id":2749,"_type":13,"title":2750,"_source":15,"_file":2751,"_stem":2752,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/how-gitlab-empowers-translators-with-more-context",{"title":2736,"description":2737,"ogTitle":2736,"ogDescription":2737,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2738,"ogUrl":2739,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":2739,"schema":2740},"How GitLab empowers translators with more context","Learn about the new translation context enhancement feature in GitLab. Join our translation community and help translate GitLab to your language.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1750097922/Blog/Hero%20Images/Blog/Hero%20Images/gitlabflatlogomap_gitlabflatlogomap.png_1750097921899.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/how-gitlab-empowers-translators-with-more-context","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"How GitLab empowers translators with more context\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Oleksandr Pysaryuk\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2024-12-09\",\n      }",{"title":2736,"description":2737,"authors":2742,"heroImage":2738,"date":2744,"body":2745,"category":747,"tags":2746},[2743],"Oleksandr Pysaryuk","2024-12-09","GitLab is continuously translated by our global community of translators and proofreaders. Through [Crowdin](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/development/i18n/translation.html), they help make our product more accessible to the world by translating it into 78 languages. GitLab translation community members are volunteer translators, working professionals who are GitLab users, and even [university students contributing to translators as part of their classroom projects](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/behind-the-scenes-of-gitlab-korean-translation/).\n\n### How the GitLab open-core model supports translators\n\nWhile this community collaboration is powerful, translators often face a crucial challenge: understanding the full context of the text that they are translating.\n\nGreat translation isn't just about converting words – it's about preserving meaning, intent, and usability in a target language. Software translation requires a unique blend of skills. Great translators usually specialize in multiple linguistic domains as well as the technical domain of the product itself. They perform myriad translation-adjacent tasks such as:\n\n* ensuring accuracy and consistency of technical terminology\n* creating new glossary terms for new concepts\n* adhering to the style and tone\n* navigating the complexity of [CLDR pluralization rules](https://www.unicode.org/cldr/charts/46/supplemental/language_plural_rules.html)\n* understanding the translatability of composite messages and how to provide feedback to improve the source by making it localizable\n\nTranslators spend lots of time researching context, asking questions, and reading [GitLab product documentation](https://docs.gitlab.com/). Without proper context, even simple phrases can be mistranslated, potentially confusing or disrupting user workflows. What sets [GitLab apart is its open-core model](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/gitlab-is-open-core-github-is-closed-source/), which allows translators to access most of the product development context directly at the source. This transparency empowers them to actively contribute as true [co-creators of the GitLab global product](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/company/mission/#mission).\n\n### Introducing our new context-enhancement feature\n\nTo support these needs and empower translators with context, GitLab has developed a new feature: we now [embed into each translatable string a contextual link](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/development/i18n/translation.html#context) (more specifically, a link to our global in-product search) that lets translators locate all instances of that string in the codebase. These links allow translators to rely on [Git blame](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/repository/files/git_blame.html) to trace every string's history – from its current location in code, through commits in merge requests, and all the way up to the original planning discussions.\n\nFor example, when you are translating **Rotate**, the **AccessTokens|** [namespace](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/development/i18n/externalization.html#namespaces) suggests that the context is, well, *access tokens*. However, there is no additional visual context for what **Rotate** means, and translators are left to wonder, guess, and provide the best possible assumption in a target language.\n\nWith the new context enhancement, here is what translators are now able to do:\n\n1. Click the URL in the **See where this string is used in code** section.\n\n![see where this string is used in code section](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1750097929/Blog/Content%20Images/Blog/Content%20Images/image3_aHR0cHM6_1750097928929.png)\n\n2. Review the [result of the code search](https://gitlab.com/search?project_id=278964&search=%22%28%5B%5E%3A%5D%28+%29%2B%3F%7C_%5C%5C%28%29%5B%27%5C%22%60%5DAccessTokens%5C%5C%7CRotate%5B%27%5C%22%60%5D%22+%28file%3A%5C.js%24+or+file%3A%5C.vue%24+or+file%3A%5C.rb%24+or+file%3A%5C.erb%24+or+file%3A%5C.haml%24%29+%28file%3A%5Eee%2Fapp%2F+or+file%3A%5Eee%2Flib%2F+or+file%3A%5Eee%2Fconfig%2F+or+file%3A%5Eee%2Flocale%2F+or+file%3A%5Eapp%2F+or+file%3A%5Elib%2F+or+file%3A%5Econfig%2F+or+file%3A%5Elocale%2F%29&regex=true), and click the **View blame** icon:\n\n![Screen with View blame icon](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1750097929/Blog/Content%20Images/Blog/Content%20Images/image6_aHR0cHM6_1750097928930.png)\n\n3. Follow the link with the relevant merge request ([Introduce rotation of personal tokens in UI](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/merge_requests/169954)):\n\n![Link with relevant merge request](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1750097929/Blog/Content%20Images/Blog/Content%20Images/image7_aHR0cHM6_1750097928932.png)\n\n4. On the **Commits** page, follow the link to the actual merge request:\n\n![Commits page with link](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1750097929/Blog/Content%20Images/Blog/Content%20Images/image1_aHR0cHM6_1750097928934.png)\n\n5. Watch the screen recording that the software engineer added to the merge request:\n\n![screen recording in merge request](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1750097929/Blog/Content%20Images/Blog/Content%20Images/image5_aHR0cHM6_1750097928936.png)\n\n6. Research even further by going to:\n   a. The linked issue [Introduce renew expired token capability in UI](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/241523) or its parent epic [Rotate Token through the UI](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/14563):\n\n![linked issue and parent epic](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1750097929/Blog/Content%20Images/Blog/Content%20Images/image4_aHR0cHM6_1750097928938.png)\n\nb. The [related merge request that updates the GitLab product documentation](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/merge_requests/172916):\n\n![related merge request to update GitLab product documentation](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1750097929/Blog/Content%20Images/Blog/Content%20Images/image2_aHR0cHM6_1750097928940.png)\n\nAll these research steps will lead translators to better understand the technical concept of *access token rotation* and why the token rotation functionality was added, how it works, and what problem it solves for users.\n\nWith this rich research trail, translators get the maximum amount of context that will help provide the technically accurate and linguistically correct translation for the seemingly simple word **Rotate**.\n\nThis approach goes far beyond traditional translation aids like providing screenshots or exploring the product user interface. Translators can now fully understand the context by:\n\n* deriving context from paths and naming conventions used in code\n* viewing screenshots or video recordings that are added to original merge requests\n* reading original planning and development discussions\n* following the engineering, copywriting, and product management decision-making process that has led to specific wording\n\n### More AI-powered contextual features coming up\n\nThe GitLab Localization team isn't stopping here. We are working on [more context-enhancement features](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-com/localization/-/epics/81), including AI-powered tools to help translators understand string usage and placement. Imagine a system where translators could interact with an agent by asking questions or proactively receiving immediate code-aware responses about where and how strings are used in the product UI.\n\n> ### Join our [community on Crowdin](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/development/i18n/) as a translator or a [proofreader](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/development/i18n/#proofreading), try these new context features, and let us know how we can make the [translation experience and our product even better](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/localization/localization-team/-/issues/259).\n",[9,794,1323,750],{"slug":2748,"featured":6,"template":685},"how-gitlab-empowers-translators-with-more-context","content:en-us:blog:how-gitlab-empowers-translators-with-more-context.yml","How Gitlab Empowers Translators With More Context","en-us/blog/how-gitlab-empowers-translators-with-more-context.yml","en-us/blog/how-gitlab-empowers-translators-with-more-context",{"_path":2754,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2755,"content":2761,"config":2767,"_id":2769,"_type":13,"title":2770,"_source":15,"_file":2771,"_stem":2772,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/how-i-use-gitlab-to-help-my-hack",{"title":2756,"description":2757,"ogTitle":2756,"ogDescription":2757,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2758,"ogUrl":2759,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":2759,"schema":2760},"How do bug bounty hunters use GitLab to help their hack?","We know GitLab is a complete open source DevOps platform, but can it improve your hack? We chat with three bug bounty hunters to find out.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749670944/Blog/Hero%20Images/gitlab-to-help-my-hack.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/how-i-use-gitlab-to-help-my-hack","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"How do bug bounty hunters use GitLab to help their hack?\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Heather Simpson\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2021-06-11\",\n      }",{"title":2756,"description":2757,"authors":2762,"heroImage":2758,"date":2764,"body":2765,"category":899,"tags":2766},[2763],"Heather Simpson","2021-06-11","\n\nGitLab is best known as [a complete open source DevOps platform, delivered as a single application](/stages-devops-lifecycle/), but it also offers powerful project management and collaboration capabilities. In fact, every GitLab team uses GitLab to develop, track and collaborate on projects, processes, and programs.\n\n**But, what about... other uses? Say ... hacking, for instance.** 🤷‍♀️\n\nCan GitLab help a hacker fine-tune their craft? Through our [Ask a Hacker AMA series](/blog/ajxchapman-ask-a-hacker/) we discovered that there are some bug bounty hunters who use GitLab to streamline their research process. And, like so many cool and awesome things, we learned on Twitter about another contributor using GitLab for bug bounty hunting.  So, we followed up to learn more.\n\n## Meet our hackers\n### Alex Chapman\n![Alex Chapman](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/how-i-use-gitlab/alex-chapman-blog.png){: .shadow.small.center}\n\n*Alex has been hacking for 14 years professionally, but his interest was piqued well before that!*\n\n🦊  [@ajxchapman on GitLab](https://gitlab.com/ajxchapman)  🪲  [@ajxchapman on HackerOne](https://hackerone.com/ajxchapman)  🐦  [@ajxchapman on Twitter](https://twitter.com/ajxchapman)\n\n### Dominic Couture\n![Dominic Couture](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/how-i-use-gitlab/dominic-couture-blog.png){: .shadow.small.center}\n\n*Dominic is a senior security engineer on GitLab's [Application Security](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/security/security-engineering/application-security/) team and has been hacking for fun for roughly 20 years, though he admits there were some \"long periods in the middle where he didn't do too much\".* 😆\n\n🦊  [@dcouture on GitLab](https://gitlab.com/dcouture/)  🪲  [@dcouture on HackerOne](https://hackerone.com/dcouture?type=user) when working and [dee-see on HackerOne](https://hackerone.com/dee-see/?type=user) when playing!  🐦  [dee__see on Twitter](https://twitter.com/dee__see)\n\n### Nishant Jain\n![Nishant Jain](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/how-i-use-gitlab/nishant-jain-blog.png){: .shadow.small.center}\n\n*Nishant has been hacking for 1.5 years and is currently working on [LinkShare](https://linksshare.io), a platform which enables users to share and categorize bug bounty resources.*\n🦊  [@archerl on GitLab](https://gitlab.com/archerl)  🪲  [@archerl on HackerOne](https://hackerone.com/archerl)  🐦  [@realArcherL on Twitter](https://twitter.com/realArcherL)\n\n## How do you use GitLab in your hack?\n\n**Alex**: I use GitLab for all of my bug bounty issue tracking from idea, through discovery, POC development and report writing. One of the biggest revelations for me in bug hunting involved note-taking. I used to be terrible at recording my thoughts, progress and ideas when hunting for bugs. This meant whenever I got sidetracked, or took a break, I would inevitably forget what I was up to and what leads I was working on.\n\nNow I record everything I can in GitLab issues. Have a random thought about something to check? Create an issue for it. Spot a potentially interesting bit of functionality while pursuing another bug? Create an issue. Get inspiration in the shower? That's right, get out the shower and create an issue. Even if I don't think it's particularly useful at the time, it can sometimes spark something several days later and I can go back and find those notes. I tag each issue with a label specifying what kind of issue it is (bug, task, lead, etc.), how worthwhile I feel it will be to complete, and how much effort I think it will require. This way when I complete my current bug exploration path, I have a whole load of leads I can go back to and pick from and investigate.\n\nAt the end of each bug hunting session, I always make sure I take five to ten minutes to write down any outstanding thoughts so nothing is lost between bug hunting sessions. This way of working means I always have a pipeline of things to investigate and, when I wake up in the middle of the night with a new idea on how to exploit something, I can just add to the existing issue and push it off until morning. Whereas before, I might have got up and started working on it right away. That's not really viable for me these days, I'm certainly getting older and I need my sleep 🤣\n\nAs an issue progresses from a lead to a reported bug, I label the issue with the bug bounty program report state, and finally as bugs are paid out I label the issue with the payout amount. This helps track lucrative programs and functionality for future research.\n\n_Editor's note: To dive even deeper into how Alex approaches bug hunting, check out his [\"Ask a Hacker\" profile blog](/blog/ajxchapman-ask-a-hacker/) and this [Ask Me Anything session](https://youtu.be/Km6toD6CAAw) we held with him where he talks about everything from what inspired him to start hacking to the types of bugs he likes to hunt._\n\n**Dominic**: I use GitLab private projects to collaborate with friends on hacking projects. Our approach is simple: Each idea about a potentially interesting thing to explore gets its own issue and then we discuss, via comment thread, the different attack vectors and the things we try and whether our attempts work or not. Everything is documented with screenshots or code snippets using the markdown formatting. When we find something it's reported and a ~reported [label](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/labels.html) will be applied. The issue is closed either when a reported issue is accepted by the bug bounty program or when we've finished exploring an idea and found nothing. This helps us collect all ideas, validate them and exhaust all possibilities we can think of before moving on.\n\nThe other useful part is obviously the git repository. Any script that we come up with, any important file that was found, or any general note that isn't related to one specific issue is pushed to make sure it isn't forgotten over time. I have a handful of interesting targets that I like to focus on for a month or two in rotation so I can give them my full attention and go deep. This means that a given target will usually be focused on once or twice a year with long downtimes in between. The repository contains all the things I'll definitely forget and will help bring me back up to speed when the time comes.\n\n**Nishant**: Like all great things, we stumbled upon our next contributor's story via the internet. [Twitter to be exact](https://twitter.com/realArcherL/status/1379788534446321669). 😉\n\nI've been using GitLab for my [blog](https://gitlab.com/archerl/portfolio), where I post details about bug bounties, and the CI/CD feature is really easy to use. I chose GitLab to host my [CTFs](https://gitlab.com/archerl/are_you_a_polyglot) and hacking POCs because GitLab has shown that it is friendly to hackers ([Kali Linux is even hosted on GitLab](/blog/kali-linux-movingtogitlab/)) and with the [Web IDE](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/web_ide/), I can edit them from the repository itself.\n\nRecently, I've  been using GitLab to work with other hackers on [HackerOne programs](https://hackerone.com/directory/programs). With HackerOne's bounty splitting feature enabled, two hackers can easily collaborate on a single report. In GitLab, you can construct a group and then add repositories to it. You should give each repository a name that corresponds to the individual HackerOne program.\n\n![Screenshot of setting up project names](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/how-i-use-gitlab/creating-names.png){: .shadow.medium.center}\nCreating repositories for different H1 programs\n{: .note.text-center}\n\nYou can create [issues](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/issues/#issues) in the issues tab, just like a developer, and mark them with custom labels. Not only that, but you can delegate the problem to a collaborator, who will be notified via email – convenient if the hackers are in different time zones. Furthermore, features such as group permission settings allow for the introduction of additional hackers with/without limited access.\n\n![Screenshot illustrating the creation of issues for shared programs](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/how-i-use-gitlab/issues-blog.png){: .shadow.medium.center}\nCreating issues with custom labels\n{: .note.text-center}\n\nAlso, GitLab provides easy tracking of issues with [issue boards](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/issue_board.html#issue-boards). The board function makes it simple to keep track of reports, like which ones are in the triage stage and which ones have been marked as informative or closed. Also, if a similar error occurs in the future, we can still cross-reference it, much as we do when creating real apps. Boards are a newer discovery for me, so I still need to do more exploring here.\n\n![Screenshot of issue boards](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/how-i-use-gitlab/boards-blog.png){: .shadow.medium.center}\nEasy tracking of of issues with issue boards\n{: .note.text-center}\n\n## What should we improve so you can hack better?\n\n**Alex**:  I write in markdown, a lot. Unfortunately I find that GitLab is not very friendly with writing or editing large markdown documents in repos, wikis, or issues. My writing style means I make multiple edits to issues or wiki pages, and having to scroll through a wall of markdown source to edit a detail halfway through a page is particularly painful. It would be great to see markdown editing become first class in GitLab, or at the very least let me edit only a code block or text under a heading like on Wikipedia.\n\n_Editor's note: good news! We have some really big plans for making markdown editing easier across GitLab. You can check out and follow this [epic for implementing a new editor in Wiki](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/5403) and review our [strategy for the new WYSIWYG markdown editor](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/5401) to see what's in store._\n\n**Dominic**: I often have good hacking ideas in random places, whether it's in the middle of the fruit aisle at the grocery store or on a run with my dogs, and when that happens I note those ideas in my GitLab project on my phone. The mobile experience isn't the best both in terms of page layout and performance, so improving that would be awesome.\n\nI think some of my biggest layout pet peeves could be easy fixes, so I plan on working on that myself because, although my frontend skills leave a lot to be desired, [everyone can contribute](/community/contribute/)!\n\n***Nishant***:\n\n![Screenshot of selecting template types](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/how-i-use-gitlab/new-file-template.png){: .shadow.medium.center}\nCreate and select different templates for greater efficiency\n{: .note.text-center}\n\nI'm not sure if a feature like this exists, but if we could build out custom templates while creating a file, that would save a lot of time when making similar reports.\n\n_Editor's note: We have [templates for issues and merge request descriptions](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/description_templates.html#use-cases). Perhaps those help?_\n\n**Nishant**: I see, I think the issues template solves the problem then. 🙌\n\nAlso, Discord hooks integration.\n\n_Editor's note: We've got a [Discord webhook integration](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/integrations/discord_notifications.html). Would that work?_\n\n**Nishant**: Nice! I missed this! I don't think there's much that I can think of now to improve GitLab, although as I noted above, I'd love for there to be more backward integration or compatibility with the markdown in HackerOne and GitHub platforms.\n\n## What GitLab feature helps you the most in your hack?\n\n**Alex**: As mentioned above, GitLab issue tracking is my main use for GitLab in my bug hunting efforts, but I really like that I can link to code and POCs in a repository and keep longer-term notes in a Wiki. I rely on the project sub-grouping features to keep the various bug bounty programs and scope items I am working on organized and tidy.\n\nI have found this setup works particularly well when collaborating with other bug hunters. I simply create a shared project and we can all add to and update the issues, files, and wikis collaboratively. This is much nicer than just relying on Slack or Google Docs for collaboration, it helps keep things more organized and much easier to find than constantly searching through Slack logs.\n\n**Dominic**: GitLab issues and all the management tools around them is where I get the most value. They help me track all ideas that could potentially become a vulnerability, and make collaboration and sharing easy. GitLab labels allow me to quickly glance at the main issues page and see the state of each issue.\n\nContributing to this post has made me reflect on how I could get even more out of GitLab in my bug bounty hunting efforts and using [issue weights](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/issues/issue_weight.html) to estimate the amount of work needed to investigate each idea and [milestones](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/milestones/) to plan the ideas I want to cover in a specific hacking session could be good improvements to my workflow.\n\n**Nishant**: I appreciate that users can make [flowcharts](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/markdown.html#diagrams-and-flowcharts) and templates with the powerful GitLab markdown (not all features are supported in HackerOne's markdown though, so perhaps adding that capability is a feature suggestion!). I also make use of custom features like customs tabs, boards, lists, etc. Not to mention the fantastic [documentation](https://docs.gitlab.com/) for all the features.\n\n## How does GitLab help *you* hack?\n\nAre you using GitLab in your hack, either to track ideas to bounty or to collaborate on a global scale with other hackers from across the world, or maybe to keep track of all the bits in between? We'd love to hear about it! Tweet us at @gitlab or comment below!\n\n### Have a question you'd ask a hacker?\nIf you want to dive even deeper into the mind of a hacker, join our upcoming Ask a Hacker AMA with [William Bowling, @vakzz](https://hackerone.com/vakzz?type=user) on June 16, 2021 at 23:00 UTC (see [this world clock](https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?msg%3DGitLab%2Blive%2BAMA%2Bwith%2BBug%2BBounty%2BResearcher%2B%2540vakzz%26iso%3D20210617T09%26p1%3D396%26am%3D25&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1622841578656000&usg=AFQjCNEElP1N957Dx2KW4lo8bl0jBEDagw) for conversion to your timezone). Get all of the [event details and sign up](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc4qcZCtQzci-heoBG30pZ730wviKxNJaL8sAIYVE9LsoNRCw/viewform?usp=sf_link).\n\n![June 16 AMA with William Bowling](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/how-i-use-gitlab/ama-with-vakzz-blog.png){: .shadow.medium.center}\n",[899,898,9],{"slug":2768,"featured":6,"template":685},"how-i-use-gitlab-to-help-my-hack","content:en-us:blog:how-i-use-gitlab-to-help-my-hack.yml","How I Use Gitlab To Help My Hack","en-us/blog/how-i-use-gitlab-to-help-my-hack.yml","en-us/blog/how-i-use-gitlab-to-help-my-hack",{"_path":2774,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2775,"content":2781,"config":2787,"_id":2789,"_type":13,"title":2790,"_source":15,"_file":2791,"_stem":2792,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/how-is-it-being-a-new-mom-working-for-gitlab",{"title":2776,"description":2777,"ogTitle":2776,"ogDescription":2777,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2778,"ogUrl":2779,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":2779,"schema":2780},"Parental/maternity leave around the world – how does your country stack up?","A new mother at GitLab takes a look at how different countries approach time off for new parents.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749673071/Blog/Hero%20Images/parental-leave-global.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/how-is-it-being-a-new-mom-working-for-gitlab","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Parental/maternity leave around the world – how does your country stack up?\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Jarka Košanová et al\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-07-18\",\n      }",{"title":2776,"description":2777,"authors":2782,"heroImage":2778,"date":2784,"body":2785,"category":1282,"tags":2786},[2783],"Jarka Košanová et al","2019-07-18","\n_This is the first in a four-part series looking at a myriad of issues surrounding working remotely with children. We’ll take a look at parental leave policies worldwide, get an inside view of working at GitLab with a newborn, and discover tried-and-true strategies for working remotely with older children._\n\nAt GitLab we have a generous [parental leave policy](/handbook/total-rewards/benefits/#parental-leave).\n\nWhen I returned from my maternity leave, I started to think about what that leave means for all team members. I come from the Czech Republic, a country where it is considered ideal for a mother to stay home from work until their child is about three years old. This expectation extends to each child in the family. In this blog post, I will look at parental leave around the world, and in a second post I’ll talk about my experience working at GitLab with a newborn. The opinions are my own, of course, and in every country, including my home nation, there can be major differences in leave standards between big cities and the rest of the country, especially in the smaller villages and across different social groups.\n\n## Parental leave in the Czech Republic\n\nIt is a [complex system](https://www.euraxess.cz/czech-republic/information-assistance/childrenfamily-and-personal-life/maternity-leave-and-parental) but what is important is that once a baby is born employers must keep the job of an employee on parental leave open for three years, and that’s for each child. Parents are entitled to a fixed amount of government money and they can decide for how long they want to receive the stipend (the amount is split accordingly for each month). Because employers have to keep a job open for three years, the vast majority of mothers stay at home for three years. It is quite rare for fathers to stay at home, although this number is increasing.\n\n## Standards vary, even in Europe\n\nI will summarize laws from a few countries to show how parental policies differ across Europe and worldwide.\n\nAbout [80% of women in the Czech Republic stay home with their new child for two years or more](https://www.oecd.org/els/family/LMF_1_2_Maternal_Employment.pdf), and even fewer women return to work within the first year after birth.\n\nThe parental leave policy is very similar [in Germany where employers must keep a position open for women for three years](https://www.thelocal.de/20140113/german-parental-leave-our-guide) and [a lot of working mothers use it](https://www.destatis.de/DE/Themen/Gesellschaft-Umwelt/Soziales/Elterngeld/Publikationen/Downloads-Elterngeld/elterngeld-leistungsbezuege-j-5229210187004.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=2).\n\n> In the US there is no law that enforces paid parental leave.\n\nI lived in Switzerland for almost four years, and it was the first time I encountered completely different rules and approaches to parental leave. In Switzerland, women are permitted to stay at home for three to four months (it depends on the employer but purely by law, they are entitled to [14 weeks of maternity leave](https://www.ch.ch/en/maternity-leave/)) and about 70% of mothers return to work during [the first two years](https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/de/home/statistiken/kataloge-datenbanken/publikationen.assetdetail.1061095.html) of the child's life.\n\n## From the UK to the US\n\n[In the UK, where women can take up to 52 weeks of maternity leave](https://www.gov.uk/maternity-pay-leave/leave), about [65% of mothers of kids up to two years old work](https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/articles/moremotherswithyoungchildrenworkingfulltime/2017-09-26).\n\n[In the Netherlands, women can take at least 16 weeks](https://www.expatica.com/nl/healthcare/womens-health/having-a-baby-in-the-netherlands-107665/) of maternity leave (including pregnancy) and almost 90% of women return to work before their child is one year, while in France 80% of mothers will return to work.\n\n> In the Czech Republic, about 80% of women stay home with children for two years or more.\n\nMore than half (53%) of Australian women return to work within the first two years.\n\n[In Sweden, both parents can split 480 days of parental leave](https://www.forsakringskassan.se/privatpers/foralder/nar_barnet_ar_fott/foraldrapenning/!ut/p/z0/04_Sj9CPykssy0xPLMnMz0vMAfIjo8ziTTxcnA3dnQ28_U2DXQwczTwDDcOCXY1CDc31g1Pz9AuyHRUBTbm8uw!!/) and most families use this benefit. Scandinavian countries also have the largest volume of fathers taking parental leave.\n\nIn the US, there is no law that enforces paid parental leave. The [Family and Medical Leave Act](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_and_Medical_Leave_Act_of_1993) ensures 12 weeks of job protection with unpaid leave, and there are some states that have more generous policies. Companies are taken as very generous if they decide to provide at least a couple of paid weeks of leave. In the US, 60% of women return to work during the baby's first year and [44% go back to work within the first three months after giving birth](https://fairygodboss.com/maternity-leave-resource-center/statistics).\n\nThis is just a snapshot of how parental leave is treated around the world. Check the [Parental Leave Review 2018](https://www.leavenetwork.org/fileadmin/user_upload/k_leavenetwork/annual_reviews/Leave_Review_2018.pdf) if you are interested in more data from other countries. You may also find a [length of maternity, parental and father-specific leave table](https://stats.oecd.org/index.aspx?queryid=54760) interesting. And if you want a short summary across 11 countries, check out [this article from Business Insider](https://www.businessinsider.com/maternity-leave-worldwide-2017-8#germany-mothers-can-take-up-to-three-years-family-leave-11).\n\n_Next up: Jarka shares her experience with GitLab maternity leave as well as some good advice for expectant and early-stage parents._\n\nPhoto by [insung yoon](https://unsplash.com/@insungyoon?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/search/photos/baby-mobile?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText)\n{: .note}\n",[982,816,9],{"slug":2788,"featured":6,"template":685},"how-is-it-being-a-new-mom-working-for-gitlab","content:en-us:blog:how-is-it-being-a-new-mom-working-for-gitlab.yml","How Is It Being A New Mom Working For Gitlab","en-us/blog/how-is-it-being-a-new-mom-working-for-gitlab.yml","en-us/blog/how-is-it-being-a-new-mom-working-for-gitlab",{"_path":2794,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2795,"content":2801,"config":2807,"_id":2809,"_type":13,"title":2810,"_source":15,"_file":2811,"_stem":2812,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/how-to-automate-software-delivery-using-quarkus-and-gitlab",{"title":2796,"description":2797,"ogTitle":2796,"ogDescription":2797,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2798,"ogUrl":2799,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":2799,"schema":2800},"How to automate software delivery using Quarkus and GitLab","Here's a step-by-step guide to automated software delivery using Supersonic Subatomic Java (Quarkus) and GitLab.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749666915/Blog/Hero%20Images/autodevops.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/how-to-automate-software-delivery-using-quarkus-and-gitlab","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"How to automate software delivery using Quarkus and GitLab\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Cesar Saavedra\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2022-06-09\",\n      }",{"title":2796,"description":2797,"authors":2802,"heroImage":2798,"date":2804,"body":2805,"category":814,"tags":2806},[2803],"Cesar Saavedra","2022-06-09","\n\nIn this day and age, organizations need to deliver innovative solutions faster than ever to their customers to stay competitive. This is why solutions that speed up software development and delivery, such as Quarkus and GitLab, are being adopted by teams across the world.\n\n[Quarkus](https://quarkus.io/), also known as the Supersonic Subatomic Java, is an open source Kubernetes-native Java stack tailored for OpenJDK HotSpot and GraalVM, crafted from respected Java libraries and standards. Quarkus has been steadily growing in popularity and use because of the benefits that it delivers: cost savings, faster time to market/value, and reliability. Quarkus offers two modes: Java and native. Its Java mode builds your application using the JDK and its native mode compiles your Java code into a native executable.\n\nGitLab, the One DevOps Platform, includes capabilities for all DevOps stages, from planning to production, all with a single model and user interface to help you ship secure code faster to any cloud and drive business results. Besides DevOps support, GitLab also offers GitOps support.\n\nThe combination of Quarkus and GitLab can empower your developers and operations teams to collaborate better, spend more time innovating to deliver business value and differentiating capabilities to end users.\n\nIn this article, we show how to automate the software delivery of a generated Quarkus application in Java mode using GitLab Auto DevOps. Below we list the steps how to accomplish this.\n\n## Prerequisite\n\nThe prerequisite for the subsequent instructions is to have a K8s cluster up and running and associated to a group in your GitLab account. For an example on how to do this, please watch this [video](https://youtu.be/QRR3WuwnxXE).\n\n## Generate your Quarkus project using the generator and upload to GitLab\n\n- From a browser window, point to the Quarkus generator site, https://code.quarkus.io, and click on the button **Generate your application**.\n\n![Generate Quarkus app](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/quarkusone.png){:small.center.}\n\nGenerate a sample Quarkus application using the generator\n{: .note.text-center}\n\n- On the popup window, click on the button **DOWNLOAD THE ZIP**, to download a sample Quarkus application in a ZIP file to your local machine. The downloaded file is named `code-with-quarkus.zip`.\n\n- Unzip the file on your local machine in a directory of your choice. This will create a new directory called `code-with-quarkus` with all the files for the sample Quarkus application.\n\n- From a browser window, open https://gitlab.com, and log in using your GitLab credentials.\n\n- Head over to the GitLab group to which you associated your K8s cluster and create a blank project named `code-with-quarkus`.\n\n![Create project code-with-quarkus](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/quarkustwo.png){: .shadow.small.center.wrap-text}\nCreate project code-with-quarkus\n{: .note.text-center}\n\n- From a Terminal window on your local machine, change directory to the newly unzipped directory `code-with-quarkus` and execute the command `rm .dockerignore` to delete the `.dockerignore` file that came with the sample Quarkus application. After removing this file, execute the following commands to populate your newly create Git project `code-with-quarkus` with the contents of this directory:\n\n**NOTE:** Depending on your version of git installed on your local machine, the commands below may vary. Keep in mind that the goal of the steps below is to upload the project on your local machine to your newly created GitLab project.\n\n```\ngit init\ngit remote add origin https://gitlab.com/[REPLACE WITH PATH TO YOUR GROUP]/code-with-quarkus.git\ngit add .\ngit commit -m \"Initial commit\"\ngit push --set-upstream origin master\n```\n\nAt this point, you should have your sample Quarkus application in your GitLab project `code-with-quarkus`.\n\n## Modify the generated Dockerfile.jvm file and indicate its location\n\nSince the location of the Dockerfile is not at the root level of the project, we need to create a project variable DOCKERFILE_PATH and set it to `src/main/docker/Dockerfile.jvm` to indicate to the Auto Build job where to find the Dockerfile to build the container image.\n\n- From your `code-with-quarkus` GitLab project window, select **Settings > CI/CD** from the left vertical navigation menu.\n\n- Scroll to the **Variables** section on the screen and click on the **Expand** button on the right hand side of the section.\n\n- Click on the **Add Variable** button and enter the following values for the fields in the popup:\n\n```\nKey = DOCKERFILE_PATH\nValue = src/main/docker/Dockerfile.jvm\nType = Variable\nEnvironment scope = All (default)\nProtect variable Flag = ensure this flag is unchecked\nMask variable Flag = ensure this flag is unchecked\n```\n\nThe variable definition should look as follows:\n\n![Add var dockerfilepath](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/quarkusthree.png){: .shadow.small.center.wrap-text}\nAdd DOCKERFILE_PATH variable to the your code-with-quarkus project\n{: .note.text-center}\n\n- Click on the **Add variable** button to complete adding this variable to your project\n\nIn order for Auto Build to work, we need to make some minor modifications to the generated Dockerfile.jvm in the sample Quarkus application.\n\n- From your `code-with-quarkus` GitLab project window, navigate to the directory `src/main/docker` and click on the file `Dockerfile.jvm`. Click on the **Edit** button to start making changes to this file.\n\n- At the top of the file, you will see about 77 lines of comments. Replace all the lines following the comments with the following code segment:\n\n```\n####\nFROM openjdk:11 as builder\nRUN mkdir /build\nADD . /build/\n\nWORKDIR /build\nRUN ./mvnw package\n\nFROM registry.access.redhat.com/ubi8/openjdk-11:1.11\n\nENV LANG='en_US.UTF-8' LANGUAGE='en_US:en'\n\n# We make four distinct layers so if there are application changes the library layers can be re-used\nCOPY --from=builder --chown=185 /build/target/quarkus-app/lib/ /deployments/lib/\nCOPY --from=builder --chown=185 /build/target/quarkus-app/*.jar /deployments/\nCOPY --from=builder --chown=185 /build/target/quarkus-app/app/ /deployments/app/\nCOPY --from=builder --chown=185 /build/target/quarkus-app/quarkus/ /deployments/quarkus/\n\nEXPOSE 8080\nUSER 185\nENV AB_JOLOKIA_OFF=\"\"\nENV JAVA_OPTS=\"-Dquarkus.http.host=0.0.0.0 -Djava.util.logging.manager=org.jboss.logmanager.LogManager\"\nENV JAVA_APP_JAR=\"/deployments/quarkus-run.jar\"\n```\n\nThe lines above add a build stage called`builder` to do the Java build using the openjdk:11 image and adds a `build` working directory to the process. The rest of the lines are effectively the same as the original except that we have updated the paths of the `COPY` commands to find the appropriate files under the `build` working directory.\n\n- Click on the **Commit changes** button at the bottom of the **New file** window to create the new file.\n\n## Update the application port number\n\nThe Auto Deploy job of Auto DevOps defaults to port 5000 for applications but the sample Quarkus application uses port 8080. So, we need to override this value in the helm chart for the Auto Deploy job. This is how you do it:\n\n- From your `code-with-quarkus` GitLab project window, click on **New File** from the pop-down menu next to project root name directory as shown below:\n\n![Select new file](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/quarkusfour.png){: .shadow.small.center.wrap-text}\nSelect New file from your code-with-quarkus project top-level directory\n{: .note.text-center}\n\n- On the **New file** window, enter `.gitlab/auto-deploy-values.yaml` for the name of the new file and paste the following two lines as the content of the file:\n\n```\nservice:\n  internalPort: 8080\n```\n\nYour window should look as follows:\n\n![Update application port number for Auto Deploy](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/quarkusfive.png){: .shadow.small.center.wrap-text}\nUpdate the application port number in the helm chart for Auto Deploy\n{: .note.text-center}\n\n- Click on the **Commit changes** button at the bottom of the **New file** window to create the new file.\n\n## Update the version of the JDK\n\nThe sample Quarkus application includes a unit test that is automatically run by the Auto Test job, which uses a Java version not compatible with Quarkus resulting in “java.lang.UnsupportedClassVersionError” exceptions. To solve this, we need to adjust the Java runtime version to 11 since this is the lowest version of the JRE supported by Quarkus. Let’s do this:\n\n- From your `code-with-quarkus` GitLab project window, click on **New File** from the pop-down menu next to project root name directory and name the new file `system.properties`. As its contents, paste the following line into it:\n\n```\njava.runtime.version=11\n```\n\n- Click on the **Commit changes** button at the bottom of the **New file** window to create the new file.\n\n## Enable Auto DevOps\n\nLastly, we need to enable Auto DevOps for your `code-with-quarkus` GitLab project.\n\n- From your `code-with-quarkus` GitLab project window, select **Settings > CI/CD** from the left vertical navigation menu.\n\n- Scroll to the **Auto DevOps** section on the screen and click on the **Expand** button on the right hand side of the section.\n\n- In the section, check the **Default to Auto DevOps pipeline** checkbox. Then, for Deployment strategy, select on the radio button **Automatic deployment to staging, manual deployment to production**. Finally, click on the **Save changes** button. Here’s an example screenshot:\n\n![Enable Auto DevOps](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/quarkussix.png){: .shadow.small.center.wrap-text}\nEnable Auto DevOps for your sample Quarkus project\n{: .note.text-center}\n\nThis will launch an Auto DevOps pipeline that will build, test and deploy your application first to the staging environment and then give you the option to manually deploy to 100% of the production environment. The completed Auto DevOps pipeline should look like this:\n\n![Completed pipeline](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/completed-pipe.png){: .shadow}\nCompleted Auto DevOps pipeline for a sample Quarkus application in Java mode\n{: .note.text-center}\n\n## Conclusion\n\nThe combination of Quarkus and GitLab can empower your developers and operations teams to collaborate better, spend more time innovating to deliver business value and differentiating capabilities to end users.\n\nIn this article, we showed how to automate the software delivery of a generated Quarkus application in Java mode using GitLab Auto DevOps. Here is [a working sample project](https://gitlab.com/tech-marketing/sandbox/hn/code-with-quarkus) of this Quarkus application, whose delivery has been automated by GitLab Auto DevOps.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n",[682,108,9],{"slug":2808,"featured":6,"template":685},"how-to-automate-software-delivery-using-quarkus-and-gitlab","content:en-us:blog:how-to-automate-software-delivery-using-quarkus-and-gitlab.yml","How To Automate Software Delivery Using Quarkus And Gitlab","en-us/blog/how-to-automate-software-delivery-using-quarkus-and-gitlab.yml","en-us/blog/how-to-automate-software-delivery-using-quarkus-and-gitlab",{"_path":2814,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2815,"content":2821,"config":2827,"_id":2829,"_type":13,"title":2830,"_source":15,"_file":2831,"_stem":2832,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/how-to-begin-your-devops-journey",{"title":2816,"description":2817,"ogTitle":2816,"ogDescription":2817,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2818,"ogUrl":2819,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":2819,"schema":2820},"How to begin your DevOps journey","So you want a career in DevOps? These easy and affordable opportunities will let you get started today.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749663736/Blog/Hero%20Images/a-deep-dive-into-the-security-analyst-persona.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/how-to-begin-your-devops-journey","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"How to begin your DevOps journey\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Christina Hupy, Ph.D.\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2022-01-13\",\n      }",{"title":2816,"description":2817,"authors":2822,"heroImage":2818,"date":2823,"body":2824,"category":814,"tags":2825},[1566],"2022-01-13","\n[DevOps](/topics/devops/) is a hot career track. The DevOps industry is projected by IDC to be at [$17.7 billion in revenue by 2024](https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=US45188520). Such growth requires more DevOps practitioners in all realms. Yet, due to the speed of change in DevOps, students are generally not learning DevOps skills and workflows while in a degree program. That doesn’t mean you have to wait to gain these critical skills. We share how to get the skills you need now.\n\n## Why early exposure to DevOps is important\n\nBy learning DevOps early on in their education, students can drastically shorten the typical six-years-or-more timeline to becoming a DevOps professional. In our [GitLab for Education Survey](/solutions/education/edu-survey/), 40% of student respondents answered that DevOps is critical for workforce readiness and 45% viewed the ability to build a portfolio and record of contributions as a top benefit of using DevOps while in school.\n\nStudents and young professionals learning to code with the same approach they will use in the industry gives them a jump on their careers and makes the transition from the classroom to a DevOps culture that much easier. It can also help to accelerate the digital transformation as newly onboarded employees begin to spread the benefits of iterating faster, innovating together, and increasing deployment velocity.\n\nHere’s how to get a headstart on learning DevOps.\n\n### 1. Bring DevOps to your classroom\n\nIf your university and professors are not currently teaching DevOps or using DevOps tools in your classes, don't worry, we've got a blog post that covers [5 easy ways to bring DevOps into your classroom](/blog/5-ways-to-bring-devops-to-your-campus/). Learn about how our GitLab for Education team can visit your classroom and give a guest lecture on DevOps or a workshop. And how our GitLab for Education Program offers free, top-tier, unlimited licenses to qualifying institutions. Students can also sign up individually for [GitLab’s free tier](/pricing/).\n\n### 2. Explore DevOps on your own\n\nExploring DevOps on your own is a great way to extend your knowledge, gain different perspectives, and build on top of your degree. \n\nDevOps as a discipline, platform, and culture is ever-evolving. With social media, tech publications, case studies, and blog posts there is no shortage of content for you to access. It is easy to tune into industry conversations on Twitter and elsewhere to stay on the cutting edge. We recommend getting started by reading some of our [GitLab blogs](/blog/) or blogs from other organizations in the DevOps space that catch your eye.\n\nFor instance, follow Developer Evangelists or Developer Relations professionals, known as DevRels, from your favorite organizations, and see what they are sharing. Don’t worry about understanding all the details at first, just look for the high-level points, the tools they discuss, and general industry trends. Follow [Michael Friedrich](https://gitlab.com/dnsmichi), GitLab Developer Evangelist, to learn about all things DevOps, especially CI/CD, monitoring, and observability, and follow [Abubakar Siddiq Ango](https://gitlab.com/abuango), GitLab Developer Evangelism Program Manager, to learn about DevSecOps with a focus on the Cloud Native Ecosystem. \n\n### 3. Start networking\n\nThere is no better way to get excited about DevOps and its potential than through networking with other DevOps professionals and enthusiasts. \n\n- Meetups. Tech companies in the DevOps space host monthly meetups (in-person and virtual), where professionals and community members alike listen to a short talk and then engage in a Q&A. These meetups provide opportunities for networking as well. At GitLab, you can see our [upcoming events](https://www.meetup.com/pro/gitlab) and register for free or sign up to host one for your classmates or teammates. (We are here to help](/community/meetups/) and get you started. \n\n- Conferences. GitLab‘s annual user conference, GitLab Commit, showcases amazing presentations from customers across all industries and community members from all over the world, along with breakout sessions so you can network. Keep an eye out for the next one in September and [view the playlist](https://www.youtube.com/c/Gitlab/playlists?view=50&sort=dd&shelf_id=1) from GitLab Commit 2021. Also [DevOps Days](https://devopsdays.org/), a series of free technical conferences around the world, lets you mingle with DevOps professionals and learn more about the industry.\n\n### 4. Get hands-on with DevOps tools and platforms\n\nReady to jump in? Gaining hands-on experience is the fastest way to start your journey, and you don’t need an internship or job to access tools. If you are a current student or early professional, you can begin to build a portfolio of projects on GitLab or your [platform of choice](https://about.gitlab.com/topics/devops/beginner-devops-platform/). Even simple projects, such as creating a Twitter bot or Python script, can be done in a source control management system like GitLab. \n\nStore relevant homework, course projects, capstone projects, and side projects in one central repository and your future employers will be able to see your portfolio and how your skills have progressed over time. With [GitLab pages](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/pages/), you can even publish your resume and keep a journal of blog posts documenting your journey in DevOps. \n\nAs example, check out [the profile page of PJ Metz](https://gitlab.com/PjMetz), GitLab Education Evangelist. Notice everything he’s worked on is right there and you can click to see his commits and merge requests. The earlier you start to build a portfolio, the more you’ll have to share with potential employers\n\n### 5. Contribute to the open source community\n\nAnother great way to gain experience is to contribute to open source projects. Students and young professionals often aren't aware of the value of contributing to open source projects, haven’t considered it, or maybe think that you need high-level developer skills to contribute. \n\nBy nature, anyone who has very basic technical skills can contribute to an open source project at some level. Most open source projects have resources available for new contributors or first-time contributors, including a “Getting Started” guide or a list of contributions needed. Contributions aren’t limited to expert coders; open source communities accept input from a variety of skill levels and experience. For example, new contributors can work on documentation and language translation. Minor UX changes or bug fixes are also great first contributions. \n\nAdditionally, many open source projects often have engaged communities that are invested in helping new contributors learn and grow their skills. This set of unique characteristics makes contributing to open source projects a great starting point for people from diverse backgrounds.  \n\nGitLab is an open core platform with a vibrant community. We have over 10,000 merge requests from the wider community with an average of 250 contributors per month. You can contribute to GitLab in [three ways](/community/contribute/):\n\n- Fix bugs\n- Add to documentation\n- Translate our docs and products to different languages\n\nWe make contributing very easy and accessible to first-time contributors. We even label each issue with `quick win`.  Our [quarterly hackathons](/community/hackathon/) enable you to network with our community, meet merge request coaches, attend meetups, and win sweet swag prizes. For more, check out our #contributors channel on [Discord](https://discord.gg/gitlab).\n\n### 6. Earn some industry credentials \n\nAfter getting your feet wet and building skills on your own, you may also be interested in adding some more formal credentials to your resume. Courses and certificate programs are a great way to add to your degree or work on professional development early in your career. Certifications are generally achieved after gaining some hands-on experience and working in the field. \n\n- DevOps courses. Most online learning platforms, such as Coursera, Udemy, and LinkedIn Learning have some form of DevOps course. For example, LinkedIn Learning has a free [DevOps foundations course](https://www.linkedin.com/learning/devops-foundations/development-and-operations-2?autoAdvance=true&autoSkip=false&autoplay=true&resume=true&u=2255073).\n\n- DevOps certifications. If you have some experience under your belt and are interested in a more formal path, a DevOps certification could be of interest to you. DevOps certification is an accredited credential that is earned by demonstrating some specific skills and subject matter that are required to work in the DevOps profession. These credentials are earned by taking courses, passing assessments, and participating in performance reviews, or providing work samples. DevOps certifications can be specific to a certain tool, such as the Docker Certified Associate or Kubernetes Certification. Amazon Web Services, or AWS, also offers a Certified DevOps Engineer Exam. Some DevOps certifications are more tool- and platform-agnostic such as those offered by the [DevOps Institute](https://www.devopsinstitute.com/certifications/). \n\nGitLab has a learning platform with several courses and certification pathways, including a GitLab Certified Associate, GitLab Certified CI/CD Specialist, and GitLab DevOps Professional. See our [full list](/learn/certifications/public/) or [sign up to learn more](https://gitlab.edcast.com/). \n\nWherever you are on your journey to becoming a DevOps professional, these resources should help you move forward and learn more about this exciting aspect of software development.\n",[2826,816,9],"DevOps platform",{"slug":2828,"featured":6,"template":685},"how-to-begin-your-devops-journey","content:en-us:blog:how-to-begin-your-devops-journey.yml","How To Begin Your Devops Journey","en-us/blog/how-to-begin-your-devops-journey.yml","en-us/blog/how-to-begin-your-devops-journey",{"_path":2834,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2835,"content":2841,"config":2848,"_id":2850,"_type":13,"title":2851,"_source":15,"_file":2852,"_stem":2853,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/how-we-built-a-stack-overflow-community-questions-analyzer-and-you-can-too",{"title":2836,"description":2837,"ogTitle":2836,"ogDescription":2837,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2838,"ogUrl":2839,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":2839,"schema":2840},"How We Built a Stack Overflow Community Questions Analyzer","We wanted to better understand what Stack Overflow GitLab Community members wanted to know, so we automated a way to keep track of it all. Here's a step-by-step look at how we did it.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749667552/Blog/Hero%20Images/gitlabonstackoverflow.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/how-we-built-a-stack-overflow-community-questions-analyzer-and-you-can-too","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"How we built a Stack Overflow Community questions analyzer (and you can too)\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"William Arias\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2022-04-28\",\n      }",{"title":2842,"description":2837,"authors":2843,"heroImage":2838,"date":2845,"body":2846,"category":726,"tags":2847},"How we built a Stack Overflow Community questions analyzer (and you can too)",[2844],"William Arias","2022-04-28","\nBeing part of the GitLab collective is an opportunity to learn first hand about the challenges the community using the DevOps Platform is facing. As a [Collective Member](https://stackoverflow.com/collectives/gitlab) logging between 2-3 times a week in StackOverflow  reading the questions and discussion posted about GitLab and manually sorting them by 'Recent Activity', 'Trending' and using Dates, I asked myself:  how can we leverage this  wealth of data and discover feedback, while finding  the most frequent topics where the community has questions? \n\nThis would be an opportunity to get a quick overview of topics where the community regularly needs help; this would also make it easier for us to create relevant content for them.  Manually sorting and extracting the text of each question wouldn’t be sustainable, so creating an automated way would be the most efficient way to proceed.\n\n## Experimenting with data-oriented content creation\n\nFinding out what the community is working on, and what they need help with while using GitLab, can help us to create better educational content that could expand their understanding of GitLab. To achieve this goal, the solution I created  after a few iterations is depicted below:\n\n![Alt text for your image](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/fontes.png)\n\nWhere the Bill Of Materials consists mainly of:\n\n- GitLab DevOps Platform\n- Stackoverflow API\n- Kubernetes Cluster\n- Open Source Python libraries:\n- scikit-learn (TF-IDF)\n- Streamlit (front-end)\n- Spacy                 \n\nI leveraged the GitLab DevOps Platform to organize the projects using groups:\n\n![Alt text for your image](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/organize.png)\n\nThe Loader project pulls questions about GitLab from the StackOverflow API, pre-processes the text and makes it usable for a second project: a Visualizer to create customized dashboards. \n\nThe automated process executed using the DevOps Platform is outlined below: \n\n![Alt text for your image](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/automatedprocess.png)\n\n- Pull data from [StackOverflow API](https://api.stackexchange.com/docs)\n- Preprocess the response extracting relevant fields from returned JSON\n- Build a corpus and calculate TF-IDF\n- Scan for security vulnerabilities\n- Review Application and display its resulting dashboards using [Streamlit](https://streamlit.io/)\n- Deploy the built application to a Kubernetes cluster\n\nLoader and Visualizer projects have their own codebase and pipelines, which is helpful if different teams need to work separately on them. However, one project can require the other, which raises the need for  cross-project  automation. \n\n![Alt text for your image](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/pipeline.png)\n\nThis scenario means a [multi-project pipeline](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/pipelines/downstream_pipelines.html) is useful to automate the whole process. The multi-project pipeline enables use cases such as:\n\n- As an NLP Developer I want to work on the NLP Pipeline in the Loader Project and automatically trigger the creation of a new visualization \n- As a Streamlit Developer I want to work independently in the buttons and data visualization without touching any NLP Pipeline backend  \n\nThe outlined process above is automatically run defining the steps in a [multi-project pipeline](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/pipelines/downstream_pipelines.html) sharing artifact:\n\n![Alt text for your image](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/demo1-gif.gif)\n\n## Finding the most frequently occurring words\n\nThe Feature Engineering step will help me to analyze the text in the whole dataset of GitLab questions. Using a simple yet powerful technique – TF-IDF – we aim to find the most relevant terms utilized by the community. By using this technique in the pipeline execution,  I represent words in numerical values and later rank them in order of importance.  This approach serves as a baseline for further improvements. More detail about this algorithm can be found [here](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tf%E2%80%93idf).\n\n## Did we achieve any success?\n\nOne run of the multi-pipeline in our solution results in dashboards such as this one:\n\n![Alt text for your image](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/demo2-gif.gif)\n\nAs an end-user of these dashboards I can immediately conclude that the main source of questions are around GitLab CI, pipelines and usage of Docker images. Not bad for a first run!  Having the data processed enables us to ask more questions and use data to answer it, such as, what are the questions from the highest [StackOverflow reputation](https://stackoverflow.com/help/whats-reputation) users ? \n\n![Alt text for your image](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/questions.png)\n\nCould these questions be inspiration for tutorials for the most advanced users, or the implementation of a new feature? \n\nBecause everyone can contribute, let's take a look at the users who just started gaining their StackOverflow reputation:\n\n![Alt text for your image](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/contributors.png)\n\nThe question about access and reading/writing permissions in Portuguese is interesting. It makes me wonder about content localization and GitLab meetups in Portuguese-speaking countries. Not surprisingly, there were also \tquestions about GitLab CI too as the text processing and ranking found most relevant in the corpus. \n\nDid we achieve any success? Yes, using a baseline technique such as TF-IDF sped up by  DevOps practices allowed us  to find out relevant terms and help us to understand where the majority of the community needs help in their DevOps journey. I have automated many steps that will allow me to focus on data exploration and possible implementation of more complex NLP Techniques rather than infrastructure allocation or manual input of commands and tests.\n\n![Alt text for your image](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/demo-reduced.gif)\n\nAs a Technical Marketing Manager, I want to create content that is relevant to enable or inspire the  community to succeed. \n\nA personal take away: Educating about the latest GitLab DevOps platform capabilities and the problems they solve  is important and so is keeping an eye on the content that might not be related to a new feature but is needed right now.\n\nAre we done? No, quoting Da Vinci's altered quote about [Art](https://www.artshub.com.au/news/features/art-is-never-finished-only-abandoned-262096-2370305/#:~:text=Lottie%20Consalvo%20in%20her%20studio,writers%2C%20and%20creatives%20would%20recognise) but with software: \"Software is never finished, only abandoned.\"\n\nThere is room for improvement and adding capabilities to this project. We continue iterating, listening to the community, and we encourage you to clone these projects, try it yourself, and adjust it with the topics that make sense to you. Create a merge request to improve the codebase and suggest new dashboards ideas!\n\nExplore the [group of projects](https://gitlab.com/tech-marketing/ad-fontes) and take a look at the [dashboard](https://bit.ly/3jeTFQp).\n",[682,9,750],{"slug":2849,"featured":6,"template":685},"how-we-built-a-stack-overflow-community-questions-analyzer-and-you-can-too","content:en-us:blog:how-we-built-a-stack-overflow-community-questions-analyzer-and-you-can-too.yml","How We Built A Stack Overflow Community Questions Analyzer And You Can Too","en-us/blog/how-we-built-a-stack-overflow-community-questions-analyzer-and-you-can-too.yml","en-us/blog/how-we-built-a-stack-overflow-community-questions-analyzer-and-you-can-too",{"_path":2855,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2856,"content":2862,"config":2868,"_id":2870,"_type":13,"title":2871,"_source":15,"_file":2872,"_stem":2873,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/how-we-spent-two-weeks-hunting-an-nfs-bug",{"title":2857,"description":2858,"ogTitle":2857,"ogDescription":2858,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2859,"ogUrl":2860,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":2860,"schema":2861},"How we spent two weeks hunting an NFS bug in the Linux kernel","Here's an in-depth recap of debugging a GitLab issue that culminated in a patch for the Linux kernel.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749672173/Blog/Hero%20Images/nfs-bug-hunt-detective.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/how-we-spent-two-weeks-hunting-an-nfs-bug","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"How we spent two weeks hunting an NFS bug in the Linux kernel\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Stan Hu\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2018-11-14\",\n      }",{"title":2857,"description":2858,"authors":2863,"heroImage":2859,"date":2865,"body":2866,"category":726,"tags":2867},[2864],"Stan Hu","2018-11-14","\n\nUPDATE 2019-08-06: This bug has now been resolved in the following\ndistributions:\n\n* [Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7](https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:2029)\n* [Ubuntu](https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/1802585)\n* Linux mainline: Backported to [4.14-stable](https://lkml.org/lkml/2019/8/2/562) and [4.19-stable](https://lkml.org/lkml/2019/8/2/639)\n\nOn Sep. 14, the GitLab support team escalated a critical\nproblem encountered by one of our customers: GitLab would run fine for a\nwhile, but after some time users encountered errors. When attempting to\nclone certain repositories via Git, users would see an opaque `Stale\nfile error` message. The error message persisted for a long time,\nblocking employees from being able to work, unless a system\nadministrator intervened manually by running `ls` in the directory\nitself.\n\nThus launched an investigation into the inner workings of Git and the\nNetwork File System (NFS). The investigation uncovered a bug with the\nLinux v4.0 NFS client and culiminated with a [kernel patch that was written by\nTrond Myklebust](https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?h=be189f7e7f03de35887e5a85ddcf39b91b5d7fc1)\nand [merged in the latest mainline Linux kernel](https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?h=c7a2c49ea6c9eebbe44ff2c08b663b2905ee2c13)\non Oct. 26.\n\nThis post describes the journey of investigating the issue and\ndetails the thought process and tools by which we tracked down the\nbug. It was inspired by the fine detective work in [How I spent two\nweeks hunting a memory leak in Ruby](http://www.be9.io/2015/09/21/memory-leak/)\nby Oleg Dashevskii.\n\nMore importantly, this experience exemplifies how open source software\ndebugging has become a team sport that involves expertise across\nmultiple people, companies, and locations. The GitLab motto \"[everyone can\ncontribute](/company/mission/#mission)\" applies not only to GitLab itself, but also to other open\nsource projects, such as the Linux kernel.\n\n## Reproducing the bug\n\nWhile we have run NFS on GitLab.com for many years, we have stopped\nusing it to access repository data across our application\nmachines. Instead, we have [abstracted all Git calls to\nGitaly](/blog/the-road-to-gitaly-1-0/).\nStill, NFS remains a supported configuration for our customers who\nmanage their own installation of GitLab, but we had never seen the exact\nproblem described by the customer before.\n\n[Our customer gave us a few important clues](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues/51437):\n\n1. The full error message read, `fatal: Couldn't read ./packed-refs: Stale file handle`.\n2. The error seemed to start when they started a manual Git garbage\ncollection run via `git gc`.\n3. The error would go away if a system administrator ran `ls` in the\ndirectory.\n4. The error also would go away after `git gc` process ended.\n\nThe first two items seemed obviously related. When you push to a branch\nin Git, Git creates a loose reference, a fancy name for a file that\npoints your branch name to the commit. For example, a push to `master`\nwill create a file called `refs/heads/master` in the repository:\n\n```bash\n$ cat refs/heads/master\n2e33a554576d06d9e71bfd6814ee9ba3a7838963\n```\n\n`git gc` has several jobs, but one of them is to collect these loose\nreferences (refs) and bundle them up into a single file called\n`packed-refs`. This makes things a bit faster by eliminating the need to\nread lots of little files in favor of reading one large one. For\nexample, after running `git gc`, an example `packed-refs` might look\nlike:\n\n```\n# pack-refs with: peeled fully-peeled sorted\n564c3424d6f9175cf5f2d522e10d20d781511bf1 refs/heads/10-8-stable\nedb037cbc85225261e8ede5455be4aad771ba3bb refs/heads/11-0-stable\n94b9323033693af247128c8648023fe5b53e80f9 refs/heads/11-1-stable\n2e33a554576d06d9e71bfd6814ee9ba3a7838963 refs/heads/master\n```\n\nHow exactly is this `packed-refs` file created? To answer that, we ran\n`strace git gc` with a loose ref present. Here are the pertinent lines\nfrom that:\n\n```\n28705 open(\"/tmp/libgit2/.git/packed-refs.lock\", O_RDWR|O_CREAT|O_EXCL|O_CLOEXEC, 0666) = 3\n28705 open(\".git/packed-refs\", O_RDONLY) = 3\n28705 open(\"/tmp/libgit2/.git/packed-refs.new\", O_RDWR|O_CREAT|O_EXCL|O_CLOEXEC, 0666) = 4\n28705 rename(\"/tmp/libgit2/.git/packed-refs.new\", \"/tmp/libgit2/.git/packed-refs\") = 0\n28705 unlink(\"/tmp/libgit2/.git/packed-refs.lock\") = 0\n```\n\nThe system calls showed that `git gc` did the following:\n\n1. Open `packed-refs.lock`. This tells other processes that `packed-refs` is locked and cannot be changed.\n1. Open `packed-refs.new`.\n1. Write loose refs to `packed-refs.new`.\n1. Rename `packed-refs.new` to `packed-refs`.\n1. Remove `packed-refs.lock`.\n1. Remove loose refs.\n\nThe fourth step is the key here: the rename where Git puts `packed-refs`\ninto action. In addition to collecting loose refs, `git gc` also\nperforms a more expensive task of scanning for unused objects and\nremoving them. This task can take over an hour for large\nrepositories.\n\nThat made us wonder: for a large repository, does `git gc` keep the file\nopen while it's running this sweep? Looking at the `strace` logs and\nprobing the process with `lsof`, we found that it did the following:\n\n![Git Garbage Collection](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/nfs-debug/git-gc-diagram.svg)\n\nNotice that `packed-refs` is closed only at the end, after the potentially\nlong `Garbage collect objects` step takes place.\n\nThat made us wonder: how does NFS behave when one node has `packed-refs`\nopen while another renames over that file?\n\nTo experiment, we asked the customer to run the following experiment on\ntwo different machines (Alice and Bob):\n\n1. On the shared NFS volume, create two files: `test1.txt` and\n`test2.txt` with different contents to make it easy to distinguish them:\n\n    ```bash\n    alice $ echo \"1 - Old file\" > /path/to/nfs/test1.txt\n    alice $ echo \"2 - New file\" > /path/to/nfs/test2.txt\n    ```\n\n2. On machine Alice, keep a file open to `test1.txt`:\n\n    ```bash\n     alice $ irb\n     irb(main):001:0> File.open('/path/to/nfs/test1.txt')\n    ```\n\n3. On machine Alice, show the contents of `test1.txt` continuously:\n\n    ```bash\n    alice $ while true; do cat test1.txt; done\n    ```\n\n4. Then on machine Bob, run:\n\n    ```bash\n    bob $ mv -f test2.txt test1.txt\n    ```\n\nThis last step emulates what `git gc` does with `packed-refs` by\noverwriting the existing file.\n\nOn the customer's machine, the result looked something like:\n\n```\n1 - Old file\n1 - Old file\n1 - Old file\ncat: test1.txt: Stale file handle\n```\n\nBingo! We seemed to reproduce the problem in a controlled way. However,\nthe same experiment using a Linux NFS server did not have this\nproblem. The result was what you would expect: the new contents were\npicked up after the rename:\n\n```\n1 - Old file\n1 - Old file\n1 - Old file\n2 - New file  \u003C--- RENAME HAPPENED\n2 - New file\n2 - New file\n```\n\nWhy the difference in behavior? It turns out that the customer was using\nan [Isilon NFS\nappliance](https://www.dellemc.com/en-us/storage/isilon/index.htm) that\nonly supported NFS v4.0. By switching the mount parameters to v4.0 via\nthe `vers=4.0` parameter in `/etc/fstab`, the test revealed a different\nresult with the Linux NFS server:\n\n```\n1 - Old file\n1 - Old file\n1 - Old file\n1 - Old file \u003C--- RENAME HAPPENED\n1 - Old file\n1 - Old file\n```\n\nInstead of a `Stale file handle`, the Linux NFS v4.0 server showed stale\n*contents*. It turns out this difference in behavior can be explained by\nthe NFS spec. From [RFC\n3010](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc3010#page-153):\n\n> A filehandle may or may not become stale or expire on a rename.\n> However, server implementors are strongly encouraged to attempt to keep\n> file handles from becoming stale or expiring in this fashion.\n\nIn other words, NFS servers can choose how to behave if a file is\nrenamed; it's perfectly valid for any NFS server to return a `Stale file\nerror` when that happens. We surmised that even though the results were\ndifferent, the problem was likely related to the same issue. We\nsuspected some cache validation issue because running `ls` in the\ndirectory would \"clear\" the error. Now that we had a reproducible test\ncase, we asked the experts: the Linux NFS maintainers.\n\n## False path: NFS server delegations\n\nWith a clear set of reproduction steps, I [sent an email to the Linux\nNFS mailing list](https://marc.info/?l=linux-nfs&m=153721785231614&w=2)\ndescribing what we had found. Over the week, I went back and forth with\nBruce Fields, the Linux NFS server maintainer, who suggested this was a\nNFS bug and that it would be useful to look at the network traffic. He\nthought there might be an issue with NFS server delegations.\n\n### What is an NFS server delegation?\n\nIn a nutshell, NFS v4 introduced server delegations as a way to speed up file access. A server can\ndelegate read or write access to a client so that the client doesn't\nhave to keep asking the server whether that file has changed by another\nclient. In simpler terms, a write delegation is akin to someone lending\nyou a notebook and saying, \"Go ahead and write in here, and I'll take it\nback when I'm ready.\" Instead of having to ask to borrow the notebook\nevery time you want to write a new paragraph, you have free rein until\nthe owner reclaims the notebook. In NFS terms, this reclamation process\nis called a delegation recall.\n\nIndeed, a bug in the NFS delegation recall might explain the `Stale file\nhandle` problem. Remember that in the earlier experiment, Alice had\nan open file to `test1.txt` when it was replaced by `test2.txt` later.\nIt's possible that the server failed to recall the delegation on\n`test1.txt`, resulting in an incorrect state. To check whether this was\nan issue, we turned to `tcpdump` to capture NFS traffic and used\nWireshark to visualize it.\n\n[Wireshark](https://www.wireshark.org/) is a wonderful open source tool\nfor analyzing network traffic, and it's especially good for viewing NFS\nin action. We captured a trace using the following command on the NFS server:\n\n```\ntcpdump -s 0 -w /tmp/nfs.pcap port 2049\n```\n\nThis command captures all NFS traffic, which typically is on TCP port 2049.\nBecause our experiment worked properly with NFS v4.1 but did not\n with NFS v4.0, we could compare and contrast how NFS behaved\nin a non-working and a working case. With Wireshark, we saw the\nfollowing behavior:\n\n### NFS v4.0 (stale file case)\n\n![NFS v4.0 flow](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/nfs-debug/nfs-4.0-flow.svg)\n\nIn this diagram, we can see in step 1 Alice opens `test1.txt` and gets\nback an NFS file handle along with a `stateid` of 0x3000. When Bob\nattempts to rename the file, the NFS server tells to Bob to retry via\nthe `NFS4ERR_DELAY` message while it recalls the delegation from Alice\nvia the `CB_RECALL` message (step 3). Alice then returns her delegation\nvia `DELEGRETURN` (step 4), and then Bob attempts to send another\n`RENAME` message (step 5). The `RENAME` completes in both cases, but\nAlice continues to read using the same file handle.\n\n### NFS v4.1 (working case)\n\n![NFS v4.1 flow](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/nfs-debug/nfs-4.1-flow.svg)\n\nThe main difference happens at the bottom at step 6. Notice in NFS v4.0\n(the stale file case), Alice attempts to reuse the same `stateid`. In\nNFS v4.1 (working case), Alice performs an additional `LOOKUP` and\n`OPEN`, which causes the server to return a different `stateid`. In v4.0,\nthese extra messages are never sent. This explains why Alice continues\nto see stale content because she uses the old file handle.\n\nWhat makes Alice decide to do the extra `LOOKUP`? The delegation recall\nseemed to work fine, but perhaps there was still an issue, such as a\nmissing invalidation step. To rule that out, we disabled NFS delegations\nby issuing this command on the NFS server itself:\n\n```sh\necho 0 > /proc/sys/fs/leases-enable\n```\n\nWe repeated the experiment, but the problem persisted. All this\nconvinced us this wasn't a NFS server issue or a problem with NFS\ndelegations; it was a problem that led us to look into the NFS client\nwithin the kernel.\n\n## Digging deeper: the Linux NFS client\n\nThe first question we had to answer for the NFS maintainers:\n\n### Was this problem still in the latest upstream kernel?\n\nThe issue occurred with both CentOS 7.2 and Ubuntu 16.04 kernels, which\nused versions 3.10.0-862.11.6 and 4.4.0-130, respectively. However, both\nthose kernels lagged the most recent kernel, which was 4.19-rc2 at the\ntime.\n\nWe deployed a new Ubuntu 16.04 virtual machine on Google Cloud Platform\n(GCP), cloned the latest Linux kernel, and set up a kernel development\nenvironment. After generating a `.config` file via `make menuconfig`, we\nchecked two items:\n\n1. The NFS driver was compiled as a module (`CONFIG_NFSD=m`).\n2. The [required GCP kernel settings](https://cloud.google.com/compute/docs/images/building-custom-os)\nwere set properly.\n\nJust as a geneticist would use fruit flies to study evolution in\nreal time, the first item allowed us to make quick changes in the NFS\nclient without having to reboot the kernel. The second item was required\nto ensure that the kernel would actually boot after it was\ninstalled. Fortunately, the default kernel settings had all the settings\nright out of the box.\n\nWith our custom kernel, we verified that the stale file problem still\nexisted in the latest version. That begged a number of questions:\n\n1. Where exactly was this problem happening?\n2. Why was this problem happening with NFS v4.0 but not in v4.1?\n\nTo answer these questions, we began to investigate the NFS [source\ncode](/solutions/source-code-management/). Since we didn't have a kernel debugger available, we sprinkled the\nsource code with two main types of calls:\n\n1. `pr_info()` ([what used to be `printk`](https://lwn.net/Articles/487437/)).\n2. `dump_stack()`: This would show the stack trace of the current function call.\n\nFor example, one of the first things we did was hook into the\n`nfs4_file_open()` function in `fs/nfs/nfs4file.c`:\n\n```c\nstatic int\nnfs4_file_open(struct inode *inode, struct file *filp)\n{\n...\n        pr_info(\"nfs4_file_open start\\n\");\n        dump_stack();\n```\n\nAdmittedly, we could have [activated the `dprintk` messages with the\nLinux dynamic\ndebug](https://www.kernel.org/doc/html/v4.15/admin-guide/dynamic-debug-howto.html)\nor used\n[`rpcdebug`](https://www.thegeekdiary.com/how-to-enable-nfs-debug-logging-using-rpcdebug/),\nbut it was nice to be able to add our own messages to verify changes\nwere being made.\n\nEvery time we made changes, we recompiled the module and reinstalled it\ninto the kernel via the commands:\n\n```sh\nmake modules\nsudo umount /mnt/nfs-test\nsudo rmmod nfsv4\nsudo rmmod nfs\nsudo insmod fs/nfs/nfs.ko\nsudo mount -a\n```\n\nWith our NFS module installed, repeating the experiments would print\nmessages that would help us understand the NFS code a bit more. For\nexample, you can see exactly what happens when an application calls `open()`:\n\n```\nSep 24 20:20:38 test-kernel kernel: [ 1145.233460] Call Trace:\nSep 24 20:20:38 test-kernel kernel: [ 1145.233462]  dump_stack+0x8e/0xd5\nSep 24 20:20:38 test-kernel kernel: [ 1145.233480]  nfs4_file_open+0x56/0x2a0 [nfsv4]\nSep 24 20:20:38 test-kernel kernel: [ 1145.233488]  ? nfs42_clone_file_range+0x1c0/0x1c0 [nfsv4]\nSep 24 20:20:38 test-kernel kernel: [ 1145.233490]  do_dentry_open+0x1f6/0x360\nSep 24 20:20:38 test-kernel kernel: [ 1145.233492]  vfs_open+0x2f/0x40\nSep 24 20:20:38 test-kernel kernel: [ 1145.233493]  path_openat+0x2e8/0x1690\nSep 24 20:20:38 test-kernel kernel: [ 1145.233496]  ? mem_cgroup_try_charge+0x8b/0x190\nSep 24 20:20:38 test-kernel kernel: [ 1145.233497]  do_filp_open+0x9b/0x110\nSep 24 20:20:38 test-kernel kernel: [ 1145.233499]  ? __check_object_size+0xb8/0x1b0\nSep 24 20:20:38 test-kernel kernel: [ 1145.233501]  ? __alloc_fd+0x46/0x170\nSep 24 20:20:38 test-kernel kernel: [ 1145.233503]  do_sys_open+0x1ba/0x250\nSep 24 20:20:38 test-kernel kernel: [ 1145.233505]  ? do_sys_open+0x1ba/0x250\nSep 24 20:20:38 test-kernel kernel: [ 1145.233507]  __x64_sys_openat+0x20/0x30\nSep 24 20:20:38 test-kernel kernel: [ 1145.233508]  do_syscall_64+0x65/0x130\n```\n\nWhat are the `do_dentry_open` and `vfs_open` calls above? Linux has a\n[virtual filesystem\n(VFS)](https://www.kernel.org/doc/Documentation/filesystems/vfs.txt), an\nabstraction layer which provides a common interface for all\nfilesystems. The VFS documentation explains:\n\n> The VFS implements the open(2), stat(2), chmod(2), and similar system\n> calls. The pathname argument that is passed to them is used by the VFS\n> to search through the directory entry cache (also known as the dentry\n> cache or dcache). This provides a very fast look-up mechanism to\n> translate a pathname (filename) into a specific dentry. Dentries live\n> in RAM and are never saved to disc: they exist only for performance.\n\n### This gave us a clue: what if this was a problem with the dentry cache?\n\nWe noticed a lot of dentry cache validation was done in\n`fs/nfs/dir.c`. In particular, `nfs4_lookup_revalidate()` sounded\npromising. As an experiment, we hacked that function to bail\nout early:\n\n\n```diff\ndiff --git a/fs/nfs/dir.c b/fs/nfs/dir.c\nindex 8bfaa658b2c1..ad479bfeb669 100644\n--- a/fs/nfs/dir.c\n+++ b/fs/nfs/dir.c\n@@ -1159,6 +1159,7 @@ static int nfs_lookup_revalidate(struct dentry *dentry, unsigned int flags)\n        trace_nfs_lookup_revalidate_enter(dir, dentry, flags);\n        error = NFS_PROTO(dir)->lookup(dir, &dentry->d_name, fhandle, fattr, label);\n        trace_nfs_lookup_revalidate_exit(dir, dentry, flags, error);\n+       goto out_bad;\n        if (error == -ESTALE || error == -ENOENT)\n                goto out_bad;\n        if (error)\n```\n\nThat made the stale file problem in our experiment go away! Now we were onto something.\n\nTo answer, \"Why does this problem not happen in NFS v4.1?\", we added\n`pr_info()` calls to every `if` block in that function. After running our\nexperiments with NFS v4.0 and v4.1, we found this special condition being run\nin the v4.1 case:\n\n```c\n        if (NFS_SB(dentry->d_sb)->caps & NFS_CAP_ATOMIC_OPEN_V1) {\n          goto no_open;\n        }\n```\n\nWhat is `NFS_CAP_ATOMIC_OPEN_V1`? We saw [this kernel\npatch](https://patchwork.kernel.org/patch/2300511/) mentioned this was\nan NFS v4.1-specific feature, and the code in `fs/nfs/nfs4proc.c`\nconfirmed that this flag was a capability present in v4.1 but not in v4.0:\n\n```c\nstatic const struct nfs4_minor_version_ops nfs_v4_1_minor_ops = {\n        .minor_version = 1,\n        .init_caps = NFS_CAP_READDIRPLUS\n                | NFS_CAP_ATOMIC_OPEN\n                | NFS_CAP_POSIX_LOCK\n                | NFS_CAP_STATEID_NFSV41\n                | NFS_CAP_ATOMIC_OPEN_V1\n```\n\nThat explained the difference in behavior: in the v4.1 case, the `goto\nno_open` would cause more validation to happen in\n`nfs_lookup_revalidate()`, but in v4.0, the `nfs4_lookup_revalidate()`\nwould return earlier. Now, how do we actually solve the problem?\n\n## The solution\n\nI reported the [findings to the NFS mailing\nlist](https://marc.info/?l=linux-nfs&m=153782129412452&w=2) and proposed\n[a naive patch](https://marc.info/?l=linux-nfs&m=153807208928650&w=2). A\nweek after the report, Trond Myklebust sent a [patch series to the list\nfixing this bug and found another related issue for NFS\nv4.1](https://marc.info/?l=linux-nfs&m=153816500525563&w=2).\n\nIt turns out the fix for the NFS v4.0 bug was deeper in the code base\nthan we had looked. Trond summarized it well in the\n[patch](https://marc.info/?l=linux-nfs&m=153816500525564&w=2):\n\n> We need to ensure that inode and dentry revalidation occurs correctly\n> on reopen of a file that is already open. Currently, we can end up not\n> revalidating either in the case of NFSv4.0, due to the 'cached open'\n> path.  Let's fix that by ensuring that we only do cached open for the\n> special cases of open recovery and delegation return.\n\nWe confirmed that this fix made the stale file problem go away and filed\nbug reports with\n[Ubuntu](https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/1802585)\nand [RedHat](https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1648482).\n\nKnowing full well that kernel changes may take a while to make it to\nstable releases, we also added a [workaround in\nGitaly](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitaly/merge_requests/924) to deal\nwith this issue. We did experiments to test that calling `stat()` on the\n`packed-refs` file appears to cause the kernel to revalidate the dentry\ncache for the renamed file. For simplicity, this is implemented in\nGitaly regardless of whether the filesystem is NFS; we only do this once\nbefore Gitaly \"opens\" a repository, and there are already other `stat()`\ncalls that check for other files.\n\n## What we learned\n\nA bug can be anywhere in your software stack, and sometimes you have to\nlook beyond your application to find it. Having helpful partners in the\nopen source world makes that job much easier.\n\nWe are extremely grateful to Trond Myklebust for fixing the problem, and\nBruce Fields for responding to questions and helping us understand\nNFS. Their responsiveness and professionalism truly reflects the best of\nthe open source community.\n\nPhoto by [dynamosquito](https://www.flickr.com/photos/dynamosquito) on [Flickr](https://www.flickr.com/photos/dynamosquito/4265771518)\n{: .note}\n",[9,877,706,749],{"slug":2869,"featured":6,"template":685},"how-we-spent-two-weeks-hunting-an-nfs-bug","content:en-us:blog:how-we-spent-two-weeks-hunting-an-nfs-bug.yml","How We Spent Two Weeks Hunting An Nfs Bug","en-us/blog/how-we-spent-two-weeks-hunting-an-nfs-bug.yml","en-us/blog/how-we-spent-two-weeks-hunting-an-nfs-bug",{"_path":2875,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2876,"content":2879,"config":2886,"_id":2888,"_type":13,"title":2889,"_source":15,"_file":2890,"_stem":2891,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/how-we-use-gitlab-to-grow-open-source-communities",{"noIndex":6,"title":2877,"description":2878},"How we use GitLab to grow open source communities","Learn how to use the DevSecOps platform to solve onboarding problems for new contributors.",{"title":2877,"description":2878,"body":2880,"authors":2881,"heroImage":2883,"category":747,"tags":2884,"date":2885},"\nGitLab's Contributor Success team faced a challenge.\nWhile our returning open source contributors were merging more code changes and collaborating on deeper features, first-time contributors were struggling to get started. We knew many newcomers to open source often gave up or never asked for help. But as advocates for [GitLab's mission](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/company/mission/)\nto enable everyone to contribute, we wanted to do better.\n\nWe started running research studies on open source contributors to GitLab. Then we improved the stumbling blocks. In January, we achieved a record of 184 unique community contributors to GitLab in a single month,\nexceeding our team target of 170 for the first time.\n\nThree months later, we broke it again with 192.\n\nHere's how we used GitLab's own tools to solve the newcomer dilemma and grow our open source community.\n\n## What we learned studying first-time contributors\n\nIn 2023, we conducted the first-ever user study of GitLab open source contributors.\nWe watched six participants who had never contributed to GitLab make their first attempt. They completed diary studies and Zoom interviews detailing their experience.\n\nParticipants told us:\n\n* The contributor documentation was confusing\n* Getting started felt overwhelming\n* It wasn't clear how or where to find help\n\nOnly one out of the six participants successfully merged a code contribution to GitLab during the study.\n\nIt became clear we needed to focus on the onboarding experience if we wanted new contributors to succeed.\nSo we [iterated](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#iteration)!\n\nOur team spent the next year addressing their challenges. We used GitLab tools,\nsuch as issue templates, scheduled pipelines, webhooks, and the GitLab Query Language (GLQL), to build an innovative semi-automated onboarding solution.\n\nIn 2025, we performed a follow-up user study with new participants who had never made a contribution to GitLab. All 10 participants successfully created and merged contributions to GitLab, a 100% success rate. The feedback showed a great appreciation for the new onboarding process, the speed at which\nmaintainers checked in on contributors, and the recognition we offered to contributors.\n\nEven better, participants shared how much fun they had contributing:\n\"I felt a little rush of excitement at being able to say 'I helped build GitLab.'\"\n\n## We built personal onboarding with GitLab\n\nOur solution started with engagement.\nTo help newcomers get started, we introduced a personal onboarding process connecting each\ncontributor with a community maintainer.\n\nWe created an [issue template](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-community/meta/-/blob/ac0e5579a6a1cf26e367010bfcf6c7d35b38d4f8/.gitlab/issue_templates/Onboarding.md) with a clear checklist of tasks.\n\nThe onboarding issue also handles access approval for the\n[GitLab community forks](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/gitlab-community-forks/),\na collection of shared projects that make it easier to push changes, collaborate with others,\nand access GitLab Ultimate and Duo features.\n\nUsing [scoped labels](https://docs.gitlab.com/user/project/labels/#scoped-labels), we indicate the status of the access request for easy maintainer follow-ups.\n\n![GitLab onboarding issue](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1752512804/vkiyl0hrfbgcer3nz38r.png)\n\nWe started with a Ruby script run via a [scheduled pipeline](https://docs.gitlab.com/ci/pipelines/schedules/),\nchecking for new access requests and using the issue template to create personalized onboarding issues.\n\nFrom here, our maintainers engage with new contributors to verify access, answer questions, and find issues.\n\n## We standardized responses with comment templates\n\nWith multiple maintainers in the GitLab community, we wanted to ensure consistent and clear messaging.\n\nWe created [comment templates](https://docs.gitlab.com/user/profile/comment_templates/),\nwhich we sync with the repository using the GraphQL API and a\n[Ruby script](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-community/meta/-/blob/dd6e0c2861c848251424b72e3e8c5603dcaac725/bin/sync_comment_templates.rb).\n\nThe script is triggered in `.gitlab-ci.yml` when comment template changes are pushed\nto the default branch (a dry run is triggered in merge requests).\n\n```yaml\nexecute:sync-comment-templates:\n  stage: execute\n  extends: .ruby\n  script:\n    - bundle exec bin/sync_comment_templates.rb\n  variables:\n    SYNC_COMMENT_TEMPLATES_GITLAB_API_TOKEN: $SYNC_COMMENT_TEMPLATES_GITLAB_API_TOKEN_READ_ONLY\n  rules:\n    - if: $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE == 'schedule' || $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE == \"trigger\"\n      when: never\n    - if: $EXECUTE_SYNC_COMMENT_TEMPLATES == '1'\n    - if: $CI_MERGE_REQUEST_IID\n      changes:\n        - .gitlab/comment_templates/**/*\n      variables:\n        REPORT_ONLY: 1\n    - if: $CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME == $CI_DEFAULT_BRANCH\n      changes:\n        - .gitlab/comment_templates/**/*\n      variables:\n        FORCE_SYNC: 1\n        DRY_RUN: 0\n        SYNC_COMMENT_TEMPLATES_GITLAB_API_TOKEN: $SYNC_COMMENT_TEMPLATES_GITLAB_API_TOKEN_READ_WRITE\n```\n\n\n\n![GitLab comment template](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1752512803/qmfaymqhq3zgdcnm6a3j.png)\n\n\n\n## We eliminated the 5-minute wait time\n\nOur first iteration was a little slow.\nAfter starting the onboarding process, contributors wondered what to do next while the scheduled\npipeline took up to 5 minutes to create their onboarding issue.\nFive minutes feels like forever when you have the momentum to dive in.\n\n[Niklas](https://gitlab.com/Taucher2003), a member of our [Core team ](https://about.gitlab.com/community/core-team/), built a solution.\nHe added [webhook events for access requests](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/merge_requests/163094)\nand [custom payload templates for webhooks](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/merge_requests/142738).\n\nThese features together allowed us to trigger a pipeline immediately instead of waiting for the schedule.\nThis reduces the time to roughly 40 seconds (the time it takes for the CI pipeline to run)\nand generates the onboarding issue right away. It also saves thousands of wasted pipelines and compute minutes when no access requests actually need processing.\n\nWe set up a [pipeline trigger token](https://docs.gitlab.com/ci/triggers/#create-a-pipeline-trigger-token)\nand used this as the target for the webhook, passing the desired environment variables:\n\n```json\n{\n  \"ref\": \"main\",\n  \"variables\": {\n    \"EXECUTE_ACCESS_REQUESTS\": \"1\",\n    \"DRY_RUN\": \"0\",\n    \"PIPELINE_NAME\": \"Create onboarding issues\",\n    \"GROUP_ID\": \"{{group_id}}\",\n    \"EVENT_NAME\": \"{{event_name}}\"\n  }\n}\n```\n\n![Pipeline list](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1752512805/qom7hnqnwfcdzvria7dd.png)\n\n## We automated follow-ups\n\nWith an increasing volume of customers and community contributors onboarding to the GitLab community,\nmaintainers struggled to track which issues needed attention and some follow-up questions got lost.\n\nWe built automation leveraging webhooks and Ruby to label issues updated by community members.\nThis creates a clear signal of issue status for maintainers.\n\n[GitLab Triage](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/ruby/gems/gitlab-triage)\nautomatically nudges idle onboarding issues to ensure we maintain contributor momentum.\n\n![Automated nudge for idle GitLab onboarding issues](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1752512811/gkj3qaidjl1vv2dlu8ep.png)\n\n## We organized issue tracking with GLQL\n\nWe built a [GLQL view](https://docs.gitlab.com/user/glql/) to keep track of issues.\nThis GLQL table summarizes onboarding issues which need attention,\nso maintainers can review and follow up with community members.\n\n![GLQL view of issue tracking](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1752512804/hdduf0orntdfhkysheae.png)\n\nThese GLQL views improved our overall triage [efficiency](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#efficiency).\nIt was so successful we ended up using this strategy within the [GitLab for Open Source](https://about.gitlab.com/solutions/open-source/)\nand [GitLab for Education](https://about.gitlab.com/solutions/education/) programs, too.\nWith GLQL tables for support issues, these community programs lowered their response times by 75%.\n\n## We made the README findable\n\nThe [@gitlab-community group](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-community/)\nis the home for contributors on Gitlab.com.\nWe already had a `README.md` file explaining the community forks and onboarding process, but this file\nlived in our meta project.\nWith our follow-up user study, we discovered this was a point of confusion for newcomers when their\nonboarding issues were under a different project.\n\nWe used [GitLab's project mirroring](https://docs.gitlab.com/user/project/repository/mirror/)\nto solve this and mirrored the meta project to `gitlab-profile`.\nThis surfaced the existing README file at the group level, making it easier to discover.\n\n![GitLab project mirroiring](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1752512809/kbgdxyilza71kmj0aeqt.png)\n\n![Group README](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1752512804/taosgn8vvgo8onszuwaf.png)\n\n## The results speak for themselves\n\nBy dogfooding GitLab, we improved the stumbling blocks found in our research studies\nand transformed the GitLab contributor journey.\nWe have grown the number of customers and community members contributing to GitLab,\nadding features to the product, solving bugs, and adding to our CI/CD catalog.\n\nOur onboarding process has increased the rate newcomers join the community, and our total number of\ncontributors on the community forks has doubled over the last 9 months.\n\n![Community forks growth chart](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1752512803/xagra4vfsrhbcwnzekmp.png)\n\nWe reduced the time it takes for newcomers to make their first contribution by connecting them\nwith maintainers faster and supporting them in getting started.\nWe use [GitLab's value stream analytics](https://docs.gitlab.com/user/group/value_stream_analytics/)\nto track our response rates.\n\n* First response time from community maintainers is down to 46 minutes over the last 3 months\n* Average approval time for community forks access is down to 1 hour over the last 3 months\n\n![Value stream analytics timeline](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1752512812/jzksakrfdb22hooqemzh.png)\n\nThe 100% success rate of our 2025 user study confirmed these improvements for our first-time contributors.\n\n## We invested time savings into contributor recognition\n\nFixing these newcomer challenges allowed us more capacity to focus on better recognition of\ncontributors, incentivizing first-timers to keep coming back.\nThe result is [contributors.gitlab.com](https://contributors.gitlab.com/).\nWe built out a central hub for our contributors that features gamified leaderboards,\nachievements, and rewards.\nContributors can see their impact, track progress, and grow in the community.\n\n## Sharing what we learned\n\nThese improvements work and are repeatable for other open source projects.\nWe are sharing our approach across communities and conferences so that other projects can consider using these tools to grow.\n\nAs more organizations learn the barriers to participation, we can create a more welcoming open source environment.\nWith these GitLab tools, we can offer a smoother experience for both contributors and maintainers.\nWe're committed to advancing this work and collaborating to remove barriers for open source projects everywhere.\n\n## Start the conversation\n\nWant to learn more about growing your contributor community?\nEmail `contributors@gitlab.com` or [open an issue](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/developer-relations/contributor-success/team-task/-/issues)\nto start a discussion.\nWe're here to help build communities.",[2091,2882],"Daniel Murphy","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1750099558/Blog/Hero%20Images/Blog/Hero%20Images/gitlabflatlogomap_gitlabflatlogomap.png_1750099558369.png",[749,9,1323],"2025-07-15",{"featured":6,"template":685,"slug":2887},"how-we-use-gitlab-to-grow-open-source-communities","content:en-us:blog:how-we-use-gitlab-to-grow-open-source-communities.yml","How We Use Gitlab To Grow Open Source Communities","en-us/blog/how-we-use-gitlab-to-grow-open-source-communities.yml","en-us/blog/how-we-use-gitlab-to-grow-open-source-communities",{"_path":2893,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2894,"content":2900,"config":2905,"_id":2907,"_type":13,"title":2908,"_source":15,"_file":2909,"_stem":2910,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/how-you-contribute-to-gitlabs-open-devops-platform",{"title":2895,"description":2896,"ogTitle":2895,"ogDescription":2896,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2897,"ogUrl":2898,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":2898,"schema":2899},"How you contribute to GitLab's DevOps Platform","Today we're celebrating you! These are just some of the many examples of how you make GitLab's DevOps Platform better by innovating together.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749664041/Blog/Hero%20Images/open-devops.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/how-you-contribute-to-gitlabs-open-devops-platform","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"How you contribute to GitLab's DevOps Platform\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"GitLab\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2021-03-23\",\n      }",{"title":2895,"description":2896,"authors":2901,"heroImage":2897,"date":2902,"body":2903,"category":747,"tags":2904},[1745],"2021-03-23","\n\nWe know that we can iterate faster when we innovate together. We want to highlight how you make GitLab better every day by contributing to our DevOps Platform, by suggesting improvements, submitting bug fixes, and contributing features. \n\nYou contribute around 300 merge requests to GitLab each month. Just look at [last month's release for a multitude of examples](/releases/2021/02/22/gitlab-13-9-released/#wider-community-contribution-highlights) – a reminder that [everyone can contribute](/company/mission/#mission). \n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"false\" /}\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"center\">\n\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Achievement unlocked: having NASA contribute directly to your codebase. Open core ftw. \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/qcnu8jhQuR\">https://t.co/qcnu8jhQuR\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— Brendan O’Leary (@olearycrew) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/olearycrew/status/1363992971188740103?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 22, 2021\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote> \u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003C/div>\n\nRoger Meier, principal key expert and service owner of code.siemens.com from [Siemens IT](/customers/siemens/) explains, “If we want to have new features, we contribute them to GitLab.” \n\n## A DevOps platform gives you visibility into security and beyond\n\nWorking in the open presents unique security challenges (you can read about how we [prevent security fixes from leaking into our public repositories](/blog/how-we-prevented-security-fixes-leaking-into-our-public-repositories/)), but we’re proud of how taking an open approach to security serves our community, customers, and us.  \n\nCommunity member [Ethan Reesor](https://gitlab.com/firelizzard) is working on improving and simplifying how we do [authorization in our package managers](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/merge_requests/38627) and added some great test coverage around that in [gitlab-org/gitlab!50729](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/merge_requests/50729).\n\nSecurity issues are often reported to us directly in GitLab, but Dominic Couture, senior security engineer, [Application Security](/topics/devsecops/) at GitLab, explains that even security bugs reported through our [HackerOne bug bounty program](https://hackerone.com/gitlab) are often made public 30 days after they’re fixed: everyone can see the [old security issues](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues?scope=all&utf8=%E2%9C%93&state=all&label_name[]=HackerOne). “This creates a positive feedback loop where external security researchers can look into old issues to help them find and disclose new ones to us.” You can read more reflections on [security and open source here](/blog/open-source-security/).\n\n### Debugging together\n\nOur customers regularly collaborate with us to debug problems. In this example, a customer helped our backend engineers to [resolve an S1 bug](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/261667), and even gave us access to part of their system to test the fix – showing that we’re most successful when everyone’s committed to iteration.\n\nSmall fixes and improvements to our documentation often arise out of customer interactions with our support engineers – you can see all the [merge requests from 2021 captured here](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/support/support-team-meta/-/issues?label_name%5B%5D=Support+Team+Contributions).\n\nFor some customers, contributing to GitLab is even an official part of their job. Learn about how [one of our contributors at CERN here](/blog/cern-contributor-post/) helps make GitLab’s [open DevOps platform](/solutions/devops-platform/) better.\n\n### Getting to the root of performance problems\n\n[Working in public by default](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#public-by-default) is a little uncomfortable at first – especially when it comes to troubleshooting performance issues – but the advantage of this visibility is that we can crowdsource solutions. \n\nIn July 2019, our site reliability engineers noticed a significant increase in errors and site slowdown on GitLab.com. In the course of investigation, community member [Andrew Armstrong](https://gitlab.com/phplasma) [commented on the public issue ](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/gl-infra/production/-/issues/928#note_187236004) with a suggestion: The Redis instance might be approaching its self-imposed memory limit, which can overwhelm the instance quickly even if plenty of physical memory is available. This inspired a review of the time to live (TTL) we apply to Redis keys.\n\n## Living our values through DevOps \n\nWe're proud to partner with groups who foster [our values](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/) in their communities. [The Last Mile](/blog/thelastmile-gitlab/) is opening doors for aspiring software engineers at correctional facilities across the US. [GNOME moved to GitLab in 2018](/blog/welcome-gnome-to-gitlab/), and together with [Endless](https://endlessnetwork.com/) they [launched the Coding Education Challenge](/blog/gnome-follow-up/#whats-new-at-gnome-and-what-are-some-of-the-new-things-on-the-horizon) to inspire a new generation to \"take control of their digital worlds, not be controlled by them.\" Read more about intitiatives from our [friends in open source](/blog/categories/open-source/). \n\n_These are just a few examples of the improvements you make to GitLab and the wider community, and we want to keep celebrating how you iterate and innovate using our open DevOps platform. Got a story of your own to share? **We’re accepting proposals for our virtual user conference, [GitLab Commit](/events/commit/)** (Aug. 3-4, 2021) and would love to hear from you._\n",[749,9,2826],{"slug":2906,"featured":6,"template":685},"how-you-contribute-to-gitlabs-open-devops-platform","content:en-us:blog:how-you-contribute-to-gitlabs-open-devops-platform.yml","How You Contribute To Gitlabs Open Devops Platform","en-us/blog/how-you-contribute-to-gitlabs-open-devops-platform.yml","en-us/blog/how-you-contribute-to-gitlabs-open-devops-platform",{"_path":2912,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2913,"content":2919,"config":2925,"_id":2927,"_type":13,"title":2928,"_source":15,"_file":2929,"_stem":2930,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/icymi-key-ai-and-security-insights-from-our-developer-community",{"title":2914,"description":2915,"ogTitle":2914,"ogDescription":2915,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2916,"ogUrl":2917,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":2917,"schema":2918},"ICYMI: Key AI and security insights from our developer community","Our latest LinkedIn Live highlights the hottest trends in AI, security, DevSecOps, and more. Also get a taste of the GitLab community contributions that are making an impact.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1750098331/Blog/Hero%20Images/Blog/Hero%20Images/blog-image-template-1800x945%20%286%29_55zMmdJIUpfh5qaPW9dtVA_1750098331584.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/icymi-key-ai-and-security-insights-from-our-developer-community","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"ICYMI: Key AI and security insights from our developer community\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Fatima Sarah Khalid\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2024-12-05\",\n      }",{"title":2914,"description":2915,"authors":2920,"heroImage":2916,"date":2921,"body":2922,"category":814,"tags":2923},[1021],"2024-12-05","In our [November LinkedIn Live broadcast](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7265408726696697857), we brought together field CTOs, developer advocates, and community leaders to discuss industry trends and showcase features making a difference in developer workflows.\n\nHere are 5 key highlights:\n\n### 1. AI adoption trends from the field\nOur field CTOs shared insights on how organizations are embracing AI across their development workflows. For instance, Field CTO Cherry Han highlighted how financial organizations are thinking beyond individual developer tools.\n\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding:56.25% 0 0 0;position:relative;\">\u003Ciframe src=\"https://player.vimeo.com/video/1035388263?badge=0&autopause=0&player_id=0&app_id=58479\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture; clipboard-write\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;\" title=\"Ai Adoption Trends from the Field\">\u003C/iframe>\u003C/div>\u003Cscript src=\"https://player.vimeo.com/api/player.js\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003Cbr>\u003C/br>\nAndrew Hasker, Field CTO for Asia Pacific and Japan, offered valuable perspective on AI adoption.\n\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding:56.25% 0 0 0;position:relative;\">\u003Ciframe src=\"https://player.vimeo.com/video/1035388277?badge=0&autopause=0&player_id=0&app_id=58479\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture; clipboard-write\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;\" title=\"From Field CTOs\">\u003C/iframe>\u003C/div>\u003Cscript src=\"https://player.vimeo.com/api/player.js\">\u003C/script>\n\n### 2. Security coverage that makes a difference\n\nStaff Developer Advocate Fernando Diaz demonstrated how GitLab's security scanners cover the complete application lifecycle, showing how easy it is to implement [comprehensive security scanning](https://about.gitlab.com/solutions/security-compliance/) with just a few lines of code.\n\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding:56.25% 0 0 0;position:relative;\">\u003Ciframe src=\"https://player.vimeo.com/video/1035388297?badge=0&autopause=0&player_id=0&app_id=58479\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture; clipboard-write\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;\" title=\"Security Coverage\">\u003C/iframe>\u003C/div>\u003Cscript src=\"https://player.vimeo.com/api/player.js\">\u003C/script>\n\n### 3. AI-powered language migration made simple\nIn an impressive demonstration, Senior Technical Marketing Manager Cesar Saavedra showed how GitLab Duo can assist in migrating applications between programming languages.\n\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding:56.25% 0 0 0;position:relative;\">\u003Ciframe src=\"https://player.vimeo.com/video/1036170482?badge=0&autopause=0&player_id=0&app_id=58479\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture; clipboard-write\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;\" title=\"AI-Powered Language Migration Made Simple\">\u003C/iframe>\u003C/div>\u003Cscript src=\"https://player.vimeo.com/api/player.js\">\u003C/script>\n\n### 4. Making DevSecOps work smarter\n\nDeveloper Advocate Abubakar Siddiq Ango showcased how GitLab's triage features can automate routine tasks.\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding:56.25% 0 0 0;position:relative;\">\u003Ciframe src=\"https://player.vimeo.com/video/1035388290?badge=0&autopause=0&player_id=0&app_id=58479\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture; clipboard-write\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;\" title=\"Making DEvOps Work Smarter\">\u003C/iframe>\u003C/div>\u003Cscript src=\"https://player.vimeo.com/api/player.js\">\u003C/script>\n\n### 5. Community contributions making an impact\n\nDirector of Contributor Success Nick Veenhof shared how community contributions are shaping GitLab's development:\n\u003Cdiv style=\"padding:56.25% 0 0 0;position:relative;\">\u003Ciframe src=\"https://player.vimeo.com/video/1035395211?badge=0&autopause=0&player_id=0&app_id=58479\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture; clipboard-write\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;\" title=\"Community Contributions Making an Impact\">\u003C/iframe>\u003C/div>\u003Cscript src=\"https://player.vimeo.com/api/player.js\">\u003C/script>\n\n## Watch on-demand\n\n[Watch the complete broadcast recording](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7265408726696697857) for step-by-step demonstrations and insights from our experts. Also, be sure to [follow GitLab on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/gitlab-com) to stay up to date on our monthly broadcasts and get insights into our platform, DevSecOps, and software development.\n",[1243,899,9,1025,2924],"webcast",{"slug":2926,"featured":6,"template":685},"icymi-key-ai-and-security-insights-from-our-developer-community","content:en-us:blog:icymi-key-ai-and-security-insights-from-our-developer-community.yml","Icymi Key Ai And Security Insights From Our Developer Community","en-us/blog/icymi-key-ai-and-security-insights-from-our-developer-community.yml","en-us/blog/icymi-key-ai-and-security-insights-from-our-developer-community",{"_path":2932,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2933,"content":2936,"config":2942,"_id":2944,"_type":13,"title":2945,"_source":15,"_file":2946,"_stem":2947,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/inside-gitlabs-healthy-backlog-initiative",{"noIndex":6,"title":2934,"description":2935},"Inside GitLab's Healthy Backlog Initiative","Learn how we are refining issue management to prioritize strategic work, improve delivery, and create stronger feedback loops with users.",{"title":2934,"description":2935,"authors":2937,"heroImage":2938,"date":2939,"body":2940,"category":726,"tags":2941},[2864],"https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749664458/Blog/Hero%20Images/Gartner_AI_Code_Assistants_Blog_Post_Cover_Image_1800x945.png","2025-07-23","At GitLab, we are proud of the strong, collaborative relationship with our community. We encourage everyone to contribute to GitLab. Over the years, those community contributions have helped strengthen the GitLab platform. But as we've grown, community participation via GitLab issues has grown, resulting in an unwieldy issue backlog. \n\nGitLab's Product and Engineering teams recently launched the [Healthy Backlog Initiative](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/18639) to address this backlog and refine our approach to managing contributed issues going forward.\n\nIssues with ongoing community engagement, recent activity, or a clear strategic alignment will remain open. We'll be closing issues that are no longer relevant, lack community interest, or no longer fit our current product direction.\n\nThis focus will lead to increased innovation, better expectation setting, and faster development and delivery cycles of community-contributed capabilities.\n\n## What is the Healthy Backlog Initiative?  \n\nOver time, the GitLab community has submitted tens of thousands of issues, including bugs, feature requests, and feedback items. Currently, the [main GitLab issue tracker](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues) contains over 65,000 issues, some are no longer applicable to the platform and others remain relevant today.\n\nOur Healthy Backlog Initiative will cull the backlog and establish a workstream for our Product and Engineering teams to implement a more focused approach to backlog management. They will conduct weekly assessments of the backlog to ensure that we prioritize issues that align with our product strategy and roadmap.\n\n**Note:** If you believe a closed issue does align with GitLab’s product strategy and roadmap, or if you're actively contributing to the request, we strongly encourage you to comment on the issue with updated context and current details. We are committed to reviewing these updated issues as part of our regular assessment efforts. \n\n## How does this change benefit you?\n\nThis streamlined approach means direct, tangible improvements for every GitLab user:\n\n* **Sharper focus and faster delivery:** By narrowing our backlog to strategically aligned features, we can dedicate development resources more effectively. This means you can expect shorter development cycles and more meaningful improvements to your GitLab experience.  \n\n* **Clearer expectations:** We are committed to transparent communication about what's on our roadmap and what isn't, empowering you to make informed decisions about your workflows and contributions.  \n\n* **Accelerated feedback loops:** With a clean backlog, new feedback and feature requests will be reviewed and prioritized more efficiently, reducing overall triage time and ensuring timely issues receive the necessary attention. This creates a more responsive feedback loop for everyone.  \n\nThis initiative does not diminish the significance of community feedback and contributions. We are taking this action to create clarity around what GitLab Team Members can realistically commit to delivering, and to ensure that all feedback receives proper consideration.\n\n## Looking forward\n\nThe GitLab Healthy Backlog Initiative reflects our commitment to being transparent and effective stewards of the GitLab platform. By clearly communicating our priorities and focusing our efforts on what we can realistically deliver over the next year, we're better positioned to meet and exceed your expectations.\n\nYour continued participation and feedback help make GitLab stronger. Every comment, merge request, bug report, and feature suggestion contributes to our shared vision. And we’re still rewarding you for that as well, with initiatives like our monthly Notable Contributor program, Swag rewards for leveling up, Hackathon winners, and more, all available through our [Contributor Portal](https://contributors.gitlab.com).\n> To learn more about how to contribute to GitLab, [visit our community site](https://about.gitlab.com/community/). To share feedback on this project, please add your comments on [the feedback issue](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/556865) in this [epic](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/18639).",[9,1323,703],{"featured":90,"template":685,"slug":2943},"inside-gitlabs-healthy-backlog-initiative","content:en-us:blog:inside-gitlabs-healthy-backlog-initiative.yml","Inside Gitlabs Healthy Backlog Initiative","en-us/blog/inside-gitlabs-healthy-backlog-initiative.yml","en-us/blog/inside-gitlabs-healthy-backlog-initiative",{"_path":2949,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2950,"content":2956,"config":2961,"_id":2963,"_type":13,"title":2964,"_source":15,"_file":2965,"_stem":2966,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/inside-the-gitlab-public-bug-bounty-program",{"title":2951,"description":2952,"ogTitle":2951,"ogDescription":2952,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2953,"ogUrl":2954,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":2954,"schema":2955},"Inside the GitLab public bug bounty program","Four months since going public with our bug bounty program, we dive into where we’re at, what success looks like, and what to expect down the road.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749679034/Blog/Hero%20Images/inside-gitLab-public-bug-bounty-program.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/inside-the-gitlab-public-bug-bounty-program","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Inside the GitLab public bug bounty program\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Kathy Wang\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-04-29\",\n      }",{"title":2951,"description":2952,"authors":2957,"heroImage":2953,"date":2958,"body":2959,"category":899,"tags":2960},[2204],"2019-04-29","\nAt GitLab, our Security Team has two top-level missions that all of our goals must map to:\n\n1. Secure the product and service.\n2. Protect the company.\n\nWe understand that source code is often the crown jewel of any organization. This is true of the [open core](/blog/gitlab-is-open-core-github-is-closed-source/) code that powers GitLab itself, so we are constantly applying our value of [results](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#results) and [iteration](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#iteration) to the benefit of all GitLab users.\n\nThere are a few basic truths about security:\n\n- Security is about people, process, and technology. Understanding how to optimally balance those pillars is crucial to an effective strategy and strong security posture.\n- Security cannot block business process and the ability to get work done.\n- Security is never 100 percent, and a multi-layer approach must be taken to reduce risk.\n\n## Proactive and reactive security measures\n\nIt makes sense to think about security in terms of proactive and reactive measures, as both are required to truly implement defense-in-depth security. When it comes to [application security](/topics/devsecops/), proactive measures include conducting internal application security reviews and educating developers on secure coding best practices. However, the ratio of developers to application security engineers is high, so the feasibility for organizations to review every single line of code manually is decreasing. Code scanning measures introduce automation in reviewing, but could also miss findings.\n\nEnter reactive measures, such as internal red teams and public bug bounty programs. These come in after the fact – after the source code is written and committed – and provide another, necessary layer of security to our environment.\n\nSince launching GitLab’s [public bug bounty program](/blog/gitlab-hackerone-bug-bounty-program-is-public-today/) in December 2018, we’ve resolved 95 security findings, awarded more than $300,000 in bounties and rewarded over 35 hackers for those findings. The overarching goal of our bug bounty program is to make our products and services more secure, and we’re proud of the early success we’ve seen to date.\n\n## How are we measuring success?\n\nWe’re looking at several key metrics and focus areas to determine what’s working and what needs to improve. In fact, our next blog post will dive into some of our early lessons learned, and the process and program improvements we’ve made to ensure we’re meeting our goal.\n\n### Quantity of new report submissions\n\nWe look at the total number of reports received and the average of new reports created each month to help us ensure we’re moving in the right direction in terms of incentivization and engagement amongst our HackerOne reporters. In just the first three months after making our bug bounty program public, we received 266 new reports. That’s an average of 88.6 reports per month. Of those reported, 76 were triaged as valid and 89 were resolved. We classify triaged reports as those for which we’ve assessed a potential user impact, and resolved reports are those we’ve investigated and resolved.\n\n### Repeat reporters\n\nWhen we have reporters who continue to submit findings to our program, that’s another signal that we are on the right track in terms of incentivizing and supporting their efforts so that they keep coming back. Out of a total of 247 reporters from the past year, 38 percent have submitted more than one, 13 percent more than five, and 6 percent more than 10 reports.\n\n#### Check out the top five GitLab reporters (by bounty):\n\n1. [ngalog](https://hackerone.com/ngalog)\n1. [ jobert](https://hackerone.com/jobert)\n1. nyangawa\n1. [fransrosen](https://hackerone.com/fransrosen)\n1. [xanbanx](https://hackerone.com/xanbanx)\n\n### Transparency\n\nThe majority of reporters want to make their vulnerability reports public to showcase their findings and techniques and, also, just for some good ol’ fashioned bragging rights within the hacker community. There’s also a real need in this community to be constantly challenged and a dedication to learning that public disclosure helps to satisfy. Many other bug bounty programs don’t publicly release the full details of their vulnerability reports and subsequently discourage the HackerOne community from sharing or showing off their findings. However, as one of GitLab's values is [transparency](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#transparency), we set all vulnerability details to public in our [issue tracker](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/issues?scope=all&utf8=%E2%9C%93&state=closed&label_name[]=security&label_name[]=HackerOne) 30 days after a patch has been [released](/releases/categories/releases/).\n\n### Responsiveness\n\nThe HackerOne community expects responsiveness in the communication of updates and payment of bounties. To help ensure we respond and triage as quickly as possible, we’ve built in automation so that we can provide timely initial and ongoing feedback to reporters, as well as continuous updates on the ETA of fixes for existing reports. We’re working in the area of bounties payment to improve our process and reward bounties immediately after triage, where applicable, rather than when fixed. Expect to hear more on this in forthcoming bug bounty blog posts!\n\n### Competitive rewards\n\nOur desire is to be the number one paying bounty company in our industry. This aim is to keep reporters incentivized, motivated, and engaged to find bugs on our platform. Our public bug bounty program is as important to the security of our product and company as any other program we run within our Security Team here at GitLab. That's why we’re continually looking to improve our processes and incentive structure to benefit our reporter community.\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"true\" /}\n\n\u003Ci class=\"fab fa-gitlab\" style=\"color:rgb(107,79,187); font-size:.85em\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u003C/i>  \nWe know a big, fat check speaks volumes, but we also know some cool swag is a nice little pat on the back too. So, we’re putting it out there – if you could put a GitLab Tanuki on any piece of swag – what would it be?  Leave us a comment below!\n  \u003Ci class=\"fab fa-gitlab\" style=\"color:rgb(107,79,187); font-size:.85em\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u003C/i>\n{: .alert .alert-webcast}\n",[9,899,749,898],{"slug":2962,"featured":6,"template":685},"inside-the-gitlab-public-bug-bounty-program","content:en-us:blog:inside-the-gitlab-public-bug-bounty-program.yml","Inside The Gitlab Public Bug Bounty Program","en-us/blog/inside-the-gitlab-public-bug-bounty-program.yml","en-us/blog/inside-the-gitlab-public-bug-bounty-program",{"_path":2968,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2969,"content":2975,"config":2981,"_id":2983,"_type":13,"title":2984,"_source":15,"_file":2985,"_stem":2986,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/integrating-with-gitlab-secure",{"title":2970,"description":2971,"ogTitle":2970,"ogDescription":2971,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2972,"ogUrl":2973,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":2973,"schema":2974},"How open source contributions accelerate GitLab Secure","Community contributions and an open integration framework allows anyone to extend GitLab Secure","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749668622/Blog/Hero%20Images/group-rowing-collaboration.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/integrating-with-gitlab-secure","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"How open source contributions accelerate GitLab Secure\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Taylor McCaslin\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2020-10-22\",\n      }",{"title":2970,"description":2971,"authors":2976,"heroImage":2972,"date":2978,"body":2979,"category":747,"tags":2980},[2977],"Taylor McCaslin","2020-10-22","\nWhen you think about security you probably imagine locks, gates, and closed systems. This is the more traditional approach to security but modern security is much more open and collaborative. If you want to build the most secure systems, there is nothing better than building those systems in the open. Open security practices allow you to get fast feedback from a broad audience with diverse perspectives, helping you build better more holistic solutions. That's our approach to building [GitLab Secure](/stages-devops-lifecycle/secure/) at GitLab. We're leveraging amazing open source security projects, the collective contribution of the wider community, and providing an open integration system for anyone to build on top of GitLab security scanners.\n\n## Shifting left\n\nTraditional security approaches are opaque and late in the development life cycle. Security scans are performed by isolated security experts long after developers write code, often after it's deployed to production. GitLab aims to make security an integrated and continuous process. That's why we've built [GitLab Secure directly integrated into the DevOps life cycle](/solutions/security-compliance/). We are taking security tools and \"shifting left\" to make these tools more accessible to developers earlier in the development life cycle and integrated directly into developers' workflows.\n\n![Traditional Security vs DevSecOps with GitLab](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/traditional-security-vs-integrated.png)\n\nWe created a detailed survey to learn more about the [2020 DevSecOps Landscape](/developer-survey/#security). The results of the survey indicated that security is still a significant hurdle for most organizations that use DevOps, and show:\n\n- Only 13% of companies give developers access to the results of [application security](/topics/devsecops/) tests\n- Over 42% said testing happens too late in the lifecycle\n- 36% reported it was hard to understand, process, and fix any discovered vulnerabilities\n- 31% found prioritizing vulnerability remediation an uphill battle\n\nThese statistics illustrate why we are building security scanning directly into GitLab with our Secure features. We want to provide integrated security tools to broaden access and make it easier for everyone using GitLab to write more secure code.\n\n## Integrating security tools into everyday workflows\n\nGitLab Secure enables accurate, automated, and continuous assessment of your applications and services, allowing users to proactively identify vulnerabilities and weaknesses to minimize security risk. Secure is not an additional step in your development process nor an additional tool to introduce to your software stack. It is woven into your DevOps cycle, which allows you to adapt security testing and processes to your developers (and not the other way around).\n\nToday [GitLab Secure](/stages-devops-lifecycle/secure/) offers support for a variety of security scanning tools including:\n- [Static Application Security Testing (SAST)](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/application_security/sast/)\n- [Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST)](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/application_security/dast/)\n- [Container Scanning](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/application_security/container_scanning/)\n- [Dependency Scanning](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/application_security/dependency_scanning/)\n- [License Scanning](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/compliance/license_compliance/index.html)\n- [Secret Detection](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/application_security/secret_detection/)\n- [API Fuzzing](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/application_security/api_fuzzing/)\n- [Coverage Fuzzing](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/application_security/coverage_fuzzing/)\n\nAll of these tools provide unique approaches to finding security problems. No one tool is best at everything, so we wanted to provide a way to leverage many tools in an integrated way, so you're always getting the most relevant security results. Take a look at how GitLab Secure integrates all these tools into common developer workflows on GitLab:\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n  \u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/XnYstHObqlA\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\u003C/figure>\n\n## Democratizing security\n\nWith GitLab Secure, we've laid the foundation for bringing security tools directly into developers' workflows. At GitLab, we believe in a world where [everyone can contribute](/company/culture/#everyone-can-contribute). [Collaboration](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#collaboration) and [transparency](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#transparency) are part of our core values. This approach changes the way we build security features. That's why as part of our [community stewardship promise](/company/stewardship/#promises) we've made all our open source based [SAST scanners available for all users](/releases/2020/08/22/gitlab-13-3-released/#sast-security-analyzers-available-for-all), we offer [open source projects and nonprofits free access to our best features](/solutions/open-source/join/), and we've created a [security scanner integration framework](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/development/integrations/secure.html) to allow anyone to contribute security scan tools. Our entire [product strategy and vision](/direction/secure/) is also open source, so everyone can understand our vision for an integrated, accessible, and democratic approach to security. Together we can build a more open and modern security approach that helps developers everywhere write more secure code.\n\n## Integrate with GitLab Secure\n\nOut of the box, GitLab provides a variety of pre-integrated and actively managed open source security tools, such as [SAST's 16 analyzers](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/application_security/sast/#supported-languages-and-frameworks) that all support automatic language detection to always run the most relevant security tool. While GitLab will continue to update and build first-party integrations we wanted to ensure that GitLab contributors and integration partners could easily extend GitLab Secure for third-party tools. Our [open integration framework](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/development/integrations/secure.html) makes it easy for anyone to leverage all of the [features of GitLab Secure](/pricing/feature-comparison/) with any scanning tool they may want to integrate. You can see all the tools GitLab users have requested support for and even add your own request in our [tracking epic](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/297).\n\n## Community contributions\n\nWith our open integration framework we've seen members of the [GitLab community](/community/) contribute additional security scanners, help maintain the existing open source scanners we offer and expand the list of supported languages and frameworks we support. Our community contributors are helping every GitLab user have access to more accurate, sophisticated, and relevant security results. Here are some recent community contribution highlights:\n\n- [Mobile SAST support via MobSF](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/233777) (contribution by [@williams.brian-heb](https://gitlab.com/williams.brian-heb)) - [GitLab 13.5 Release MVP](/releases/2020/10/22/gitlab-13-5-released/#mvp)\n- [Adding Helm Chart support](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/36755) (contribution by [@agixid](https://gitlab.com/agixid))\n- [Performance improvements to Fuzz testing](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/security-products/analyzers/fuzzers/pythonfuzz/-/merge_requests/1) (contribution by [@jvoisin](https://gitlab.com/jvoisin))\n- [Updates to secret detection](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/205172) (contribution by [@tnir](https://gitlab.com/tnir))\n- [Dependency scanning buxfixes](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/205172) (contribution by [@fcbrooks](https://gitlab.com/fcbrooks))\n- [Updates to Security Scanner underlying operating systems](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/216781) (contribution by [@J0WI](https://gitlab.com/J0WI))\n- [Contributions for .NET Framework Support](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/security-products/analyzers/security-code-scan/-/merge_requests/14) (contribution by [@agixid](https://gitlab.com/agixid))\n- [See the full list of Secure community contributions](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues?scope=all&utf8=%E2%9C%93&state=all&label_name[]=Community%20contribution&label_name[]=devops%3A%3Asecure)\n\nThe open source nature of GitLab allows the community to help improve, maintain, and contribute features within GitLab. This is the ultimate value of open source. Even if we don't offer something, you can always extend or modify the behavior of GitLab to accomplish your goal. When compared to closed-source Security vendors, this is a huge benefit. The impact these contributions have is massive as GitLab Secure is used by tens of thousands of customers and performs hundreds of thousands of security scans every month. If you are interested in contributing, check out our [contributor program](/community/contribute/) and [contributor documentation](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/development/contributing/).\n\n## Integration partners\n\nCommunity contributions aren't the only way GitLab Secure is being extended. We have a variety of integration partners who provide security integrations that further expand the suite of security tools available to GitLab users. Check out the [GitLab Security integrations](/partners/#security) our partners offer. If you are a security vendor interested in integrating with GitLab, [join our partner program](/handbook/alliances/integration-instructions/) today.\n\n## Looking ahead\n\nWe've come a long way in the past few years with GitLab Secure and we're not done yet. Our [vision is bold (and open source)](/direction/secure/) and [our investment in security is large](https://internal.gitlab.com/handbook/product/investment/). [Security is a team effort](/direction/secure/#security-is-a-team-effort) and we hope you'll join us on our mission to help developers write more secure code.\n\n## Read more about GitLab SAST:\n\n* GitLab [Secure Direction](/direction/secure/)\n* Learn more about [integrating with GitLab Secure](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/development/integrations/secure.html)\n* View the latest [October 2020 GitLab security trends](/blog/gitlab-latest-security-trends/)\n\nCover image by [Mitchell Luo](https://unsplash.com/@mitchel3uo) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/s/photos/rowing-team)\n{: .note}\n",[108,682,899,9,750,749],{"slug":2982,"featured":6,"template":685},"integrating-with-gitlab-secure","content:en-us:blog:integrating-with-gitlab-secure.yml","Integrating With Gitlab Secure","en-us/blog/integrating-with-gitlab-secure.yml","en-us/blog/integrating-with-gitlab-secure",{"_path":2988,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":2989,"content":2995,"config":3002,"_id":3004,"_type":13,"title":3005,"_source":15,"_file":3006,"_stem":3007,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/international-womens-day-gitlab-initiatives",{"title":2990,"description":2991,"ogTitle":2990,"ogDescription":2991,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2992,"ogUrl":2993,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":2993,"schema":2994},"GitLab supports women in STEM for International Women's Day","We're shining a light on some of the initiatives we're proud to support, helping us to give back and foster a global community of women in technology.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749680483/Blog/Hero%20Images/international-womens-day.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/international-womens-day-gitlab-initiatives","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Happy International Women’s Day! How we’re working to inspire and educate women in STEM\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Stephanie Garza\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-03-08\",\n      }",{"title":2996,"description":2991,"authors":2997,"heroImage":2992,"date":2999,"body":3000,"category":1282,"tags":3001},"Happy International Women’s Day! How we’re working to inspire and educate women in STEM",[2998],"Stephanie Garza","2019-03-08","\n\nAs one of our six [core values](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/), diversity is more than just a single project or initiative for GitLab.\nIt’s crucial for the success of our globally distributed team, and for the future of the tech industry as a whole.\nGitLab aims to make a significant impact in efforts to foster an environment where everyone can thrive.\nWe have designed a multidimensional approach to ensure we uphold a culture which embodies transparency, opportunity, and open communication.\n\nAs we celebrate [International Women’s Day](https://www.internationalwomensday.com/) today, we’re taking a moment to reflect on the progress so far, while recognizing there’s lots of work to be done to [#BalanceforBetter](https://www.internationalwomensday.com/Theme).\n\n## We're on a mission to support organizations where women thrive\n\nWe hope to shine a light on some of the initiatives we’re passionate about to help build awareness and encourage others to get involved.\n\n### Free workshops with Django Girls, Girls Get Geeky, and Rails Girls\n\nDjango Girls and GitLab partner to provide women free code workshops across the globe.\n[Django Girls](https://djangogirls.org/) (DG) strives to empower women to pursue careers in technology.\nThe free workshops equip women with a solid coding curriculum to kick start their professional journey.\nAlong with DG, we partner with [Girls Get Geeky](https://girlsgetgeeky.com/) and [Rails Girls](http://railsgirls.com/), organizations created to inspire and educate young women in tech.\nThe free workshops provide community, networking, and coding lessons to women of various backgrounds. The women share their goals, dreams (and delicious treats), which GitLab happily supports.\n\n### GitLab Diversity Sponsorship\n\nThrough the [GitLab Diversity Sponsorship program](/community/sponsorship/), we are able to contribute financially to the initiatives.\nThe goal is to foster a community of organizations with the desire to inspire, encourage, and empower women.\nWe have had the pleasure of partnering with [Wonder Women in Tech](https://wonderwomentech.com/), [FemPower](https://www.fempowerafrica.com.ng/), [Women Who Code](https://www.womenwhocode.com/), and [Women Hack](https://womenhack.com/events/), other incredible female-focused powerhouses in the industry.\nThe collaborations allow Gitlab to connect on a greater scale with amazing women around the world. Visit our [Sponsorships page](/community/sponsorship/) to find out more and to apply.\n\nThe greater GitLab team is actively striving to impact change, raise awareness, and fully support global initiatives.\nWe came together at a recent summit to promote the [STEM Gems](https://stemgemsbook.com/), the foundation devoted to giving girls role models in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).\n[GitLab team-members came together to share their stories](/blog/stem-gems-give-girls-role-models/) in hopes of inspiring women to pursue STEM.\nThese collaborations allow GitLab to connect on a greater scale with amazing women around the world. We hope to inspire the community to join us in our pursuit to provide opportunity. Visit the organizations' websites to learn more about contributing through volunteering, mentoring, or sponsoring. \n\n## Our goals for 2019 are even more aggressive\n\nWith the development of the [GitLab Mentorship program](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/people-ops/General/issues/178) we hope to inspire and motivate women from across the globe.\nThe goal is to contribute to the development of a better trained and engaged community.\nOur first round of applications is already in and, once paired, mentors will help mentees learn the ropes at the company, develop relationships across the organization, and identify skills to work on developing.\nThe next cohort of mentee applications will open in August.\n\nEducation and encouragement play a vital role in women’s pursuits.\nIn a typically male-dominated field, it’s important for women to come together and support, mentor, and encourage one another.\nThe women of GitLab embody this belief, taking on various projects, workshops, and volunteer opportunities.\nWe rally together to connect our distributed team.\n\nOf course, these initiatives are just a drop in the ocean.\nUniting our team through charity, sponsorship, and mentoring is one stride toward making global change.\nNarrowing the gender gap will remain a constant goal.\nWe aim to provide all GitLab team-members with the opportunity to thrive, contribute, and succeed.\nA balanced and inclusive team will accelerate our potential. [#BalanceforBetter](https://twitter.com/search?q=balance+for+better)\n\nPhoto by [Şahin Yeşilyaprak](https://unsplash.com/photos/SNm9Re4pL9M?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/search/photos/hot-air-balloon?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText  )\n{: .note}\n",[9,706],{"slug":3003,"featured":6,"template":685},"international-womens-day-gitlab-initiatives","content:en-us:blog:international-womens-day-gitlab-initiatives.yml","International Womens Day Gitlab Initiatives","en-us/blog/international-womens-day-gitlab-initiatives.yml","en-us/blog/international-womens-day-gitlab-initiatives",{"_path":3009,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":3010,"content":3016,"config":3020,"_id":3022,"_type":13,"title":3023,"_source":15,"_file":3024,"_stem":3025,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/interview-the-open-group",{"title":3011,"description":3012,"ogTitle":3011,"ogDescription":3012,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":3013,"ogUrl":3014,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":3014,"schema":3015},"Get to know our newest open source partner, The Open Group","The Open Group leaders explain how the organization uses GitLab to build and maintain open standards for transformative digital technologies.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749679170/Blog/Hero%20Images/migration-data.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/interview-the-open-group","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Get to know our newest open source partner, The Open Group\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Bryan Behrenshausen\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2023-06-20\",\n      }",{"title":3011,"description":3012,"authors":3017,"heroImage":3013,"date":1341,"body":3018,"category":747,"tags":3019},[2723],"\n\nFor more than 30 years, [The Open Group](https://www.opengroup.org/) has served as a steward and champion of [open source](https://go.gitlab.com/spHNym) technologies, helping companies achieve business objectives through [open technological standards](http://www.opengroup.org/standardsprocess/main.html). Today, many of the group's approximately 900 member organizations participate in the work of ensuring critical digital technologies remain open and accessible.\n\nThe Open Group recently joined the [GitLab Open Source Partners](https://go.gitlab.com/030Ue3) community, where it can connect with other large-scale, open source consortia and projects using GitLab to advance the state of the open source art. So I brewed a cup of tea and sat down with two of the group's team members — Vice President and CTO [Andras Szakal](https://pages.opengroup.org/aszakal) and GitLab administrator [David Diederich](https://pages.opengroup.org/divido) — to hear how using GitLab helps them achieve their group's mission. \n\nIn this interview, you'll learn how:\n\n* [GitLab CI/CD](https://about.gitlab.com/features/continuous-integration) helps the group build scalable open source projects\n* adopting GitLab's integrated analysis tools helped the organization deploy complex solutions without the [DevOps tax](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/too-many-toolchains-a-devops-platform-migration-is-the-answer/#eliminating-the-devops-tax)\n* GitLab serves as the foundation of the organization's approach to digital transformation\n\n## Watch the interview\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n  \u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/0--qGhH-MBQ\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\u003C/figure>\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\n## Learn more\nThe [GitLab Open Source Partners](https://go.gitlab.com/030Ue3) are building the future of open source on GitLab. Connect with them on [Gitlab.com](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/marketing/community-relations/open-source-program/gitlab-open-source-partners).\n",[749,9,705],{"slug":3021,"featured":6,"template":685},"interview-the-open-group","content:en-us:blog:interview-the-open-group.yml","Interview The Open Group","en-us/blog/interview-the-open-group.yml","en-us/blog/interview-the-open-group",{"_path":3027,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":3028,"content":3033,"config":3039,"_id":3041,"_type":13,"title":3042,"_source":15,"_file":3043,"_stem":3044,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/introducing-achievements-system",{"title":3029,"description":3030,"ogTitle":3029,"ogDescription":3030,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2086,"ogUrl":3031,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":3031,"schema":3032},"Introducing the GitLab Achievements feature","Boost engagement among your employees and community with achievements.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/introducing-achievements-system","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Introducing the GitLab Achievements feature\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Nick Veenhof\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Christina Lohr\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2023-06-05\",\n      }",{"title":3029,"description":3030,"authors":3034,"heroImage":2086,"date":3036,"body":3037,"category":703,"tags":3038},[2606,3035],"Christina Lohr","2023-06-05","\n\nAchievements have been a popular tool for gamification in various contexts, from social media platforms to educational institutions. It's also known to be a great recognition method for open source community contributors, of which GitLab has many. Recently, we introduced a new feature that allows organizations to award achievements to their GitLab users. This feature has the potential to increase engagement and productivity within technical organizations. Let us show you how.\n\nAchievements are a way to reward users for their activity on GitLab. As a namespace maintainer or owner, you can create custom achievements for specific contributions, which you can award to or revoke from users based on your criteria. For GitLab specifically, there were already many forms of recognition available for our community, such as leaderboards for our hackathons, swag that is sent out as a token of gratitude, etc. However, there was no single place to get an overview of these achievements. This led to a broader investigation into how we could empower not just the GitLab contributor community, but also our large user base, both on SaaS and self-hosted.\n\nSo far, we've awarded achievements to all our GitLab [Core Team](https://about.gitlab.com/community/core-team/) members and also to the winners of our most recent [hackathon](/community/hackathon/). Congratulations to all winners and our core members. You deserve these awards! We have a lot more ideas to award our wider community for their achievements, so stay tuned if you are an active contributor to GitLab.\n\n![Achievements on a GitLab user profile](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/achievements_on_user_profile.png){: .shadow}\n\n## Benefits of achievements\nBy using achievements in your organization you can start to create a culture of continuous learning and skill development. The options are limitless, from rewarding users for touching a new piece of the codebase to rewarding users that have proven to be exceptionally collaborative. Receiving an achievement can be a powerful motivator for an employee. It shows that their work is valued and recognized by their peers and supervisors. Awarding your users for obtaining a skill could lead to a more skilled workforce, which benefits both the employee and the organization.\n\nIf rolled out well, it can create a flywheel effect in your organization, leading to a competitive advantage in the market due to increased innovation and a faster cycle time. \n\nDon't believe us on our merit, start to implement [achievements](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/profile/achievements.html) to reward your contributors.\n\n## How to start to use achievements\nAchievements are generally available for all tiers, both SaaS and self-hosted. See the [achievements documentation](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/profile/achievements.html#achievements-experiment) to learn how to create, delete, award, and revoke achievements.\n\nIf you are an organization using GitLab, consider implementing achievements within GitLab to start rewarding behavior that drives your organization's goals.\n\nLet us know what you think in this [feedback issue](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/405153).\n",[9,705,703],{"slug":3040,"featured":6,"template":685},"introducing-achievements-system","content:en-us:blog:introducing-achievements-system.yml","Introducing Achievements System","en-us/blog/introducing-achievements-system.yml","en-us/blog/introducing-achievements-system",{"_path":3046,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":3047,"content":3052,"config":3057,"_id":3059,"_type":13,"title":3060,"_source":15,"_file":3061,"_stem":3062,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/join-the-gitlab-community",{"title":3048,"description":3049,"ogTitle":3048,"ogDescription":3049,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":718,"ogUrl":3050,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":3050,"schema":3051},"Join the GitLab Code Contributor Community!","How we're working to make contributions easier and more rewarding for the GitLab community.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/join-the-gitlab-community","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Join the GitLab Code Contributor Community!\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Ray Paik\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2018-08-13\",\n      }",{"title":3048,"description":3049,"authors":3053,"heroImage":718,"date":3054,"body":3055,"category":747,"tags":3056},[744],"2018-08-13","\nThere are [over 2,000 code contributors to GitLab](http://contributors.gitlab.com/) today and we want to welcome more contributors to the growing community.\n\nHaving been involved in other open source projects, I know how exciting it is to collaborate in an open community and work with passionate people from different parts of the world. I recently joined GitLab to work with our community of contributors, and I wanted to share a list of activities that I’m planning to help grow the community:\n\n## 1. Streamline onboarding documentations\n\nSo that it’d be easier for people to get started. There are already some initiatives on the way, such as this [merge request from a community member](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/merge_requests/20682).\n\n## 2. Proactively reach out to first-time contributors\n\nI want to start congratulating new contributors who successfully complete their first merge request. Stay tuned for new swag and opportunities to be paired with mentors who are experienced GitLab community members.\n\n## 3. Launch new blog post series\n\nSpeaking of experienced contributors, I’d like to highlight some of them with a new blog post series, since their experience working in the GitLab community will be helpful for new contributors. The first post features Core Team member [Vitaliy Klachkov](/blog/contributor-post-vitaliy/).\n\n## 4. Kick off Core Team meeting\n\nWe just kicked off a regular meeting with the [Core Team](/community/core-team/) to discuss topics of interest for the GitLab community. This recorded meeting will be open to anyone. The Core Team will also use [Service Desk](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-core-team/general/issues/service_desk) so that anyone in the community can view and participate in discussions.\n\nThanks for reading my blog post. Your feedback/questions are always welcome and you can reach me at rpaik@gitlab.com.\n\n## Interested in learning how you can contribute?\n\nA good place to start would be the [Contributing to GitLab page](/community/contribute/), where you can learn how you can contribute to GitLab code, documentation, and translation.\n",[9,794,749],{"slug":3058,"featured":6,"template":685},"join-the-gitlab-community","content:en-us:blog:join-the-gitlab-community.yml","Join The Gitlab Community","en-us/blog/join-the-gitlab-community.yml","en-us/blog/join-the-gitlab-community",{"_path":3064,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":3065,"content":3071,"config":3077,"_id":3079,"_type":13,"title":3080,"_source":15,"_file":3081,"_stem":3082,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/join-the-new-gitlab-collective-on-stack-overflow",{"title":3066,"description":3067,"ogTitle":3066,"ogDescription":3067,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":3068,"ogUrl":3069,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":3069,"schema":3070},"Join the new GitLab Collective on Stack Overflow!","Now you can learn and share your best tips and tricks about version control, CI/CD, all-remote, DevOps platforms and more on the new GitLab Collective on Stack Overflow. Here's how to get started.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749668402/Blog/Hero%20Images/code-gitlab-tanuki.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/join-the-new-gitlab-collective-on-stack-overflow","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Join the new GitLab Collective on Stack Overflow!\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Matt Nguyen\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2021-11-08\",\n      }",{"title":3066,"description":3067,"authors":3072,"heroImage":3068,"date":3074,"body":3075,"category":703,"tags":3076},[3073],"Matt Nguyen","2021-11-08","\nWe’re very excited to announce the GitLab community has a new home on Stack Overflow: the GitLab Collective.\n \nWe know we already have a great relationship with our contributors and the open source community but [the GitLab Collective](https://stackoverflow.com/collectives/gitlab) on Stack Overflow will take that to the next level. Our collective will be a place contributors and developers can learn and share about version control, CI/CD, DevSecOps, all-remote, DevOps platforms and more.\n \n“Community is at the core of GitLab’s mission,” says [Brendan O’Leary](/company/team/#brendan), senior developer evangelist at GitLab. “With a contributor community of more than 2,600 people, we have a strong community aligned with our mission – to create a world where everyone can contribute. We believe the GitLab Collective will be a place where we can discover feedback and create opportunities for the GitLab community to contribute to Stack Overflow’s community.”\n\nFinding your way around the GitLab Collective is easy: look for the “gitlab” tag, or add “gitlab” to a more specific product search, like “gitlab-ci.” Ask questions, dive into in-depth technical data, or browse through how-to guides and articles. Contributions to the GitLab Collective will be tracked on a leaderboard, and if you’re a top contributor, we might tap you as a “Recognized Member” (basically a GitLab-approved guide who can help with questions and make recommendations).\n\n![GitLab on Stack Overflow](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/gitlabonstackoverflow.png){: .shadow}\n\n## What comes next\n\nIf you’re already a Stack Overflow user, please head to the GitLab Collective and start answering questions (you can ask questions too!). If you’re not a Stack Overflow user, we’d highly recommend you [join the community](https://stackoverflow.com). And remember you’ll earn reputation points on Stack Overflow by participating. \n\nRight now we’re in the process of creating the documentation that will outline how to become a “Recognized Member” on the GitLab Collective on Stack Overflow. As a Recognized Member, people can recommend answers and write articles on the GitLab Collective to help the community and show off their expertise. Recognized Members will also get a special badge on Stack Overflow that denotes them as a Recognized Members. More to come on this program so watch this space!\n",[9,794,750],{"slug":3078,"featured":6,"template":685},"join-the-new-gitlab-collective-on-stack-overflow","content:en-us:blog:join-the-new-gitlab-collective-on-stack-overflow.yml","Join The New Gitlab Collective On Stack Overflow","en-us/blog/join-the-new-gitlab-collective-on-stack-overflow.yml","en-us/blog/join-the-new-gitlab-collective-on-stack-overflow",{"_path":3084,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":3085,"content":3091,"config":3097,"_id":3099,"_type":13,"title":3100,"_source":15,"_file":3101,"_stem":3102,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/join-us-for-hacktoberfest-2021",{"title":3086,"description":3087,"ogTitle":3086,"ogDescription":3087,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":3088,"ogUrl":3089,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":3089,"schema":3090},"Join us for Hacktoberfest 2021!","GitLab is participating in this year's Hacktoberfest, and your contributions to open source projects hosted on GitLab.com will count. No tricks, just treats here!","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749671856/Blog/Hero%20Images/gitlab-hacktoberfest_blog-dark.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/join-us-for-hacktoberfest-2021","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Join us for Hacktoberfest 2021!\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Christos Bacharakis\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2021-10-01\",\n      }",{"title":3086,"description":3087,"authors":3092,"heroImage":3088,"date":3094,"body":3095,"category":747,"tags":3096},[3093],"Christos Bacharakis","2021-10-01","\nIt’s October 2021, and we have quite a few treats in store. In addition to celebrating the 10th anniversary of the GitLab open source project, GitLab Inc. will be participating in Hacktoberfest, an event dedicated to increasing contributions to open source projects that's now in its eighth year. This has been widely requested by the open source community for years, so we’re thrilled to see GitLab support rolled out!\n\nThanks to [DigitalOcean](https://www.digitalocean.com/blog/hacktoberfest-is-back-2021/), the organization behind Hacktoberfest, people can now contribute to open source projects that are hosted on GitLab.com.\n\nIt’s easy, sign up on [the Hacktoberfest website](https://hacktoberfest.digitalocean.com) using your GitLab account and explore the available projects to contribute. \n\nProject maintainers who want their projects to participate in Hacktoberfest should follow the steps described on the Hacktoberfest website.\n\n## Contributing to GitLab\n\nAt GitLab, we want to make it easy for everyone to contribute by offering diverse opportunities to participate. Back-end or front-end, localization or tech writing, getting started or experienced contributor, GitLab team members have hand picked a series of issues and epics available for everyone to contribute to during Hacktoberfest.\n\nFind these opportunities through the Hacktoberfest website, or by [searching for projects that have added the “Hacktoberfest” topic](https://gitlab.com/explore/projects?topic=hacktoberfest) on GitLab.\n\nMore information can be found on the [GitLab Hacktoberfest event page](https://about.gitlab.com/events/). If you need help, you can always reach out via [our gitter channel](https://gitter.im/gitlab/gitlab), where GitLab team members and GitLab contributors hang out.\n\n## Treats galore!\n\nTo celebrate the launch of Hacktoberfest on the GitLab ecosystem, we’re offering GitLab swag to the five contributors with the highest number of accepted merge requests to the [GitLab open source project](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab). Merge requests to GitLab created in October 2021 and merged by the 15th of November will count towards this initiative. \n\nWe’re also sending GitLab swag to all contributors whose first merge request [to the GitLab open source project](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab) is created and merged during that time, so newcomers are very welcome!\n\nWe are excited to join DigitalOcean during the launch of Hacktoberfest on GitLab, and look forward to your contributions. If you’d like to share your story with us, please reach out via contributors@gitlab.com or the [Contributors Gitter Channel](https://gitter.im/gitlabhq/contributors).\n\nHappy contributing!\n",[9,750,274],{"slug":3098,"featured":6,"template":685},"join-us-for-hacktoberfest-2021","content:en-us:blog:join-us-for-hacktoberfest-2021.yml","Join Us For Hacktoberfest 2021","en-us/blog/join-us-for-hacktoberfest-2021.yml","en-us/blog/join-us-for-hacktoberfest-2021",{"_path":3104,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":3105,"content":3111,"config":3117,"_id":3119,"_type":13,"title":3120,"_source":15,"_file":3121,"_stem":3122,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/kali-linux-movingtogitlab",{"title":3106,"description":3107,"ogTitle":3106,"ogDescription":3107,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":3108,"ogUrl":3109,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":3109,"schema":3110},"Kali Linux: Growing Community Contributions with GitLab","Since moving to GitLab in 2019, Kali Linux has gone from company-only contributions to a growing number of community contributions.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749667243/Blog/Hero%20Images/open-source-community.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/kali-linux-movingtogitlab","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"How GitLab helped Kali Linux attract a growing number of community contributions\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Nuritzi Sanchez\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2021-02-18\",\n      }",{"title":3112,"description":3107,"authors":3113,"heroImage":3108,"date":3114,"body":3115,"category":747,"tags":3116},"How GitLab helped Kali Linux attract a growing number of community contributions",[2569],"2021-02-18","[Kali Linux](https://www.kali.org/) is a well-loved Debian-based Linux distribution aimed at advanced [Penetration Testing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penetration_test) and Security Auditing. We sat down with Ben Wilson ([@g0tmi1k](https://twitter.com/g0tmi1k)), senior developer at Kali, to hear more about why Kali Linux moved to GitLab and see if they've noticed any changes to their project since adopting GitLab as their DevOps solution.\n\n## Why did you decide to move to GitLab?\n\nWe decided to move from Gitolite to GitLab around April 2019 to make it possible for our community to contribute to Kali. Our previous setup didn't allow anyone to sign up, so the community couldn't help out. Another complication was using a mixture of services such as Google Docs and Phabricator, and we wanted to condense our tool stack. We love that GitLab is a single platform for the whole software development lifecycle.\n\n>> One thing that was important for us is that we didn't want to reinvent the wheel. We tried to choose something open-source with advanced functionality, an active community, and a company behind it. GitLab ticked every box.\n\nAnother factor for our decision was that [GitLab's API is significantly more feature-rich than competitor APIs](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/api/), which allowed us to automate and integrate into anything that we wanted. For example, we can fully automate the process of remotely forking a repository then apply our configurations.\n\nThat way, we don't have to download a git repository only to push it up again. This is a big time-saver for us and significantly simplifies the workflow. Some of the configuration that we can now automatically apply are:\n\n * Being able to drop the relationship between forks\n * Configure the default branch\n * Disable unused features for a repository (e.g., not everything requires their own wiki)\n * Populate a description for the repository\n * Set up CI paths\n * Set up email notification on any activity to our private mailing list\n\nWe take advantage of various open source tools that leverage GitLab's API, such as [Debian Salsa](https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Debian-Salsa-Beta). We can use these tools to automate things like updates to email distribution lists and our configuration of GitLab admin settings and repository structure. We contribute any changes we make to these tools back upstream so that other communities can leverage GitLab's API's power the way we do.\n\nAn additional perk to GitLab is its usability. The way you can organize projects makes it a more intuitive experience for people who want to contribute. For example, having sub-groups and projects allows us to keep a clean layout in a folder-like structure. For those interested, you can see how we've organized the [Kali project in GitLab](https://gitlab.com/kalilinux).\n\n## How are you using GitLab at Kali Linux?\n\nWe're using GitLab's [top-tier SaaS version](/pricing/), which is hosted on GitLab.com, thanks to the [GitLab for Open Source program](/solutions/open-source/). Using this version and hosting it on GitLab is easier for us because it's less infrastructure to maintain. We have many unique pieces of infrastructure so it's nice to reduce the load when we can. We're using a wide range of features to manage the entire Kali Linux project, consisting of 564 active repositories.\n\nSome of the most essential [GitLab features](/pricing/feature-comparison/) for us are:\n\n*   **Source Code Management**: We're using GitLab to host the source code to all our packages and build scripts and custom tools.\n*   **[Wiki](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/wiki/#wiki)**: We use the wiki functionality for internal documentation. Markdown makes it easy for everyone to contribute.\n*   **[Project management](/solutions/agile-delivery/)**: We track tasks and short/long term goals with GitLab as well as the timelines for our project. We use issue tracking, threads, labels, milestones, weights, and everything else designed for project management.\n*   **[User Permissions](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/permissions.html#permissions)**: We like the functionality of GitLab's user permissions, which allows us to have \"one-off\" users on specific projects as well as automatic expiration after a particular time.\n*   **[Security](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/application_security/)**: As a cybersecurity-focused Linux distro, security is paramount to us. We like that [GitLab has 2FA and project access tokens](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/security/).\n*   **[Analytics](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/analytics/)**: We are still discovering the functionality here, but we like seeing user statistics around code review and contribution.\n*   **Performance**: We're able to use GitLab's [Content Delivery Network (CDN)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Content_delivery_network) for great performance across the globe.\n\nWe're hoping to leverage [GitLab's CI/CD features](/solutions/continuous-integration/) and the [container management capabilities](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/packages/container_registry/) more regularly in the near future.\n\nWe're also looking to use [GitLab Pages](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/pages/) for hosting our website instead of our self-hosted WordPress instance. By using [Hugo](https://gohugo.io/hosting-and-deployment/hosting-on-gitlab/), we can write the content with a mixture of HTML and Markdown. Hugo makes it very simple, easy to update, and has straightforward change tracking. GitLab Pages then can serve up the [static output](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/web_ide/index.html).\n\nThere were several problems we were facing with WordPress that made us consider moving away, such as plugins that weren't properly maintained, security issues that made us require VPN access to admin pages. The other benefits to the move are that static pages will load faster, and our community can help fix typos on our website through merge requests. Once we make the move to GitLab Pages, we'll start to make greater use of GitLab's CI/CD functions to statically generate the websites.\n\nAnother thing we're becoming more familiar with is all of GitLab's project management features. One of the reasons we chose GitLab instead of other DevOps tools is that it's a single platform for the whole software development lifecycle, and we're looking to use more of its features. Since we're on the top-tier SaaS plan, we have every functionality available to us and we're eager to make use of it.\n\n## What are some of the changes you've noticed in your open-source community since starting to use GitLab?\n\nThe most significant change is that we only allowed contributions from employees before moving to GitLab. Since the switch to GitLab, we've adopted a new mindset and now allow anyone to help out.\n\n>> GitLab's user-friendly design has made it easy for our community to get started, and we've started to receive merge requests from the public as well as bug reports and bug fixes.\n\nIt's been exhilarating to see these contributions land! We are working on increasing these contributions in 2021 with a \"Kali Summer of Code\" and are considering doing a giveaway for people who have made a significant contribution.\n\nWe've also experienced changes to our development practices. For example, we can now have more effective discussions about commit differences and can link to individual commits to pinpoint problems. It's easier to update items from the internal wiki, edit web pages, and merge requests. I also like that GitLab has a built-in automatic save feature to help when you're drafting something and either multitasking or on-the-go.\n\nFinally, GitLab's to-dos and long-term planning features allow us to plan ahead for the future of Kali development. For example, we've replaced ad-hoc solutions done by individuals via emails and to-do list text files on each person's computer since moving to GitLab.\n\n## What are some challenges you've had with implementing GitLab for your community? How did you overcome those challenges?\n\nDuring the switchover from the old system to GitLab, we discovered various things that were hardcoded.\n\nTo help with this, we automated a find and replace, and followed up with various manual searches to ensure that all links and references were located. This ended up taking about two hours. We also left the old web server up for a year, which pointed to the new URL structure to ensure that there weren't any missing links and references. We redid the layout of the site, so it took a while to recreate all the redirects.\n\nAnother challenge was the sheer size of Kali. We had to import roughly 1,000 repositories when we set up GitLab. We managed to migrate most of them in a day and completed the migration within a week once we managed to get the group structure in place. We set up separate groups for different access levels to repositories for build scripts, internal non-public files, Android, phone, build scripts, store, packages, recipes, tools, and websites.\n\nImporting other items (code packages, build scripts, and custom tools from our self-hosted git) took longer because they were in many different formats. When we did the import we cleaned up to determine which items were no longer in use and archived them. The next step was making sure our custom tools were hosted on GitLab and then configuring the tools and packages appropriately. Next, we imported several repositories. We also needed to create files that were not previously tracked in our repository. Finally, we converted our WordPress-based content to Markdown using an [open source project](https://github.com/lonekorean/wordpress-export-to-markdown), then manually verified and cleaned it up.\n\nWe chose not to carry over existing issues because we wanted to have a clean start. In general, we only imported what was important. Everything we ended up with is what we cared about and what we wanted to track.\n\n## What do you think GitLab is doing well in supporting open source communities, and what should GitLab do to improve in this area?\n\nWe really like that GitLab has an outreach program for open source projects with dedicated people for the job role. They actively contacted us to become a [GitLab Open Source Partner](/solutions/open-source/partners/) and we're glad to have joined as one!\n\nOne of the things that we appreciate about GitLab is that the company is open source. The transparency that comes with that allows us, and anyone else, to see the company's progress. GitLab is setting an example for how open source companies can work alongside their communities, and it's something we are learning from too.\n\n## What advice would you have for other open source communities that are looking to implement GitLab?\n\nThe sooner you make the switch, the easier and better! Once you move, you'll see that it's less work to maintain and there are more features to use.\n\nWhen beginning your migration, make sure to set up a test project first to help plan the structure ahead of doing the main project switch. Look up and explore features ahead of time so you know what GitLab can do rather than discover the functionality when using it. GitLab has a [GitLab Learn portal](/learn/), which we hear is going to continue to be improved to help with user education.\n\n## What are some of the new things on the horizon for Kali Linux?\n\n*   [KaBoxer](https://gitlab.com/kalilinux/tools/kaboxer): A framework to manage applications in containers on Kali\n*   New kali.org website using GitLab Pages\n*   Programs to increase community contributions to Kali\n\n## Is there anything else you'd like to share with us that we haven't asked you?\n\nWe have only scratched the surface of what GitLab has offered - and they keep putting in more features. We are planning on taking their upcoming training to make sure we are fully up-to-date on their offerings.\n\n## Last but certainly not least, we have heard a rumor that the founders of Kali are so dedicated to the project that they have Kali logo tattoos. Is this true?\n\nVery true! The original founders both have Kali tattoos, as do various current members.\n\nWe also have some pretty cute baby onesies that are a hit.\n\n![A baby in a Kali Linux onesie](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/kali_linux_baby.jpg){: .shadow.medium.center}\nKali Linux has some cute baby onesies. [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Ben Wilson\n{: .note.text-center}\n\n## About Kali Linux\n\n[Kali Linux](https://www.kali.org/) (formerly known as BackTrack-Linux) is a Debian-based Linux distribution aimed at advanced Penetration Testing and Security Auditing. Kali Linux contains several hundred tools targeted toward various information security tasks, such as Penetration Testing, Forensics, and Reverse Engineering. Kali Linux is a multi platform solution, accessible and freely available to information security professionals and hobbyists.\n",[749,9,1200],{"slug":3118,"featured":6,"template":685},"kali-linux-movingtogitlab","content:en-us:blog:kali-linux-movingtogitlab.yml","Kali Linux Movingtogitlab","en-us/blog/kali-linux-movingtogitlab.yml","en-us/blog/kali-linux-movingtogitlab",{"_path":3124,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":3125,"content":3130,"config":3135,"_id":3137,"_type":13,"title":3138,"_source":15,"_file":3139,"_stem":3140,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/katrin-contributor-post",{"title":3126,"description":3127,"ogTitle":3126,"ogDescription":3127,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1037,"ogUrl":3128,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":3128,"schema":3129},"Meet GitLab Contributor Katrin Leinweber","Katrin Leinweber shares her experience contributing to GitLab documentation and translations.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/katrin-contributor-post","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Meet GitLab Contributor Katrin Leinweber\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Ray Paik\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-07-17\",\n      }",{"title":3126,"description":3127,"authors":3131,"heroImage":1037,"date":3132,"body":3133,"category":747,"tags":3134},[744],"2019-07-17","\n\nFor this edition of the [GitLab contributor blog posts](/blog/tags.html#contributors), I'm\nexcited to introduce [Katrin Leinweber](https://gitlab.com/katrinleinweber). Let's get to know more about her!\n\n### Can you tell us where you live and what you like about your area?\n\nI live in [Hanover, Germany](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Hanover,+Germany/@52.3815678,9.6148482,10.97z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x47b00b514d494f85:0x425ac6d94ac4720!8m2!3d52.3758916!4d9.7320104),\nwhich is transitioning from a car manufacturing hub to a more modern and diversified city.\nThe city is reasonably bicycle friendly with large parks and gardens, which are worth a visit.\nI don't find Hanover too touristy, which is probably a plus for us citizens.\n\n### How long have you used GitLab and why did you want to make a contribution?\n\nI started using GitLab CE at my university in April 2015 as a backup server for my PhD thesis,\ndata analysis scripts, etc. [My first merge request](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/www-gitlab-com/merge_requests/6531)\nwas simply fixing a typo in a blog post.\n\n### You also help translating GitLab into German. How is that different from making contributions via MRs and why is translating GitLab important to you?\n\nLocalization is one of the tasks that got me into contributing to open source software projects in general.\nEven though I myself don't need a localized UI, I think it's valuable to many people to be able to\nuse a complex software in their native language. Since I think that GitLab has\n[valuable uses beyond programming](https://openbiblio.social/@katrinleinweber/102258903864249981),\nI hope lowering the barrier to entry for non-programmers will help support those use cases.\nAlso for me, doing quick translations is a sort of productive procrastination.\n\n![Canoeing on Hanover's river Leine (image credit Corinna John, [NABU Laatzen](https://www.nabu-laatzen.de/)](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/Katrin_Leinweber.jpg){: .shadow.medium.center}\nCanoeing on Hanover's river Leine\n{: .note.text-center}\n\n### What has been your experience contributing to GitLab?\n\nTechnically, it's pretty straightforward and something people should be familiar with if\nthey've contributed to other projects or used tools like GitHub. Every time I contribute,\nI feel like I'm living (in) the future where projects allow people to change something of theirs.\n\nHowever, we shouldn't forget that \"No, this Wiki page is only editable by colleagues in the XYZ department\"\nis still the default in so many work environments. So the future isn't quite here for everyone yet.\n\nOne of the things that bothers me about GitLab's contribution process is the fact that even simple changes\n– like documentation updates – get pushed into the same CI pipeline as code changes in many cases.\nIt seems like a waste of electricity. Maybe not in terms of absolute kWh, but since the risk of anything\nbreaking due to a typo fix or an updated hyperlink is almost zero, those kWh are effectively wasted.\nThere should be a smarter way to minimize human effort in preventing build breakages than to use\nmore CPU cycles for testing. We all know that humanity can't afford to waste resources anymore.\n\nIn that vein, I wouldn't mind seeing GitLab also supporting the renewable energy industry as\nI don't see that listed in the\n[market segmentation page](/handbook/marketing/strategic-marketing/market-segmentation/#oil--gasenergy) yet.\n\n### Do you participate in other open source projects? If yes, what do you like about other communities and what are some of the things that GitLab can learn?\n\nI do, for example in [The Carpentries](https://carpentries.org/teach/), which provides Open Educational\nResources and basic programming training for researchers. I find the GitLab community is\nquite thoughtful about sharing what they learn about successfully pushing the product and\nthe company forward. So I think other open source projects will find lots of advice in GitLab's\nblog and handbook that is worth considering.\n\n### What do you like to do when you're not working?\n\nI enjoy gardening and going cycling, hiking, and canoeing.\n\n### Anything else you want to share with the community?\n\nWherever appropriate, use [`[skip ci]`](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/pipelines/#skip-a-pipeline)\nmore often in your commit messages and MR titles.\n\n## Interested in learning how you can contribute?\n\nA good place to start is the [Contributing to GitLab page](/community/contribute/), where you can\nlearn how you can contribute to GitLab code, documentation, translation, and UX design.\n\nIf you have any questions, you are always welcome to reach me at rpaik@gitlab.com.\n\n_Note: This post is part of [a series featuring people who contribute to GitLab](/blog/tags.html#contributors)._\n",[9,749,750],{"slug":3136,"featured":6,"template":685},"katrin-contributor-post","content:en-us:blog:katrin-contributor-post.yml","Katrin Contributor Post","en-us/blog/katrin-contributor-post.yml","en-us/blog/katrin-contributor-post",{"_path":3142,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":3143,"content":3149,"config":3155,"_id":3157,"_type":13,"title":3158,"_source":15,"_file":3159,"_stem":3160,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/leah-petersen-user-spotlight",{"title":3144,"description":3145,"ogTitle":3144,"ogDescription":3145,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":3146,"ogUrl":3147,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":3147,"schema":3148},"From motorcycle stunter to DevOps: Finding love for CI/CD","Switching to GitLab helped a newly minted DevOps engineer grasp the concept of CI/CD.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749663760/Blog/Hero%20Images/image-for-leah-post.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/leah-petersen-user-spotlight","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Motorcycle stunter turned DevOps engineer says GitLab helped her learn to \"love\" CI/CD\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Aricka Flowers\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2018-06-21\",\n      }",{"title":3150,"description":3145,"authors":3151,"heroImage":3146,"date":3152,"body":3153,"category":679,"tags":3154},"Motorcycle stunter turned DevOps engineer says GitLab helped her learn to \"love\" CI/CD",[2665],"2018-06-21","\nWhen professional motorcycle stuntwoman turned developer Leah Petersen switched from Jenkins to GitLab, she was a bit nervous to say the least. Having only worked in tech for nine months, the [Samsung SDS](https://www.samsungsds.com/us/en/index.html) engineer was not enthused about the prospect of having to learn a new application after feeling like she had “just started to get competent” with Jenkins.\n\nAfter a self-described mini pity party, she dove into GitLab head first, jumping into a few big ticket projects to get a handle on the landscape. Within a few short months, Petersen was so impressed by her GitLab CI/CD experience that she felt the need to shout her newfound “love” for continuous integration and continuous delivery from the virtual mountaintop of [her blog](https://leahnp.github.io/2018/moving-from-jenkins-to-gitlab-CI/).\n\nWe recently met up with Petersen to learn more about her transition to the tech world and experience with GitLab.\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n  \u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/Avx_RftRT_o\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\u003C/figure>\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\n### Q & A with Leah Petersen, DevOps Engineer\n\n**Where do you work and what does your team do?**\n\nI work for a team in Samsung SDS called the Cloud Native Computing Team, and I'm [a DevOps engineer](https://about.gitlab.com/topics/devops/what-is-a-devops-engineer/). We deal primarily with containers in Kubernetes and helping companies modernize and move to the cloud. My team is super unique. We were kind of treated like an incubated startup within Samsung, so we're really given a lot of autonomy to make our own decisions.\n\nOur team was put together about five years ago, and Samsung really made a bet on Kubernetes being the future of orchestrating huge workloads in the cloud. Initially, we were focusing mainly on research and development, contributing to the Kubernetes community and learning who was a part of it, what their motives were, and how we could find our place in it. Over the last year, Samsung has really pivoted our role in the company, and we're looking at how we can help Samsung as a global organization move to Kubernetes and containers.\n\n**Where did you work before Samsung?**\n\nI was a motorcycle stunt rider before I became an engineer, and that career kind of organically grew out of my passion for motorcycles. I started stunting, loved the community and was able to meet people all over the country and travel. Being one of the few women who did it, I organically started getting calls for jobs and gigs. I thought, “If I can do this in my 20s and make this my full-time career, I'm definitely going to take a shot at it,” so I did.\n\nIt was an amazing opportunity and experience to travel the world and meet people all over this planet who are passionate about this crazy thing that I'm also passionate about. And I got to work with a lot of amazing brands and raise awareness about the sport that I love. So, I don't have any regrets about that and cherish the time that I got to spend on a motorcycle professionally.\n\n**How did you move from being a professional motorcycle stunter to a DevOps engineer?**\n\nI had been looking for a new career path and wasn't really sure what I was going to do. I knew that I wanted to build some tangible skills. I wanted skills that had a clear market value, and tech definitely provides that.\n\nI ended up taking an online coding course in Python, and had this “aha” moment where I realized, not only can I do this, which I didn't think was previously possible, but it's fun; I really like solving these problems. At that point I started taking more online courses and learning as much as I could for free. Then I ended up finding [Ada Developers Academy](https://www.adadevelopersacademy.org/), and that was the perfect segue into the industry.\n\n> I had this “aha” moment where I realized, not only can I do this, which I didn't think was previously possible, but it's fun\n\n**Can you describe how your experience has been as woman in tech?**\n\nYou definitely get a lot of strange reactions being a woman in tech. Walking into a situation, oftentimes people are surprised you're an engineer. You'll get reactions like, “Oh, I thought you were a project manager,” or, “I thought you were a recruiter,” or whatever other stereotype that you brought into the room. That can be discouraging and makes you feel unwelcome in that space. But I think we need women in every part of tech: frontend, backend, DevOps, operations, everything. If your interest is in UX, go for that. But don't let all the men who've been in the industry for 25 years on the operations side of things scare you off either. I really think we need diverse minds and approaches to problems in the whole spectrum of it.\n\nSometimes I forget about the gender disparity in tech because my team, specifically, has a couple of really amazing women who I get to work with every day. So, I'm very fortunate. But I recently went to KubeCon in Copenhagen, and it's a amazing conference with so much energy, but it's a real wake up call when you see the gender disparity there. There's 4,000 guys walking around and you feel like you stick out [or] when you're sitting in an auditorium, look around and realize, “Oh, I'm the only lady here.” It's something that you can't look away from.\n\n**Why did you decide to go into DevOps engineering?**\n\nIn my boot camp classes we were focusing on web development and building Ruby on Rails and Node.js apps. We each had an opportunity to do an internship at companies in Seattle that support the Ada program. Samsung was one of them, and they came in to do a presentation about their involvement in open source and Kubernetes. I had no idea what they were talking about, but Kubernetes and the momentum of the open source community was really appealing to me. So I took a chance and picked Samsung, dove right in, and found my way as I went along. I'm really happy that I chose Kubernetes and to specialize in the cloud.\n\n>Kubernetes and the momentum of the open source community was really appealing to me. So I took a chance, dove right in, and found my way as I went along\n\n**How did you get started with GitLab CI/CD? And how would you describe your transition to the application?**\n\nI always felt like I was fighting with the CI platform we were on prior to GitLab. It was never really functioning how we wanted it to, and something was always kind of failing. The whole reason you have CI/CD is to get visibility into what's happening with your code, right? You want to run your code through this pipeline and make sure there are no bugs, that you’re packaging it correctly and putting it in the places that you need it to be in production. It's this hugely critical component of going from the developer's computer to the world; that's the pipeline. So you really need the visibility to see what is happening every step of the way.\n\nOn the old system, I felt that I just didn't have that visibility. I was digging for the problems and not able to understand where they were coming from, where they were originating from, why they were happening or how to fix them. I feel like GitLab definitely does a great job of assisting the user in finding the origin of a problem, tracing that step back and making it clear where your issues are and when you're having success.\n\n**How has using GitLab impacted your career and workflow?**\n\nThere's a lot of talk about accessibility and user experience in tech. And we all know what it's like to have a bad user experience with a piece of technology; it's the most frustrating thing in the entire world. As a developer, you deal with lots of different tech every single day. When I started using GitLab about a year and a half into my career, it was certainly the first platform where I was like, ‘I feel so at home here. Everything’s fluid. I can find where everything is. I understand what everything is.’ There aren't these big black holes of confusion that have me asking, “Why does this exist and what am I doing here?’”\n\nWith GitLab, everything is just this cheery, happy place. And I really appreciate how it has now set the bar for me when it comes to the way in which a technology should function when I’m working with it.\n\nCover photo by [Rendiansyah Nugroho](https://unsplash.com/photos/JUePy_-uOSI) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/)\n{: .note}\n",[816,942,1610,749,794,9,682,1200],{"slug":3156,"featured":6,"template":685},"leah-petersen-user-spotlight","content:en-us:blog:leah-petersen-user-spotlight.yml","Leah Petersen User Spotlight","en-us/blog/leah-petersen-user-spotlight.yml","en-us/blog/leah-petersen-user-spotlight",{"_path":3162,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":3163,"content":3169,"config":3174,"_id":3176,"_type":13,"title":3177,"_source":15,"_file":3178,"_stem":3179,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/lee-tickett-my-gitlab-journey",{"title":3164,"description":3165,"ogTitle":3164,"ogDescription":3165,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":3166,"ogUrl":3167,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":3167,"schema":3168},"From user, to advocate, to contributor: my GitLab journey","Three years (as a user and as a contributor) with GitLab.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749681735/Blog/Hero%20Images/cover_photo.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/lee-tickett-my-gitlab-journey","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"From user, to advocate, to contributor: my GitLab journey\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Lee Tickett\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2020-11-13\",\n      }",{"title":3164,"description":3165,"authors":3170,"heroImage":3166,"date":3171,"body":3172,"category":792,"tags":3173},[2091],"2020-11-13","\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"true\" /}\n\n\n\nI have had a passion for technology since before I can remember. Thirteen years ago I took the plunge, quit my day job, and started an IT development and support company called [Tickett Enterprises Limited](https://www.tickett.net). For the last three years, GitLab has been a part of my journey.\n\n## 3 Years Ago \nWe were (and still are) using a helpdesk system we built ourselves. It does exactly what we need it to do - and any time it doesn’t, we change it. The most important feature of the system is reporting. Specifically, facilitating our monthly billing process; with a click of a button, we generate timesheets and invoices for all of our clients.\n\nThough I was aware of Git (and GitHub), I had not heard of GitLab. We were using SVN in its most basic form (single repository for all projects and no branching), with an integration so all commits would create notes in our helpdesk.\n\n## 2.5 Years Ago\nWe decided that SVN was no longer fit for purpose. Our top issues were: \n* never knowing whether the code in our repository matched what was deployed\n* not being able to work collaboratively on projects\n* feature/knowledge limitations\n* Git was the industry standard \n\nWhile most of these issues were due to the way we were using SVN, we were keen to adopt a more popular system. I don’t remember how I found GitLab, but I did, and spun up a local on-prem instance of Community Edition (CE) using separate projects/repositories and basic branching. If you are considering running a local instance, I recommend the [Bitnami appliance/.ova](https://bitnami.com/stack/gitlab).\n\nIt took some time to get used to local vs remote and to remember to push as well as commit, but we picked it up pretty quickly.\n\n## 2 Years Ago\nWe wanted to use GitLab to help us improve our processes so we:\n* built a little UI for project creation (using the GitLab API). This ensures new projects fit our naming standards, contain our standard template files, have our standard master/test/dev branches, contain the relevant members, and use our webhooks\n* recreated the helpdesk integration we had with SVN (every commit and comment is replicated as a note on our helpdesk)\n* unaware of GitLab EE, we created a custom merge request approval process using webhooks. Our master branch is always protected - a merge request requires 2 approvals from 2 distinct reviewers (one for code and one for functionality)\n\n## 1.5 Years Ago\nA bit late to the party, but finally we set up the GitLab runner to automate our build, spin up our database, execute our unit tests and report test details and code coverage. GitLab CI for .NET was not as well documented as other use cases leading to a lot of trial and error when setting up the runner.\n\nWe are using the Windows runner configured to use a standard shell (which I think is no longer supported). We will either be moving to powershell on windows or possibly using docker images. Here’s a sample .gitlab-ci.yml\n\n```yml\nstages:\n  - build\n  - test\n\nvariables:\n  CI_DEBUG_TRACE: \"false\"\n  ASSEMBLY_VERSION: \"1.0.4\"\n  \nbuild:\n stage: build\n script:\n  - 'C:\\Windows\\Microsoft.NET\\Framework\\v4.0.30319\\nuget restore'\n  - '\"C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Microsoft Visual Studio\\2017\\BuildTools\\MSBuild\\15.0\\bin\\msbuild\" /t:Restore,Clean,ReBuild /t:Database:Publish /p:Configuration=Debug;Platform=\"Any CPU\" /p:SqlPublishProfilePath=Database.publish.xml'\n  - 'ping 192.168.99.99 -n 1 -w 10000 2>nul || type nul>nul'\n artifacts:\n  paths:\n   - Tests/bin/\n\ntest:\n stage: test\n script:\n  - 'c:\\GitLab-Runner\\opencover\\OpenCover.Console.exe -returntargetcode:1000 -filter:\"+[*]* -[nunit*]* -[*Tests*]*\" -register -target:\"C:\\Program Files (x86)\\NUnit.org\\nunit-console\\nunit3-console.exe\" -targetargs:\"Tests\\Tests.csproj --result=testresult.xml;transform=C:\\gitlab-runner\\nunit3-junit.xslt\"'\n coverage: '/^Visited Branches .*(\\(\\d+\\.?\\d*\\))/'\n dependencies:\n  - build\n artifacts:\n  reports:\n   junit: testresult.xml\n```\n\nWe were building another customization to allow us to search for code across all repositories. Unfortunately, we hit a limitation because the API did not allow searching anything but the default branch.\n\nAt this point, while Googling for help getting CI up and running, I learned that GitLab is open-source. So I thought maybe I could extend the API to support searching any branch. This lead to [my first contribution](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-foss/-/merge_requests/28069).\n\n## 1 Year Ago\nAt this point, I was completely new to all of the technologies, techniques, and best practices used by GitLab but found myself participating in my first [GitLab hackathon](https://about.gitlab.com/community/hackathon/). Somehow, I managed to take joint first prize!\n\nMy first few contributions were achieved by modifying my production GitLab installation (not ideal). So it was time to get the [GitLab Development Kit (GDK)](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-development-kit) up and running. This was certainly not without its challenges (many of which I suspect stem from me being in the minority of GitLab contributors running Windows).\n\nI have since contributed to the [GDK project](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-development-kit) and joined the GDK office hour calls to help shape the way forward and resolve some of the problems and frustrations.\n\nAt this point, I was leearning a lot. Not just about the tools and languages but about the best practices and work ethos within the GitLab team. Better yet, I was able to start taking some of these learnings back to the office.\n\n## 0.5 Years Ago\nI attended GitLab Commit - London 2019. This really helped to confirm my suspicions; we are only scraping the surface of GitLab's capabilities.\n\nOn a few occasions, I wondered whether GitLab may not be a good fit for my company as I watched huge companies like Porsche and Goldman Sachs present. A [presentation](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0Eh1sq9r5s) by Huss El-Sheikh from startup 9fin helped ease my concerns.\n\nAround this time, I moved from Windows to Ubuntu to make it easier to work with GDK.\n\nI continued to learn a lot from my contributions, feedback, and interactions with the GitLab team, again applying what I could back in the office. Much around the languages/technologies I hadn’t previously worked with (namely ruby, postgres and vue), but also other takeaways such as:\n* when carrying out code reviews ask questions rather than give instructions (“what do you think about x?” is more productive than “change this to y”)\n* GitLab CI is capable of automating a lot of what we currently do by hand (e.g. code review for best practices)\n* always try to add tests when making code changes\n\nI am a firm believer of documenting processes, decisions, and rationale. There’s nothing worse than someone saying “we do it this way” without being able to back that up with reasoning. With that in mind, we implemented Merge Request Templates to ensure our team was consistent in our approach to coding, testing, and releasing.\n\nBy now our development team had plenty of experience with GitLab and we were starting to move our support team over. To help our team leads monitor merge requests, we adopted 2 simple departmental labels (`Support`/`Development`) and used our webhook engine to ensure every MR is automatically labelled.\n\n## Today / What’s Next\nIn preparation for a transition to .NET core, deprecation of the Windows shell runner and a desire to start testing our frontend (web), I started putting a CI script together using docker and the mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/core/sdk:latest image. The .gitlab-ci.yml looks like;\n\n```yml\nstages:  \n  - build\n  - test\n\nvariables:\n  CI_DEBUG_TRACE: \"false\"\n  ASSEMBLY_VERSION: \"1.0.1\"\n\nbuild:\n stage: build\n tags:\n  - docker\n script:\n  - 'dotnet build'\n\ntest:\n stage: test\n tags:\n  - docker\n script:\n  - 'nohup dotnet run --project Web &'\n  - 'apt-get update'\n  - 'apt-get install -y unzip'\n  - 'wget https://chromedriver.storage.googleapis.com/83.0.4103.14/chromedriver_linux64.zip'\n  - 'unzip chromedriver_linux64.zip -d ~/'\n  - 'rm chromedriver_linux64.zip'\n  - 'mv -f ~/chromedriver /usr/local/bin/chromedriver'\n  - 'chown root:root /usr/local/bin/chromedriver'\n  - 'chmod 0755 /usr/local/bin/chromedriver'\n  - 'wget -q -O - https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | apt-key add -'\n  - 'sh -c ''echo \"deb https://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main\" >> /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google.list'''\n  - 'apt-get update'\n  - 'apt-get install -y google-chrome-stable'\n  - 'dotnet test -l:trx Tests/Tests.csproj /p:CollectCoverage=true'\n coverage: '/Total\\s*\\|.*\\|\\s(\\d+\\.?\\d*)%\\s*\\|.*\\|/'\n```\n\nAnd the tests look something like;\n\n```c#\n    public class UiTests : IDisposable\n    {\n        private readonly Process _webServerProcess;\n        private readonly IWebDriver _driver;\n\n        [Fact]\n        public void ClickNavPrivacyPolicy()\n        {\n            _driver.Navigate()\n                .GoToUrl(\"http://localhost:5000/\");\n\n            var link = _driver.FindElement(By.LinkText(\"Privacy\"));\n            link.Click();\n\n            Assert.Equal(\"http://localhost:5000/Home/Privacy\", _driver.Url);\n        }\n\n        public UiTests()\n        {\n            ChromeOptions chromeOptions = new ChromeOptions();\n            chromeOptions.AddArguments(\"headless\", \"no-sandbox\");\n            _driver = new ChromeDriver(chromeOptions);\n\n            if (RuntimeInformation.IsOSPlatform(OSPlatform.Linux)) return;\n\n            _webServerProcess = new Process\n            {\n                StartInfo = {\n                    WorkingDirectory = Path.Combine(System.AppDomain.CurrentDomain.BaseDirectory, \"..\", \"..\", \"..\", \"..\", \"Web\"),\n                    FileName = $\"dotnet.exe\",\n                    Arguments = \" run\",\n                    UseShellExecute = true,\n                }\n            };\n            _webServerProcess.Start();\n        }\n\n        private void KillWebServer()\n        {\n            if (_webServerProcess != null && !_webServerProcess.HasExited)\n            {\n                _webServerProcess.Kill();\n            }\n        }\n\n        public void Dispose()\n        {\n            _driver.Dispose();\n            KillWebServer();\n        }\n    }\n```\n\nYou can see some conditional code in there which allows Selenium tests to work both locally on our development machines and remotely on our GitLab runner. If you have a better way of achieving this, please leave a comment. I would love to chat and learn!\n\nI also want to start introducing some linting like we see in the GitLab project to enforce rules around code formatting (spaces, carriage returns, indentation, etc.). I have started to look at JetBrains Resharper (R#) command-line but haven’t had enough time to implement it yet. Ideally. I would like to start with just a rule or two and then slowly introduce more, but it looks quite tricky to take this approach. Please let me know if you’ve been able to achieve this!\n\nI would also like to lose our helpdesk and start using GitLab issues, service desk, timelogs, etc. I am working on identifying the gaps and working with the product managers to understand whether it is realistic to fill those gaps within the GitLab product. Alternatively, I will be looking to build some additional “bolt-ons” using webhooks and the API.\n\nWhile investigating gaps, I stumbled upon the [GitLab-Triage project](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-triage) and I expect we'll use this to automate various workflows. I managed to help close a few issues and even create a few additional features which would make it work for us by [contributing to the GitLab-Triage project](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-triage/-/merge_requests?scope=all&utf8=%E2%9C%93&state=merged&author_username=leetickett).\n\nWe also added more labels (`needs code review` & `needs functional review`) for our merge request approval process now. We can see where we are and what needs to be done at a glance. We previously relied on an MR checklist that we are deprecating.\n\n![Merge request checklist](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/lee-tickett-my-gitlab-journey/mr_checklist.png)\n\n![Merge requests with labels](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/lee-tickett-my-gitlab-journey/merge_requests_with_labels.png)\n\n## Contributing to GitLab \n\nI am very proud to have joined the GitLab Core Team. Thanks to everyone who has held my hand and patiently assisted me with contributions. \n\nWith the release of Microsoft Windows Subsystem for Linux v2, I have gone back to running Windows on my laptop with GDK running in Ubuntu on WSL2. This is working brilliantly for me at the moment (the way Visual Studio Code handles things especially is really cool).\n\nI now have 95 [merged merge requests!](https://gitlab.com/dashboard/merge_requests?scope=all&utf8=%E2%9C%93&state=merged&author_username=leetickett) and have been helping several others get started contributing (getting GDK up and running etc). Once this crazy pandemic is over and we can start to socialise again, I would like to try and start some sort of local meetup/group.\n\nI would like to help make it easier to connect GitLab users. I have visions of a mechanism to search for others based:\n* the size of their user base \n* the languages they are using\n* the feature they are using\n\nAt present, we have several tools (Gitter, Issues, Forum etc) but there is a strong reliance on being engaged and stumbling on questions/support requests. I suspect many of us would be happy to have other users reach out directly.\n\nIf you need any more information around:\n* getting your development environment/tools setup on Windows 10\n* getting CI working with .NET and SQL Server projects\n* building customisations using GitLab webhooks and API\n\n...or would like to see a demo of anything discussed above, I would be happy to oblige!\n\nI would love to connect with others who are either looking to, or already using GitLab for:\n* .NET projects\n* customer helpdesk \n* customer billing (using timelogs)\n\nThanks for reading! Here's a picture of me and the family repping with our GitLab merch!\n\n![The tickett family repping GitLab](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/lee-tickett-my-gitlab-journey/landing_page.png)\n",[108,9,1200,1222,749,682,794],{"slug":3175,"featured":6,"template":685},"lee-tickett-my-gitlab-journey","content:en-us:blog:lee-tickett-my-gitlab-journey.yml","Lee Tickett My Gitlab Journey","en-us/blog/lee-tickett-my-gitlab-journey.yml","en-us/blog/lee-tickett-my-gitlab-journey",{"_path":3181,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":3182,"content":3188,"config":3194,"_id":3196,"_type":13,"title":3197,"_source":15,"_file":3198,"_stem":3199,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/lets-all-search",{"title":3183,"description":3184,"ogTitle":3183,"ogDescription":3184,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":3185,"ogUrl":3186,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":3186,"schema":3187},"Let's all search!","We spoke with you about our search tools. Now we've got some issues we'd like your help on.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749679339/Blog/Hero%20Images/AdvancedSearch.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/lets-all-search","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Let's all search!\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Will Leidheiser\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2022-12-01\",\n      }",{"title":3183,"description":3184,"authors":3189,"heroImage":3185,"date":3191,"body":3192,"category":747,"tags":3193},[3190],"Will Leidheiser","2022-12-01","\n\nEarlier this year, our research team set out to learn how users search for GitLab content and to better understand their experience with our [global search](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/search/) and [advanced search](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/search/advanced_search.html) tools. We spoke with 12 GitLab users individually over the course of a four-week span to get their [feedback on our search capabilities](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/8193). \n\n![Getting feedback from GitLab users](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/2022-11-21-lets-all-search/Talking_to_GitLab_users.png){: .shadow.medium.center}\nA researcher talking with GitLab users to gather their feedback.\n{: .note.text-center}\n\n## Research insights\n\nOur research identified that the discoverability of our search could be better. Some users had never tried out our search capabilities because they did not know we had a search bar inside of GitLab. The search bar [did not visually stand out](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/8275) to some GitLab users, so this led them to try other means (e.g., using their web browser URL history or using another external application) to find content. In addition, we learned that even long-time users of the GitLab search bar were [unaware of the kinds of content it could find](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/8274). As we encouraged users to try out the search tools for our study, they would uncover new information either through exposure or by reading our documentation.\n\nOur research helped the Global Search Product team at GitLab with future roadmap planning. Now, we need the support of our community to make iterative improvements to GitLab search tools. We have identified **two** actionable insight issues that you can contribute to directly to improve the search experience for all GitLab users. \n\n## Community contribution issues\n\n- In order to make the search bar stand out, we're proposing a change to [improve the contrast of the search bar](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/330925) in the GitLab navigation header. This change would greatly support the accessibility of our site and would assist users when looking for a way to search for content.\n\n![Update to improve the contrast of our search bar](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/2022-11-21-lets-all-search/Focus.png){: .shadow.medium.center}\nA visual mock-up of improved contrast for the GitLab search bar.\n{: .note.text-center} \n\n- Improve the search experience by [providing hints](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/364402) about the kinds of content that the GitLab search bar can find. This change would prompt users with different ideas of what they can do with the search bar, so they can learn about our functionality without having to read through documentation.\n\n![Hints in the search bar](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/2022-11-21-lets-all-search/Placeholder_Options.png){: .shadow.medium.center}\nSome examples of hints that would be shown in the GitLab search bar.\n{: .note.text-center}\n\n## Let's contribute\n\nWondering where to start? Check out [this blog post](/blog/first-time-open-source-contributor-5-things-to-get-you-started) and [our development guide](/community/contribute/development/) and become an all-star contributor!\n\nNeed guidance or help? Feel free to leave a comment directly on one of the issues linked above, or find support in the \"get help\" section [in our contributing guide](/community/contribute/#getting-help).\n\n**Let's all contribute to GitLab's search!**\n",[750,9,749,771,772],{"slug":3195,"featured":6,"template":685},"lets-all-search","content:en-us:blog:lets-all-search.yml","Lets All Search","en-us/blog/lets-all-search.yml","en-us/blog/lets-all-search",{"_path":3201,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":3202,"content":3208,"config":3213,"_id":3215,"_type":13,"title":3216,"_source":15,"_file":3217,"_stem":3218,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/live-from-commit-london",{"title":3203,"description":3204,"ogTitle":3203,"ogDescription":3204,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":3205,"ogUrl":3206,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":3206,"schema":3207},"Live from Commit London","We're having a packed day at our first European user conference. Watch this space for the latest news.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749678442/Blog/Hero%20Images/londoncommit.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/live-from-commit-london","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Live from Commit London\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Valerie Silverthorne\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-10-09\",\n      }",{"title":3203,"description":3204,"authors":3209,"heroImage":3205,"date":3210,"body":3211,"category":296,"tags":3212},[1136],"2019-10-09","\n**9:30AM BST** – GitLab CEO [Sid Sijbrandij](/company/team/#sytses) told attendees at our first European user conference that support for Amazon Web Services' Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS) will be available later this year. Sid also underscored the importance of the European market. Almost one-third of GitLab's business comes from Europe and 42% of our customers are based in Europe.\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"false\" /}\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"center\">\n\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-partner=\"tweetdeck\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Gitlab Commit London warming up with breakfast networking 🤜🏻💥🚀 cc \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/gitlab?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@gitlab\u003C/a> \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/gitlabcommit?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#gitlabcommit\u003C/a> \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/ke7nsNE7pO\">pic.twitter.com/ke7nsNE7pO\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— James McLeod (@mcleo_d) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/mcleo_d/status/1181849833604337667?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 9, 2019\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote>\n\u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003C/div>\n\n**10:00AM BST** – Speed matters, particularly at Porsche AG. Software engineers Alberto Gisbert and Dennis Menge told Commit 2019 attendees how a quest to improve collaboration, reduce tool complexity and achieve a single source of truth led the car manufacturer to GitLab. Porsche started using GitLab in Europe initially, but quickly realized it needed to expand to China, Porsche's largest market, as well. One year into the project, Porsche has more than 660 repositories with more than 250 active users. All told, more than 80,000 pipelines have been triggered.\n\nUp next, Capgemini UK's [Matt Smith](https://twitter.com/Harmelodic) shared how to go from [Zero to K8s: As Fast As Possible](https://gitlabcommit2019london.sched.com/event/UL5X/zero-to-k8s-as-fast-as-possible):\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"false\" /}\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"center\">\n\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-conversation=\"none\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Britney mic'd up!\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>On stage in half an hour 😬\u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/GitLabCommit?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#GitLabCommit\u003C/a> \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/ivQ1V9waBW\">pic.twitter.com/ivQ1V9waBW\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— Matt Smith (@Harmelodic) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/Harmelodic/status/1181851029048102912?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 9, 2019\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote> \u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003C/div>\n\nCoding in the blink of an eye!\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"false\" /}\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"center\">\n\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-partner=\"tweetdeck\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">.\u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/Harmelodic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@Harmelodic\u003C/a> is talking faster than \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/terraform?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#terraform\u003C/a> can deploy things :joy: Great live coding :sunglasses: \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/gitlabcommit?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#gitlabcommit\u003C/a> \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/LS0t3GdqHx\">pic.twitter.com/LS0t3GdqHx\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— Michael Friedrich (@dnsmichi) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/dnsmichi/status/1181862263680053248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 9, 2019\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote>\n\u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003C/div>\n\n**11:30AM BST** – How to shift left and bring security more firmly into development was the topic of a mid-morning panel discussion at Commit.\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"false\" /}\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"center\">\n\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-conversation=\"none\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/Shetti?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@Shetti\u003C/a> of \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/VMware?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@VMware\u003C/a> leads a panel discussion on security in the software development life cycle with Jeremy Guido, \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/plafoucriere?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@plafoucriere\u003C/a> and \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/simasotiris?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@simasotiris\u003C/a>.\u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/GitLabCommit?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#GitLabCommit\u003C/a> \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/womenintech?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#womenintech\u003C/a> \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/womeninstem?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#womeninstem\u003C/a> \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/gitlab?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@gitlab\u003C/a> \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/womenwhocode?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#womenwhocode\u003C/a> \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/git?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#git\u003C/a> \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/DevOps?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#DevOps\u003C/a> \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/opensource?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#opensource\u003C/a> \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/security?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#security\u003C/a> \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/sdlc?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#sdlc\u003C/a> \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/lQeQYelTVv\">pic.twitter.com/lQeQYelTVv\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— Suze Shardlow at #GitLabCommit (@SuzeShardlow) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/SuzeShardlow/status/1181874495268773888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 9, 2019\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote> \u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003C/div>\n\nSotiraki Sima, executive director in technology risk at Goldman Sachs, stressed the benefits of starting small and being prepared to continually adapt to new technologies and new tools. [Jeremy Guido](https://fr.linkedin.com/in/jeremyguido), backend engineer with My Data Models, said designating a security leader in a development team can help to make everyone feel more like a stakeholder. And [Philippe Lafoucriere](https://about.gitlab.com/company/team/#plafoucriere), distinguished engineer at GitLab, stressed the role of automation in scaling security throughout the SDLC. The bottom line: it's a process so take it a step at a time.\n\n**1:00PM BST** – What's next for the GitLab tool? [Eric Brinkman](/company/team/#ebrinkman), director of product, dev products, outlined our technology roadmap. He began with Meltano, a six-person startup located within GitLab that is focused on bringing DevOps best practices to DataOps. Eric announced that today [version 1.0 of Meltano](https://meltano.com/blog/meltano-graduates-to-version-1-0/) is available.\n\nAnd that was just the beginning. Value stream management will be coming soon to Manage, Eric said, so users will be able to track efficiency metrics and ultimately receive recommendations. Plan stage will add high and low release requirements related to code and test. In Create, our source code management and code review will get an upgrade with an improved Web IDE and eventually the ability to do live coding. Verify will receive load testing runs by default and Secure will get [fuzzing](/direction/secure/dynamic-analysis/fuzz-testing/) as a built-in part of security testing. Changes to Release will mean automatically staged rollbacks and Configure will invest in run books to improve mean time to recovery. Protect will continue to invest in real-time threat detection capabilities. And finally auto remediation is on the horizon so at some point the largely manual (and often annoying) job of finding and fixing vulnerabilities will be a thing of the past. \"This is something that can truly bring dev, sec and ops together,\" Eric said.\n\nNote: All sessions from Commit London are being recorded and will be available on our [YouTube channel](https://youtube.com/gitlab) in 24-48 hours.\n{: .alert.alert-info}\n",[9,274,706,703,1200,1610],{"slug":3214,"featured":6,"template":685},"live-from-commit-london","content:en-us:blog:live-from-commit-london.yml","Live From Commit London","en-us/blog/live-from-commit-london.yml","en-us/blog/live-from-commit-london",{"_path":3220,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":3221,"content":3226,"config":3230,"_id":3232,"_type":13,"title":3233,"_source":15,"_file":3234,"_stem":3235,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/live-from-commit-news",{"title":3222,"description":3223,"ogTitle":3222,"ogDescription":3223,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1858,"ogUrl":3224,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":3224,"schema":3225},"At GitLab Commit, our product roadmap, new partners, and a new milestone","Live from GitLab Commit: what’s next for our product strategy, expanded partnerships, and more.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/live-from-commit-news","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"At GitLab Commit, our product roadmap, new partners, and a new milestone\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Valerie Silverthorne\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-09-17\",\n      }",{"title":3222,"description":3223,"authors":3227,"heroImage":1858,"date":2391,"body":3228,"category":296,"tags":3229},[1136],"\nOur first ever user conference – GitLab Commit in Brooklyn – has only been under way for a few hours and we’ve already made a number of key announcements. Not only did we secure an additional [$268 million in Series E funding](/blog/gitlab-series-e-funding/) to power our DevOps journey forward, we’ve also strengthened key partnerships, hit new milestones, and released details about important new features in the product.\n\n## GitLab is for everyone\n\nIn the next few releases, look for GitLab to add advanced integration with the [Amazon Elastic Kubernetes](https://aws.amazon.com/eks/) service (EKS), something our CEO [Sid Sijbrandij](/company/team/#sytses) told the audience during his keynote at Commit. Sid also said the number of customers using GitLab with [Terraform by HashiCorp](/blog/gitlab-hashicorp-terraform-vault-pt-1/) is increasing at an exciting rate. This Ops-focused solution leverages GitLab’s CI/CD automated pipelines to better achieve infrastructure as code, a.k.a. GitOps. Lastly, later this year, look out for GitLab to integrate with HashiCorp’s very popular [Vault Project](https://www.vaultproject.io/docs/internals/security.html) that will protect secrets throughout the pipeline.\n\nMoving forward, Sid stressed that we believe everyone has a seat at the table. \"We will make our vision of a complete DevSecOps a reality for each and every one of you,\" says Sid.\n\nAnd for those who’ve been hoping for auto remediation, it’s coming, says [Mark Pundsack](/company/team/#markpundsack), vice president of product strategy, during his keynote. There is work to be done but the vision is clear: Necessary but repetitive security work will be automated in the near future.\n\nThat’s not the end, however. Mark outlined a future where operations and security teams have their own customized dashboards on GitLab, giving them access to the same information as developers. “A ton of people are involved with the development and delivery of software,” says Mark. “That is the ultimate GitLab vision: Where every knowledge worker involved with software development and delivery uses a single application so they are on the same page with the rest of their team members.” Ultimately GitLab will expand to the business side, bringing project managers, designers, legal, and executives into the mix. Mark’s final message: “GitLab is for everyone.”\n\n## GitLab & VMWare\n\n[GitLab and VMWare](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2019/09/17/1916738/0/en/GitLab-to-Enable-Cloud-Native-Transformation-on-VMware-Cloud-Marketplace.html) announced a collaboration making [GitLab now available on the VMWare Cloud marketplace](https://about.gitlab.com/2019-09-17-gitlab-on-vmware-cloud-marketplace/). Development teams will be able to deploy and run [GitLab Enterprise (Core)](/pricing/) on their VMWare environments with just a few clicks. GitLab is packaged and supported by Bitnami which provides curated applications for the VMWare marketplace. GitLab also supports [“Continuous Verification”](https://thenewstack.io/how-continuous-security-can-solve-the-cloud-protection-conundrum/) by integrating with VMWare Secure State, Wavefront by VMWare, and CloudHealth.\n\n## KDE chooses GitLab\n\nKDE, an international technology community creating free and open source software for desktop and portable computing, [chose GitLab](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2019/09/17/1916731/0/en/GitLab-Adopted-by-KDE-to-Foster-Open-Source-Contributions.html) for its developers. The KDE team wants to offer additional infrastructure support and thinks GitLab will help boost development momentum.\n\nThe KDE community is one of the largest free software communities with more than 2,600 contributors. Now they’ll have access to an even wider range of development and code review features with GitLab’s DevOps platform to complement their tools currently in use. The KDE community will have additional options for accessible infrastructure for contributors, code review integration with Git, streamlined infrastructure and tooling, and an open communication channel with the upstream GitLab community.\n\n## Forbes 2019 Cloud 100\n\nWe’re pretty excited to mention we’ve been named to the [Forbes 2019 Cloud 100](https://www.forbes.com/sites/mnunez/2019/09/11/a-truck-tracker-a-coder-toolbox-and-a-unicorn-from-down-under-inside-this-years-cloud-100/#6148bcad5653), the definitive ranking of the top 100 private cloud companies in the world, published by Forbes in partnership with Bessemer Venture Partners and Salesforce Ventures. We’re the only cloud-agnostic DevOps platform, and [we came in at number 32](https://about.gitlab.com/2019-09-11-gitlab-named-leader-in-forbes-cloud-100-list/)!\n\nIf you like what you’re hearing out of GitLab Commit Brooklyn, then join us at our next [GitLab Commit in London](/events/commit/#) on October 9.\n",[9,274,749,1529,1178],{"slug":3231,"featured":6,"template":685},"live-from-commit-news","content:en-us:blog:live-from-commit-news.yml","Live From Commit News","en-us/blog/live-from-commit-news.yml","en-us/blog/live-from-commit-news",{"_path":3237,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":3238,"content":3243,"config":3249,"_id":3251,"_type":13,"title":3252,"_source":15,"_file":3253,"_stem":3254,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/living-for-more-than-the-weekend",{"title":3239,"description":3240,"ogTitle":3239,"ogDescription":3240,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":911,"ogUrl":3241,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":3241,"schema":3242},"My remote story: Living for more than the weekend","A quick look into what drove me to choose an organization that lives and breathes it's core values and allowed me the flexibility to be a full time member of my family","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/living-for-more-than-the-weekend","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"My remote story: Living for more than the weekend\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"JD Alex\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2020-04-30\",\n      }",{"title":3239,"description":3240,"authors":3244,"heroImage":911,"date":3246,"body":3247,"category":792,"tags":3248},[3245],"JD Alex","2020-04-30","\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"true\" /}\n\n\n\nWhat exactly does it mean to be remote? For some, it looks the same as working in a traditional office space, 9-5, glued to your computer, albeit in a different location. Maybe it is from your home office, your living room, or a co-working space. To me, working remotely means something much more. It is an opportunity to live my life how I see fit.\n\u003Cbr>\n\nI grew up with a single mother. She was and still is a nurse, subject to schedules that can be quite hectic. There were many days where I found myself heating up food my mother prepped for me before she went to work, and at times I would go with her and spend the night in the doctor’s lounge at the hospital. I don’t regret or wish anything different about those times — I loved them — but I want something different for my family, and for my son.\n\u003Cbr>\n\nI previously worked in the Bay Area for a corporate wellness company and the grind was real. I never turned off. I was attached to my phone answering calls and texts from our CEO at all hours of the day. I commuted roughly 12 miles and it could take me up to an hour to get home from work (for 2 years that is 21.75 days PER YEAR spent commuting). After a couple of years, my wife and I decided a change was needed. Fast forward to my time at my next position in Denver, Colorado where I had a shorter commute (on most days), though I still sat in an office for 50 hours a week. Sure, free food,coffee and ping pong tables were great perks, but it all changed once my son was born. There were days I would spend 20-30 minutes in the morning with him before leaving for the office, only to get home from work and get barely another hour with him at night. For me, that was unacceptable.\n\u003Cbr>\n\nI couldn’t shake the feeling that I had to make a change — I had to do better — for my own sanity, but more importantly for my son to know me. So... I quit. Before doing so, I asked to be given some flexibility. I used my track record as one of the company’s top performers, having never previously used a sick day and never taken a holiday. It was in vain. I was told I would never be allowed to work remotely. I was told it couldn’t be done successfully, culture happened in the office, and so on.\n\u003Cbr>\n\nIn the back of my mind was a startup, GitLab, that was shown to me by a friend and former co-worker. I read the [Handbook](/handbook/#introduction), I read the [values](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#credit), and I didn’t believe any of it for a minute. It was too good to be true. I was in the midst of wrapping up my last few weeks at a company that was rated as a front runner of Best Places to Work, Best Company Culture, and Happiest Employees. How could this place be any different? Well, I was wrong! I read everything I could find from current employees talking about GitLab and what it has done for them, what the values mean to the company, and how [Sid (CEO)](/company/team/#sytses) promoted work-life integration and mental health first by focusing on results over input. I interviewed and, long story short, was offered a position.\n\u003Cbr>\n\nFast forward 17 months to today and life looks a lot different. My family and I moved back to where we wanted to live, we have a house we love, and I have had breakfast, lunch, and dinner every single day with my wife and son as a family. In 17 months, I have been given the opportunity, the gift, of sitting down with my family for every single meal. I have  enjoyed more meals with my son in these last 17 months than some get to enjoy with their kids in 17 years.\n\u003Cbr>\n\nGitLab works asynchronously and employees are valued based on their results, not their input.GitLab understands as an organization that people need time off to gather their thoughts, re-center themselves, go for a bike ride or walk, take care of household activities, or pick kids up from school or your pets from doggy day care. Giving each and every employee the tools they need and the trust they deserve to work from anywhere that Wi-Fi allows.\n\u003Cbr>\n\nSo why do I choose remote? For me, it’s simple. I have a life, and my career is a part of that life. It is a part that I truly enjoy and also that provides for my family. A part that I do not take for granted, but it is still only a part of my life. It is not who I am, and it is not what I will be remembered for by my son. I wish to live my life every single day, and not just for the weekends. I want to be present for my family, my friends, and for myself. I want to see the world and I want to see what's in my backyard. I am able to do this because of what GitLab and remote work has offered.\n\n![Family photo](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/unfilteredblogpostmyremotestory.png){: .shadow}\n\nThe Alex's.\n{: .note.text-center}\n",[816,9,706],{"slug":3250,"featured":6,"template":685},"living-for-more-than-the-weekend","content:en-us:blog:living-for-more-than-the-weekend.yml","Living For More Than The Weekend","en-us/blog/living-for-more-than-the-weekend.yml","en-us/blog/living-for-more-than-the-weekend",{"_path":3256,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":3257,"content":3262,"config":3268,"_id":3270,"_type":13,"title":3271,"_source":15,"_file":3272,"_stem":3273,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/major-league-gitlab-hacking",{"title":3258,"description":3259,"ogTitle":3258,"ogDescription":3259,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2818,"ogUrl":3260,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":3260,"schema":3261},"Major League Hacking: Students contribute to feature updates","Our latest program participants explain their projects, their results, and the lessons they learned.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/major-league-gitlab-hacking","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Major League Hacking: Student fellows contribute to platform feature updates\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Bryan Behrenshausen\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2023-05-30\",\n      }",{"title":3263,"description":3259,"authors":3264,"heroImage":2818,"date":3265,"body":3266,"category":747,"tags":3267},"Major League Hacking: Student fellows contribute to platform feature updates",[2723],"2023-05-30","\n\nContributing to [open source](https://go.gitlab.com/spHNym) projects [like GitLab](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org) can be a powerful way to learn software development. Just ask [Mughees Pervaiz](https://gitlab.com/Mughees_), who is studying computer science at the University of South Asia, and [Young Jun Joo](https://gitlab.com/youngjun827), who is studying mathematics and economics at the University of Waterloo in Canada. They recently contributed to GitLab as part of a fellowship with [Major League Hacking](https://mlh.io/about), a Certified B corporation working to empower tomorrow's technology leaders. The fellows' [12-week program recently concluded](https://fellowship.mlh.io/), but before it was over, we gave them one final assignment: Explain your favorite contribution to GitLab during your fellowship.\n\nHere's what they had to say.\n\n## Mughees Pervaiz\nDuring my internship, I was a part of the GitLab Foundation team under the mentorship of our maintainer, [James Rushford](https://gitlab.com/jrushford). My primary responsibility was to improve both the developer and user experience on GitLab. \n\nMy favorite contribution was helping to update expand/collapse buttons in roadmaps [from link buttons to tertiary buttons](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/396775). Before the changes, the feature was using old components, and I updated it to new GitLab UI components. We had to [migrate the expand/collapse buttons](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/merge_requests/117242) that appear in the roadmap tree drawer. So we were working with the tree view (or, you could say, the 'child components' of the roadmap) and, because of this, it was very difficult for me to find the right file from GitLab's very large codebase.\n\nMaking this contribution taught me a lot about working with the GitLab codebase — specifically about making changes to the front-end user interface. I had to work with different GitLab components, such as the epic item details (vue component), epic item details (js component), and the front-end JavaScript libraries such as [Jest](https://jestjs.io/), in order to test or implement this feature.\n\nThis contribution also helped me develop my collaboration and communication skills. I had to work closely with other members of the GitLab community, including designers, product managers, and other contributors, in order to refine the feature and ensure that it aligned with GitLab's design principles and user experience goals.\n\nI also learned not to jump into coding without understanding an issue completely. Here, James helped me quite a bit: When I asked for his guidance, he responded with the following questions:\n\n- What is your understanding of the problem?\n- What did you try so far?\n- What did you find so far?\n- What are your next ideas?\n- Where did you look for information?\n\nAt first, I was confused. *Why is he asking me these questions instead of helping me?* But following James' technique really helped me with the issue, and I solved the problem by myself. At that moment, one of the most important lessons was clear to me: Don't underestimate myself. James wanted me to go beyond my limits, get out of the box, and try to solve the issue by myself so I could have a better understanding of what was happening in the codebase. So to anyone wishing to contribute to GitLab, I would say: Believe in yourself and give your best, and make sure you read the issue closely to develop a good understanding of the problem you're trying to solve.\n\n## Young Jun Joo\nDuring my Major League Hacking fellowship with GitLab, I worked on [improving the GitLab search function](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/merge_requests/111741). Some GitLab users were experiencing a slow search experience — and as a user myself, I understood the importance of having a quick and efficient search function. I wanted to help make that a reality for other users.\n\nSo I [implemented a memoization algorithm](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/merge_requests/112606) that caches search results. Now, if a user searches for the same word multiple times, the search results will be retrieved from the cache instead of being recalculated each time. This results in a faster and more efficient search experience for GitLab users.\n\nMy contribution to GitLab was significant because it improved the search function's performance and efficiency, making it more reliable and user-friendly. Working on this project taught me a lot about optimization and efficiency in software development. I also gained a deeper understanding of how memoization algorithms work and how they can be used to improve performance.\n\nMy work on this project not only was extremely rewarding but also had a positive impact on GitLab and its users, who can now quickly and easily search for the information they need without experiencing lag or delays. I'm proud to have made a meaningful contribution to such a valuable tool for software development, and grateful for the opportunity to have worked with such a talented team of developers.\n\n## Your turn\nWant to improve your open source development skill by contributing to GitLab? You can start right now by reviewing the project's [list of outstanding issues](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/issues/?sort=created_date&state=opened&label_name%5B%5D=quick%20win&first_page_size=100) (hint: start with issues labeled `quick win`). And be sure to connect with our [community on Discord](https://discord.gg/gitlab). We'd love to meet you.\n",[749,9,705],{"slug":3269,"featured":6,"template":685},"major-league-gitlab-hacking","content:en-us:blog:major-league-gitlab-hacking.yml","Major League Gitlab Hacking","en-us/blog/major-league-gitlab-hacking.yml","en-us/blog/major-league-gitlab-hacking",{"_path":3275,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":3276,"content":3282,"config":3289,"_id":3291,"_type":13,"title":3292,"_source":15,"_file":3293,"_stem":3294,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/managing-your-snowflake-spend-with-periscope-and-dbt",{"title":3277,"description":3278,"ogTitle":3277,"ogDescription":3278,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":3279,"ogUrl":3280,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":3280,"schema":3281},"How to manage your Snowflake spend with Periscope and dbt","The GitLab data team is open sourcing the dbt package they use to manage their Snowflake spend.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749670255/Blog/Hero%20Images/data-servers.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/managing-your-snowflake-spend-with-periscope-and-dbt","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"How to manage your Snowflake spend with Periscope and dbt\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Taylor Murphy\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Emilie Schario\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-08-26\",\n      }",{"title":3277,"description":3278,"authors":3283,"heroImage":3279,"date":3286,"body":3287,"category":747,"tags":3288},[3284,3285],"Taylor Murphy","Emilie Schario","2019-08-26","\nOn the data team at GitLab, we are grateful to be empowered with best in-class tools that enable us to produce high-quality work. At the 2018 DataEngConf (now Data Council), GitLab data engineer [Thomas La Piana](/company/team/#tlapiana) spoke about how a team of three was supporting the data needs of a billion-dollar company. As he explains in this talk, we focus a lot on processes and workflows.\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n  \u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/eu623QBwakc\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\u003C/figure>\n\n## Where are the existing gaps?\nToday, the data team has grown from three to seven: three engineers and four analysts.\nSince we've more than doubled in the last six months, we've had to take a step back and revisit our processes.\n\n![GitLab Team Headcount](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/team_headcount.png){: .shadow.medium.center}\nThe GitLab team has grown significantly in the past few months.\n{: .note.text-center}\n\n### GitLab is growing fast\n\nDespite the significant jump in the data team's headcount, our growth has not matched the exponential growth of the team supporting GitLab.\nAs GitLab grows, more folks aim to include more data in their decision-making process.\nThis means we're iterating quickly, collecting feedback, and constantly improving on the quality of the analyses we are producing for our business stakeholders.\nThe demand for more data means there is a lot more to accomplish – making now an opportune time to review our processes and improve the data team's impact across GitLab.\n\nFor example, a data team member pointed out that refinement isn't a part of our [milestone planning process](/handbook/business-technology/data-team/how-we-work/#milestone-planning).\nNo wonder our backlog wasn't moving anywhere! We identified the root of the problem by asking our team, \"What is the problem we're trying to solve?\" and then laid out a plan to address it.\n\n### Onboarding can be hard\n\nWe've made some great data analyst hires recently!\nWe don't require our new team members to be familiar with our existing data stack (Stitch/Singer - Snowflake - dbt - Periscope), but we do require them to have technical skills that match their role.\nThis usually includes Git, SQL, and Python (Pandas) at the bare minimum, though we welcome R (tidyverse) as well.\nWhile onboarding at any company can be difficult, it's especially challenging in an all-remote organization such as GitLab.\n\nIn addition to introducing candidates to our specific technologies, part of the [data analyst onboarding](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-data/analytics/blob/master/.gitlab/issue_templates/data_onboarding.md) includes a unit on resource consumption.\nWe spend time introducing the concepts of databases and warehouses in Snowflake, because storage and compute being separate are often novel ideas to folks joining GitLab from an on-premise data organization.\nIn some cases, we are teaching our new hires a new way to think about the data-related problems they're solving, and introducing different resources to remedy these problems.\n\n### With great power comes great responsibility\n\nWe consume more resources as the data team headcount grows. I think about this like folks using water in a household. If everyone is on vacation, the water bill will be low, but if all the cousins come visit for a week, the bill will be high.\nSimilarly to why we encourage a big group of visiting relatives to take shorter showers to conserve water, on the data team we work to steward resources effectively. This means we must identify wasted resources to recapture them.\nIt's important that our operating expenses not balloon with headcount.\n\n## Are you protected against a leak?\n\nAs a homeowner, I can share a myriad of appliance-gone-wrong stories, but one tops them all: the time there was a leak in our front yard that we only discovered because of a $1,000 water bill.\nOften, homeowners can only measure water usage when the bill arrives, when it's always too late to fix it.\n\nLucky for our team and yours, Snowflake is much more generous than my water company.\nWe *can* monitor our costs as it accrues.\nAfter having this process in place for a bit now, we'd encourage you to implement it in your stack.\n\n## Monitor your Snowflake spend with dbt and Periscope\n\nWe're excited to make our [Snowflake spend dbt package](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-data/snowflake_spend) widely available for use.\nDoing this is in line with our belief in the value of [open source analytics](/blog/open-source-analytics/).\n\nTo get started, you'll need to grant access to the `snowflake` database to your dbt-specific role with:\n```\nGRANT IMPORTED PRIVILEGES ON DATABASE snowflake TO ROLE \u003Crole>;\n```\n\nThen you'll need to update the `packages.yml` file in your dbt project to include the following:\n```\npackages:\n  - git: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-data/snowflake_spend.git\n    revision: v1.0.0\n```\n\nToday, you can only install the package directly from Git.\nSince it doesn't depend on any other packages, you don't have to worry about version management, so this should not cause any problems.\nYou can run `dbt deps` to ensure the package is installed correctly.\n\nYou will need a csv called `snowflake_contract_rates.csv` which has two columns: effective date and rate. The effective date is the day the new contracted rate started and it should be in YYYY-MM-DD format. The rate is the per credit price for the given time period. You can see how the data team configures [their csv file](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-data/analytics/blob/master/transform/snowflake-dbt/data/snowflake_contract_rates.csv). You will need to run `dbt seed` for the csv to be loaded as a table and for the model to run succesfully.\n\nFinally, you will need to update your `dbt_project.yml` file to enable this package with the following block.\n```\nmodels:\n  snowflake_spend:\n    enabled: true\n```\nYou can see [how the data team has configured the package](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-data/analytics/blob/master/transform/snowflake-dbt/dbt_project.yml#L68) in our `dbt_project.yml` file.\n\nRunning `dbt compile` will not only test that you've configured all of this correctly, but also will compile the files in the `analysis` directory. These are the queries that we use to underlie the exact Periscope dashboard that we have automatically posted in Slack every day.\n\n![GitLab's Periscope dashboard for managing Snowflake spend](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/periscope_snowflake_spend1.png){: .shadow.medium.center}\n![GitLab's Periscope dashboard for managing Snowflake spend](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/periscope_snowflake_spend2.png){: .shadow.medium.center}\n\nOnce you've set up this dashboard, you can configure it to auto-refresh daily.\nThen use Slack's `/remind app.periscopedata.com/dashboardurl` to have it regularly publish in the channel of your choice.\n\nYou can see how our resource management initiatives have been effective.\nWe hope you'll find monitoring a key step to helping manage your own Snowflake spend.\n\nHave any thoughts, questions, or suggestions? [Create an issue](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-data/snowflake_spend/issues).\n\nPhoto by [Taylor Vick](https://unsplash.com/photos/M5tzZtFCOfs) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/)\n{: .note}\n",[794,9,749,1529],{"slug":3290,"featured":6,"template":685},"managing-your-snowflake-spend-with-periscope-and-dbt","content:en-us:blog:managing-your-snowflake-spend-with-periscope-and-dbt.yml","Managing Your Snowflake Spend With Periscope And Dbt","en-us/blog/managing-your-snowflake-spend-with-periscope-and-dbt.yml","en-us/blog/managing-your-snowflake-spend-with-periscope-and-dbt",{"_path":3296,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":3297,"content":3302,"config":3307,"_id":3309,"_type":13,"title":3310,"_source":15,"_file":3311,"_stem":3312,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/marcel-amirault-contributor-post",{"title":3298,"description":3299,"ogTitle":3298,"ogDescription":3299,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1037,"ogUrl":3300,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":3300,"schema":3301},"GitLab Code Contributor: Marcel Amirault","Recent MVP Marcel Amirault shares why he started contributing to GitLab.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/marcel-amirault-contributor-post","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"GitLab Code Contributor: Marcel Amirault\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Ray Paik\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-04-12\",\n      }",{"title":3298,"description":3299,"authors":3303,"heroImage":1037,"date":3304,"body":3305,"category":747,"tags":3306},[744],"2019-04-12","\n\nI'm excited to continue the [series of GitLab contributor blog posts](/blog/tags.html#contributors)\nwith [Marcel Amirault](https://gitlab.com/Ravlen), [the MVP for the 11.9 release](/community/mvp/).\nLet's get to know more about him!\n\n### Can you tell us where you live and share anything interesting about your area?\n\nI'm originally from Halifax, in eastern Canada, but I now live in [Kagoshima, Japan](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Kagoshima,+Japan/@31.523208,130.2782569,10z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x353e615200e3c53d:0x9adcfdad5d5c5885!8m2!3d31.5968539!4d130.5571392) (and yes, I have seen wild tanuki!).\nKagoshima is famous for being right next to one of the world's most active volcanos, Sakurajima,\nwhich regularly dusts the city in ash. You have to keep an eye on the wind before you decide\nto put out your laundry, or else you'll have some ashy-grey clothes pretty quickly.\nIt's also known for inspiring some famous movies. Hometown hero Saigō Takamori and the\nlocal Satsuma clan were the inspirations for \"The Last Samurai,\" and Yakushima Island was\nthe inspiration for the forest in \"Princess Mononoke.\"\n\n![Picture of Sakurajima](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/Marcel-blogpost/kagoshima.png){: .shadow.small.center}\n*\u003Ccenter>\u003Csmall>Sakurajima in the distance\u003C/small>\u003C/center>*\n\n### Can you tell us what you do professionally?\n\nOriginally, I worked in IT Support, peaking as a Network Technician at a telecom company\nin eastern Canada. I loved the job, but I wanted to live abroad for a while before settling into my career.\nI decided to teach English in Japan \"for six months,\" but fell in love with the country and have\nbeen here ever since. I currently teach English as a second language to Japanese students, and\nhave taught all ages and types of students over the years. I write, proofread, and teach curricula\nfor various types of students, ranging from people preparing for their first trip abroad, to seminars\nin hospitals for medical professionals. From time to time I proofread documents brought to me,\nsuch as applications to international programs, or scientific papers being prepared for submission for peer review.\n\n![Marcel in the classroom](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/Marcel-blogpost/marcel-teaching.jpg){: .shadow.small.center}\n\n### When did you first contribute to GitLab and why did you decide to contribute?\n\nAbout a year ago, I started a Rails course to try to get back into the IT world, and needed to\nchoose a place to store my Git repo. A friend suggested GitLab, and I dove right in.\nWhile reading the documentation, I sometimes found small mistakes that the English teacher\nin me couldn't ignore, so I started submitting MRs for small things like typos or obvious grammar mistakes.\nIn fact, [my first MR](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/www-gitlab-com/merge_requests/11848) was to correct grammar.\nFrom there, the MRs got a little bigger, and a little more involved, and it's something I enjoy doing when things are slow at work.\n\n### What was the most difficult part of contributing for you in the beginning?\n\nThere was no significant hurdle to starting, because contributing to documentation was not\nintimidating at all, and I never had to worry about complicated reviews.\nWhen I first submitted a small change to the language in a section of the UI though, I suddenly\nhad a lot of reviews and suggestions, and started to realize how a small change could have a large impact.\nUnderstanding the impact that one person could have on a major project was something I had to learn.\nThankfully, a lot of GitLab team-members offered help and explained things for me, which I really appreciated.\n\n### Which areas of GitLab have you contributed to most and how do you find issues that you want to work on?\n\nUpdating technical documentation was a natural fit for me. I enjoy learning, so I frequently\nread the GitLab documentation, but my \"English teacher eyes\" can't ignore language that can be improved.\nI take advantage of free time at work, and I'm fortunate to have free access to computers and\na flexible boss (as long as my lesson quality is maintained). As a result, I'm often able to fill\nthe gaps between lessons by working on documentation issues. When I'm struggling to stay\nawake because my kids kept me up at night and I have a gap in my schedule, working on an\ninteresting bit of documentation wakes me up as much as a strong cup of coffee!\nI usually find documentation that can be improved on my own as I read through, but I\nsometimes search for [`Accepting Merge Requests` issues for Documentation](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues?scope=all&utf8=%E2%9C%93&state=opened&label_name[]=Accepting%20merge%20requests&label_name[]=Documentation) if I need a new project to work on. Recently I have given myself \"challenges,\"\nlike \"Find ALL examples of a certain grammar mistake project wide, and fix them\" or\n\"Find ALL examples where CE and EE documentation have diverged accidentally, and realign them when possible.\"\n\n### What do you enjoy doing when you're not working?\n\nI like doing home improvements when I can, and really like outdoor carpentry like putting up\nfences or wooden decks. I'm a big fan of hiking and camping, but it has been hard to get out\nto camping places in the past few years as my kids are still young. We are hoping to bring them\non their second ever camping trip this spring/summer. Finally, my friends and I try to get together\nabout once every month or two for poker or board gaming. Some of my favorite games are\nSettlers of Catan, Carcassonne, Puerto Rico, Pandemic, San Juan, and Guillotine.\n\n![Marcel and his children](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/Marcel-blogpost/marcel-family.png){: .shadow.small.center}\n\n### What advice do you have for others who may be interested in contributing to GitLab?\n\nDon't be shy! If you are worried about your contribution, feel free to make your MR a [draft](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/merge_requests/drafts.html)\n(document last updated by me! 😉), and ask for help. Everyone is super friendly and always willing to give advice!\n\n### Interested in learning how you can contribute?\n\nA good place to start is the [Contributing to GitLab page](/community/contribute/), where you can learn\nhow you can contribute to GitLab code, documentation, translation, and UX design.\n\nIf you have any questions, you are always welcome to reach me at rpaik@gitlab.com.\n\n_Note: This post is part of [a series featuring people who contribute to GitLab](/blog/tags.html#contributors)._\n",[9,794,749,750],{"slug":3308,"featured":6,"template":685},"marcel-amirault-contributor-post","content:en-us:blog:marcel-amirault-contributor-post.yml","Marcel Amirault Contributor Post","en-us/blog/marcel-amirault-contributor-post.yml","en-us/blog/marcel-amirault-contributor-post",{"_path":3314,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":3315,"content":3321,"config":3326,"_id":3328,"_type":13,"title":3329,"_source":15,"_file":3330,"_stem":3331,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/meet-partner-the-good-docs-project",{"title":3316,"description":3317,"ogTitle":3316,"ogDescription":3317,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":3318,"ogUrl":3319,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":3319,"schema":3320},"How The Good Docs Project uses GitLab for documentation as code and more","In this video interview, meet our new Open Source Partner, The Good Docs Project, and learn about the benefits they are extracting from the DevSecOps platform.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749682841/Blog/Hero%20Images/documentation1.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/meet-partner-the-good-docs-project","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"How The Good Docs Project uses GitLab for documentation as code and more\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Bryan Behrenshausen\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2023-07-06\",\n      }",{"title":3316,"description":3317,"authors":3322,"heroImage":3318,"date":3323,"body":3324,"category":747,"tags":3325},[2723],"2023-07-06","\n\n[The Good Docs Project](https://thegooddocsproject.dev/welcome/) wants to help improve software documentation across the entire [open source](https://go.gitlab.com/spHNym) ecosystem. The community provides templates and other resources to help open source developers write, maintain, and improve project documentation. Last year, they voted to migrate to GitLab. Since then, they've discovered how using an all-in-one DevSecOps platform can streamline and accelerate work in open source communities like theirs.\n\nThey've now joined the [GitLab Open Source Partners](https://go.gitlab.com/030Ue3) community, and they're sharing their knowledge and resources with other open source projects also using GitLab to build a world where anyone can contribute.\n\nI sat down with some community members from The Good Docs Project to learn what brought them together, what motivates their work, and where they're headed next.\n\nIn this interview, you'll learn:\n* How switching to GitLab enabled an open source project to unify planning, development, and testing work onto a single platform\n* How a community of technical writers and editors uses GitLab to develop documentation as code\n* How an open source project built community-focused git toolchain training on GitLab\n\n### Watch the interview\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n  \u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/Bek7vLmNmME\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\u003C/figure>\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\n## Learn more\n\nThe [GitLab Open Source Partners](https://go.gitlab.com/030Ue3) are building the future of open source on GitLab. Connect with them on [Gitlab.com](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/marketing/community-relations/open-source-program/gitlab-open-source-partners).\n\nCover image by \u003Ca href=\"https://unsplash.com/@beatriz_perez?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText\">Beatriz Pérez Moya\u003C/a> on \u003Ca href=\"https://unsplash.com/photos/XN4T2PVUUgk?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText\">Unsplash\u003C/a>  \n{: .note}\n",[749,9,705],{"slug":3327,"featured":6,"template":685},"meet-partner-the-good-docs-project","content:en-us:blog:meet-partner-the-good-docs-project.yml","Meet Partner The Good Docs Project","en-us/blog/meet-partner-the-good-docs-project.yml","en-us/blog/meet-partner-the-good-docs-project",{"_path":3333,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":3334,"content":3340,"config":3346,"_id":3348,"_type":13,"title":3349,"_source":15,"_file":3350,"_stem":3351,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/merging-ce-and-ee-codebases",{"title":3335,"description":3336,"ogTitle":3335,"ogDescription":3336,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":3337,"ogUrl":3338,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":3338,"schema":3339},"GitLab might move to a single Rails codebase","We're considering moving towards a single Rails repository by combining the two existing repositories – here's why, and what would change.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749671631/Blog/Hero%20Images/merge-ce-ee-codebases.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/merging-ce-and-ee-codebases","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"GitLab might move to a single Rails codebase\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Marin Jankovski\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-02-21\",\n      }",{"title":3335,"description":3336,"authors":3341,"heroImage":3337,"date":3343,"body":3344,"category":726,"tags":3345},[3342],"Marin Jankovski","2019-02-21","\n\n## A single repository with no license changes\n\nBefore we go into the details of the proposed changes, we want to stress that:\n\n* GitLab Community Edition code would remain open source and MIT licensed.\n* GitLab Enterprise Edition code would remain source available and proprietary.\n\n## What are the challenges with having two repositories?\n\nCurrently the Ruby on Rails code of GitLab (the majority of the codebase) are maintained in two repositories.\nThe [gitlab-ce] repository for the code with an open source license and the [gitlab-ee] repository containing code with a proprietary license which is source available.\n\nFeature development is difficult and error prone when making any change at GitLab in two similar yet separate repositories that depend on one another.\n\nBelow are a few examples to demonstrate the problem:\n\n### Duplicated work during feature development\n\nThis [frontend only Merge Request](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ee/merge_requests/7376) required a [backport to CE repository](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/merge_requests/22158). Backporting included creating duplicate work to avoid future conflicts as well as changes to the code to support the feature.\n\n### A simple change can break master\n\nA simple [change in a spec in CE repository](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/merge_requests/24801)\nfailed the [pipeline in the master branch](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ee/issues/9621). After hours of investigation, an [MR reverting the change](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/merge_requests/24961) was created, as well as a [second to address the problem](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/merge_requests/24983).\n\n### Conflicts during preparation for regular releases\n\n This concerns preparation for a regular release, e.g. [11.7.5 release](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/release/tasks/issues/659). Merge requests preparing the release for both the [CE repository](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/merge_requests/24941) and [EE repository](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ee/merge_requests/9441) need to be created and once the pipelines pass, the EE repository requires a merge from the CE repository. This causes additional conflicts, pipeline failures, and similar delays requiring more manual intervention during which the CE distribution release is also delayed.\n\nBetween these three examples, _days_ of engineering time has been spent on [busy work], delaying the delivery of work that brings actual value. Only three examples are highlighted, but this type of work occurs daily.\nWhether writing a new feature available in Core, or any of the enterprise plans, all are equally affected.\n\nMore details on the workflows and challenges can be found in the [working in CE and EE codebases blueprint] document.\n\n## What have we done to improve the situation?\n\nWe've invested significant development time to try and keep the two repositories separate:\n\n### Pre-2016: Manual merges for each release\n\n Prior to 2016, merging the CE repository into the EE repository was done when we were ready to cut a release; the number of commits was small so this could be done by one person.\n\n### 2016-2017: Daily merges by a team of developers\n\nIn 2016, the number of commits between the two repositories grew so the task was divided between seven (brave) developers responsible for merging the code once a day. This worked for a while until delays started happening due to failed specs or difficult merge conflicts.\n\n### 2017-2018: Automated merges every three hours\n\nAt the end of 2017, we merged an [MR that allowed the creation of automated MRs between the two repositories](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/release-tools/merge_requests/86), mentioning individuals to resolve conflicts. This task ran every three hours, allowing for a smaller number of commits to be worked on. You can read more about our [automated CE to EE merge here](/blog/using-gitlab-ci-to-build-gitlab-faster/).\n\n### Present: Further automation with Merge Train\n\nBy the end of 2018, the number of changes going into both the CE and EE repositories grew to thousands of commits in some cases, which made the automated MR insufficient. The [Merge Train](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/merge-train) tool was created to automate these workflows further, by automatically rejecting merge conflicts and preferring changes from one repository over the other. The edge cases we've encountered are requiring us to invest additional time in improving the custom tool.\n\nThis last attempt turned out to be a bit of a crossroads. Do we invest more development time in improving the custom tooling, knowing that we will never get it 100 percent right, or do we need to take some more drastic measures that are going to save countless hours of development time?\n\n## What are we proposing?\n\nOne of GitLab's core [values] is efficiency. As previously mentioned, merging the [gitlab-ce] Rails repository into the [gitlab-ee] Rails repository is proving to be inefficient.\n\nThe Rails repository is one of many base repositories of which GitLab consists. The [gitlab-ce] repository is a part of a [gitlab-ce distribution] package which offers only the Core [feature set]. Similarly, the [gitlab-ee] repository is part of a [gitlab-ee distribution] package which has a larger feature set available. See the image below:\n\n![CE-EE-Before](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/merging-ce-and-ee-codebases/community-enterprise-before.png){: .medium.center}\n\nThe change we are proposing would merge the [gitlab-ce] and [gitlab-ee] repositories into a single [gitlab] repository. This change is reflected below:\n\n![CE-EE-After](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/merging-ce-and-ee-codebases/community-enterprise-after.png){: .medium.center}\n\nThe [design for merging two codebases] outlines the required work and process changes in detail. The proposed change would pertain only to the Ruby on Rails repository, and I've summarized it below.\n\n### So, what changes?\n\n* The [gitlab-ce] and [gitlab-ee] repositories are replaced with a single [gitlab] repository, with all open issues and merge requests moved into the single repository.\n* All frontend assets (JavaScript, CSS, images, views) will be open sourced under the MIT license.\n* All proprietary backend code is located in the `/ee` repository.\n* All documentation is merged together and clearly states which features belong to which [feature set]. Documentation is [already licensed under CC-BY-SA](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues/42891).\n\n### What remains unchanged?\n\n* The [gitlab-ce distribution] package remains fully open source under the same license.\n* All code outside of the `/ee` directory in the single [gitlab] repository is open source.\n* All code in the `/ee` directory remains proprietary with source code available.\n* Other projects, such as [gitlab-shell], [gitaly], [gitlab-workhorse], [gitlab-pages], remain unchanged.\n\n### What are the possible downsides?\n\nWe want to be clear about the possible downsides of this approach:\n\n* Users with installations from source currently cloning the [gitlab-ce] repository would download from a new repository named [gitlab]. The clone will also fetch the proprietary code in `/ee` directory, but removing this directory has no effect on running application.\n\n     ➡️ This is resolved by removing the `/ee` directory after cloning.\n* [gitlab-ce distribution] users would get more database tables because of the new tables in `db/schema.rb`. Database schema is open source and in the [gitlab-ce distribution] these new tables would not be populated, affect performance, or take significant space.\n\n     ➡️ All database migration code is open source and does not add additional maintenance burden, so no additional work is required.\n\n## What's next?\n\nWe currently think that the efficiency gains and clearer naming outweighs these disadvantages. Our [stewardship of GitLab](/company/stewardship/) is an important aspect of GitLab's success as a whole, so we would love to know:\n\n* Is there a better way to accomplish to solve the problem of the [busy work]?\n* What improvements can we make to our proposal?\n* Are there any additional considerations that we should take into account?\n\nWe invite you to share your suggestions in [issue 2952](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ee/issues/2952), which was an inspiration for the proposal as it currently stands. We look forward to hearing your thoughts!\n\nCover image from [Unsplash](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1512217536414-d92543c79ca1)\n{: .note}\n\n[values]: https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/\n[gitlab-ce]: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce\n[gitlab-ce distribution]: https://packages.gitlab.com/gitlab/gitlab-ce\n[gitlab-ee distribution]: https://packages.gitlab.com/gitlab/gitlab-ee\n[gitlab-ee]: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ee\n[gitlab]: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab\n[gitlab-shell]: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-shell\n[gitaly]: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitaly\n[gitlab-workhorse]: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-workhorse\n[gitlab-pages]: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-pages\n[feature set]: /pricing/feature-comparison/\n[busy work]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Busy_work\n[working in CE and EE codebases blueprint]: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/gl-infra/readiness/-/tree/master/library/ce-ee-codebases\n[design for merging two codebases]: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/gl-infra/readiness/-/tree/master/library/merge-ce-ee-codebases\n",[706,9,274,749],{"slug":3347,"featured":6,"template":685},"merging-ce-and-ee-codebases","content:en-us:blog:merging-ce-and-ee-codebases.yml","Merging Ce And Ee Codebases","en-us/blog/merging-ce-and-ee-codebases.yml","en-us/blog/merging-ce-and-ee-codebases",{"_path":3353,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":3354,"content":3359,"config":3365,"_id":3367,"_type":13,"title":3368,"_source":15,"_file":3369,"_stem":3370,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/migrating-arch-linux-packaging-infrastructure-gitlab",{"title":3355,"description":3356,"ogTitle":3355,"ogDescription":3356,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1541,"ogUrl":3357,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":3357,"schema":3358},"Migrating Arch Linux's packaging infrastructure to GitLab","Arch Linux developer Levente Polyak explains how the project recently migrated its packaging infrastructure to GitLab and what Arch Linux gained as a result.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/migrating-arch-linux-packaging-infrastructure-gitlab","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Migrating Arch Linux's packaging infrastructure to GitLab\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Levente Polyak\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2023-09-11\",\n      }",{"title":3355,"description":3356,"authors":3360,"heroImage":1541,"date":3362,"body":3363,"category":747,"tags":3364},[3361],"Levente Polyak","2023-09-11","\nThree years ago, the Arch Linux community began a migration to the GitLab DevSecOps Platform to modernize our software development tooling and processes.\nWe recently announced a major moment on that journey: [migrating our entire packaging toolchain to Git and GitLab](https://archlinux.org/news/git-migration-completed/).\nThis move completely reshaped our packaging workflow, tooling, and storage — the very backbone of our package creation process.\n\nThe move has been pivotal for our continued success as a project.\nOur [package repositories](https://archlinux.org/packages/) contain nearly 14,000 packages at the time of this writing, and [GitLab's collaborative features](/pricing/feature-comparison/) empower our package maintainers to seamlessly collaborate, promoting efficient and effective teamwork.\nUsing GitLab as a central platform also enhances visibility across the project.\nWe can now effortlessly trace the history of changes, collaborate on enhancements and bugs, and follow the evolution of each package — all in a single place.\n\n> [Join GitLab at Open Source Summit Europe 2023](https://go.gitlab.com/dPQ92t) to learn more about our dedication to open source.\n\nI'm a devoted free open source software engineer and currently have the privilege of serving as the project leader of Arch Linux.\nIn this article, I'll explain how and why we undertook this complex, but ultimately worthwhile, endeavor.\n\n## Understanding Arch Linux's infrastructure\nTo understand the complexity of this migration, you'll first need to understand the history of Arch's infrastructure.\n\nCentral to our distribution are our [PKGBUILD](https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/PKGBUILD) packaging sources, which are the essential blueprints that shape each package installable with [pacman](https://archlinux.org/pacman/) from our official repositories. Previously, our [packaging infrastructure](https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Creating_packages) relied on [Subversion](https://subversion.apache.org/) for managing our packaging sources.\n\nFor more than a decade of [Arch Linux's development](https://archlinux.org/releng/releases/), Subversion served as a reliable companion for working with our packaging source code. However, the open source software development landscape has transformed significantly since the advent of the Arch Linux project; technologies have advanced and collaboration dynamics have evolved (note, for example, the popularization of [DevOps](https://about.gitlab.com/topics/devops/) processes and practices).\n\nRecognizing the need to adapt and optimize, we started a journey that would shape the future of how members of the Arch Linux community work together. To enhance collaboration and pave the way for future improvements to Arch, we decided to undertake migration of our packaging sources to individual Git repositories, and we chose to host them with GitLab.\n\n## Migrating 14,000 Arch Linux packages\nThis would be no small task.\nCurrently, the Arch Linux community maintains 13,930 installable packages, all of which are now managed in 12,138 individual Git repositories.\nBut we knew the benefits would be worth the effort involved in such an enormous migration.\n\nFor example, one of the standout advantages of Git is its ability to empower packagers with a new level of insight into their work.\nThe ease of inspecting local history would become a game-changer, especially as packaging evolved into a collective effort, with multiple maintainers collaborating to refine and enhance individual packages (Subversion requires a client-server connection to inspect the history).\n\nBut the decision to migrate was not just about adopting Git.\nIt also reflected our aspiration to provide our community with an environment that fosters extensive collaboration. Our history with Subversion had shown its limitations in this regard (more on that in a moment).\nThe synergy between Git packaging repositories and the GitLab platform was evident; it opened doors to enhanced collaboration, offered powerful version control features, and laid the groundwork for more efficient packaging processes.\n\nThe migration of Arch Linux's packaging infrastructure to GitLab was the pinnacle of several factors aligning perfectly.\nThe need for a more robust collaboration platform, the growing prominence of Git, and the desire to utilize the benefits of modern version control converged to make this move a natural progression for Arch.\n\nWe decided it was time to get it done.\n\n## Three years and a weekend\nArch Linux has been gradually adopting and migrating operations to GitLab over the course of three years.\nExtending that migration to our packaging infrastructure was the next vital step of the process — and the pivotal moment of switching to GitLab hosting and workflow for packaging occurred within [the span of a single weekend](https://archlinux.org/news/git-migration-announcement/).\n\nA change of this magnitude touches the very core of our distribution, and it was only possible with thorough, meticulous preparation.\nFor weeks, our migration team diligently crafted [a runbook](https://md.archlinux.org/utjjQ-bQTsipIKntPrpf8g#) that ensured every major aspect and change were considered, minimizing risk and boosting our confidence.\n\nWhen our concentrated migration effort began, the migration team focused entirely on this rollout, everyone collaborating in a [Jitsi](https://meet.jit.si/) video call with screen sharing.\nThe strategic choice of a weekend for performing the migration aligned perfectly with our volunteer-driven community, offering sufficient time for a buffer and quick resolution to any unforeseen hiccups.\n\nThe first challenge was transferring our extensive Subversion history to GitLab. For some time, we had been running `git-svn` with a timer to be able to provide some packaging history to another repository.\nOur [custom tooling](https://gitlab.archlinux.org/archlinux/arch-svn-package-to-git/) made use of `git-svn` imports, which was a gigantic monorepo containing all packages as individual branches.\n\nOur migration solution was a carefully crafted script that used [git-filter-repo](https://github.com/newren/git-filter-repo), of which we could run several instances in parallel and which also supported the ability to convert only repositories that changed since the last run (determined by deltas).\nThe script also filtered history, commit messages, rewrote author data to incorporate our GitLab user handles, filtered unwanted files, and more.\nAdditionally, we tagged all previous releases where we could determine the origin of the exact commit.\n\nBut the migration wasn't confined to a mere transfer of Subversion history to GitLab; it involved revisiting workflows, tools, and all software that interacted *with* the version control system.\nFrom redefining workflows to embracing new tools, every step was vital to ensuring that Arch Linux developed in a coherent way.\n\nWe also wanted to seize the moment as an opportunity to reimagine and revamp package maintainer tooling.\nSo we also created [pkgctl](https://man.archlinux.org/man/pkgctl.1.en), a modern interface that not only refreshed and streamlined our tooling but also enhanced user and contributor experience.\n\nFortunately, the entire migration flowed seamlessly.\nBy the end of the weekend, we had succeeded.\n\n## Benefits of a journey with GitLab\nOur packaging migration was the latest milestone in Arch Linux's overall journey with GitLab.\nMigrating our packaging infrastructure to GitLab allows us to maximize and enjoy those improvements even more.\n\nSince the Arch Linux community began [migrating to GitLab in 2020](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/marketing/developer-relations/open-source-program/gitlab-open-source-partners/community-support/-/issues/11), Arch maintainers and contributors have enjoyed a significantly improved experience interacting with and contributing to the project.\nThe advantages not only enhance our current workflows but also open up exciting possibilities for the future.\n\nHere's a rundown of the benefits we've seen from our overall migration so far.\n\n### Deeper collaboration\nBefore the migration, for example, lack of a dedicated collaborative platform for our packaging sources posed challenges to both users and package maintainers. While [Flyspray](https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Flyspray), our bug tracker, was valuable, its scope was limited to tracking issues rather than facilitating meaningful collaboration.\nProposed changes were often submitted as patch files in attachments, resulting in a cumbersome experience for users suggesting improvements and maintainers reviewing these changes.\n\nThe process of iterating through these patch files was tedious because we lacked the ability to comment on specific lines (not to mention the ability to discuss diverse sub-topics in individual threads).\n\nToday, GitLab's standard [merge request](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/merge_requests/) feature has improved this process dramatically. It helps us collaborate smoothly, allowing [threaded discussions](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/discussions/index.html), precise comments, and [code suggestions](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/merge_requests/reviews/suggestions.html) on individual code segments. Although merge requests are a simple, staple feature, their impact on streamlining our processes is invaluable, serving as the bedrock of GitLab's collaborative strength.\n\nThe ability to seamlessly integrate issue tracking and merge requests within the same platform fosters a more cohesive and efficient workflow for our entire community. We're looking forward to tracking and managing packaging-related issues, bugs, and enhancements directly within GitLab soon.\n\n### Better automation\nOur use of [GitLab CI/CD](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/) has played a crucial role in automating our development work across our software projects.\n\nWe utilize CI/CD pipelines for everything from running tests to auditing dependencies—even publishing release artifacts, such as Rust crates, automatically using a tag pipeline. The efficiency we gain through this functionality is invaluable for ensuring the integrity and quality of our projects. We've realized some security improvements, too. Automating our usage of dependencies means we become aware of tracked security issues in our software projects used dependencies via commit pipelines, as well as scheduled pipelines (so we can bump and potentially deploy/release our software projects in case its necessary).\n\n### Stronger community\nAdopting GitLab has helped us better serve our community. The [Service Desk feature](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/service_desk/) has emerged as a game-changer, offering a streamlined channel to manage specific user requests.\nThis integration with GitLab enhances the workflow without sacrificing overview.\n\nAnd recently, we've significantly increased our use of [GitLab Pages](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/pages/).\nWe rely on Pages for publishing documentation, monthly reports, our Web Key Directory and static sites, and we're enthusiastic about expanding its application in the future.\n\n## More than new tools\nArch Linux's migration wasn't just about adopting the latest tools. Our motivation for migrating — and the positive consequences of the upgrade — reflect the values of open source communities like ours, where working together is essential for moving forward.\nBy adopting GitLab, Arch Linux is improving our project's overall atmosphere, creating a space where contributions are welcomed, reviewed, and integrated more easily, and in a way that conforms to contemporary best practices.\n\nWe're proud to be [GitLab Open Source Partners](https://go.gitlab.com/BM5JwV), and we extend our gratitude to GitLab for providing a platform that seamlessly aligns with our vision.\n\n[Join GitLab at Open Source Summit Europe 2023](https://go.gitlab.com/dPQ92t) to learn more about our dedication to open source.\n{: .note}\n",[749,9,705],{"slug":3366,"featured":6,"template":685},"migrating-arch-linux-packaging-infrastructure-gitlab","content:en-us:blog:migrating-arch-linux-packaging-infrastructure-gitlab.yml","Migrating Arch Linux Packaging Infrastructure Gitlab","en-us/blog/migrating-arch-linux-packaging-infrastructure-gitlab.yml","en-us/blog/migrating-arch-linux-packaging-infrastructure-gitlab",{"_path":3372,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":3373,"content":3379,"config":3385,"_id":3387,"_type":13,"title":3388,"_source":15,"_file":3389,"_stem":3390,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/monkton-moves-to-gitlab-customer-story",{"title":3374,"description":3375,"ogTitle":3374,"ogDescription":3375,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":3376,"ogUrl":3377,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":3377,"schema":3378},"Monkton's journey to GitLab: Focusing on automation","Monkton is migrating from a suite of disparate tools to GitLab, enabling them to better help their customers build safe, secure mobile apps.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749670123/Blog/Hero%20Images/moving-to-gitlab-cover.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/monkton-moves-to-gitlab-customer-story","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Monkton's #movingtogitlab story: Going all in on automation and repeatability\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Rebecca Dodd\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Aricka Flowers\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-05-21\",\n      }",{"title":3380,"description":3375,"authors":3381,"heroImage":3376,"date":3382,"body":3383,"category":679,"tags":3384},"Monkton's #movingtogitlab story: Going all in on automation and repeatability",[723,2665],"2019-05-21","\n\nEven with all the [#movingtogitlab](/blog/movingtogitlab/) excitement last year, it never gets old to hear about folks migrating to us.\nSo when Harold Smith, CEO and co-founder of [Monkton Incorporated](https://monkton.io/) – a company dedicated to helping enterprises build safe, secure, and compliant mobile solutions – wrote about [moving Monkton to GitLab](https://medium.com/@h3smith/migration-to-gitlab-dde59fc98315) earlier this year, we asked him to sit down with us to talk about the whys and hows.\n\n## From hodge podge of tools, to consolidated lifecycle\n\n\"We’ve been using some of your competitors’ tools.\nIt sort of became a hodge podge of tools – they’re still good tools, but there are different tools to do different things in the development life cycle. We had known GitLab had existed for a while.\nAnd I think, like many others who know about GitLab, it was an assumption on our end that it's just a source control repository.\nThen we started to realize and peel back a little bit of everything GitLab does – the continuous integration, integrations with other services, the whole pipeline.\nWe really started to focus on it and say, 'This is something we should spend time looking into and investing in.'\n\n\"It turned out to be a really good investment of time – we’ve seen time savings just in our ability to watch projects, our onboarding.\nIt’s cutting out a lot of the managing of all these different tools and different servers.\nIt’s just one thing to go in and manage that does most of the work we need.\nIt's also a huge advantage for us and our customers operating under the constraints of a higher-security environment, that we're able to do continuous integration and development, secure DevOps, in a secure environment that passes their auditing needs.\n\n>It’s cutting out a lot of the managing of all these different tools and different servers.\nIt’s just one thing to go in and manage that does most of the work we need.\n\n\"A lot of tools we were using, like some of the other continuous integration tools, are all open source software, which is great.\nBut that comes with some responsibilities: you need to really dig to figure out how to manage it correctly, how to set things up.\nSo, that was probably the biggest disadvantage of working with a collection of open source tools that didn’t have the proper documentation that we needed to move forward.\nSo, once we started looking at GitLab, it really enabled us to consolidate those things.\nAll the documentation is one place. The services that were available …\nIt was really easy to figure out what we needed to do.\nAnd your support has been a big help as well in enabling us to rapidly deliver and stand up these environments.\n\n\"Before, some of our processes were manual, like uploading code scans to Fortify.\nWe’ve automated all of that now on specific branches of the software that we’re building.\nSo, it’s taken out those manual processes that had to go through the checks.\nWhen we build a mobile application and push it through the pipeline, we’re working on how can we automatically publish that to MDM.\nSo, as soon as that code is checked in, scanned, what’s the process to get that into production?\nAnd that’s where we’ve focused a lot of effort of just entirely automation.\"\n\n## Automate all.the.things.\n\n\"Our collective vision within Monkton, and working with you at GitLab, and all these other companies, is how do we automate and take out human error from the equation?\nOur goal is that the moment code is checked in and has been reviewed, the testing lifecycle, the deployment lifecycle, the security vulnerability scanning lifecycle, should all be automated.\nSo, it’s more of humans reviewing reports at the end versus humans having to do the inspections themselves. We really envisioned that these tools could do a much better job than humans can.\n\n\"We’re not trying to replace human jobs. But how can we free people up to do what people do best, versus laborious efforts like pen testing mobile applications or pen testing web applications?\nA lot of that can be automated through scripting tools – Amazon Device Farm – all of which GitLab can automate and push out.\nSo, we’re focusing on what tools can we bring in to automate that process, tie them into GitLab, and automate everything. Or virtually everything.\"\n\n## Repeatability is key\n\n\"Repeatability is probably from our vantage point, one of the cornerstones of what we have to be able to do.\nIf we have a Department of Defense customer that builds a hundred mobile apps using our software, and they discover a vulnerability in one of them – if there’s not a repeatable process to build and deliver the solutions, it would take a year to update those hundred mobile apps if they’re doing it in a very siloed environment.\nBut with a repeatable process, they could change it out once and propagate it out, they can patch and push everything within an hour.\nA repeatable process allows you to have repeatable, consistent outcomes every single time, so you know that you can trust the process as part of your security program versus maybe a hodge podge of different tools and manual processes.\"\n\n## Lessons from the migration process\n\n\"It’s been a learning opportunity for us to see what are the best practices that we can collectively share – even with you at GitLab, there might be things that we’re all collectively learning, that we can use to help the community together.\nBecause this isn’t just a proprietary company effort on our end and your end, or even our customers’ end.\nI look at it as a good learning experience for all of us to improve processes, security, compliance, and everything that goes along with that.\"\n\nHere's a bit more from our chat with Harold:\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n  \u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/kT5qZ8W7yXM\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\u003C/figure>\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\nVideo produced by [Aricka Flowers](/company/team/#arickaflowers)\n{: .note}\n",[9,230,749,1200],{"slug":3386,"featured":6,"template":685},"monkton-moves-to-gitlab-customer-story","content:en-us:blog:monkton-moves-to-gitlab-customer-story.yml","Monkton Moves To Gitlab Customer Story","en-us/blog/monkton-moves-to-gitlab-customer-story.yml","en-us/blog/monkton-moves-to-gitlab-customer-story",{"_path":3392,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":3393,"content":3399,"config":3404,"_id":3406,"_type":13,"title":3407,"_source":15,"_file":3408,"_stem":3409,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/next-gen-telecom-with-gitlab",{"title":3394,"description":3395,"ogTitle":3394,"ogDescription":3395,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":3396,"ogUrl":3397,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":3397,"schema":3398},"Developing next-generation telecommunications with GitLab","Learn more about Project Sylva, a cross-industry collaboration to build a cloud-native, open source telecommunications platform using GitLab.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749682864/Blog/Hero%20Images/telecomabstract.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/next-gen-telecom-with-gitlab","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Developing next-generation telecommunications with GitLab\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Bryan Behrenshausen\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2023-08-07\",\n      }",{"title":3394,"description":3395,"authors":3400,"heroImage":3396,"date":3401,"body":3402,"category":747,"tags":3403},[2723],"2023-08-07","\nIn November 2022, the Linux Foundation Europe [announced the launch of Project Sylva](https://www.linuxfoundation.org/press/linux-foundation-europe-announces-project-sylva-to-create-open-source-telco-cloud-software-framework-to-complement-open-networking-momentum), a cloud-native, [open source](https://go.gitlab.com/spHNym) telecommunications software stack. The initiative represents a cross-industry collaboration between major telecommunications providers and vendors (Telefonica, Telecom Italia, Orange, Vodafone, Deutsche Telekom, Ericsson, and Nokia), who formally agreed to collaborate on building the foundation of a next-generation telecommunications system in the open.\n\nToday that work continues [on GitLab](https://gitlab.com/sylva-projects), where the project is gaining momentum as its contributor community grows. Eager to hear what that community has achieved since last year, I sat down with [André Vieira](https://gitlab.com/andre.macedo.av), the project's communications lead. \n\nWatch our interview to learn more about Sylva's guiding mission and vision, its successes, its challenges, and its future.\n\n## Watch the interview\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n  \u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/mblgJpmvkZI\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\u003C/figure>\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n",[749,9,705],{"slug":3405,"featured":6,"template":685},"next-gen-telecom-with-gitlab","content:en-us:blog:next-gen-telecom-with-gitlab.yml","Next Gen Telecom With Gitlab","en-us/blog/next-gen-telecom-with-gitlab.yml","en-us/blog/next-gen-telecom-with-gitlab",{"_path":3411,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":3412,"content":3418,"config":3423,"_id":3425,"_type":13,"title":3426,"_source":15,"_file":3427,"_stem":3428,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/open-core-is-worse-than-plugins",{"title":3413,"description":3414,"ogTitle":3413,"ogDescription":3414,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":3415,"ogUrl":3416,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":3416,"schema":3417},"Open core is worse than plugins... and that’s why it’s better","Learn why GitLab's decision to opt for the \"worse\" choice has been a great success.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749681581/Blog/Hero%20Images/gitlab-linux-ibm-z-redhat-openshift.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/open-core-is-worse-than-plugins","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Open core is worse than plugins... and that’s why it’s better\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Sid Sijbrandij\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2022-07-14\",\n      }",{"title":3413,"description":3414,"authors":3419,"heroImage":3415,"date":3420,"body":3421,"category":679,"tags":3422},[833],"2022-07-14","\nOpen core is obviously a horrible approach to creating a product with an ecosystem of extensions and integrations: There are no proper protocols and interfaces. Instead, anyone can just add their integration to the code base and even adjust said code base to their needs if it doesn’t fit.\n\nSo why have we been using the “Worse” approach at GitLab for many years now, with great success? Because [Worse is Better](https://www.dreamsongs.com/RiseOfWorseIsBetter.html) (a term conceived by [Richard P. Gabriel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_P._Gabriel)). Of course, it turns out that “Worse” is actually even better than Worse is Better suggested.\n\nGabriel’s [original argument](https://www.dreamsongs.com/RiseOfWorseIsBetter.html) was that (slightly) intrinsically worse but simpler and easier to implement software has better survival characteristics than better-designed, more complex software, and thus will consistently win in the marketplace.\n\nAt GitLab, we have found that this is basically true, which is why we, for example, favor “boring technology,” even if it might not be the best possible solution for a given scenario. But this doesn’t tell the whole story: It turns out that such software is not just more successful, it also ends up being qualitatively better in the end.\n\n## Worse is even better\n\nIt is important to note that Gabriel’s original argument was not that **bad** software wins out. In fact, both his “worse” and his “better” have the same qualities:\n\n1. Simplicity, of interface and implementation\n2. Correctness\n3. Consistency\n4. Completeness\n\nHowever, his “worse” and his “better” have slightly different weights for the value placed on these characteristics, with the (worse) New Jersey school favoring simplicity of implementation over simplicity of interface, whereas the (better) “MIT” school favors simplicity of interface, even at the cost of a more complex implementation.\n\nIf a simple interface can be achieved with a simple implementation, both schools agree, the difference comes when there are tradeoffs to be made.\n\nWhat makes worse even better, and what Gabriel didn’t take into account even in later [versions](https://www.dreamsongs.com/WorseIsBetter.html), is the tremendous value of feedback loops. Being early doesn’t just let the New Jersey approach win in the marketplace, it also allows it to collect feedback much, much earlier and much more quickly than the MIT approach.\n\nPaul MacCready won the first [Kremer prize](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kremer_prize) not by initially setting out to build the best human-powered aircraft, but by building the one that was easiest to repair in order to gather feedback more quickly. While other teams took a year or more to recover from a crash, his plane sometimes flew again the same day. And so it was exactly this willingness to lose sight of the prize that resulted in him winning it.\n\nIn much the same way, it is these quick feedback loops that a “worse” approach enables, started much earlier, that eventually lead to a better product.\n\n## The problem with plugins\n\nAt least since the success of Photoshop, a proper plugin interface has been recognized as _The Right Way_ to make software both more compelling for users and less easy to leave behind by creating a third-party ecosystem that provides useful functionality without the vendor having to provide all of that functionality themselves.\n\nIt was so successful that systems like OpenDoc took the idea further to be just a set of plugins, with no real hosting application. None of these systems succeeded in the marketplace.\n\nOne of the reasons is that good plugin interfaces are not just hard, but downright fiendishly difficult to develop. The basic difficulty is that it is hard to get the balance right: what to expose, what to keep hidden, how to provide functionality. But that’s not the fiendish part.\n\nThe fiendishly difficult part of plugin API development is that the very things you need to do to handle the difficulties make the task even harder: You need to design more carefully, you need to make interfaces stable, you can only iterate them slowly.\n\nIn short: You face a chicken-and-egg problem of premature abstraction. In order to make a good plugin API, you need to see it being used, but in order to see how it is being used, you need to first have it. This dynamic delays initial availability and makes feedback cycles slower.\n\nSoftware is not the only domain facing this problem. Parks, for example, often have official paths that don’t match where people actually want to go. One group of landscape architects solved this by doing less: They didn’t put in any walkways in a park they had created. Instead, they waited for trails to materialize as people walked where they needed to walk. Only after those trails had materialized did they pave them, making them official.\n\nLast but not least, a plugin interface means that the final product the user sees, consisting of both the core application and all the plugins, is not as well-integrated as it could be. The value proposition of “here is a box with tools, have fun!” sounds a lot more enticing to developers than it does to end users, even when those tools are, by themselves, best of breed.\n\n## Open core\n\nOpen core, on the other hand, sounds like exactly the wrong approach, certainly from a software engineering point of view, as there are no defined black-box boundaries, but also from a business point of view as there doesn’t seem to be an actual mutually reinforcing ecosystem.\n\nHowever, the open core approach is great for end users, both for adopters who just want to use it and also adapters who need to tailor the system to their use case. And in the end, it is the end users that count.\n\nFor adapters, the system is immediately hackable. There is no need to wait for the vendor to provide a plugin interface in the first place, and no need to wait more for the vendor to make that plugin interface provide the functionality needed for a particular application some time in the future, if ever. Even if changes to the core application are required, this is at least possible.\n\nSince there is more adaptation activity happening sooner, the system becomes better at accommodating adaptation needs, and a virtuous cycle ensues.\n\nFor adopters, the benefits are multifold: First, the system gets more functionality more quickly, which is always good. Almost more importantly, this functionality is integrated by the vendor and provided as an integrated whole. There is a reason single-vendor office suites succeeded where OpenDoc’s toolbox approach failed.\n\nThat said, an open core approach does require solid engineering, a good architectural base, and ongoing vigilance. As [explained earlier](https://thenewstack.io/why-were-sticking-with-ruby-on-rails-at-gitlab/), we believe that Ruby on Rails provided us with a good starting point to build GitLab as a solid modular monolith, both approachable and well-structured. With that as a starting point, good design is encouraged by example, rather than being enforced by strict API boundary. Enforcement, on the other hand, comes in a more human form as pull requests are considered, shaped, and approved or rejected.\n\nSo boundaries still exist, but instead of being brick walls to crash against, they are low fences that are noticeably present, but can be stepped over if needed.\n\nAnd although these low fences are considered “worse” than the brick walls we are used to, they actually lead to better outcomes for everybody involved.\n",[682,749,9],{"slug":3424,"featured":6,"template":685},"open-core-is-worse-than-plugins","content:en-us:blog:open-core-is-worse-than-plugins.yml","Open Core Is Worse Than Plugins","en-us/blog/open-core-is-worse-than-plugins.yml","en-us/blog/open-core-is-worse-than-plugins",{"_path":3430,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":3431,"content":3436,"config":3441,"_id":3443,"_type":13,"title":3444,"_source":15,"_file":3445,"_stem":3446,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/open-source-analytics",{"title":3432,"description":3433,"ogTitle":3432,"ogDescription":3433,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2424,"ogUrl":3434,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":3434,"schema":3435},"4 Examples of the power of open source analytics","Our Data and Analytics team manager reflects on how open source and radical transparency has benefited analytics work at GitLab.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/open-source-analytics","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"4 Examples of the power of open source analytics\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Taylor Murphy\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-04-15\",\n      }",{"title":3432,"description":3433,"authors":3437,"heroImage":2424,"date":3438,"body":3439,"category":747,"tags":3440},[3284],"2019-04-15","\nOne of the great parts of working for a company with such a strong [open source](/solutions/open-source/) ethos is that\nyou're able to apply this philosophy to other parts of the company. We on the Data Team\nhave worked hard to embody the [values of GitLab](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/),\nparticularly collaboration and transparency.\n\nIt starts by defaulting to public for everything. Our [primary code repository](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-data/analytics/)\nis public and MIT licensed, meaning anybody can contribute or just take what they find useful.\nOur code, issues, and [documentation](/handbook/business-technology/data-team/) are public.\n\n## This radical transparency has had several positive side effects\n\n### The effect I'm most excited about is having people contribute to our codebase.\n\nWhen we were migrating to Snowflake for our data warehouse, we needed to convert our SQL code\nthat was specific to PostgreSQL to a Snowflake-compatible format.\nOne of the models in our codebase [generates a table](https://dbt.gitlabdata.com/#!/model/model.gitlab_snowflake.date_details) of dates and related metadata such as day of year, week of year, quarter, etc.\nAn external contributor, [Matthias Wirtz](https://gitlab.com/swiffer), who had been following our\nproject and the [Meltano](https://meltano.com/) project, took it upon himself to make the\nupdate and create a merge request in our project. We went back and forth a bit with code review\nand testing, but eventually [it was merged](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-data/analytics/merge_requests/476/diffs) and we now rely on this code today!\n\n### Another great benefit is that it makes conversations easier within the analytics community.\n\nA key part of our data stack is data build tool, or [dbt](https://www.getdbt.com/) for short.\nThis is a powerful open source project that makes version controlling and executing SQL code easy.\nThe company behind the project, [Fishtown Analytics](https://www.fishtownanalytics.com/),\nhosts a great community on [Slack](https://slack.getdbt.com/). I've been able to answer basic\nquestions about project structure, documentation, and testing just by linking to our codebase and\n[dbt-generated docs](https://dbt.gitlabdata.com)\ncountless times, and the feedback is always positive. We see people who are shocked that\nwe're so open but also appreciative that they can poke around a production codebase with ease.\n\n### An additional benefit that we've seen is that by putting everything out in the open we're helping to drive the industry forward.\n\nIt's one thing to say \"Here's what we're doing, but sorry you can't see the code\" versus\n\"Here's what we're doing, here's _how_ we're doing it, and what are your ideas to make it better?\"\nThe latter invites people into the conversation to build upon ideas and others' creations.\n\n### The last piece I want to highlight is the idea that the actual code that you use for analytics isn't your company's competitive advantage.\n\nYou could know exactly how we move, store, model, and analyze our data, and its utility for a\ncompetitor would primarily be to get their own analytics off the ground.\nThe real value is the data itself and the decisions people make from the results of your analyses.\nWe, of course, protect our data and our customers' data, but there's no reason why people\nshouldn't be able to see how we _use_ that data to make decisions. And, being a transparent company,\nwe're very open about the decisions we make as well.\n\nOverall, we're seeing the same transformation that software engineering underwent with the [DevOps\nmovement](/topics/devops/) happen in the analytics world, only with about a five-year lag.\nMore open source tools are being created for data teams every day, and more people are sharing\nhow they build their stacks and analyze their data. At GitLab, we're betting that our [core values](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/)\ncan bring emergent positive benefits to every part of a company, including data teams!\nWe look forward to collaborating with you as this industry changes and grows!\n",[9,706,749],{"slug":3442,"featured":6,"template":685},"open-source-analytics","content:en-us:blog:open-source-analytics.yml","Open Source Analytics","en-us/blog/open-source-analytics.yml","en-us/blog/open-source-analytics",{"_path":3448,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":3449,"content":3455,"config":3460,"_id":3462,"_type":13,"title":3463,"_source":15,"_file":3464,"_stem":3465,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/open-source-tools-for-citizen-journalists",{"title":3450,"description":3451,"ogTitle":3450,"ogDescription":3451,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":3452,"ogUrl":3453,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":3453,"schema":3454},"How the Colmena project uses GitLab to support citizen journalists","Find out why the Colmena project, a GitLab Open Source Partner, relies on a DevSecOps platform to develop and deliver open source tools for citizen journalism.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749683016/Blog/Hero%20Images/citizenjournalism.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/open-source-tools-for-citizen-journalists","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"How the Colmena project uses GitLab to support citizen journalists\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Bryan Behrenshausen\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2023-09-27\",\n      }",{"title":3450,"description":3451,"authors":3456,"heroImage":3452,"date":3457,"body":3458,"category":747,"tags":3459},[2723],"2023-09-27","\nIn an increasingly crowded media ecosystem, finding an audience — and being heard — can be difficult, especially for indigenous communities with limited access to global platforms. But using the open source [Colmena project](https://blog.colmena.media/), anyone can collaboratively plan, record, edit, and distribute hyperlocal and community-focused media products that reach audiences worldwide.\n\nThe Colmena project (which takes its name from the Spanish word for \"beehive\") is a [GitLab Open Source Partner](https://go.gitlab.com/030Ue3). I recently spoke with community members [Nils Brock](https://gitlab.com/nilsbrock), [Vivienne Gager](https://gitlab.com/vivienne.maria), and [Santiago Garcia Gago](https://gitlab.com/SantiagoGG) about how they use GitLab to help people find their voices, tell their stories, and help their communities.\n\nWe conducted our interview iteratively, asynchronously, and collaboratively [via merge request](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/marketing/developer-relations/open-source-program/gitlab-open-source-partners/publications-and-presentations/-/merge_requests/9).\n\n**Welcome to the the GitLab Open Source Partners community! We're so delighted you're here. Tell our readers more about Colmena. What is it?**\n\nBrock, Gager, and Garcia Gago: Colmena is open technology for journalists. Think of it as a mobile digital newsroom for field reporters and media outlets. Our software enables users to create and share content. But here is what's special: The solution is developed together with local and community media from the Global South, is free to use, and is completely open source. \n\nThe backbone of Colmena is a custom-made digital newsroom for production teams, which includes all essential features for content creation, with special consideration for audio productions and transmissions. So we have audio streaming and podcast production workflows, a mobile recording option (face-to-face and online interviews), and mobile text and audio editing tools. All tools are set up for cross-media collaboration and are highly customizable. It's also important to note that Colmena is already available in eight languages, including English, Arabic, and Ukranian.\n\nBut Colmena doesn't need to stop there. We are always open for new suggestions.\n\n**Where can users download Colmena? How can they use it?**\n\nAs a lightweight app (a so-called \"progressive web application,\" or PWA), Colmena performs on a wide range of mobile and desktop devices for easy online/offline creation and collaboration. On the server side, we have established a secure and federated architecture, offering cloud-based sharing, storage, and publishing wherever you want, be it your own website on social media or other platforms.\n\n**How did the project get started? What mission, vision, and values drive it?**\n\nThe initiative [was born as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic](https://p.dw.com/p/3ydGf), and it's led by DW Akademie and the Mexican NGO Redes por la Diversidad, Equidad y Sustentabilidad A.C. The project is supported by the German Federal Ministry of Economic development and Cooperation (BMZ) as part of the Global Crisis Initiative (GKI).\n\n[Our vision](https://p.dw.com/p/40B1S) is to provide safe and inclusive digital tools for the communication, creation, and sharing of human rights-based content, to defend and extend freedom of expression to all parts of the world. And as the driving force behind the Colmena project, our mission is to sustainably maintain and develop the open source Colmena software as a commons, based on the needs of community-centered communication, networking, and media practices of the global majority.\n\nCollaboration is an important aspect of Colmena's development model. We develop the application working closely with [media partners](https://p.dw.com/p/4B1ID), to whom we refer as \"communities of practice\" (CoPs). Generally, one or two members of each CoP serve as representatives of their media outlets in the Colmena project. One might say they have the most important role in the project. Colmena is a collective response to their needs, and we want to design it to overcome challenges they face.\n\n**How does the Colmena project use GitLab to accomplish all this?**\n\nWe use of GitLab for the Colmena Project in three different ways. The first use is quite technical: We use it as [a development platform and code repository](https://git.colmena.network/maia). All repositories for the Colmena PWA are public; we keep only the \"infra\" project private (since that's where the data of our development servers are stored).\n\nSecondly, [GitLab's wiki feature](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/wiki/) serves us quite well as a documentation space for both our general work team and additional collaborators, who are the coordinators of our CoPs and the media partners involved in the co-creation of Colmena. [In the wiki](https://git.colmena.network/maia/frontend/-/wikis/home), for instance, we socialize information for the onboarding of new team members — like general information on the project, additional literature, and manuals of the tools we use in the project and documentation of conducted workshops for internal knowledge sharing. Before we had this documentation stored in a Nextcloud instance, but using GitLab for this work creates deeper understanding between the users, coordinators, and the development team about Colmena development processes and workflows.\n\nFinally, we maintain [an open \"support\" project](https://git.colmena.network/maia/support/-/issues?scope=all&state=all). In this project, the coordinators of the CoPs, who work with 30 media outlets from different countries, collect suggestions or detected bugs and report them. The development team evaluates and responds to each of them. If they need specialized attention — for example, development of a new feature or some bug fixing — we move these these issues to the corresponding development projects. We are currently migrating this repository from our self-hosted instance [to Gitlab.com](https://gitlab.com/colmena-project/communities-of-practice).\n\n**Why did the Colmena project choose GitLab as its development platform?**\n\nColmena was born as a free and open source software project; many of the developers and members of the coordination team have been involved in free software and community media projects before (for example, in the [Network of Community Radios and Free Software](https://liberaturadio.org/)). Our project always wanted to maintain this philosophy when looking for suitable software development platforms. That's why we chose GitLab: It shares our ideals regarding software development and knowledge sharing. Furthermore, Colmena is proud to use GitLab together with other free software projects that we have been using for ages, such as [Inkscape, Debian, and VLC](https://go.gitlab.com/030Ue3).\n\nBesides the shared philosophy, however, GitLab offers us technical options that other platforms do not. For example, it can be self-hosted, allows for management of groups and subgroups is, and features integrated planning tools like [epics](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/group/epics/) and [roadmaps](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/group/roadmap/) that really benefit the development process.\n\n**How can potential contributors learn more about Colmena?**\n\nIf you want to get in touch with us, please visit [our website](https://colmena.media) or write the team directly at `info@colmena.media`. You can also [browse the project and contirbute on GitLab](https://gitlab.com/colmena-project).\n\n## Watch the webcast \nWatch our interview with the Colmena project.\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n  \u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/4wIg2M1EoHI\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\u003C/figure>\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\n## Learn more\nThe [GitLab Open Source Partners](https://go.gitlab.com/030Ue3) are building the future of open source on GitLab. Connect with them on [Gitlab.com](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/marketing/community-relations/open-source-program/gitlab-open-source-partners).\n",[749,9,705],{"slug":3461,"featured":6,"template":685},"open-source-tools-for-citizen-journalists","content:en-us:blog:open-source-tools-for-citizen-journalists.yml","Open Source Tools For Citizen Journalists","en-us/blog/open-source-tools-for-citizen-journalists.yml","en-us/blog/open-source-tools-for-citizen-journalists",{"_path":3467,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":3468,"content":3474,"config":3479,"_id":3481,"_type":13,"title":3482,"_source":15,"_file":3483,"_stem":3484,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/pair-gitlab-and-the-good-docs-project-template-to-improve-release-notes",{"title":3469,"description":3470,"ogTitle":3469,"ogDescription":3470,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":3471,"ogUrl":3472,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":3472,"schema":3473},"Pair GitLab and The Good Docs Project template to improve release notes","Creating compelling, detailed, human-readable notes for software releases is important. Using GitLab and this template from The Good Docs Project makes it easier.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1750099541/Blog/Hero%20Images/Blog/Hero%20Images/AdobeStock_432673748_5xWPNsktdz2QChWhl16jGq_1750099540656.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/pair-gitlab-and-the-good-docs-project-template-to-improve-release-notes","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Pair GitLab and The Good Docs Project template to improve release notes\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Aaron Peters, Member, Good Docs Project\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2024-01-23\",\n      }",{"title":3469,"description":3470,"authors":3475,"heroImage":3471,"date":3476,"body":3477,"category":747,"tags":3478},[1487],"2024-01-23","Release notes allow software users to quickly understand the changes that come with the latest version of software. They also allow software publishers to highlight changes as important, or provide crucial information about the impact an upgrade may have. Some tools allow developers to \"generate\" release notes based on sources of data (such as completed items in DevOps systems), but notes produced this way tend to simply list changes without context. Writing release notes, however, provides teams with the opportunity to \"tell the story\" of the changes the new software version will bring.\n\nThough this process certainly requires a greater investment of time than publishing a basic changelog does, your users will certainly appreciate the results: release notes that explain the key elements of the release (such as new features, improvements, and known issues) in a well-organized, human-readable way.\n\n[The Good Docs Project's](https://thegooddocsproject.dev/welcome/) release notes template is designed to help you do exactly that. And the combination of GitLab's work management platform and our own [Release Notes template](https://gitlab.com/tgdp/templates/-/tree/main/release-notes?ref_type=heads) makes the job of putting out good, informative release notes easier.\n\n## The anatomy of quality release notes\n\nRelease notes that provide readers with a good picture of the version's changes require two primary inputs:\n\n- **A list of the changes included in the release**\n  At The Good Docs Project, all the management of the work of our contributors occurs in GitLab. So it's easy to refer to our release plans to identify which additions and improvements were completed and included in the release.\n- **A description of those changes including reasoning, importance, and impact**\n  This is where our project's Release Notes template can assist. Rather than staring at a blank page, wondering where to start, users can begin to fill in our template step-by-step, adjusting to taste.\n\nWe'll walk through each of these steps in the following sections as they occurred when creating the release notes to [our recent Dragon release](https://gitlab.com/tgdp/templates/-/releases/v1.1.0).\n\n## Gathering a release's changes\n\nAt The Good Docs Project, we use GitLab features — including setting milestones, creating/assigning issues, and tagging releases — to get our work out into the community (our prior blog post here at GitLab describes this process). The platform allows our worldwide contributor base to easily discover new things to work on and update everyone on their progress once they select something. When the time comes to package a release, it brings the added benefit of a tidy list of issues included in the project at the time of release.\n\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1752176084/Blog/hxo08y06apkumwuwm80c.png\" alt=\"The Milestone screen in GitLab provides an easy-to-scan list of work included in the release\" width=\"100%\" height=\"auto\">\n\nWhen creating the release notes for our project's Dragon milestone, we reviewed all the items included in the **Closed** column on the Milestone screen. This allowed us to pick the most important changes to highlight, while leaving out issues that wouldn't significantly impact a user's experience.\n\n## Crafting the release notes\n\nEquipped with a list of all the key updates in the release, we start writing the release notes. Our project's [Release Notes template](https://gitlab.com/tgdp/templates/-/blob/main/release-notes/template-release-notes.md?ref_type=heads) provides a ready-made Markdown skeleton comprised of key sections based on our contributors' research and experience. The accompanying [usage guide](https://gitlab.com/tgdp/templates/-/blob/main/release-notes/guide-release-notes.md?ref_type=heads) and [example of the template in action](https://gitlab.com/tgdp/templates/-/blob/main/release-notes/example-release-notes.md?ref_type=heads) provides additional tips and suggestions for writing effective release notes. The latter references our **Chronologue** project, a fictional telescope and application that can see through time, which is naturally well-documented.\n\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1752176091/Blog/jcpfxjqb5jpidssm3jlr.png\" alt=\"The Release Notes template comes ready to populate with 'the story' of your latest release\" width=\"100%\" height=\"auto\">\n\nOf course, our template is simply a starting point. Teams should always feel free to add sections where they make sense, remove them where they don't, and make the style of it their own. For example, we left out the **Bug fixes** and **Known issues** sections in our latest Dragon release notes, instead focusing on the new additions and improvements this release brought.\n\n## Adding release notes to the release\n\nGitLab's build tools also make it easy to add our notes while actually creating the release. First, we tagged one of our project's commits, then created a release from the tag. On GitLab's **Releases > New** screen, we can copy and paste the Markdown we wrote to automatically format the release notes.\n\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1752176096/Blog/otwduhvokgnqclon4ugx.png\" alt=\"Our templates are already in Markdown format, so when it's time to paste them into the release it works automagically!\" width=\"100%\" height=\"auto\">\n\nAnd just like that our release notes are done. With the assistance of the template, they required just an hour to write. And after an additional half-hour of work creating the release, we're ready to send our work out to the community. Our experience using the combination of GitLab and our templates has made the process of shipping our templates a piece of cake.\n\nIf you'd like to check out our templates, feel free to browse [our GitLab project](https://gitlab.com/tgdp).\nOr visit our [community page](https://thegooddocsproject.dev/community/) to learn how to join us in leveling up the state of technical documentation.\n\n*The [GitLab Open Source Partners](https://go.gitlab.com/030Ue3) are building the future of open source on GitLab. [Connect with them](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/marketing/developer-relations/open-source-program/gitlab-open-source-partners) on Gitlab.com.*\n",[749,479,9,1025],{"slug":3480,"featured":90,"template":685},"pair-gitlab-and-the-good-docs-project-template-to-improve-release-notes","content:en-us:blog:pair-gitlab-and-the-good-docs-project-template-to-improve-release-notes.yml","Pair Gitlab And The Good Docs Project Template To Improve Release Notes","en-us/blog/pair-gitlab-and-the-good-docs-project-template-to-improve-release-notes.yml","en-us/blog/pair-gitlab-and-the-good-docs-project-template-to-improve-release-notes",{"_path":3486,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":3487,"content":3493,"config":3499,"_id":3501,"_type":13,"title":3502,"_source":15,"_file":3503,"_stem":3504,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/proximus-customer-story-clearcase-to-gitlab",{"title":3488,"description":3489,"ogTitle":3488,"ogDescription":3489,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":3490,"ogUrl":3491,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":3491,"schema":3492},"Proximus shares its #movingtoGitLab story","Moving to GitLab resulted in an 80 percent drop in support tickets and an increase in developer productivity.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749678603/Blog/Hero%20Images/traffic-at-sunset.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/proximus-customer-story-clearcase-to-gitlab","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Proximus shares its #movingtoGitLab story\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Bert Van Eyck\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-06-07\",\n      }",{"title":3488,"description":3489,"authors":3494,"heroImage":3490,"date":3496,"body":3497,"category":679,"tags":3498},[3495],"Bert Van Eyck","2019-06-07","\n[Proximus](https://www.proximus.com/) is a telecommunication company providing services to residential, enterprise, and public users. We are the leading provider of telephony, internet, television, and network-based ICT services in Belgium, with more than 2 million customers.\n\n## Our road to GitLab\n\nThe technical divisions of Proximus deliver a big part of the applications and systems required for delivering the best possible service to our end users. It includes all types of capabilities such as network construction, network maintenance, product ordering, product selling, billing, etc.\nSome examples of our development include:\n\n- Our website, [Proximus.be](https://www.proximus.be), on which users can find product info, support info and so much more.\n- A mobile app where everyone can check their usage, products, bills, etc.\n- Television interface.\n- A television app.\n\nTo ensure a performant and stable working environment for our developers, we have been working for several years to create a CI/CD DevOps workflow.\n\nThe first complete chain started in 2014 and used tools like ClearCase, Jenkins, Nexus, etc. By 2015 we had about 200 applications which were using our end-to-end chain to build and deploy in all different environments.\n\nIn 2016, to continue to improve our delivery chain, we considered switching ClearCase to Git. Despite ClearCase being a powerful tool, we noticed that the learning curve and the ease of use of ClearCase was not optimal. Also some of the tools we used were starting to lose compatibility.\n\nWe quickly came across GitLab and decided to try our first setup with [GitLab CE](/blog/gitlab-tiers/) in mid-2016.\n\n## The evolution of GitLab inside Proximus\n\nOur first implementation of Gitlab was rapidly a real success and the popularity of GitLab was increasing exponentially within our developer community. So, we decided to set up a corporate GitLab CE server at Proximus and to promote the creation of all new applications using our existing CI/CD chain with GitLab as source code management.\nIn just one year of using GitLab, we grew to 325 projects and about 600 users.\n\nBecause GitLab was becoming a big part of our tool set, we switched to GitLab EE in Q2 of 2017. This allowed us to use more features of GitLab such as: LDAP groups, push rules, mirror repositories, etc.\nAnd of course, with the enterprise edition you also receive additional support. With the enterprise edition we also started moving applications from ClearCase to GitLab.\n\nWe were also investigating and testing other features to expand our use of GitLab in the meantime:\n\n- Some projects have started using GitLab CI to build.\n- Integration with Jira has been implemented.\n- Currently experimenting with a first setup of GitLab’s global search function in combination with Elasticsearch.\n\nBy the end of 2018 we had grown to almost 1,000 users and 1,700 projects.\n\n## Challenges\n\nOur biggest challenge was to maintain and ensure a stable environment while growing rapidly. When we started using GitLab CI we encountered some issues with the large number of pipelines and jobs being created, which were consuming a lot of our resources. But [as of GitLab 11.6 a feature has been provided to remove pipelines with their job logs when using API](/releases/2018/12/22/gitlab-11-6-released/#pipelines-can-now-be-deleted-by-project-maintainers-using-api), which helped a lot.\n\n## Results\n\nSince we started using GitLab, we have been able to provide our developers with faster setup and support. Another very noticeable side effect of switching to GitLab was the significant drop in the number of support tickets created by the developers. Our first full year of using GitLab inside our CI/CD setup resulted in **80 percent** fewer tickets.\n\nEven in 2018, after our total number of users had grown to almost 1,000, the number of projects had multiplied by five and we migrated 75 applications to GitLab. We still had **65 percent** fewer tickets.\n\nIn the future, we will continue looking into expanding our GitLab environment and we hope to continue the positive evolution together with the support of GitLab.\n",[9,877,230,1200,749],{"slug":3500,"featured":6,"template":685},"proximus-customer-story-clearcase-to-gitlab","content:en-us:blog:proximus-customer-story-clearcase-to-gitlab.yml","Proximus Customer Story Clearcase To Gitlab","en-us/blog/proximus-customer-story-clearcase-to-gitlab.yml","en-us/blog/proximus-customer-story-clearcase-to-gitlab",{"_path":3506,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":3507,"content":3513,"config":3519,"_id":3521,"_type":13,"title":3522,"_source":15,"_file":3523,"_stem":3524,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/python-rust-and-gitlab-ci",{"title":3508,"description":3509,"ogTitle":3508,"ogDescription":3509,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":3510,"ogUrl":3511,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":3511,"schema":3512},"From idea to production with Python, Rust and GitLab CI","GitLab hero Mario Garcia demos the intricate process at GitLab Commit London.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749678507/Blog/Hero%20Images/lightbulb.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/python-rust-and-gitlab-ci","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Bringing your application from idea to production using Python, Rust, and GitLab CI\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Sara Kassabian\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-11-15\",\n      }",{"title":3514,"description":3509,"authors":3515,"heroImage":3510,"date":3516,"body":3517,"category":296,"tags":3518},"Bringing your application from idea to production using Python, Rust, and GitLab CI",[700],"2019-11-15","\nDuring his talk at GitLab Commit London, GitLab Hero [Mario García](https://gitlab.com/mattdark), explains how he troubleshooted his way through numerous roadblocks to take his Firebase application from development to production using Rust, Python and GitLab CI.\n\n## Rewriting from Python to Rust\n\n### What is Rust?\n\nWhile Python is a household name among developers, Rust is the new kid on the block when it comes to a systems programming language.\n\n[Rust](https://www.rust-lang.org/) was developed by Mozilla is giving to the world, it's been in development since 2009 with a first stable version released in May 2015 and it aims to improve memory usage while maintaining performance and speed. Mario, who is a Mozilla representative, dedicated himself to learning Rust in late 2015. He started this journey by reading the Rust book, [solving programming exercises](https://exercism.io/tracks/rust), migrating Python code to Rust, and then rewriting one of his [personal projects, a gallery for reveal.js presentations, in Rust](https://gitlab.com/mattdark/reveal-js-gallery).\n\nReveal-js is a framework for creating presentations using HTML, and allows the user to store speaker notes, images, and more in a presentation gallery. Mario first wrote his gallery app in Python but migrated the project into Rust while he was learning the new language and found the process to be relatively painless. But it wasn’t long before Mario hit a bump in the road when it came to using Rust for other projects.\n\n### Problems with Rust\n\n“I was working on another project that I applied to the Mozilla Open Leaders program two years ago,” said Mario. “And for this project I was using [Cairo SVG Python library](https://cairosvg.org/). I needed this specific library because I was converting SVG files to PDF. So that's how I found out that it was _impossible_ to rewrite this specific part with Rust because there is no alternative available in Rust for this library.”\n\nNot only did Rust lack an alternative to the CairoSVG Python library, but there was also no crates (Rust libraries) for Firebase. Mario needed Firebase for his project that takes the database of speaker information and automatically generates certificates of participation.\n\nMario was presenting an example of a web app at Google I/O Extended on how to use Rust and Firebase with web apps. But there was no functional library in Rust that could connect with Firebase and retrieve data from the database.\n\nMario came up with a solution: use Python.\n\n_More of a video person? Watch Mario’s entire presentation from GitLab Commit London in the video below, or follow along step by step in this blog post._\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n  \u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/BYfJBa_79Xo\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\u003C/figure>\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\n## Using Python and Rust together\n\nIn his presentation at GitLab Commit London, Mario demonstrated how he managed to build a Firebase web application in Rust using Python, and deploy it using GitLab CI so fellow GitLab users can try to replicate his process, or get some input if they're also having difficulties.\n\n### Configure your environment\n\nThe first step is to make sure that your environment is properly configured. To use both Python, Rust, and GitLab CI, you’ll need the following on your machine:\n\n*   Git\n*   [GCC](https://crates.io/crates/gcc)\n    *   Rust needs a C compiler and Cargo, which is the package manager for Rust projects\n*   Rust\n    *   Nightly mode for this project\n    *   Cargo\n*   Python 3.5+\n    *   [pipenv](https://github.com/pypa/pipenv) for managing dependencies\n\nInstall Rust using [Rustup](https://rustup.rs/) by typing the code below into your terminal.\n\n`curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh`\n\nYou’ll also need to install bindings to run Python code directly from Rust, and that will also help with writing Python models using Rust code. Mario recommends [CPython](https://crates.io/crates/cpython)and [Py03](https://crates.io/crates/pyo3), but used CPython in this demo.\n\n### Kick-start your project\n\nNext, Mario describes the general process for creating a project using Python and Rust.\n\nCargo is a package manager for Rust projects, and will create a Cargo.toml file and src/ directory when its run. The Cargo.toml file is the manifest for the application and includes the dependencies the project requires. Within the src/ file is a [main.rs file](https://gitlab.com/mattdark/firebase-example/blob/master/src/main.rs) that contains an example of a Rust application.\n\nThe next step is to move through the src/ directory Cargo created to set up the default toolchain for the project.\n\n```ruby\n[package]\nname = \"firebase_sample\"\nversion = \"0.1.0\"\nauthors = [\"mattdark\"]\nedition = \"2018\"\n[dependencies]\ncpython = \"0.3\"\nserde = \"1.0.99\"\nserde_derive = \"1.0.99\"\nserde_json = \"1.0.40\"\nrocket = \"0.4.2\"\n[dependencies.rocket_contrib]\nversion = \"0.4\"\nfeatures = [\"handlebars_templates\"]\n```\n\nThe Cargo.toml file will show the name of the application, the version, authors etc. And if you’re working on Linux, it will take the user of your system and put it as the author of the project.\n{: .note}\n\n“The dependencies that we need for the project are CPython for the Python part, [Serde](https://serde.rs/), which is a library that help us with reading information for files like JSON, and Rocket, which is a web framework for Rust,” said Mario.\n\nNext, set the [Nightly version of Rust](https://doc.rust-lang.org/1.2.0/book/nightly-rust.html) as the default toolchain for the project.\n\nAdd a ‘python’ directory to src/ directory, where you’ll be adding the Python models required for this project to this directory.\n\nOnce the src/python is set-up, add the Pipfile or [requirements.txt file](https://gitlab.com/mattdark/firebase-example/blob/master/requirements.txt) for the dependencies of the Python module to the directory.\n\n```ruby\n[[source]]\nname = \"pypi\"\nurl = \"https://pypi.org/simple\"\nverify_ssl = true\n[dev-packages]\n[packages]\nfirebase = \"*\"\npython-jwt = \"*\"\ngcloud = \"*\"\nsseclient = \"*\"\npycrypto = \"*\"\nrequests-toolbelt = \"*\"\n[requires]\npython_version = \"3.7.3\"\n```\n\nThe Pipfile is an example of a project used for Firebase. Included here is all the dependencies we need for Firebase in the file, as well as the Python version in use.\n{: .note}\n\nNext write the Rust code in src/main.rs and add the Python scripts in src/python.\n\n### Writing the Python code\n\nMario’s Firebase application is designed to rake a database of speaker information and automatically generate certificates of participation in PDF format.\n\n```\n{\n  \"slides\" : {\n    \"privacymatters\" : {\n      \"description\" : \"Talk about privacy & security\",\n      \"file\" : \"privacy-matters.md\",\n      \"id\" : \"2\",\n      \"screenshot\" : \"/img/screenshot/privacy-matters.png\",\n      \"theme\" : \"mozilla.css\",\n      \"title\" : \"Why Privacy Matters?\",\n      \"url\" : \"privacy-matters\"\n    },\n    \"rust101\" : {\n      \"description\" : \"Introduction to Rust\",\n      \"file\" : \"rust-101.md\",\n      \"id\" : \"1\",\n      \"screenshot\" : \"/img/screenshot/rust-101.png\",\n      \"theme\" : \"mozilla.css\",\n      \"title\" : \"Rust 101\",\n      \"url\" : \"rust-101\"\n    },\n    \"rustrocket\" : {\n      \"description\" : \"Building Web Apps with Rust + Rocket\",\n      \"file\" : \"rust-rocket.md\",\n      \"id\" : \"3\",\n      \"screenshot\" : \"/img/screenshot/rust-rocket.png\",\n      \"theme\" : \"mozilla.css\",\n      \"title\" : \"Rust + Rocket\",\n      \"url\" : \"rust-rocket\"\n    },\n    \"whyrust\" : {\n      \"description\" : \"What is Rust and Why Learn it?\",\n      \"file\" : \"why-rust.md\",\n      \"id\" : \"4\",\n      \"screenshot\" : \"/img/screenshot/why-rust.png\",\n      \"theme\" : \"mozilla.css\",\n      \"title\" : \"Why Rust?\",\n      \"url\" : \"why-rust\"\n    }\n  }\n}\n```\n{: .language-ruby}\n\nInformation about Mario’s Firebase application lives in this JSON file of the Firebase database.\n{: .note}\n\nThe application is written in Rust, and therefore needed a Firebase connector. But since the is not a functional Firebase crate, Mario had to think outside the box and use the Python library.\n\n```\nimport json\nfrom firebase import Firebase\ndef read_data(self):\n    config = {\n        \"apiKey\": \"APIKEY\",\n        \"authDomain\": \"fir-speakers.firebaseapp.com\",\n        \"databaseURL\": \"https://fir-speakers.firebaseio.com\",\n        \"projectId\": \"fir-speakers\",\n        \"storageBucket\": \"\",\n        \"messagingSenderId\": \"MESSAGINGSENDERID\"\n    }\n    firebase = Firebase(config)\n    speaker = list()\n    db = firebase.database()\n    all_speakers = db.child(\"speakers\").get()\n    for x in all_speakers.each():\n        speaker.append(x.val())\n    s = json.dumps(speaker)\n    return s\n```\n{: .language-ruby}\n\n“For the Python part of the project, we have to connect to the Firebase database, retrieve the data and save it to a variable that later we will convert to JSON so that Rust can correctly rake the data and pass it to the HTML5,” said Mario.\n\n### Troubleshooting\n\nThere was a profound lack of documentation about how to use Rust and Python together to build a Firebase application, and Mario ran into even more hurdles as he tried to troubleshoot.\n\nThe two major problems that he was trying to solve were:\n\n*   Calling a Python script (.py) from Rust\n*   Passing a value from Rust to Python\n\n“In the Github repositories for these projects – well at least for the library that I'm using – there is no information about how you can do those tasks,” said Mario.\n\nAfter hours of researching and testing, he discovered a solution.\n\n### Building the Project\n\nMario was able to run the Python script from Rust and execute the function that connects to the Firebase database. Once connected to the Firebase database, the process will retrieve the data and funnel it back to Rust as JSON.\n\n![Rust code](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/python_and_rust_post/rust-code.jpg){: .shadow.medium.center}\n\nAfter some troubleshooting, Mario discovered the proper code to run in Rust to bridge the gap between Rust and the Firebase application.\n{: .note-text.center}\n\nNext, the Rust code will convert the values into a HashMap, and pass that information to an HTML file.\n\nNow that the project is built, it’s time to run it using:\n\n```\ncargo run\npipenv run cargo run\n```\nTo see your project type `localhost:8000` into the web browser.\nThe result should look similar to what you see here and in the [GitLab project](https://gitlab.com/mattdark/reveal-js-gallery).\n\n![GitLab project preview](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/python_and_rust_post/gitlabproject.jpg){: .shadow.medium.center}\n\n## Deploying the application with GitLab CI\n\n### Dockerize the application\n\nTo configure for GitLab CI, Mario had to choose a Docker image for running the test and deployment. There is a custom Docker image for Rust that can be customized to fit the specific version for Rust, which in this case is Rust Nightly.\n\n`rustlang/rust:nightly`\n\n“The problem is that the Python version that is installed in these Docker image is based on Debian image itself, so we need pipenv and we need other tools to be installed,” said Mario.\n\nSo Mario customized the Docker image and generated a second one that has the pipenv components.\n\n### Create the repository\n\nNow that the Docker images are configured for the application, it’s time to create the repository and upload the code using the Terminal or GitKraken.\n\nThe next – and arguably the most important – step in the process is **documentation**. Mario urges all users to upload any and all relevant files to the repository, such as the README, LICENSE, CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md, etc.\n\nOnce the necessary files are uploaded into the repository, it’s time to start configuring for GitLab CI.\n\nMario recommends using Gitignore.io to the .gitignore file for the technologies being used for the project (in this case, Rust or Python). There are three key files that need to be written to configure the pipelines required for running GitLab CI:\n\n*   **Procfile**: A way to tell a platform like Heroku what is the binary file for the project. Since the project is being developed with Rust, it will generate a binary file that needs to be executed.\n*   **RustConfig**: Contains the version of Rust we are using for the project.\n*   **Rocket.toml**: Can be used to specify the configuration parameters for the environment.\n\nYou can find examples of these files in the [Firebase example project on GitLab](https://gitlab.com/mattdark/firebase-example/tree/prod).\n\n### GitLab CI\n\nAll of these efforts go into preparing the application for deployment using GitLab CI. Deployment with GitLab CI is simple, because each stage of the deployment process lives in a yaml file. [Mario’s gitlab-ci.yml file](https://gitlab.com/mattdark/firebase-example/blob/master/.gitlab-ci.yml) only includes the build and production stages, but [more comprehensive information about GitLab CI is available here](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/).\n\n## Document, document, document\n\nThe lack of documentation created significant delays for Mario as he tried to get his Firebase application off the ground. While in this case the information he required was difficult to track down even in English, there are even more substantial barriers for non-native English speakers or non-English speaking programmers.\n\n>>“I'm from Mexico, so I'm living in a Spanish-speaking country and I started learning English 15 years ago. That means that I'm in a privileged position. When we are writing the documentation sometimes, we forget that not many people have the opportunity to learn English,” said Mario. “I'm talking about English because most of the information and documentation of technologies that are available in this language. So if we live in a non-English speaking country, don't forget to write the documentation in our native language.”\n\nHis comments resonated strongly with the GitLab Commit London audience.\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"false\" /}\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"center\">\n\n\u003Cblockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\u003Cp lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">This is so important for accessibility.\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>Same goes for filling documentation full of jargon and marketing terms.\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>Documentation is there to inform those who don't have the knowledge, presuming knowledge just furthers a toxic culture of gatekeeping. \u003Ca href=\"https://t.co/k7EILtHuvy\">pic.twitter.com/k7EILtHuvy\u003C/a>\u003C/p>— Matt Smith (@Harmelodic) \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/Harmelodic/status/1181946002720411648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 9, 2019\u003C/a>\u003C/blockquote> \u003Cscript async src=\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\">\u003C/script>\n\n\u003C/div>\n\nJoin us at GitLab Commit San Francisco to hear about the innovative ways users like Mario are using GitLab and other open source technologies! Registration information is available below.\n\nCover image by [Jack Carter](https://unsplash.com/@carterjack) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/s/photos/lightbulb).\n{: .note}\n",[108,9,1200],{"slug":3520,"featured":6,"template":685},"python-rust-and-gitlab-ci","content:en-us:blog:python-rust-and-gitlab-ci.yml","Python Rust And Gitlab Ci","en-us/blog/python-rust-and-gitlab-ci.yml","en-us/blog/python-rust-and-gitlab-ci",{"_path":3526,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":3527,"content":3532,"config":3537,"_id":3539,"_type":13,"title":3540,"_source":15,"_file":3541,"_stem":3542,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/q1-hackathon-announcement",{"title":3528,"description":3529,"ogTitle":3528,"ogDescription":3529,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1151,"ogUrl":3530,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":3530,"schema":3531},"Get ready for the Q1'2019 GitLab Hackathon","The first Hackathon in 2019 for the GitLab community will take place on February 12-13.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/q1-hackathon-announcement","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Get ready for the Q1'2019 GitLab Hackathon\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Ray Paik\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-01-14\",\n      }",{"title":3528,"description":3529,"authors":3533,"heroImage":1151,"date":3534,"body":3535,"category":747,"tags":3536},[744],"2019-01-14","\n\nFirst of all, I want to wish a Happy New Year to everyone in the GitLab community! I'm certainly looking forward to continued collaboration with everyone in 2019. Following successful [Hackathons in 2018](/community/hackathon/past-events/), I'm excited to announce that the first Hackathon this year will take place on Feb. 12-13.\n\n## What's the deal?\n\nThis is a virtual event where community members get together to work on merge requests (MRs) and also to welcome and help new contributors. We will be adding more details on [the Hackathon landing page](/community/hackathon/), as we get closer to the event, including prizes for everyone who has MRs merged within 10 days of the conclusion of the Hackathon.\n\n## What else is taking place?\n\nWe are again planning tutorial sessions where community experts will lead presentations plus Q&A sessions on a variety of topics. As speakers get confirmed, you will see tutorial sessions added on [the Hackathon landing page](/community/hackathon/). All the tutorial sessions will be recorded and added to the [GitLab Hackathon playlist](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFGfElNsQthapq-CyXBTVnT2yKqg1JrNh). If you missed tutorials from past Hackathons, I encourage you to check out videos from the playlist.\n\n![Hackthon playlist](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/hackathon-playlist.png){: .shadow.medium.center}\n*\u003Csmall>Tutorial videos on the Hackathon playlist\u003C/small>*\n\nFor the upcoming Hackathon, we will also be highlighting issues from different [GitLab product categories](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/product/categories/) that we want to encourage community members to work on. There will be additional prizes for community members who work on these issues and have MRs merged.\n\n## Where can I find help during the Hackathon?\n\nFor communications during the Hackathon, we will again use the [GitLab Community room in Gitter](https://gitter.im/gitlabhq/community). This is a channel designed to have community-related discussions and for community members to help each other as people have questions when contributing to GitLab. This is open to everyone, so please [join the room](https://gitter.im/gitlabhq/community) if you are not part of it already.\n\n## How do I get started with contributing?\n\nA good place to start is the [Contributing to GitLab page](/community/contribute/), where you can learn how you can\ncontribute to GitLab code, documentation, translation, and UX design.\n\nIf you have any questions, you are always welcome to reach me at rpaik@gitlab.com.\n\nCover image: [\"GitLab application screengrab\"](https://unsplash.com/photos/ZV_64LdGoao) by [Pankaj Patel](https://unsplash.com/@pankajpatel)\n{: .note}\n",[9,794,749,274],{"slug":3538,"featured":6,"template":685},"q1-hackathon-announcement","content:en-us:blog:q1-hackathon-announcement.yml","Q1 Hackathon Announcement","en-us/blog/q1-hackathon-announcement.yml","en-us/blog/q1-hackathon-announcement",{"_path":3544,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":3545,"content":3550,"config":3555,"_id":3557,"_type":13,"title":3558,"_source":15,"_file":3559,"_stem":3560,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/q1-hackathon-recap",{"title":3546,"description":3547,"ogTitle":3546,"ogDescription":3547,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1151,"ogUrl":3548,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":3548,"schema":3549},"What went down at the Q1'2020 GitLab Hackathon","A recap of GitLab community's accomplishments during another record-setting Hackathon on February 12-13.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/q1-hackathon-recap","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"What went down at the Q1'2020 GitLab Hackathon\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Ray Paik\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2020-03-25\",\n      }",{"title":3546,"description":3547,"authors":3551,"heroImage":1151,"date":3552,"body":3553,"category":792,"tags":3554},[744],"2020-03-25","\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"true\" /}\n\n\n\nThe GitLab community gathered on February 12-13 for the Q1 Hackathon and this is almost becoming a cliche, but the GitLab Community again set an impressive Hackathon record with [almost 150 MRs](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/marketing/community-relations/contributor-program/hackathon/-/issues/31)!\n\n## What did we accomplish?\n\nI'm not sure how many readers remember the first Hackathon in Q3'2018, but I remember being excited about [22 MRs](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/marketing/community-relations/contributor-program/hackathon/-/issues/4) submitted during the inaugural event. If someone told me we would see 147 MRs in a single Hackathon someday, I don't think I would have believed it. Again, I have to give big kudos to wider community members and reviewers who helped make our Hackathon such a fun and exciting event. \n\nI would like to highlight a few things from the Hackathon. First, just like in Q4 we had frontend Epics that resulted in many community contributions. One was [Replacing Underscore with Lodash](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/2412) created by [Scott Stern](https://gitlab.com/sstern) and the other was to [Migrate .fa-spinner to .spinner](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/956) that was created by [Brandon Labuschagne](https://gitlab.com/blabuschagne) before the Hackathon. Amazingly, both Scott and Brandon were able to review and provide feedback on over 50 MRs related to these Epics that turned out to be goldmines.   \n\nAlso during this Hackathon, there were MRs across more than 20 GitLab projects demonstrating the breadth of contributions (to go along with the volume). Not suprisingly, many people usually think of the [`gitlab` project](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab), but wider community members contributed to projects like [Charts](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/charts/gitlab), [Gitaly](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitaly/), [GitLab SVGs](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-svgs), [Gitter](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitter), [Omnibus](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/omnibus-gitlab/), [Pajama Design System](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-services/design.gitlab.com/), [Runner](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-runner/), [Secure](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/security-products), [www-gitlab-com](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/www-gitlab-com), and others during the event.   \n\nFinally, the [GitLab Meetup Group in Hamburg](https://www.meetup.com/GitLab-Meetup-Hamburg/) had their [meetup](https://www.meetup.com/GitLab-Meetup-Hamburg/events/268054258/) to coincide with the Hackathon, so [David Planella](https://gitlab.com/dplanella), [John Coghlan](https://gitlab.com/johncoghlan), and [I](https://gitlab.com/rpaik) were able to join the Hamburg meetup remotely to talk about the Hackathon and how to contribute to GitLab. We had a great time participating in the meetup and I want to thank [Philipp Westphalen](https://gitlab.com/Phil404) for not only inviting us, but also flawlessly working the conferencing tool and the audio/video equipments. If there are other GitLab meetup organizers who are interested in organizing your meetup around a Hackathon, please let me know! \n\n![Hamburg meetup](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/hackathon-blogpost/Hamburg-meetup.png){: .shadow.medium.center}\n\n## Hackathon prizes\n\nFor this Hackathon, we have a packable duffle for everyone who had their MRs merged by February 25th and [34 people](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/marketing/community-relations/contributor-program/hackathon/-/issues/33) will be receiving the GitLab branded duffle bag. This sets another record for the number of people with MRs merged during the Hackathon. As we did in the past several quarters, we have a prize for second place and [Raihan Kabir](https://gitlab.com/rk4bir) is the winner with 7 MRs merged. For the grand prize, I want to award two contributors [Takuya Noguchi](https://gitlab.com/tnir) with 13 MRs merged and [Rajendra Kadam](https://gitlab.com/raju249) with 17 MRs merged. Thanks and congratulatations to everyone!\n\n![Hackathon prizes](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/hackathon-blogpost/q12020-hackathon.prizes.png){: .shadow.medium.center}\n\n## When is the next Hackathon?\n\nI'm happy to announce that the Q2 Hackathon will take place on May 13-14, 2020. It is already advertised on [the Hackathon page](/community/hackathon/) with a new countdown clock. Please look out for more announcements as we get closer to the next Hackathon date. Also, if you have any suggestions for the Q2 Hackathon please feel free to suggest them on [the GitLab Contributors Gitter](https://gitter.im/gitlabhq/contributors).\n\n## How do I get started with contributing?\n\nA good place to start is the [Contributing to GitLab page](/community/contribute/), where you can learn how you can\ncontribute to GitLab code, documentation, translation, and UX design.\n\nIf you have any questions, you are always welcome to reach me at `rpaik@gitlab.com`.\n\n[\"GitLab application screengrab\"](https://unsplash.com/photos/ZV_64LdGoao) by [Pankaj Patel](https://unsplash.com/@pankajpatel) on Unsplash\n{: .note}\n",[9,794,749],{"slug":3556,"featured":6,"template":685},"q1-hackathon-recap","content:en-us:blog:q1-hackathon-recap.yml","Q1 Hackathon Recap","en-us/blog/q1-hackathon-recap.yml","en-us/blog/q1-hackathon-recap",{"_path":3562,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":3563,"content":3568,"config":3573,"_id":3575,"_type":13,"title":3576,"_source":15,"_file":3577,"_stem":3578,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/q2-hackathon-recap",{"title":3564,"description":3565,"ogTitle":3564,"ogDescription":3565,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1151,"ogUrl":3566,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":3566,"schema":3567},"What went down at the Q2'2019 GitLab Hackathon","Here's a recap of GitLab community accomplishments during the Hackathon on May 29-30.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/q2-hackathon-recap","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"What went down at the Q2'2019 GitLab Hackathon\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Ray Paik\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-06-24\",\n      }",{"title":3564,"description":3565,"authors":3569,"heroImage":1151,"date":3570,"body":3571,"category":747,"tags":3572},[744],"2019-06-24","\n\nThe GitLab community gathered on May 29-30 for the Q2 Hackathon, and I was again excited to see new contributors participating. We also had more people joining the tutorial sessions and watching the recordings on [the Hackathon playlist](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFGfElNsQthapq-CyXBTVnT2yKqg1JrNh). I was surprised when one of the community members told me he joined the kickoff session when it was past 1am his time!\n\n![Hackathon playlist](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/Hackathon_playlist.png){: .shadow.medium.center}\n\n## So what did we accomplish?\n\nEven though the Hackathon was during a holiday week in many countries, [44 merge requests (MRs)](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/marketing/community-relations/contributor-program/hackathon/issues/18) were submitted and more than 30 of these MRs were merged within two weeks of the event. One of the things we did during this recent Hackathon was to maintain [a list of suggested issues](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/marketing/community-relations/contributor-program/hackathon/issues/17#suggested-issues-list), and one of the issues was picked up shortly after it was discussed during [the GitLab Monitor tutorial session](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mm_8wVjn808&list=PLFGfElNsQthapq-CyXBTVnT2yKqg1JrNh&index=3&t=0s). Now, that's what I call just-in-time hacking.\n\n## Hackathon prizes\n\nSimilar to past events, everyone who had MRs merged will receive a token of our appreciation for their contribution. During the Q2 Hackathon, [18 people](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/marketing/community-relations/contributor-program/hackathon/issues/20) had their MRs merged and we decided to award a second place prize along with the grand prize based on the number of MRs merged. I'm happy to announce that we have a tie for the second place with [Michel Engelen](https://gitlab.com/michel.engelen) and [Marc Schwede](https://gitlab.com/schwedenmut) who both had three MRs merged. The grand prize winner goes to [Marcel Amirault](https://gitlab.com/Ravlen) (a former [MVP](/community/mvp/)), with nine merged MRs.\n\nThanks and congratulations to everyone!\n\n## When is the next Hackathon?\n\nSome of the feedback I received was a suggestion to release future Hackathon dates earlier, so I'm happy to announce that the Q3 Hackathon will take place on August 28-29. It is already advertised on [the Hackathon page](/community/hackathon/) with a new countdown clock. Please look out for more announcements as we get closer to the next Hackathon date. Also, if you have any suggestions for the Q3 Hackathon please feel free to bring them to [the GitLab Contributors Gitter](https://gitter.im/gitlabhq/contributors).\n\n![Q3 Hackathon date](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/Q3_hackathon_date.png){: .shadow.medium.center}\n\n## How do I get started with contributing?\n\nA good place to start is the [Contributing to GitLab page](/community/contribute/), where you can learn how you can\ncontribute to GitLab code, documentation, translation, and UX design.\n\nIf you have any questions, you are always welcome to reach me at rpaik@gitlab.com.\n\n[\"GitLab application screengrab\"](https://unsplash.com/photos/ZV_64LdGoao) by [Pankaj Patel](https://unsplash.com/@pankajpatel) on Unsplash\n{: .note}\n",[9,794,749],{"slug":3574,"featured":6,"template":685},"q2-hackathon-recap","content:en-us:blog:q2-hackathon-recap.yml","Q2 Hackathon Recap","en-us/blog/q2-hackathon-recap.yml","en-us/blog/q2-hackathon-recap",{"_path":3580,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":3581,"content":3586,"config":3590,"_id":3592,"_type":13,"title":3593,"_source":15,"_file":3594,"_stem":3595,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/q3-hackathon-recap",{"title":3582,"description":3583,"ogTitle":3582,"ogDescription":3583,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1151,"ogUrl":3584,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":3584,"schema":3585},"What went down at the Q3'2020 GitLab Hackathon","A recap of community's accomplishments during another record-setting Hackathon on September 2-3.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/q3-hackathon-recap","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"What went down at the Q3'2020 GitLab Hackathon\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Ray Paik\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2020-09-30\",\n      }",{"title":3582,"description":3583,"authors":3587,"heroImage":1151,"date":2550,"body":3588,"category":296,"tags":3589},[744],"\n{::options parse_block_html=\"true\" /}\n\nThe GitLab community gathered on September 2-3 for the Q3 Hackathon and once again the GitLab Community set an impressive Hackathon record with [313 MRs](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/marketing/community-relations/contributor-program/hackathon/-/issues/41) submitted!\n\n## What did we accomplish?\n\nThis opening line almost needs to be a place holder for Hackathon recaps, but the GitLab community is setting new heights with each iteration. I love seeing the chart below that shows an impressive growth in wider community contributions especially over the past 4 Hackathons. \n![hackathon chart](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/hackathon-blogpost/q3-2020-hackathon-stats.png){: .shadow.medium.center}\n\nOnce again, there were a lot of frontend/UX related epics that wider community members contributed to. A good example was for migration of [Pajamas](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-services/design.gitlab.com) components and the Hackathon helped chip away at more than 1,000 issues related to this migration. One of the feedback from the previous Hackathon was to also have a plenty of backend-related issues for the Hackathon, and I want to thank many GitLab team members who helped populate the list of [suggested Hackathon issues](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/marketing/community-relations/contributor-program/hackathon/-/issues/41#suggested-epicsissues-for-the-hackathon) with backend items. \n\nI believe we had the most number of office hour/tutorial sessions during this Hackathon and it's great to see 100+ views of many of these sessions within 24 hours of the recordings being posted on [the Hackathon playlist](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFGfElNsQthapq-CyXBTVnT2yKqg1JrNh). If you're interested in making a further dent in 1,000+ issues related to Pajamas components migration, you should watch the [Pajamas tutorial session](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbZADXJh8fg&list=PLFGfElNsQthapq-CyXBTVnT2yKqg1JrNh&index=5&t=1s). You will see that it only takes 5-10 minutes to submit an MR for these issues.\n\n## Hackathon prizes\n\nFor this Hackathon, we have a laptop sleeve for everyone who had their MRs merged by September 15th and [30 people](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/marketing/community-relations/contributor-program/hackathon/-/issues/42) will be receiving the prize celebrating the 2nd anniversary of the Hackathon. As we did in the past several quarters, we have a prize for second place and want to recorgnize [Gilang Gumilar](https://gitlab.com/gilangmlr), [Kev](https://gitlab.com/KevSlashNull), and [Takuya Noguchi](https://gitlab.com/tnir) who all had more than 20 MRs  merged. For the grand prize, I want to award two contributors [Rajendra Kadam](https://gitlab.com/raju249) with 54 MRs  [Jonston Chan](https://gitlab.com/JonstonChan) with 45 MRs merged! Thanks and congratulatations to everyone!\n\n![Hackathon prizes](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/hackathon-blogpost/q3-2020-hackathon-prizes.png){: .shadow.medium.center}\n## When is the next Hackathon?\n\nThe next Hackathon will take place on December 2-3, 2020. It is already advertised on [the Hackathon page](/community/hackathon/) with a new countdown clock. Please look out for more announcements as we get closer to the next Hackathon date. Also, if you have any suggestions for the Q4 Hackathon please feel free to suggest them on [the GitLab Contributors Gitter](https://gitter.im/gitlabhq/contributors).\n\n## Community challenge\n\nYou may have noticed when you scroll through the Hackathon page that we have a new prize under the [Missed the last Hackathon?](https://about.gitlab.com/community/hackathon/#community-challenge) section. GitLab team members added the `Community challenge` label to a number [issues](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues?scope=all&utf8=%E2%9C%93&state=opened&label_name[]=Community%20challenge) that we want to encourage the wider community to work on. If you submit an MR for these issues and they get merged, you will receive a custom merchadise with the \"Community challenge achieved\" message. If you love coffee or tea, I think you will enjoy this cannister for your coffee beans or tea leaves. \n\n## How do I get started with contributing?\n\nA good place to start is the [Contributing to GitLab page](/community/contribute/), where you can learn how you can\ncontribute to GitLab code, documentation, translation, UX design, and **project templates**. The [project templates](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/development/project_templates.html) help developers get started with new languages and frameworks on GitLab. You can improve [existing built-in project templates](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/working_with_projects.html#built-in-templates) or start a new template to be distributed with GitLab.\n",[9,794,749],{"slug":3591,"featured":6,"template":685},"q3-hackathon-recap","content:en-us:blog:q3-hackathon-recap.yml","Q3 Hackathon Recap","en-us/blog/q3-hackathon-recap.yml","en-us/blog/q3-hackathon-recap",{"_path":3597,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":3598,"content":3603,"config":3608,"_id":3610,"_type":13,"title":3611,"_source":15,"_file":3612,"_stem":3613,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/q4-hackathon-announcement",{"title":3599,"description":3600,"ogTitle":3599,"ogDescription":3600,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1151,"ogUrl":3601,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":3601,"schema":3602},"Get ready for the Q4'2018 GitLab Hackathon","The Q4 Hackathon for the GitLab community will take place on November 14-15.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/q4-hackathon-announcement","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Get ready for the Q4'2018 GitLab Hackathon\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Ray Paik\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2018-10-23\",\n      }",{"title":3599,"description":3600,"authors":3604,"heroImage":1151,"date":3605,"body":3606,"category":747,"tags":3607},[744],"2018-10-23","\n\nFollowing the success of [our inaugural event](/blog/hackathon-recap/), the next quarterly Hackathon will take place on November 14-15. We're looking forward to another opportunity for collaboration and meeting with new community members!\n\n## What's the deal?\n\nThis is a virtual event where community members get together to work on merge requests (MRs) and also to welcome and help new contributors. We now have a new [Hackathon landing page](/community/hackathon/), where you will be able to find more details as we get closer to the event. Again, we will have an exciting prize for everyone who has MRs merged within 10 days of the Hackathon:\n\n![GitLab slippers](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/q4-hackathon-blog/Slippers.JPG){: .shadow.medium.center}\n*\u003Csmall>GitLab slippers for everyone with merged MRs\u003C/small>*\n\nThe person with the most MRs merged during the Hackathon will be able to show off their grand prize around the neighborhood or at a nearby skate park!\n\n![GitLab skateboard](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/q4-hackathon-blog/Skateboard_-_Gitlab.png){: .shadow.medium.center}\n*\u003Csmall>GitLab skateboard for the grand prize winner\u003C/small>*\n\n## What else is taking place?\n\nIn addition to hacking, we plan to invite community experts for quick presentations plus Q&A sessions on various topics such as getting started as a new contributor, [Meltano](https://gitlab.com/meltano), issue triage, etc. over the two days. These sessions will also be recorded and available on [GitLab YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/gitlab).  If you want to see materials/recordings from the last Hackathon, you can find them in [the Q3 Hackathon wiki page](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/marketing/community-relations/contributor-program/gitlab-hackathon/q3-2018-hackathon/wikis/Q3-2018-Hackathon#links-to-presentations-recordings).\n\n## Where can I find help during the Hackathon?\n\nFor communications during the Hackathon, we will use the [GitLab Community room in Gitter](https://gitter.im/gitlabhq/community). This is a channel designed to have community-related discussions and for community members to help each other as people have questions while contributing to GitLab. This is open to everyone, so please [join the room](https://gitter.im/gitlabhq/community) if you are not part of it already.\n\n## How do I get started with contributing?\n\nA good place to start is the [Contributing to GitLab page](/community/contribute/), where you can learn how you can\ncontribute to GitLab code, documentation, translation, and UX design.\n\nIf you have any questions, you are always welcome to reach me at rpaik@gitlab.com.\n\nCover image: [\"Gitlab application screengrab\"](https://unsplash.com/photos/ZV_64LdGoao) by [Pankaj Patel](https://unsplash.com/@pankajpatel).\n{: .note}\n",[9,794,749,274],{"slug":3609,"featured":6,"template":685},"q4-hackathon-announcement","content:en-us:blog:q4-hackathon-announcement.yml","Q4 Hackathon Announcement","en-us/blog/q4-hackathon-announcement.yml","en-us/blog/q4-hackathon-announcement",{"_path":3615,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":3616,"content":3621,"config":3626,"_id":3628,"_type":13,"title":3629,"_source":15,"_file":3630,"_stem":3631,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/q4-hackathon-recap",{"title":3617,"description":3618,"ogTitle":3617,"ogDescription":3618,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1151,"ogUrl":3619,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":3619,"schema":3620},"What went down at the Q4'2019 GitLab Hackathon","A recap of GitLab community's accomplishments during annother record-setting Hackathon on November 13-14.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/q4-hackathon-recap","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"What went down at the Q4'2019 GitLab Hackathon\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Ray Paik\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-12-12\",\n      }",{"title":3617,"description":3618,"authors":3622,"heroImage":1151,"date":3623,"body":3624,"category":792,"tags":3625},[744],"2019-12-12","\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"true\" /}\n\n\n\nThe GitLab community gathered on November 13-14 for the Q4 Hackathon, and I never get tired of saying that we again set a new record for the number of [MRs submitted (109)](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/marketing/community-relations/contributor-program/hackathon/issues/28#merge-request-list). It was great to see many new community members join with their first MRs and also follow the tutorial sessions. If you missed any of the tutorial sessions, you can find recordings on [the Hackathon playlist](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFGfElNsQthapq-CyXBTVnT2yKqg1JrNh). Also, if you have any suggestions for tutorial topics at future Hackathons you should definitely let me know in the comments section below!\n\n## What did we accomplish?\n\nI mentioned during the kickoff session that it'd be nice to cross the 100 mark for the Hackathon MRs and we saw over 70 MRs on the first day alone. Out of the 109 Hackathon MRs, 79 of these were merged by November 25th, so again big kudos to wider community members and reviewers who made all this possible.\n\nThere are a few things I think deserve special mention. First is [this Epic](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/2197) that was created by Gitlab's Senior Frontend Enginner [Winnie Hellmann](https://gitlab.com/winh) before the Hackathon. The Epic had \"bite-sized\" issues that contributors were able to tackle during the event and led to almost 30 MRs during the Hackathon. I think this is a great template that we can use for future Hackathons to make it easier for participants to find issues that they can work on. Winnie was also active in providing timely reviews of these MRs and this was certainly appreciated by the wider community.\n\nThe second highlight was [this MR](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/www-gitlab-com/merge_requests/34822) from [Utkarsh Gupta](https://gitlab.com/utkarsh2102) as he helped make sure gender-neutral pronouns are used in our [handbook](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/). MRs like this help make sure that we continue to have a great community at GitLab in addition to having a great software and documentation. As you can see in the next section, Utkarsh made a lot of contributions during the Hackathon, but this MR made me feel proud to be a part of the GitLab community.\n\n![Hackathon stats](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/hackathon-blogpost/q4-hackathon-stats-chart.png){: .shadow.medium.center}\n\n## Hackathon prizes\n\nFor this Hackathon, we created a tech organizer for everyone who had their MRs merged by November 25th and [18 people](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/marketing/community-relations/contributor-program/hackathon/issues/29) will be receiving the GitLab branded organizer. As we did in the past few quarters, we have a prize for second place and [Lee Tickett](https://gitlab.com/leetickett) is the winner with 15 MRs merged. The grand prize goes to [Utkarsh Gupta](https://gitlab.com/utkarsh2102) with 28 MRs merged, which is another record for the grand prize (the previous record was 13 MRs). Thanks and congratulatations to everyone!\n\n![Hackathon prizes](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/hackathon-blogpost/q4-hackathon-prizes.png){: .shadow.medium.center}\n\n## When is the next Hackathon?\n\nI'm happy to announce that the Q1 Hackathon will take place on February 12-13, 2020. It is already advertised on [the Hackathon page](/community/hackathon/) with a new countdown clock. Please look out for more announcements as we get closer to the next Hackathon date. Also, if you have any suggestions for the Q1 Hackathon please feel free to suggest them on [the GitLab Contributors Gitter](https://gitter.im/gitlabhq/contributors).\n\n## How do I get started with contributing?\n\nA good place to start is the [Contributing to GitLab page](/community/contribute/), where you can learn how you can\ncontribute to GitLab code, documentation, translation, and UX design.\n\nIf you have any questions, you are always welcome to reach me at rpaik@gitlab.com.\n\n[\"GitLab application screengrab\"](https://unsplash.com/photos/ZV_64LdGoao) by [Pankaj Patel](https://unsplash.com/@pankajpatel) on Unsplash\n{: .note}\n",[9,794,749],{"slug":3627,"featured":6,"template":685},"q4-hackathon-recap","content:en-us:blog:q4-hackathon-recap.yml","Q4 Hackathon Recap","en-us/blog/q4-hackathon-recap.yml","en-us/blog/q4-hackathon-recap",{"_path":3633,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":3634,"content":3639,"config":3644,"_id":3646,"_type":13,"title":3647,"_source":15,"_file":3648,"_stem":3649,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/q42020-hackathon-recap",{"title":3635,"description":3636,"ogTitle":3635,"ogDescription":3636,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1151,"ogUrl":3637,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":3637,"schema":3638},"What happened at the Q4'2020 GitLab Hackathon","Here's a recap of GitLab community accomplishments during the Hackathon on Jan 6-7th of 2021.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/q42020-hackathon-recap","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"What happened at the Q4'2020 GitLab Hackathon\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Christos Bacharakis\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2021-02-08\",\n      }",{"title":3635,"description":3636,"authors":3640,"heroImage":1151,"date":3641,"body":3642,"category":747,"tags":3643},[3093],"2021-02-08","\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"true\" /}\n\n\n\n\n\u003Ci class=\"fab fa-gitlab\" style=\"color:rgb(107,79,187); font-size:.85em\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u003C/i>  \nDisclaimer: Due to a [bug in our metrics platform](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/marketing/community-relations/contributor-program/general/-/issues/59), that was identified a month after the release of this blogpost, we updated the post with accurate information about the number of MRs submitted, MRs merged, and the winners. In addition, we are not going to take into account the 15th of January as the date the MRs had to be merged to qualify, since we noticed a significant amount of delays in reviewing the MRs.\n  \u003Ci class=\"fab fa-gitlab\" style=\"color:rgb(107,79,187); font-size:.85em\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u003C/i>\n{: .alert .alert-webcast}\n\nAnother GitLab hackathon is completed, and I would like to begin by celebrating our community contributions! Congratulations to everyone who participated and contributed to GitLab.\n\nThis time, participants managed to land 167 Merge Request, where 139 (83%) of them have already been merged across eight projects such as: GitLab, Omnibus, GitLab Development Kit, CNG, Runner and more.\n\n![Hackathon playlist](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/Hackathon_playlist.png){: .shadow.medium.center}\n\nDuring the Hackathon, a number of GitLab Team members ran a series of tutorial sessions around various GitLab Products, stages and groups like Runner, Release Stage, GitLab Pajamas, and Package Group. All of these sessions that are a resource for future contributions were recorded and can be found on our [YouTube Channel](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL05JrBw4t0KrqGydhkV_BUPrI-DBiDKfm).\n\nSomething unique about this Hackathon is that it happened two times. Originally it was scheduled to take place in December, around the time my onboarding was going to be completed; thus, we had to move it to the beginning of January. Our Tokyo community had already made arrangements for these dates, and with the lead of our Core Team member [Takuya Noguchi](https://gitlab.com/tnir), they successfully organized a [regional GitLab hackathon](https://gitlab-jp.connpass.com/event/189496/). \n\n\n## Hackathon prizes\n\nLike past events, everyone who had MRs merged will receive a token of our appreciation for their contribution. This time, [thirty seven people](https://gitlab.biterg.io/goto/2c0b5d1d60893bcec44dbfd11a16d947) had their MRs merged, where three of them had more than 10 MRs merged, which will receive the Second Prize.\n\nThe grand prize will go to both [Kev](https://gitlab.com/KevSlashNull) and [Jonston Chan](https://gitlab.com/JonstonChan) who had the highest number of merged MRs.\n\nBelow is a list of the top five contributors for this Hackathon, and all the MRs in the [Winder Community Hackathon MRs issue](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/marketing/community-relations/contributor-program/hackathon/-/issues/44#related-merge-requests).\n\n- Grand Prize: [Kev](https://gitlab.com/KevSlashNull), with 31 MRs merged\n- Grand Prize: [Jonston Chan](https://gitlab.com/JonstonChan), with 30 MRs merged\n- Second Prize: [Yogi](https://gitlab.com/yo), with 16 MRs merged\n- Second Prize: [Takuya Noguchi](https://gitlab.com/tnir), with 12 MRs merged\n- Second Prize: [Marvin Karegyeya](https://gitlab.com/nuwe1), with 10 MRs merged\n\n\n![Hackathon playlist](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/q4-hackathon-details.png){: .shadow.medium.center}\n\n## When is the next Hackathon?\n\nThe next Hackathon will occur on March 31st - April 1st, 2021 (yes, it's true!), and all the necessary information will be posted on the [Hackathon page by March 1st](/community/hackathon/).\n\n## How do I get started with contributing?\n\nA good place to start is the [Contributing to GitLab page](/community/contribute/), where you can learn how you can\ncontribute to GitLab code, documentation, translation, and UX design.\n\nIf you have any questions, you are always welcome to reach me at cbacharakis@gitlab.com.\n\n[\"GitLab application screengrab\"](https://unsplash.com/photos/ZV_64LdGoao) by [Pankaj Patel](https://unsplash.com/@pankajpatel) on Unsplash\n{: .note}\n",[9,794,749],{"slug":3645,"featured":6,"template":685},"q42020-hackathon-recap","content:en-us:blog:q42020-hackathon-recap.yml","Q42020 Hackathon Recap","en-us/blog/q42020-hackathon-recap.yml","en-us/blog/q42020-hackathon-recap",{"_path":3651,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":3652,"content":3658,"config":3665,"_id":3667,"_type":13,"title":3668,"_source":15,"_file":3669,"_stem":3670,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/reducing-time-to-payout-and-launching-a-bug-bounty-anniversary-contest",{"title":3653,"description":3654,"ogTitle":3653,"ogDescription":3654,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":3655,"ogUrl":3656,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":3656,"schema":3657},"GitLab speeds up bug bounty payouts, launches new contest","You talked. We listened. Quicker bug bounty payouts and we're holding a contest for our hackers!","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749678574/Blog/Hero%20Images/art-backlight-blur-249203.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/reducing-time-to-payout-and-launching-a-bug-bounty-anniversary-contest","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Why we're reducing the time to payout and launching a bug bounty anniversary contest\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Dennis Appelt\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-09-24\",\n      }",{"title":3659,"description":3654,"authors":3660,"heroImage":3655,"date":3662,"body":3663,"category":899,"tags":3664},"Why we're reducing the time to payout and launching a bug bounty anniversary contest",[3661],"Dennis Appelt","2019-09-24","\nIn just nine months since [going public with our bug bounty program](/blog/gitlab-hackerone-bug-bounty-program-is-public-today/), our reporter community has made substantial contributions to the security and continued success of GitLab. Since going public, our community of external security researchers submitted 1016 reports and we paid out [$395,000 in bounties](https://hackerone.com/gitlab).\n\nWe are very grateful for your contributions and have an open line for feedback regarding our bug bounty program.\n\n## You talked, we listened\n\nIn fact, when we asked you how we could strengthen our bug bounty program, one of the top suggestions was to reduce the time to bounty payout. We’re sure both professional and casual bug bounty hunters enjoy receiving a paycheck earlier than later. So, we took your feedback and sat down to improve our program.\n\nGoing forward, we will pay out a part of the bounty right at the moment when a report is triaged, which is, on average, five days after the report is submitted. That means cash in your pocket faster. Reports with severity of medium, high, or critical will be awarded $1000 when the report is triaged. The remainder will be paid when the report is resolved.\n\nAt GitLab, we believe in the value of [iteration](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#iteration). Paying out a partial bounty when the report is triaged is the first in a series of steps to speed up bounty payouts. We have many more ideas on how we can speed up bounty payouts and we’d like to move toward this with our community. If you have feedback regarding faster bounty payouts – or other areas where we can improve or grow – please share it with us! It’s this continual feedback loop and collaboration that will make us all successful.\n\n## Repeat reporters\nAnother key element that strengthens our program are our repeat reporters. We went to the 2019 HackerOne H1-702 event where we met with our top three hackers (since our bug bounty program launch through June 2019) to recognize their accomplishments and thank them for their impact on our program.\n\n![ngalog](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/h1-sept24/ngalog1.jpeg){: .shadow.small.center}\nOur AppSec team with [ngalog](https://hackerone.com/ngalog) at HackerOne’s H1-702 event.\n{: .note.text-center}\n\n![jobert](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/h1-sept24/Jobert1.jpeg){: .shadow.small.center}\nOur AppSec team with [jobert](https://hackerone.com/jobert) at HackerOne’s H1-702 event.\n{: .note.text-center}\n\n![fransrosen](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/h1-sept24/fransrosen1.jpeg){: .shadow.small.center}\nOur AppSec team with [fransrosen](https://hackerone.com/fransrosen) at HackerOne’s H1-702 event.\n{: .note.text-center}\n\nGitLab’s mission is, [everyone can contribute](/company/mission/#mission). Not just the most experienced hackers, and not just the reporters finding the greatest quantity of bugs or even the most impactful bugs, but all of the reporters in between. Your findings make us stronger.\n\n**So, with that in mind, let us introduce our...**\n\n## \u003Ci class=\"fab fa-gitlab fa-fw\" style=\"color:rgb(252,109,38); font-size:.99em\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u003C/i>  \u003Ci class=\"fas fa-birthday-cake\" style=\"color:rgb(107,79,187); font-size:.99em\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u003C/i>  One-year anniversary hacking contest \u003Ci class=\"fab fa-gitlab fa-fw\" style=\"color:rgb(107,79,187); font-size:.99em\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u003C/i>  \u003Ci class=\"fas fa-bug\" style=\"color:rgb(252,109,38); font-size:.99em\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u003C/i>\n{: .text-center}\n\nOur [one year anniversary](/blog/gitlab-hackerone-bug-bounty-program-is-public-today/) of taking our bug bounty program public is right around the corner. To celebrate a very successful first year, we want to recognize the outstanding contributions from our reporter community with a little something special.\n\n**We are running a community hacking contest starting October 1 (12 am ET) until November 30, 2019 (12 pm ET).** The top contributor in the following categories will receive a special reward:\n\n\u003Ci class=\"fas fa-address-card fa-fw\" style=\"color:rgb(46,46,46); font-size:.90em\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u003C/i> **Most reputation points from submissions to our program.** This category is simple. Collect the most reputation points from submissions to our program and win!\n{: #id-card-black}\n\n\u003Ci class=\"far fa-address-card fa-fw\" style=\"color:rgb(56,13,117); font-size:.90em\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u003C/i> **Most reputations points *collected by a reporter new to our program***. Getting started with a new bug bounty program is difficult. We want to recognize the effort you put in.\n{: #id-card-purple}\n\n\u003Ci class=\"fas fa-pencil-alt fa-fw\" style=\"color:rgb(219,58,33); font-size:.90em\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u003C/i> **Best written report.** A well-written report goes a long way to demonstrate impact and to help us reproduce the problem.\n{: #id-pencil}\n\n\u003Ci class=\"far fa-lightbulb fa-fw\" style=\"color:rgb(252,161,33); font-size:.90em\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u003C/i> **Most innovative report.** Sometimes reporters demonstrate great out-of-the-box thinking. For example, some reports group several low-severity findings into a high-impact vulnerability. We appreciate this creativity.\n{: #id-lightbulb}\n\n\u003Ci class=\"fas fa-rocket fa-fw\" style=\"color:rgb(252,109,38); font-size:.90em\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u003C/i> **Most impactful finding.** At the end of the day, an impactful discovery is what we all strive for.\n{: #id-rocket}\n\n**The winners will be announced on December 12 via [GitLab blog](/blog/) post.** A contributor can win at most one category. Of course, regular bounties still apply to any of your findings. *Here’s a hint on a little something extra that the winners will get:*\n\n{::options parse_block_html=\"true\" /}\n**What’s orange and purple and goes hackety, hack?**\n{: .text-center}\n\nHappy hacking!\n\nPhoto by [Max DeRoin](https://www.pexels.com/@maxderoin?utm_content=attributionCopyText&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pexels) on [Pexels](https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-of-computer-keyboard-249203/?utm_content=attributionCopyText&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pexels)\n{: .note}\n",[9,899,706,898],{"slug":3666,"featured":6,"template":685},"reducing-time-to-payout-and-launching-a-bug-bounty-anniversary-contest","content:en-us:blog:reducing-time-to-payout-and-launching-a-bug-bounty-anniversary-contest.yml","Reducing Time To Payout And Launching A Bug Bounty Anniversary Contest","en-us/blog/reducing-time-to-payout-and-launching-a-bug-bounty-anniversary-contest.yml","en-us/blog/reducing-time-to-payout-and-launching-a-bug-bounty-anniversary-contest",{"_path":3672,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":3673,"content":3678,"config":3684,"_id":3686,"_type":13,"title":3687,"_source":15,"_file":3688,"_stem":3689,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/secure-journey-continuous-delivery",{"title":3674,"description":3675,"ogTitle":3674,"ogDescription":3675,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":3205,"ogUrl":3676,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":3676,"schema":3677},"Securing the journey to continuous delivery","The UK Dept for Work and Pensions bring security best practices to the forefront of a massive transition to continuous delivery.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/secure-journey-continuous-delivery","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Securing the journey to continuous delivery\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Vanessa Wegner\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-10-30\",\n      }",{"title":3674,"description":3675,"authors":3679,"heroImage":3205,"date":3680,"body":3681,"category":679,"tags":3682},[1786],"2019-10-30","\n[Adam Moss](https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-moss/?originalSubdomain=uk) is the\nHead of Engineering Strategy, Technical Leadership, DevOps, and SRE at the\nDepartment for Work and Pensions. At this year’s GitLab Commit in London, Adam\nspoke about how his organization transitioned from waterfall to Agile, and how\nthey built security into both their organization's infrastructure and culture.\n\nThe Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is the United Kingdom’s largest\ngovernment department. It comprises 84,000 employees and serves 22 million\ncitizens, with systems containing approximately 55 million lines of code and\nseeing about 10,000 changes per year.\n\nIn other words, it’s a big deal.\n\nBut their infrastructure and operations were less than stellar. Adam and his\nteam wanted to offer 24/7 service availability, improve their user experience,\nand reduce operational costs. So, they went Agile.\n\n## Big change for big gains\n\nBefore the transformation, the DWP had outsourced services for 30 years. To get\nto [continuous delivery](/topics/continuous-delivery/), they brought everything in-house. In addition to massive\noperational change, this also required an enormous cultural shift within the\norganization. Insourcing meant taking responsibility for everything – they couldn't blame a third party should anything go wrong. Teams also had to take on an iterative mindset: Changing their standard maximum viable product into a minimum one.\n\nThen there was the question of tools, which also brought the question of\nsecurity: What tools would best enable developers, without leaving gaping holes\nin their systems?\n\n## Owning the risk\n\nAs a government organization, the DWP was used to managing risk – but they\nsuddenly found themselves without an outsourced partner to blame. Now that Adam’s\nteam was fully responsible for security efforts, they needed to become much\nmore risk averse. Taking ownership of security is also a big change for\ndevelopers, even for organizations not undergoing massive transformation.\n\n### The journey to DevOps security\n\n#### Considerations\n\nTo keep both processes and systems secure, the DWP took a multi-layered\napproach with people, devices, and code among the top aspects considered.\n\nDevelopers are often highly privileged users, which poses certain risks to your\nenvironment. While it’s necessary to protect both systems and people,\norganizations need to be clear about their security policies and intent in\norder to build and maintain employee trust. Adam puts it this way: Think about\ndisciplinary policies – if a piece of vulnerable code is released and causes a\nproblem, is it the individual’s fault? Or is it a fault of the processes you’ve\nput in place?\n\nAdam also emphasized that restrictions might not be the best answer: Developers\nwill find a way around, so it’s better to implement something that allows\nthem to achieve their objectives without creating any backdoor processes.\n\nThere was also the consideration of open source – while it provides great\nbenefits, there are challenges that must also be managed appropriately. Adam’s\nteam chose to implement continuous vulnerability monitoring (with [GitLab](/solutions/security-compliance/))\nto keep track of any risky dependencies that might spring a data leak. They\nalso chose to use GitLab as a central point of control and single source of\ntruth, increasing transparency for the organization.\n\n#### Lessons learned\n\nIn his presentation, Adam shared some valuable tips for a successful\ntransition to continuous delivery. Here are a few favorites:\n\n##### Automate, automate!\nAutomation will make things immensely easier – not just because of the time\nsaved, but also because of its repeatability and reduced risk for human error.\nFocus on the low-hanging fruit early on in the process. There will always be things you can’t\nautomate, so pick the easy battles first.\n\n##### Identify your pain point\nTake a look across your operations and organization. What is the biggest\nchallenge you can solve? Or, what change will bring a lot of value in the move\nto continuous delivery? Try to achieve ROI as soon as possible.\n\n##### Anticipate risks from an external POV\nAdam recommends threat modeling, and looking at security from the outside in.\nWhat might an adversary be thinking? Why and how might they attack? Some tools\nwill even generate possible situations that you’ve never considered.\n\n##### Continuous doesn’t always mean automatic\nWhile you may want to automate functions as much as possible, the catalyst can\nstill be human. Separation of duties can serve as a useful defense mechanism to\nensure that big changes won’t cause undue risk.\n\n## The journey doesn’t end with DevOps\n\nAdam concludes with some wisdom for the future: Always be thinking about how\nyou’re going to evolve your organization, and make sure your roadmap continues to change as well.\nHe suggests looking externally for options you might not have yet considered,\nlike the capabilities planned for [your favorite DevOps tools](/direction/#devops-stages).\n\nTo build some new ideas into your own roadmap, watch Adam’s talk from GitLab\nCommit London.\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n  \u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/c8zFXUkPb2c\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\u003C/figure>\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n",[899,682,3683,1728,9],"agile",{"slug":3685,"featured":6,"template":685},"secure-journey-continuous-delivery","content:en-us:blog:secure-journey-continuous-delivery.yml","Secure Journey Continuous Delivery","en-us/blog/secure-journey-continuous-delivery.yml","en-us/blog/secure-journey-continuous-delivery",{"_path":3691,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":3692,"content":3697,"config":3702,"_id":3704,"_type":13,"title":3705,"_source":15,"_file":3706,"_stem":3707,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/semyon-pupkov-contributor-post",{"title":3693,"description":3694,"ogTitle":3693,"ogDescription":3694,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1037,"ogUrl":3695,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":3695,"schema":3696},"GitLab Code Contributor: Semyon Pupkov","Long-time contributor Semyon Pupkov shares why he loves contributing to GitLab.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/semyon-pupkov-contributor-post","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"GitLab Code Contributor: Semyon Pupkov\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Ray Paik\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-01-30\",\n      }",{"title":3693,"description":3694,"authors":3698,"heroImage":1037,"date":3699,"body":3700,"category":747,"tags":3701},[744],"2019-01-30","\n\nFor this month's contributor post, I'm excited to introduce [Semyon Pupkov](https://gitlab.com/artofhuman), who's been a consistent contributor to GitLab since 2016. The graph below shows Semyon's merge requests (MRs) since GitLab 8.13. Let's get to know him!\n\n![Semyon's MRs](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/semyon-blogpost/semyon-mrs.png){: .small.center}\n\n### Can you tell us where you live and a little bit about your area?\n\nI live in a city called [Yekaterinburg](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Yekaterinburg,+Sverdlovsk+Oblast,+Russia/@56.8138122,60.5145089,11z) in the Ural region of Russia. I love the nature here as it's not too hot in the summer and you will find good snow in the winter for snow boarding.\n\n### When did you first contribute to GitLab and why did you decide to contribute?\n\n[My first MR](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/merge_requests/6762) about two years ago was a pretty simple one as I removed unnecessary code from tests. I used GitLab Community Edition for my private projects and since I like open source software, I decided to look at the GitLab code base. When I found some areas for improvement mainly in tests, I decided to create my first MR.\n\n### Which areas of GitLab product have you been contributing to over the past two years?\n\nMost of my contributions have been on the backend side where I tried to improve the existing code base.\n\n### Can you tell us what you do professionally?\n\nI am a backend Ruby/Python developer and work at a company called [SKB Kontur](https://kontur.ru/eng/about).\n\n### What do you enjoy doing when you're not working?\n\nI have been a father for about six months, and I try to give as much of my free time to my daughter. I also like playing games on PlayStation 4 and my favorite game right now is FIFA 19. And of course, I like to contribute to open source projects.\n\n![Semyon's family](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/semyon-blogpost/semyon-family.JPG){: .shadow.small.center}\n\n### What can we do better to help GitLab community contributors?\n\nSometimes in issues/MRs, I find links to Zendesk tickets or Slack discussions that are private, and this can be frustrating for someone not working at GitLab. Also, it would be great if GitLab had a better setup for local development with Docker and Docker Compose. I found the branch in the [GitLab Development Kit](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-development-kit) repository with [support for Docker Compose](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-development-kit/tree/docker-compose), but it probably needs some updating. I recently submitted an [MR to help address this](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-development-kit/merge_requests/592).\n\n### What advice do you have for others who may be interested in contributing to GitLab?\n\nJust don't be afraid to get started. If you find places in the code that can be improved, you should make a contribution and in most cases your code will be welcomed and accepted.\n\nContributing to GitLab also allows you to work with a strong professional team. It's a good way to improve your skills while working on a great product.\n\n### Interested in learning how you can contribute?\n\nA good place to start is the [Contributing to GitLab page](/community/contribute/), where you can learn how you can contribute to GitLab code, documentation, translation, and UX design.\n\nIf you have any questions, you are always welcome to reach me at rpaik@gitlab.com.\n\n_Note: This post is part of [a series featuring people who contribute to GitLab](/blog/tags.html#contributors)._\n",[9,794,749,750],{"slug":3703,"featured":6,"template":685},"semyon-pupkov-contributor-post","content:en-us:blog:semyon-pupkov-contributor-post.yml","Semyon Pupkov Contributor Post","en-us/blog/semyon-pupkov-contributor-post.yml","en-us/blog/semyon-pupkov-contributor-post",{"_path":3709,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":3710,"content":3715,"config":3720,"_id":3722,"_type":13,"title":3723,"_source":15,"_file":3724,"_stem":3725,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/sha256-support-in-gitaly",{"title":3711,"description":3712,"ogTitle":3711,"ogDescription":3712,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1315,"ogUrl":3713,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":3713,"schema":3714},"GitLab Gitaly project now supports the SHA 256 hashing algorithm","Gitaly now supports SHA-256 repositories. Here's why it matters.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/sha256-support-in-gitaly","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"GitLab Gitaly project now supports the SHA 256 hashing algorithm\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"John Cai\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2023-08-28\",\n      }",{"title":3711,"description":3712,"authors":3716,"heroImage":1315,"date":3717,"body":3718,"category":703,"tags":3719},[1340],"2023-08-28","\nWe've taken a huge step in SHA-256 support in GitLab: The [Gitaly](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitaly) project now fully supports SHA-256 repositories. While there is [still some work](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/10981) we need to do in other parts of the GitLab application before SHA-256 repositories can be used, this milestone is important.\n\n## What is SHA-256?\nSHA-256 is a [hashing algorithm](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/security/cryptographic-standard.html#algorithmic-standards). Given an input of data, it produces a fixed-length hash of 64 characters with hexadecimal digits. Git uses hashing algorithms to generate IDs for commits and other Git objects such as blobs,\ntrees, and tags.\n\nGit uses the SHA-1 algorithm by default. If you've ever used Git, you know that\ncommit IDs are a bunch of hexademical digits. A `git log` command yields\nsomething like the following:\n\n```\ncommit bcd64dba39c90daee2e1e8d9015809b992174e34 (HEAD -> main, origin/main, origin/HEAD)\nAuthor: John Cai \u003Cjcai@gitlab.com>\nDate:   Wed Jul 26 13:41:34 2023 -0400\n\n    Fix README.md\n```\n\nThe `bcd64dba39c90daee2e1e8d9015809b992174e34` is the ID of the commit and is a\n40-character hash generated by using the SHA-1 hashing algorithm.\n\nIn SHA-256 repositories, everything is the same except, instead of a 40-character\nID, it's now a 64-character ID:\n\n```\ncommit e60501431d52f6d06b4749cf205b0dd09141ea0b3155a45b9246df24eee9b97b (HEAD -> master)\nAuthor: John Cai \u003Cjcai@gitlab.com>\nDate:   Fri Jul 7 12:56:52 2023 -0400\n\n    Fix README.md\n```\n\n### Why SHA-256?\nSHA-1, which has been the algorithm that has been used until now in Git, is\ninsecure. In 2017, [Google was able to produce a hash collision](https://security.googleblog.com/2017/02/announcing-first-sha1-collision.html). While the Git project is not yet impacted by these kinds of attacks due to the\nway it stores objects, it is only a matter of time until new attacks on SHA-1\nwill be found that would also impact Git.\n\nFederal regulations such as NIST and CISA [guidelines](https://csrc.nist.gov/projects/hash-functions/nist-policy-on-hash-functions),\nwhich [FedRamp](https://www.fedramp.gov/) enforces, set a due date in 2030 to\nstop using SHA-1, and encourage agencies to move away from it sooner if\npossible.\n\nIn addition, SHA-256 has been labeled experimental in the Git project for a long time,\nbut as of Git 2.42.0, the project has decided to [remove the experimental label](https://github.com/git/git/blob/master/Documentation/RelNotes/2.42.0.txt#L41-L45).\n\n### What does this mean for developers?\nFrom a usability perspective, SHA-256 and SHA-1 repositories really don't have a\nsignificant difference. For personal projects, SHA-1 is probably fine. However,\ncompanies and organizations are likely to switch to using SHA-256 repositories\nfor security reasons.\n\n### See SHA-256 in action\nIf you have `sha256sum(1)` installed, you can generate such a hash on the command line:\n\n```\n> printf '%s' \"please hash this data\" | sha256sum\n62f73749b40cc70f453320e1ffc37e405ba50474b5db68ad436e64b61fbb8cf0  -\n```\n\nWe can also see this in action in a Git repository. Let's create a repository,\nadd an initial commit, and inspect the contents of the commit object. **Note:** If\nyou try this yourself, the commit IDs will be different because the date of the\ncommit is part of the hash calculation.\n\n```\n> git init test-repo\n> cd test-repo\n> echo \"This is a README\" >README.md\n> git add .\n> git commit -m \"README\"\n[main (root-commit) 328b61f] README\n 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+)\n create mode 100644 README.md\n> zlib-flate -uncompress \u003C ./git/objects/32/8b61f2449205870f69b5981f58bd8cdbb22f95\ncommit 159tree 09303be712bd8e923f9b227c8522257fa32ca7dc\nauthor John Cai \u003Cjcai@gitlab.com> 1688748132 -0400\ncommitter John Cai \u003Cjcai@gitlab.com> 1688748132 -0400\n\nREADME\n```\n\nIn the last step, we uncompress the actual commit file on disk. Git zlib compresses object\nfiles before storing them on disk.\n\n`zlib-flate(1)` is a utility that comes packaed with `qpdf` that uncompresses zlib compressed files.\n\nNow, if we feed this data back into the SHA-1 algorithm, we get a predictable result:\n\n```\n> zlib-flate -uncompress \u003C .git/objects/32/8b61f2449205870f69b5981f58bd8cdbb22f95 | sha1sum\n328b61f2449205870f69b5981f58bd8cdbb22f95  -\n```\n\nAs we can see, the result of this is the commit ID.\n\nThe recommendation by NIST was to replace SHA-1 with SHA-2 or SHA-3. The\nGit project has [undergone this effort](https://git-scm.com/docs/hash-function-transition/),\nand the current state of the feature is that it's fully usable in Git and no\nlonger deemed experimental.\n\nIn fact, you can create and use repositories with SHA-256 as the hashing algorithm\nto see it in action on your local machine:\n\n```\n> git init --object-format=sha256 test-repo\n> cd test-repo\n> echo \"This is a README\" >README.md\n> git add .\n> git commit -m \"README\"\n[main (root-commit) e605014] README\n 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+)\n create mode 100644 README.md\n> git log\ncommit e60501431d52f6d06b4749cf205b0dd09141ea0b3155a45b9246df24eee9b97b (HEAD -> master)\nAuthor: John Cai \u003Cjcai@gitlab.com>\nDate:   Fri Jul 7 12:56:52 2023 -0400\n\n    README\n\n```\n\n",[877,703,749,9],{"slug":3721,"featured":90,"template":685},"sha256-support-in-gitaly","content:en-us:blog:sha256-support-in-gitaly.yml","Sha256 Support In Gitaly","en-us/blog/sha256-support-in-gitaly.yml","en-us/blog/sha256-support-in-gitaly",{"_path":3727,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":3728,"content":3732,"config":3737,"_id":3739,"_type":13,"title":3740,"_source":15,"_file":3741,"_stem":3742,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/six-more-months-ci-cd-github",{"title":3729,"description":1074,"ogTitle":3729,"ogDescription":1074,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":784,"ogUrl":3730,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":3730,"schema":3731},"Extending free use of CI/CD for GitHub on GitLab.com","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/six-more-months-ci-cd-github","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Extending free use of CI/CD for GitHub on GitLab.com\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"William Chia\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-03-21\",\n      }",{"title":3729,"description":1074,"authors":3733,"heroImage":784,"date":3734,"body":3735,"category":296,"tags":3736},[1080],"2019-03-21","\n\nUPDATE: We've [extended again until Mar. 22, 2020](/blog/ci-cd-github-extended-again/)\n\n[CI/CD is one of the best parts of GitLab](/topics/ci-cd/). Our robust feature set and powerful Runner architecture have earned us some strong industry accolades. While we believe using GitLab end to end as a single application is the best experience, we also believe in [playing well with others](/handbook/product/gitlab-the-product/#plays-well-with-others) so that you can use the tools you want without vendor lock-in. In this spirit, we built [CI/CD for external repos](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/ci_cd_for_external_repos/) and [CI/CD for GitHub](/solutions/github/) to allow you to host your code repositories on GitHub.com, GitHub Enterprise, BitBucket, or any Git server, while using GitLab CI/CD to build, test, and deploy your code.\n\nWe decided to extend the deadline for using CI/CD for external repos, including CI/CD for GitHub, until **Sep. 22, 2019**. You’ll now have an additional six months to enjoy CI/CD for external repos as a [Free or Bronze](/user on GitLab.com. This feature will continue to be part of the [Premium tier](/pricing/premium/) for GitLab Self-managed.\n\n## Always free for open source\n\nThis extension applies to private repos hosted on GitLab.com. As part of our commitment to open source, public projects get [all the features of Gold for free](/pricing/). GitLab CI/CD for GitHub works by automatically mirroring your repos to GitLab.com. As such, if you have a public project on GitHub, it will also be public on GitLab so you can always take advantage of GitLab CI/CD for public projects.\n\n## Why we're extending the offer\n\nIn full [transparency](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#transparency), there are a few reasons we decided on an extension.\n\nThe first reason is that we didn’t want to ruin anyone’s day by shutting off functionality without fair warning. We don’t currently have all of the instrumentation in place to give us confidence that we can appropriately notify users, so we'll spend some time in the coming months to build this ability. We want to give ample opportunity for everyone currently enjoying the functionality on GitLab.com Free and Starter to make the choice to upgrade or migrate.\n\nThe second reason is the changing CI/CD market landscape. With recent developments – like the [consolidation of the CI/CD market](/blog/ci-cd-market-consolidation/) and the launch of the [Continuous Delivery Foundation](/blog/gitlab-joins-cd-foundation/) – we’ve seen greater interest in using GitLab CI/CD with other Git hosting options. Extending the timeline will allow more folks to test it out.\n\nFinally, we want to take this time to capture additional feedback on how you use this feature so we can improve it. If you are using GitLab CI/CD with any external Git repository, like GitHub.com, GitHub Enterprise, BitBucket, or even  your own vanilla Git server, we’d love to hear why you keep your code where you do, what you like about GitLab CI/CD, and what we can improve. We have several open channels for feedback so please leave a comment on this post, send us a message on Twitter with the hashtag #GitLabCICD, or log an issue with a bug fix or feature request on our [open issue tracker](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues). We hope you enjoy an extra six months of usage and hope to hear from you soon.\n",[108,682,9],{"slug":3738,"featured":6,"template":685},"six-more-months-ci-cd-github","content:en-us:blog:six-more-months-ci-cd-github.yml","Six More Months Ci Cd Github","en-us/blog/six-more-months-ci-cd-github.yml","en-us/blog/six-more-months-ci-cd-github",{"_path":3744,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":3745,"content":3751,"config":3758,"_id":3760,"_type":13,"title":3761,"_source":15,"_file":3762,"_stem":3763,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/splitting-database-into-main-and-ci",{"title":3746,"description":3747,"ogTitle":3746,"ogDescription":3747,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":3748,"ogUrl":3749,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":3749,"schema":3750},"We are splitting our database into Main and CI","We are splitting our database into Main and CI to improve the scalability and reliability of GitLab.com.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749669673/Blog/Hero%20Images/engineering.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/splitting-database-into-main-and-ci","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"We are splitting our database into Main and CI\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Fabian Zimmer\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Douglas Alexandre\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2022-06-02\",\n      }",{"title":3746,"description":3747,"authors":3752,"heroImage":3748,"date":3755,"body":3756,"category":296,"tags":3757},[3753,3754],"Fabian Zimmer","Douglas Alexandre","2022-06-02","\nImproving the performance and reliability of GitLab.com has always been a top priority for GitLab. While we continuously make iterative improvements to GitLab and our production architecture, we anticipate making a larger change to improve the scalability and reliability of GitLab.com: We are splitting our single PostgreSQL database into a `main` and a `ci` database.\n\nWe believe this process, also known as [functional decomposition](/company/team/structure/working-groups/database-scalability/#functional-decomposition-split), will increase GitLab's database capacity by roughly 2x and allows GitLab.com to continue to scale.\n\n## When will the split take place and what does this mean for users of GitLab.com?\n\nThis change is planned to take place between Saturday, 2022-07-02, 05:00am UTC and Saturday, 2022-07-02, 09:00am UTC. The implementation of this change is anticipated to include a **service downtime of up to 120 minutes** between Saturday, 2022-07-02, 06:00am to 08:00am UTC. During this time you will experience complete service disruption of GitLab.com.\n\nWe are taking downtime to ensure that the application works as expected following the split and to minimize the risk of any data integrity issues.\n\n## Background\n\nGitLab.com's [database architecture](/handbook/engineering/infrastructure/production/architecture/#database-architecture) uses a single PostgreSQL database cluster. This single cluster (let's call it `main`), consists of a single primary and multiple read-only replicas and stores the data generated by all GitLab features. Database reads can be scaled horizontally through read-only replicas, but writes cannot because PostgreSQL does not support active-active replication natively.\n\nA large portion of all writes are generated by features related to Continuous Integration (CI). So, to scale GitLab.com's database capacity, we are splitting the single PostgreSQL main cluster into two clusters:\n\n1. A Continuous Integration database cluster for all CI-related features (`ci`).\n1. A database cluster for all other features (`main`).\n\nAt a high level, GitLab.com's database architecture is changing like this:\n\n![Illustration of splitting into Main and CI](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/decomposition-illustration-blog.png){: .center}\n\nYou can learn more by visiting our public epic: [Decompose GitLab.com's database to improve scalability](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/6168).\n\n## Impact\n\nSplitting our database into `main` and `ci` initially will only impact GitLab.com. To ensure consistency, we plan to enable [decomposition for self-managed GitLab instances](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/7509) later. While this split is a significant architectural change that we believe will increase GitLab's database capacity by roughly 2x, there are other benefits as well.  \n\n### Increased performance\n\nBy running two separate database clusters, we believe we will increase the overall count of available database connections. This means we can serve more traffic. It also means that during peak hours there is more buffer, which reduces the likelihood of congestion that may cause performance and UX degradations.\n\nAnother significant advantage is that we anticipate we will be able to tune the `main` and `ci` databases independently, allowing us to optimize these different workloads.\n\n### Increased stability\n\nSplitting the database cluster into `main` and `ci` means that `ci` writes are shifting to the `ci` database cluster. We anticipate this will lead to reduced database saturation, which is a major cause of incidents. Consequently, we believe that the overall stability of GitLab.com may increase following the split.\n\nWe believe increased stability means that development teams can spend more time working on generating value through new features and other improvements and less time guarding against potential issues.\n\n### Shipping as fast as ever\n\nA primary objective of this project was to provide tooling to our development teams so that they can continue to develop features that use multiple databases. All of these tools, for example [loose foreign keys](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/development/database/loose_foreign_keys.html) or new [data migrations for multiple databases](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/development/database/migrations_for_multiple_databases.html), are available already and used in production.\n\nWith these tools in place, we expect that teams will be able to ship features as fast as before.\n\n### Tools and dashboards re-use\n\nThis change does introduce additional complexity. After all, we will run another database cluster. Given that the `ci` cluster is almost identical to the existing `main` cluster, our DBREs and SREs are able to re-use almost all tools (for example for backups) and dashboards. This reduces the overall risk introduced by this change.\n\n## How we are preparing for the split\n\nOver the last year, many teams at GitLab have worked to support running GitLab using multiple databases. In total, more than 600 merge requests made it into the product. Because we chose a [phased rollout approach](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/6160#roll-out-plan), almost all developed capabilities are already running on our production systems.\n\n- We've already provisioned a standby-cluster that [serves CI read-only data](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/6160#phase-3-serve-ci-reads-from-ci-standby-cluster) but, crucially, **not** writes on GitLab.com. This increases our confidence that this cluster is correctly provisioned and fully functional.\n- We've also split out all [CI write traffic into a separate connection](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/6160#phase-3-serve-ci-reads-from-ci-standby-cluster). From an application standpoint, it appears as if we are already using a `ci` and a `main` database. This gives us confidence that the application changes are working correctly.\n- Our CI pipelines also fully support running against multiple databases and all tests are passing.\n\nWhat is left is promoting the `ci` standby cluster so that all CI **reads and writes** are accepted on that cluster.\n\n## How we're working to ensure a smooth split\n\nThe [Pods group](/handbook/engineering/development/enablement/data_stores/pods/) is working closely with our SREs, DBREs and Quality to rehearse for the production change. These rehearsals include dry runs, executing the promotion of the `ci` database cluster, and testing our rollback strategies. All of these steps are tracked as part of a CI decomposition change template. This template is continuously improved to ensure that we capture all learnings from the rehearsals. The template is mirrored onto our Ops GitLab instance, which will remain available during the downtime window and forms the basis for executing the change.\n\nThe general process of the split can be described as follows:\n\n1. Running health checks\n1. Stopping all incoming traffic\n1. Promoting the CI database cluster to take reads and writes\n1. Running QA\n1. Allowing incoming traffic\n\nWe have developed and are extensively testing rollback plans.\n\nA [detailed timeline](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/7791#proposed-timeline) is available and we publish [daily asynchronous technical updates](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/7791#last-async-update) of our progress.\n",[705,705,1529,9],{"slug":3759,"featured":6,"template":685},"splitting-database-into-main-and-ci","content:en-us:blog:splitting-database-into-main-and-ci.yml","Splitting Database Into Main And Ci","en-us/blog/splitting-database-into-main-and-ci.yml","en-us/blog/splitting-database-into-main-and-ci",{"_path":3765,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":3766,"content":3772,"config":3777,"_id":3779,"_type":13,"title":3780,"_source":15,"_file":3781,"_stem":3782,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/start-contributing-to-gitlab-today",{"title":3767,"description":3768,"ogTitle":3767,"ogDescription":3768,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":3769,"ogUrl":3770,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":3770,"schema":3771},"Start contributing to GitLab today","Learn how to start contributing to GitLab and how GitLab team members are here to help.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749676361/Blog/Hero%20Images/collaboration.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/start-contributing-to-gitlab-today","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Start contributing to GitLab today\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Rémy Coutable\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2020-09-30\",\n      }",{"title":3767,"description":3768,"authors":3773,"heroImage":3769,"date":2550,"body":3775,"category":792,"tags":3776},[3774],"Rémy Coutable","\n{::options parse_block_html=\"true\" /}\n\nAt GitLab, [everyone can contribute](https://about.gitlab.com/company/mission/#mission). This has been our mission from day\none, since GitLab started as --and is still-- an open-source project.\n\nWe believe that, when consumers become contributors, it benefits everyone: GitLab the product, GitLab the company, GitLab the community\nas well as all GitLab users all around the world.\n\nWe already merged more than 7,700 [“community contribution”](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/merge_requests?label_name%5B%5D=Community+contribution&state=merged) merge requests from our wider community (at the `gitlab-org` group level).\n\n![Screenshot showing more than 7,700 merged community MRs](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/2020-09-30-community-contributions.png){: .shadow.medium.center}\n*\u003Csmall>Merge requests from community members not employed by GitLab (aka from the GitLab wider community)\u003C/small>*\n\n## Contributing tracks\n\nNow, it's your turn to contribute and improve GitLab! Since not everyone share the same interests nor competencies, we\nhave multiple tracks to ensure everyone can contribute:\n\n- [Development (new features, bug fixes, performance improvements)](/community/contribute/development/)\n- [Documentation addition, improvements, and fixes](/community/contribute/documentation/)\n- [Translations](/community/contribute/translation/)\n- [UX design](https://about.gitlab.com/community/contribute/ux-design/)\n- [Project templates](/community/contribute/project-templates/)\n\nWhen you're ready, simply choose the track for you and follow the instructions.\n\n## Start small...\n\nTo get familiar with the merge request workflow, I advise you start small.\n[Fixing a typo](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/merge_requests/42447) or\n[adding a comma](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/merge_requests/43021) in the documentation are small yet awesome\ncontributions that are usually merged in a matter of hours. These are awesome to gear up and get the ball rolling.\n\nFor more examples, be sure to take a look at the [community merge requests that touched GitLab documentation](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/merge_requests?state=merged&label_name[]=documentation&label_name[]=Community%20contribution).\n\nThese kind of changes don't require a lot of time from you, but if you have more time and are ready to tackle bigger challenges,\nyou can start looking for [bugs](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues?label_name%5B%5D=Accepting+merge+requests&label_name[]=type::bug&scope=all&sort=popularity&state=opened)\nor [feature proposals](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues?scope=all&utf8=%E2%9C%93&state=opened&label_name[]=Accepting%20merge%20requests&label_name[]=feature).\n\n## ...and end up MVP\n\nEvery contribution is a collaborative effort between the merge request author, the reviewer(s), potentially MR coaches, and the maintainer (who gets to merge the MR).\n\nSome contributions are so complex and technical that they take months of collaboration to get accross the finish line!\n\nLet's give you a few examples of great collaborative efforts that happened in the last 12 months:\n\n1. [Cédric Tabin](https://gitlab.com/ctabin) worked for more than 9 months contributing\n   [a new CI job keyword allowing interruptible builds](/releases/2019/09/22/gitlab-12-3-released/#interruptible-keyword-to-indicate-if-a-job-can-be-safely-canceled)\n   and working with the GitLab teams to get it across the line. The [merge request](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-foss/-/merge_requests/23464) involved 51 people, who posted 405 discussion notes!\n   This contribution was released in GitLab 12.3, and allows to save a lot of money by avoiding running redundant pipelines.\n1. [Tuomo Ala-Vannesluoma](https://gitlab.com/tuomoa) worked for 7 months adding support for\n   [previewing artifacts that are not public](/releases/2019/10/22/gitlab-12-4-released/#private-project-support-for-online-view-of-html-artifacts), a highly requested feature with almost 300 upvotes!\n   The [merge request](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-pages/-/merge_requests/134) landed in GitLab 12.4, and received two 🍾 emoji votes.\n1. [Roger Meier](https://gitlab.com/bufferoverflow) worked for more than 4 months contributing\n   [support for S/MIME Signature Verification of Commits](/releases/2020/02/22/gitlab-12-8-released/#smime-signature-verification-of-commits), an important feature for sensitive projects and in regulated industries.\n   Roger's teammate, [Henning Schild](https://gitlab.com/henning-schild), contributed the change upstream to Git and Roger made the change in GitLab.\n   The [merge request](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/merge_requests/17773) involved 42 people, who posted 430 discussion notes, and landed in GitLab 12.8.\n1. [Steve Exley](https://gitlab.com/steve.exley) worked for more than 5 months contributing one of\n   [the biggest architectural changes to the Docker executor](/releases/2020/03/22/gitlab-12-9-released/#gitlab-runner-129).\n   that solved multiple issues for the Docker executor, including [jobs sharing the same network bridge](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-runner/-/issues/4430),\n   [services don't work when `network_mode` is specified](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-runner/-/issues/2699),\n   and lastly, services can connect to one another and connect with the build container as well!\n   The [merge request](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-runner/-/merge_requests/1569) involved 69 people, who posted 293 discussion notes. It landed in GitLab 12.9, and received five 🔥 emoji votes.\n1. [Jesse Hall](https://gitlab.com/jessehall3) worked for more than 5 months contributing one of\n   [the Batch Suggestions feature](/releases/2020/07/22/gitlab-13-2-released/#batch-suggestions) which allows MR reviewers to group all suggestions made to a diff and submit them at once.\n   Because each suggestion translates into a Git operation, submitting these individually could take a long time if there were a large number of suggestions. Submitting suggestions in batches has numerous advantages, including time savings, efficient CI resource utilization (only one pipeline for all suggestions), and preventing an overly noisy Git history.\n   The [merge request](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/merge_requests/22439) involved 38 people, who posted 358 discussion notes. It landed in GitLab 13.2, and received seven 💚 emoji votes.\n\n## Get some help from the GitLab team\n\nIf you need any help while contributing to GitLab, below are some of the resources that are available.\n\n1. Ask questions on the [Contributors Gitter Channel](https://gitter.im/gitlabhq/contributors).\n1. Get in touch with [Merge Request Coaches](https://handbook.gitlab.com/job-families/expert/merge-request-coach/). To find a merge request coach, go to the GitLab Team Page and search for \"Merge Request Coach\".\n   You can also mention Merge Request Coaches by typing `@gitlab-org/coaches` in a comment.\n1. Find reviewers & maintainers of Gitlab projects in our [handbook](/handbook/engineering/projects/#gitlab) and [mention](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/group/subgroups/#mentioning-subgroups) them in a comment.\n1. If you have feature ideas/questions, you can search for existing issues or create a new issue if there isn't one already. Feel free to [mention](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/group/subgroups/#mentioning-subgroups) [product team members](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/product/categories/) in the issue.\n\nWait for a reviewer. You’ll likely need to change some things once the reviewer has completed a code review for your merge request.\nYou may also need multiple reviews depending on the size of the change.\nIf you don't hear from anyone in a timely manner, feel free to find reviewers or reach out to Merge Request Coaches.\nPlease don't be shy about [mentioning](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/issues/index.html)\nGitLab team members in your merge requests as all team members are expected to be responsive to fellow community members.\n\n## How we stay on top of community contributions\n\nIn Q3 of 2020, several GitLab teams are focusing on improving the experience for community contributors. To achieve this goal,\nwe created a few metrics around community contributions:\n\n* [Community Contribution Mean Time to Merge](/handbook/engineering/quality/performance-indicators/#community-contribution-mean-time-to-merge)\n* [Unique Community Contributors per Month](/handbook/engineering/quality/performance-indicators/#unique-community-contributors-per-month)\n* [Community MR Coaches per Month](/handbook/engineering/quality/performance-indicators/#community-mr-coaches-per-month)\n\nTo make sure the GitLab team is working hand in hand with the wider community in a timely fashion, we've already put a few automations in place:\n\n1. Every hour, wider community contributions are automatically [labelled \"Community contribution\"](/handbook/engineering/quality/triage-operations/#community-contributions).\n1. Every day, a report with the [untriaged](/handbook/engineering/quality/merge-request-triage/) community merge requests is created and assigned to the Merge Request Coaches for triage. This ensures each merge request has a [stage and group](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/product/categories/#hierarchy) labels set.\n1. Every two weeks, a report with unassigned and idle community contributions is created for each [group](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/product/categories/#hierarchy).\n\nThese automations are powered by our [`triage-ops` project](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/quality/triage-ops/) and are documented in [Triage Operations](/handbook/engineering/quality/triage-operations/).\n\nI hope this post convinced you to start contributing to GitLab. Keep in mind, any contribution is valuable, and don't worry, we're here to support you.\n\nCover image: [\"Żuki leśne na liściu jesienią\"](https://unsplash.com/photos/5S2xIoNpcGk) by [Krzysztof Niewolny](https://unsplash.com/@epan5).\n{: .note}\n",[794,9,750,706,749],{"slug":3778,"featured":6,"template":685},"start-contributing-to-gitlab-today","content:en-us:blog:start-contributing-to-gitlab-today.yml","Start Contributing To Gitlab Today","en-us/blog/start-contributing-to-gitlab-today.yml","en-us/blog/start-contributing-to-gitlab-today",{"_path":3784,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":3785,"content":3791,"config":3796,"_id":3798,"_type":13,"title":3799,"_source":15,"_file":3800,"_stem":3801,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/startup-covid-tracking",{"title":3786,"description":3787,"ogTitle":3786,"ogDescription":3787,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":3788,"ogUrl":3789,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":3789,"schema":3790},"How an analytics software startup took aim at COVID-19","Illumina Consulting Group didn’t just sit idle during the pandemic. Here’s how they developed a COVID-19 assessment and analysis tool.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749681320/Blog/Hero%20Images/startupcovid.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/startup-covid-tracking","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"How an analytics software startup took aim at COVID-19\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Valerie Silverthorne\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2020-05-15\",\n      }",{"title":3786,"description":3787,"authors":3792,"heroImage":3788,"date":3793,"body":3794,"category":747,"tags":3795},[1136],"2020-05-15","\n\n_In the second of our irregular series on [the intersection of technology and COVID-19](/blog/cobol-programmer-shortage/), here’s a look at how one small software company changed gears to create a tool for symptom tracking._\n\nWe’ve heard a lot about companies around the world moving from [toy production to personal protective equipment](https://sports.yahoo.com/toy-companies-switch-gears-help-022919242.html), or switching gears from [making gin to making hand sanitizer](https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20200413-how-factories-change-production-to-quickly-fight-coronavirus).\n\nBut how about companies that have contributed in a more subtle way?\n\n[Illumina Consulting Group](https://icgsolutions.com/) is a Maryland-based data analytics software startup that does most of its work for the intelligence community. Suffice it to say about two months ago the team found themselves with time on their hands, says CEO David Waldrop. \"ICG has a very potent team of developers,\" he explains. \"So when this COVID thing kind of happened, we were sitting around trying to figure out what to do for the next eight weeks or longer sitting at home like groundhog day, with every day the same as the next. How could we help with this COVID thing with our skillset? We build software, that's what we do for a living.\" (For the record ICG is a GitLab customer, but this isn’t a post about that.)\n\nWaldrop’s team defined the requirements and concluded the biggest problem with this very contagious virus is a shortage of primary information. \"Who's really got the disease and how early in the process can we detect them?\" he asks. \"And the answer to that is pretty straightforward. Who's the person who knows if they've got the disease? Every person that's out there that's got a nose and ears and eyes that might have a sniffle and a fever. And so how could we get that information from those people? What if we just asked them?\"\n\nAnd with that simple thought process, a symptom assessment tool, [DoIhaveit.net](https://doihaveit.net/home#home), was born. The tool offers users both a snapshot of COVID-19 in their area (based on zip code) and asks them to take a quick two minute health survey. Using the results of that data, DoIhaveit (or DIHI as they call it) offers advice straight from the Centers for Disease Control. The survey is anonymous – it does not collect personal identifying information or private health data.\n\n![DoIhaveit.net home page](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/doihaveitscreenshot.png){: .shadow.medium.center.wrap-text}\n\nWaldrop admits the team was skeptical at first about the idea of people being willing to contribute their experiences. But \"everybody's got a mother or a grandmother or an older uncle or somebody,\" he says. \"When that person goes to the hospital, they want there to be a bed and a ventilator and gowns and all that stuff available.\"\n\nTo meet those needs ICG built DoIhaveit with a frontend survey piece and a backend that will aggregate and analyze the data down to the zip code level. \"We made it so the messaging at the assessment and the summary level can be jurisdictionally specific down to the zip code if necessary,\" he says. The team wanted it to be flexible for wherever the cycle takes an area from flattened curve to rising cases and to be modifiable by a public health or safety team that might want to adjust the parameters on the fly.\n\nAnd that’s the real point of DoIhaveit, Waldrop says – to make sure doctors and hospital systems are prepared for a potential onslaught. \"We built this as a public service and it’s ready to go.\" It’s in use in Virginia and the company wants to spread the word across the country. It’s completely free of charge for municipalities and Waldrop stresses ICG isn’t making any money from this. \"We hope to get this into as many hands as possible.\"\n\nCover image by [Centers for Disease Control](https://unsplash.com/@cdc) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com)\n{: .note}\n",[794,9,750],{"slug":3797,"featured":6,"template":685},"startup-covid-tracking","content:en-us:blog:startup-covid-tracking.yml","Startup Covid Tracking","en-us/blog/startup-covid-tracking.yml","en-us/blog/startup-covid-tracking",{"_path":3803,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":3804,"content":3810,"config":3815,"_id":3817,"_type":13,"title":3818,"_source":15,"_file":3819,"_stem":3820,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/stem-gems-give-girls-role-models",{"title":3805,"description":3806,"ogTitle":3805,"ogDescription":3806,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":3807,"ogUrl":3808,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":3808,"schema":3809},"GitLab + STEM Gems: Giving girls role models in tech","Meet the GitLab team-members working to inspire the next generation to pursue careers in STEM.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749672357/Blog/Hero%20Images/stem-gems.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/stem-gems-give-girls-role-models","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"GitLab + STEM Gems: Giving girls role models in tech\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Stephanie Garza\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2018-10-08\",\n      }",{"title":3805,"description":3806,"authors":3811,"heroImage":3807,"date":3812,"body":3813,"category":1282,"tags":3814},[2998],"2018-10-08","\n\nGitLab recently partnered with [STEM Gems](http://stemgemsbook.com/), an organization creating awareness of successful women in STEM, to inspire girls and give them STEM role models. **STEM** (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) pervades every aspect of our lives; everything can be tied to technology in some way, shape, or form. Given the constant expansion of technology, career prospects are endless. One would think STEM is the number one pursued career path right?\n\nSurprisingly, according to the US Department of Commerce, in 2017 only 24 percent of women worked in STEM. Another harsh reality is that women who hold STEM degrees are less likely than their male counterparts to pursue a STEM career. In fact, women are more likely to work in education or healthcare.\n\nDriven by the low numbers, STEM Education advocate Stephanie Espy strived to make a change. Espy created STEM Gems, an organization that began as a book filled with inspiring women in STEM. The book was the stepping stone for a greater initiative to create awareness for the successful female powerhouses in STEM, as well as provide girls with role models to look up to.\n\nGirls who have STEM role models are more likely to pursue opportunities outside their traditional realm, and STEM Gems is making it possible for girls to connect with them. Role models, mentors, and career ambassadors inspire and empower girls to achieve their dreams.\n\nAt [our recent summit in South Africa](/blog/gitlab-summit-cape-town-recap/), forty GitLab team-members came together for an epic power hour of delving into each other's professional pathways and identifying challenges. Participants were paired up and asked to interview each other about their individual careers, goals, and accomplishments. This included the significant others of GitLab team-members and men interested in learning more about making GitLab inclusive. Through this event, we were able to strengthen our relationships and identify ways to foster a culture of inclusion. The event also provided greater visibility into the challenges and barriers women in STEM face.\n\nGitLab is building a community where everyone can thrive. We've gathered together the stories and photos of the GitLab team-members that participated in the event. In this post, and in a follow-up post, we will share each of these amazing stories. We want to inspire and encourage girls to set Big Goals and pursue every dream and remember you’ll always have a friend at GitLab!\n\n![Jenny and Molly](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/stem-gems/jenny.jpg){: .shadow.small.left.wrap-text}\n\n**Name:** [Jenny Nguyen](/company/team/#lankhanh28) (right)\n\n**Role:** Payroll and Payments Lead\n\n**Why is what you do important?**\nI handle payroll and expense reimbursement, making sure all our team members get paid and reimbursed on time.\n\n**What is something you are really proud of?**\n\nI helped save a previous company $2 million by applying technical logic to processes.\n\n**Did you know you wanted to work in tech when you were growing up? If not, what did you THINK you wanted to be?**\n\nNo, I started my undergrad with Business major and took programming as an elective class. My teacher encouraged me to change my major to Computer Science and Software Engineering, but I didn't have an opportunity to be in a technical position. However, I have applied my technical knowledge and aptitude from school to reduce manual processes within my functions for the past 10 years.\n\n**If you could give advice to a girl thinking about a career in tech, what would it be?**\n\nAs a non-technical person, I want them to know that they don’t have to have a career in technology to have and utilize their own technical skills. Every function needs input from technical and non-technical perspectives.\n\n----\n\n![Ramya](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/stem-gems/ramya-authappan.png){: .shadow.small.right.wrap-text}\n\n**Name:** [Ramya Authappan](/company/team/#atramya)\n\n**Title:** Senior Test Automation Engineer\n\n**Why is what you do important?**\n\nAt GitLab, I automate tests as much as possible. I design and develop test frameworks. Test automation is the key to Continuous Integration and Delivery, which in turn is essential in minimizing the 'Time to Market' of any new features, thereby achieving customer satisfaction.\n\n**What is something you are really proud of?**\n\nApart from my work at GitLab, I'm also the Director of [Women Who Code](https://www.womenwhocode.com/), Chennai chapter. As part of Women Who Code, I get to meet a lot of female leaders in the technical space. I was recently invited to be a Panelist in a discussion on digital safety help by Google and SheThePeople.tv. I was also [interviewed by a Indian National News channel](https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/women-tech-freshworks-ramya-authappan-importance-mother-friendly-workplaces-78893). I frequently share my knowledge as a conference/meetup speaker. On the whole, I love doing what I do and being who I am!\n\n**Did you know you wanted to work in tech when you were growing up? If not, what did you THINK you wanted to be?**\n\nYes! In my school days I had to choose a specialization at the age of 16 years. I chose Computer Science, and I think I made the right choice. I find that I'm interested in software engineering and always wanted to be a software engineer.\n\n**If you could give advice to a girl thinking about a career in tech, what would it be?**\n\n1. Choose wisely when it comes to specializations.\n2. Keep learning.\n3. Give back to society.\n4. Change the world! The sky is the limit!\n\n----\n\n![Hannah](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/stem-gems/hannah-schuler.png){: .shadow.left.small.wrap-text}\n\n**Name:** [Hannah Schuler](/company/team/#hannahschuler8)\n\n**Title:** SDR Team Lead – West and APAC\n\n**Why is what you do important?**\n\nI train other SDR team members to identify and create qualified opportunities. I also assist in recruiting team members and also work closely with online marketing managers for targeted ad campaigns. The SDR role is an evangelist role – we get the opportunity to be the first point of contact for people. It's an exciting and challenging role because most often people have never heard of GitLab. Sharing news about a solution that can help people and bring value is exciting.\n\nMy role is important because I facilitate and add structure to the team. I help remove roadblocks and enable us to work more efficiently. I help team members reach their full potential.\n\n**What is something you are really proud of?**\n\nI received a discretionary bonus a few months ago for going above and beyond in my role! Being promoted from an SDR representative to a team lead in nine months was really awesome, I'm very proud of that. I'm a certified SCRUM master and product owner. I am also certified in SAFE (Agile methodology).\n\n**Did you know you wanted to work in tech when you were growing up? If not, what did you THINK you wanted to be?**\n\nIt's evolved over time – when I was little I wanted to be a ballerina. I was super shy, an introvert, and dancing was my way to express myself. When I grew older, everything changed and I become super outgoing. I wanted to make an impact in the world and got a degree in International Business Studies because I wanted to work for the UN. My excitement for technology came a lot later in my career. My friend shared excitement about the industry and that's what initially got my foot in the door. I did not have a traditional background in tech.\n\n**If you could give advice to a girl thinking about a career in tech, what would it be?**\n\nYou will have an impact in this field. Companies are looking for you. You will develop lifelong skills and have an impact in this field. Women are trailblazers in this industry. You can dictate your own earning potential and will have the opportunity to mentor other women as well.\n\n----\n\n![Cristine](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/stem-gems/cristine-marquardt.png){: .shadow.small.right.wrap-text}\n\n**Name:** [Cristine Marquardt](/company/team/#csotomango)\n\n**Title:** Billing Specialist\n\n**Why is what you do important?**\n\nI process invoices for sales-assisted orders, troubleshoot support tickets (mostly related to money and licensing issues), provide sales support, and I wear a lot of hats. Everyone in the company plays an important role to keep GitLab running. When you work at a startup, you have to be game for all the obstacles that are thrown your way. I never imagined how much I would learn and how much I could contribute in my role.\n\n**What is something you are really proud of?**\n\nI'm currently dabbling in .Net framework and I made my first semi-functional calculator. While this sounds like a rather simple task, this is huge to me since my career has been focused in the finance and accounting world.\n\n**Did you know you wanted to work in tech when you were growing up? If not, what did you THINK you wanted to be?**\n\nI knew that I wanted to work in tech ever since I was a kid. I was fortunate enough to go to a school that had computers in each classroom and there was also a computer lab. I wanted to get into computer engineering when I was in middle/high school, but I never pursued it in college. I'm now pushing myself to learn software development.\n\n**If you could give advice to a girl thinking about a career in tech, what would it be?**\n\nBelieve in yourself and don't be afraid. The only one holding you back is yourself.\n\n----\n\n![Gabriela and Diana](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/stem-gems/gabriela.jpg){: .shadow.small.right.wrap-text}\n\n**Name:** Gabriela Mena Breña (right)\n\n**Title:** Chemical Engineer (Not at GitLab, I am the significant other of a GitLab team-member)\n\n**Why is what you do important?**\n\nPractical transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy solutions. This will save the planet!\n\n**What is something you are really proud of?**\n\nI led the team that created fiscal terms for the first private investments in Mexican oil and gas resources. This protected the Mexican government's financial stability. We secured $3.1 billion worth of contracts to construct gas pipelines for the Mexican state. I am also proud to have received a full scholarship from the Mexican government to study for a Master's degree in Energy Science.\n\n**Did you know you wanted to work in tech when you were growing up? If not, what did you THINK you wanted to be?**\n\nYes, I found science and math the most challenging, which made them the most interesting to me.\n\n**If you could give advice to a girl thinking about a career in tech, what would it be?**\n\nDon't let anybody else tell you what you can be. Be true to who you really are and focus on your own goals and desires.\n\n----\n\n![Chloe](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/stem-gems/chloe-whitestone.jpg){: .shadow.small.left.wrap-text}\n\n**Name:** [Chloe Whitestone](/company/team/#drachanya)\n\n**Title:** Talent Operations Specialist\n\n**Why is what you do important?**\n\nI am part of the recruiting team. I do all of the backend operations for recruiting, such as vendor management, reporting, researching on different tools, and employee branding. In addition, I am also the recruiter for a few roles (customer success, UX designer, data engineer). GitLab cannot be what it is without having great talent and I get to be a part of this exciting journey.\n\n**What is something you are really proud of?**\n\nI've played a critical role in the multiple transitions of GitLab's ATS (application tracking system) which has improved candidate experience, increased efficiency, and given greater visibility for hiring managers to hire the best talent possible. Before I was at GitLab, there weren't any tools for recruiting metrics. Through my efforts, GitLab has recruiting metrics and is now able to analyze how they are doing compared to other industry leaders. This has allowed us to improve the hiring process and enabled applicants to get job offers faster than before.\n\n**Chloe also:**\n\n- Migrated Workable to Lever\n- Migrated Lever to Greenhouse\n- Implemented background checks at GitLab\n- Trained GitLab team-members for Greenhouse\n- Created a vacancy process for GitLab\n- Improved onboarding process and experience\n- Became an assistant manager in six months during her first fulltime job\n- Is proud of every hire she has made\n\n**Did you know you wanted to work in tech when you were growing up? If not, what did you THINK you wanted to be?**\n\nGrowing up, I didn't think I would work in Tech. I originally wanted to be president! I was exposed to tech through my high school STEM program. That equipped me to be where I am today.\n\n**If you could give advice to a girl thinking about a career in tech, what would it be?**\n\nStart right away by learning and getting involved in the community. It's harder to start the older you get (IMO). Don't be afraid, no matter how much experience you have or how old you are. You are not alone!\n\n----\n\n![Katherine](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/stem-gems/katherine-okpara.jpg){: .shadow.small.right.wrap-text}\n\n**Name:** [Katherine Okpara](/company/team/#katokpara)\n\n**Title:** Junior UX Researcher\n\n**Why is what you do important?**\n\nI work with product management and UX designers to understand users' pain points, goals, and needs. My job is to understand where we can improve the product by speaking directly to users. The user experience of a product impacts the customer directly. Positive experiences equal stronger relationships (more feedback) for the product to improve.\n\n**What is something you are really proud of?**\n\nI've received mentorship during my eight months here at GitLab and am now leading studies. I've been able to learn about different features and different aspects of the product at a fast pace. I have helped to build healthy relationships between end users and teams for better product improvements/advancements.\n\n**Did you know you wanted to work in tech when you were growing up? If not, what did you THINK you wanted to be?**\n\nNo. I didn't know anything about tech/computers, etc. until college. I took a few programming/data science classes in college and that's when my interest was piqued. I was on more of an academic path at school (psychology). In my last year of college I took a web design class (applying research to products) and felt that I had found my niche. I have been working on those skills ever since through online courses, research, etc.\n\n**If you could give advice to a girl thinking about a career in tech, what would it be?**\n\nThere is a place for you! Whether it's programming or another area, there are still many paths for consideration. If you come from a non-traditional path, there is always a way to link your skills to your desired role. Believe that you can do it, even if you don't currently have the skills (you can build those skills!).\n\n----\n\n![Lucas](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/stem-gems/lucas.jpg){: .shadow.small.left.wrap-text}\n\n**Name:** Lucas Charles\n\n**Title:** Individual Contributor to Gitlab (significant other to a GitLab team-member)\n\n**Why is what you do important?**\n\nI am an end-user, and GitLab wouldn't be a product without users. It's built on open source technology, which requires everyone to contribute. As a user and contributor, it is powerful to have everything in one place and GitLab is fun to use. It's easier to go to work every day with software you love.\n\nMy significant other works at GitLab, but I would use it every day regardless. I love the product and company. I think GitLab is doing something important and changing the way we build software.\n\n**What is something you are really proud of?**\n\nWhen my significant other was looking for a new job, I realized that GitLab would be a perfect fit for her and encouraged her to apply. I wanted to do everything I could to help her because I care and it's an amazing opportunity to push herself and contribute to a greater tech community full of diverse people, product, and cultures.\n\nI'm incredibly proud of my significant other. She works on GitLab every day, making the world a more interesting place through technology. I'm quite proud to be part of that network. I'm also proud to be one of the first 1,000 contributors to Gitlab. I'm proud that GitLab chose to recognize that by sending me a special sticker!\n\n**Did you know you wanted to work in tech when you were growing up? If not, what did you THINK you wanted to be?**\n\nI've always been a tinkerer and like to take things apart and put them together. Tech enables me to do that quickly and easily. It is an amazing industry that creates something out of nothing but an idea, and has limitless possibilities. We move fast and many truly believe they are changing the world.\n\n**If you could give advice to a girl thinking about a career in tech, what would it be?**\n\nFirst, to just do it, because it's an incredible field and we need more diversity. Diversity is important: we need a range of ideas, perspectives, and to create more opportunities to understand each other. We should build products that work for everyone and address all needs. Challenging ourselves and growing ourselves through different perspectives is critical for both personal growth and a healthy culture.\n",[816,9,794,706,982],{"slug":3816,"featured":6,"template":685},"stem-gems-give-girls-role-models","content:en-us:blog:stem-gems-give-girls-role-models.yml","Stem Gems Give Girls Role Models","en-us/blog/stem-gems-give-girls-role-models.yml","en-us/blog/stem-gems-give-girls-role-models",{"_path":3822,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":3823,"content":3829,"config":3834,"_id":3836,"_type":13,"title":3837,"_source":15,"_file":3838,"_stem":3839,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/the-contributions-we-made-to-the-git-2-43-release",{"title":3824,"description":3825,"ogTitle":3824,"ogDescription":3825,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":3826,"ogUrl":3827,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":3827,"schema":3828},"The contributions we made to the Git 2.43 release","Git 2.43 included some improvements from GitLab's Git team. Here are some highlights from the work the team has done on Git and why it matters.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749659507/Blog/Hero%20Images/AdobeStock_623844718.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/the-contributions-we-made-to-the-git-2-43-release","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"The contributions we made to the Git 2.43 release\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"John Cai\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2024-01-11\",\n      }",{"title":3824,"description":3825,"authors":3830,"heroImage":3826,"date":3831,"body":3832,"category":747,"tags":3833},[1340],"2024-01-11","[Git 2.43](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/git/-/raw/master/Documentation/RelNotes/2.43.0.txt)\nwas officially released on November 20, 2023, and included some improvements from GitLab's Git team. Here are some highlights from the work our team has\ndone on Git and why it matters.\n\n## Segmenting objects across packfiles\n\nIn Git 2.43, [Christian Couder](https://about.gitlab.com/company/team/#chriscool)\nadded a `--filter` option to the `git repack` command. Supported filter (see the\n[filter-spec docs](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-rev-list#Documentation/git-rev-list.txt---filterltfilter-specgt)) can be added to the `git repack --filter` flag. This will cause the filtered out objects to be\npacked into a separate packfile.\n\nA `--filter-to` option was also added. Providing this option will cause Git to write the filtered packfile to the specified location on the filesystem.\n\n### Why it matters\n\nGitaly servers host Git repositories and incur storage costs. In many repositories however, not all the objects need to be accessed all the time. Allowing Git to\noffload some repository data onto a different packfile paves the way for storage optimizations whereby we can choose to segment the Git repository data and place\ncertain kinds of objects on cheaper storage such as slower disks or object storage.\n\n## Checking object existence\n\nIn Git, to check the existence of an object one would have to rely on Git returning an error if it couldn’t find an object. However, to date, there has not been a generic way in Git to check the existence of an object. There were certain edge cases that were not handled well by the underlying Git code. For example, if a reference exists as a symbolic reference, but its target branch does not exist.\n\n[Patrick Steinhardt](https://about.gitlab.com/company/team/#pks-gitlab) added the `--exists` option to `git show` as a generic way to check for object existence.\n\n### Why it matters\n\nThe Gitaly team has started work to upstream the [reftable backend](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/11652) into the Git project. This new flag enables consistent validation of object existence to fix a number of tests to work with the reftables backend.\n\n## Find missing commit objects \n\n`git rev-list`'s `--missing` option provides information about objects that are referenced but are missing from a repository. Up to this release however, this option only worked with blobs and trees. Missing commits would cause `git rev-list` to fail with a fatal error.\n\nIn Git 2.43, [Karthik Nayak](https://about.gitlab.com/company/team/#knayakgl)\nextended the `--missing` option to work with commit objects.\n\n### Why it matters\n\nGitaly's next-generation repository replication implementation relies on a [write\nahead log](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/8911) (WAL) that logs every write to a repository.\n\nThe upcoming WAL creates separate log entries per transaction – as such, some transactions contain reference updates. In these transactions, it is necessary to identify new git objects being added to the repository. The WAL implementation uses a quarantine directory to stage these new objects. \n\nWe can now use git-rev-list(1) along with the --missing flag, to identify all the objects that are newly added and required and also boundary commits that connect the quarantine directory to the main object directory.\n\n## Read gitattributes from HEAD in bare repos\n\nStarting in 2.43, [John Cai](https://about.gitlab.com/company/team/#jcaigitlab)\nmade a change that allows [Git attributes](https://git-scm.com/docs/gitattributes) to start to read attributes from the tree that HEAD points to by default, in bare repositories.\n\n### Why it matters\n\nTo reduce some tech debt around how git attributes are read in a repository, we added the ability to pass a tree object directly to Git through the [`--attr-source` flag](https://git-scm.com/docs/git#Documentation/git.txt---attr-sourcelttree-ishgt).\n\nPassing in `HEAD` to `--attr-source` would fail however, when `HEAD` pointed to and unborn branch, Gitaly would have needed to use a separate call to check if `HEAD` were unborn before passing it in.\n\nThis change not only causes Git to read attributes from `HEAD` by default, which means we don't need to pass in anything, but also silently ignores it if `HEAD` is unborn, which is the behavior we want in Gitaly. This way, we don't need to make any code changes in Gitaly for this to work.\n\nThis leads to simplification on the Gitaly side, as we seek to remove some [technical debt around gitattributes](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/9006)\nput in during a time when Git lacked support around reading gitattributes in bare repositories.\n\n## Bug fixes\n\n[Patrick Steinhardt](https://about.gitlab.com/company/team/#pks-gitlab) fixed a bug in `git rev-list –stdin`.  \n\nSteinhardt also addressed an existing issue in [commit-graphs](https://git-scm.com/docs/commit-graph) whereby commits parsed from the commit-graph weren’t always checked for existence. A `GIT_COMMIT_GRAPH_PARANOIA` environment variable can now be turned on to always check for object existence.",[9,749,877],{"slug":3835,"featured":6,"template":685},"the-contributions-we-made-to-the-git-2-43-release","content:en-us:blog:the-contributions-we-made-to-the-git-2-43-release.yml","The Contributions We Made To The Git 2 43 Release","en-us/blog/the-contributions-we-made-to-the-git-2-43-release.yml","en-us/blog/the-contributions-we-made-to-the-git-2-43-release",{"_path":3841,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":3842,"content":3848,"config":3854,"_id":3856,"_type":13,"title":3857,"_source":15,"_file":3858,"_stem":3859,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/the-single-application-to-accelerate-your-startup",{"title":3843,"description":3844,"ogTitle":3843,"ogDescription":3844,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":3845,"ogUrl":3846,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":3846,"schema":3847},"The single application to accelerate your startup","GitLab Ultimate and Gold now free for select YC Startups.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749679046/Blog/Hero%20Images/startup.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/the-single-application-to-accelerate-your-startup","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"The single application to accelerate your startup\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Borivoje Tasovac\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-11-25\",\n      }",{"title":3843,"description":3844,"authors":3849,"heroImage":3845,"date":3851,"body":3852,"category":296,"tags":3853},[3850],"Borivoje Tasovac","2019-11-25","\nGitLab started as an idea that was [accepted by the HackerNews community](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4428278), joined the [Y Combinator family](/blog/gitlab-is-part-of-the-y-combinator-family/), and recently was valued at $2.75 billion during the [Series E funding round](/blog/gitlab-series-e-funding/).\n\n## Giving back to the startup community\n\nWe've been supporting [Open Source projects](/solutions/open-source/join/) and [education](/solutions/education/) with our top tiers at no cost for more than a year, but in addition to that, we decided to extend this offer and also grant free access to YC companies. We understand that startups face many obstacles trying to bring value to their customers while also trying to find their place among competitors.\n\nHiring suitable candidates, making partnership decisions and trying to manage your finances can all be overwhelming, especially at an early stage of a startup. We believe that startups should set a good foundation as soon as possible and that adopting a single application for the entire DevSecOps lifecycle will allow them to focus on their customers instead of the tooling. If done right, it could also help them [avoid complex toolchains](/topics/devops/reduce-devops-costs/), [reduce cycle time](/blog/strategies-to-reduce-cycle-times/) and [secure their apps](/solutions/security-compliance/).\n\nEligible startups can choose between our [top tiers](https://about.gitlab.com/pricing/) (self-managed Ultimate or cloud-hosted Gold) free of charge. Both of them support [every stage of the DevOps lifecycle](https://about.gitlab.com/stages-devops-lifecycle/) and enable them to ship their products to the market faster.\n\n## Who can qualify?\n\nWe realize that many growing companies would benefit from this offer, but we decided to narrow the initial launch to YC companies that are members of the current or two most recent [YCombinator batches](https://www.ycombinator.com/companies) and that raised less than $3M in funding.\n\nWe might also assess other portfolios in subsequent iterations.\n\n## The offer and the application process\n\nWe are offering our most comprehensive offerings for a year for free, with optional support at a discounted rate (95% off, $4.95 per user per month).\n\nQualifying startups can submit the application form on our [Startups page](/solutions/startups/). For additional questions regarding this offer, please see our FAQ section or feel free to reach us at [startups@gitlab.com](mailto:startups@gitlab.com).\n\nCover image by [Marvin Meyer](https://unsplash.com/photos/SYTO3xs06fU) on [Unsplash](https://www.unsplash.com)\n{: .note}\n",[9,703,2453],{"slug":3855,"featured":6,"template":685},"the-single-application-to-accelerate-your-startup","content:en-us:blog:the-single-application-to-accelerate-your-startup.yml","The Single Application To Accelerate Your Startup","en-us/blog/the-single-application-to-accelerate-your-startup.yml","en-us/blog/the-single-application-to-accelerate-your-startup",{"_path":3861,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":3862,"content":3868,"config":3873,"_id":3875,"_type":13,"title":3876,"_source":15,"_file":3877,"_stem":3878,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/the-top-software-developer-challenges-in-2022",{"title":3863,"description":3864,"ogTitle":3863,"ogDescription":3864,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":3865,"ogUrl":3866,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":3866,"schema":3867},"The top software developer challenges in 2022","From AI to hiring, security breaches and Covid, our 2022 Global DevSecOps Survey uncovered the top software developer challenges.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749668107/Blog/Hero%20Images/global-developer-survey.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/the-top-software-developer-challenges-in-2022","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"The top software developer challenges in 2022\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Valerie Silverthorne\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2022-10-05\",\n      }",{"title":3863,"description":3864,"authors":3869,"heroImage":3865,"date":3870,"body":3871,"category":814,"tags":3872},[1136],"2022-10-05","\nIn our 2022 Global DevSecOps Survey we asked developers about the most difficult parts of their jobs, a question that’s been answered in previous years with comments about tricky toolchain integrations, complex programming languages and business-side folks who \"just don’t get it.”\n\nBut apparently this year *we* didn’t get it: [More than 5,000 respondents](/developer-survey/) told us they were worried about the inability to hire and retain talent, the economy and the post-Covid world they’re expected to work in. They are also concerned about adoption of complex technologies such as artificial intelligence, 5G and edge computing, and the fear of/responsibility for security breaches and what that would mean to their organizations.\n\n(That sound you hear in the background is the shattering of the “devs are oblivious to business” stereotype.)\n\nObviously a tectonic shift in the developer role is underway.\n\n“Two massive waves are crashing against each other right now,” explains [Brendan O’Leary](/company/team/#brendan), staff developer evangelist at GitLab. “One wave is developers as kingmakers. We were ‘brought into the palace’ because every company needed to have software as its core competency and the pendulum swung toward developers. But the other wave is the massive correction in the market. These two things happening at the same time are putting a huge squeeze on businesses and developers.”\n\nA [longstanding shortage of software developers](https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/06/08/is-there-a-developer-shortage-yes-but-the-problem-is-more-complicated-than-it-looks/?sh=215d08f33b8e) has been made worse by macroeconomic conditions, but demand for software isn’t decreasing despite the market upheaval, O'Leary adds. The result is devs at the center of nearly all the most difficult challenges today, from [hiring](/blog/6-tips-to-make-software-developer-hiring-easier/) to [security breaches](/blog/gitlabs-2022-global-devsecops-survey-security-is-the-top-concern-investment/) and new technologies. \n\nTo put it another way: “We can’t be flippant about any part of the job anymore,” he adds.\n\nHere’s a look at what is keeping developers up at night.\n\n### Security\n\nMore than 1,000 respondents said all of the issues around security make their jobs infinitely more difficult and complicated.\n\n- “(The hardest thing is to) keep it secure and keep it updated.”\n- “My challenge is keeping up with the latest tools and security for optimal performance and privacy.”\t\t\t\n- “I am trying to build applications that are secure and stable.”\n- “Cybersecurity attacks are the biggest challenge facing us today.”\n- “The hardest part of my job? Data security, data security, I repeat, data security.”\n\n### “The Covid effect”\n\nHundreds of survey takers pointed to the changes brought about by Covid, including remote/hybrid work, economic forces, \"The Great Resignation,” and a number of other things. One respondent called it “the Covid effect” and many stressed that this new way of working has made their fast-paced jobs harder.\n\n### Staffing\n\nHard to hire, hard to keep, hard to even find...that’s what survey takers said about the issue of staffing.\n\n- “The biggest challenge is finding sufficient coding staff.”\n- “The biggest challenge is to find people to fill the jobs.”\n- “We have experienced significant difficulty in finding and retaining qualified staff.”\n\n### New technologies\n\nWith all the other pressures on developers, even exciting new technologies can seem daunting. One respondent put it this way:\n\n_“4G, 5G, AI, Metaverse, virtual space - developers have to support all of this.”_\n\nMany, many others simply said: “Technology is rapidly changing.”\n\n## Bold new challenges\n\nThis is all a long way of saying there has perhaps never been more on developers’ plates. Two developer respondents summed it up well:\n\n_“We have a development capacity challenge, a recruiting challenge and a knowledge-sharing challenge.”_\n\n_“For me, these are the eight biggest challenges we are facing as software developers: 1) Keeping pace with innovation. 2) Cultural change. 3) Customer experience. 4) Data privacy. 5) Cybersecurity. 6) AI and automation. 7) Data literacy. 8) Cross-platform functionality.”_\n\nWhat do you see as the biggest challenges facing developers? Let us know in the comments field below.\n",[681,682,9],{"slug":3874,"featured":6,"template":685},"the-top-software-developer-challenges-in-2022","content:en-us:blog:the-top-software-developer-challenges-in-2022.yml","The Top Software Developer Challenges In 2022","en-us/blog/the-top-software-developer-challenges-in-2022.yml","en-us/blog/the-top-software-developer-challenges-in-2022",{"_path":3880,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":3881,"content":3887,"config":3892,"_id":3894,"_type":13,"title":3895,"_source":15,"_file":3896,"_stem":3897,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/thoughts-on-open-source",{"title":3882,"description":3883,"ogTitle":3882,"ogDescription":3883,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":3884,"ogUrl":3885,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":3885,"schema":3886},"What to consider with an open source business model","CEO Sid Sijbrandij discusses the role of transparency and contribution in an open source business model.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749682919/Blog/Hero%20Images/opensourcecover.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/thoughts-on-open-source","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"What to consider with an open source business model\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Valerie Silverthorne\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-07-05\",\n      }",{"title":3882,"description":3883,"authors":3888,"heroImage":3884,"date":3889,"body":3890,"category":747,"tags":3891},[1136],"2019-07-05","\nAn open source business model used to be relatively rare but successes at companies like Red Hat and our own have changed that. As the idea of open source continues to gain traction with startups, our CEO [Sid Sijbrandij](/company/team/#sytses) talked with [OSS Capital](https://oss.capital) founder Joseph “JJ” Jacks about some of the changing – and nuanced – requirements to play in this complicated and competitive space.\n\n## How to build a business model for open source software businesses\n\nOpen source has always required a social contract between the owners of the project and the community that uses and contributes to it, Sid explains, and that’s something GitLab benefited from when the company was experimenting with the idea of [how to get paid](/blog/monetizing-and-being-open-source/). But today, with an [“open core” business model](/blog/gitlab-is-open-core-github-is-closed-source/) involving both open source and proprietary code, there’s another level, one where the community can have a much bigger voice on releases. “How much of what you make ends up in the open source and how much is proprietary?” Sid asks. “We try to find a good balance then when we go for a few releases where we're a bit weak on the open source side, people will post comments on our blog post and we can point to the stuff that's coming down the pipe. The wider community keeps us honest.”\n\nJJ, whose company is focused on investing in commercial open source startups, asks Sid about the ways open source licensing has changed. It’s a broad landscape, Sid offers: “You can go from the free software movement to open source to open core to these new licenses that are now made by Redis and Mongo and Confluent, the so-called non-compete licenses, which say it's kind of open source except if you're a hyper cloud, then you have to pay us.”\n\nThe “freemium” business model has also come along. “(That) makes it very easy to get trials and you can use it for free for a long time, but it's commercial. And then you have the completely proprietary Oracle light model. So licensing is much more of a spectrum today.”\n\n> The wider community keeps us honest.\n\n## Time to contribute\n\nThe spectrum of licensing isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Sid points to the free software movement that requires a user to contribute as a positive sign, but admits there is still a long way to go before this behavior is second nature. Companies try to put restrictions in, or to enforce things via copyright, Sid says, “but we’re not there yet, not by a long stretch. Lots of car manufacturers don’t contribute back to Linux so please start doing that everyone.”\n\nOf course, contributions from the community can only take a company so far. “Open core allowed us to compete with the proprietary vendors,” Sid says. “GitLab would not have survived as an open source project because open source projects sometimes implode under their popularity. There are some great examples of projects that did well – Kubernetes, Linux, and PostgreSQL – but without our business model we would not be able to compete at this point in this market with Microsoft and Atlassian.”\n\n> Open core allowed us to compete with the proprietary vendors.\n\n## Transparency in all things\n\nJJ wonders how much transparency and expectation setting have helped GitLab as an open core company, and Sid’s quick to point out it’s essential. “[Transparency](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#transparency) is in our top three values and we started with that because we didn’t want to alienate the wider community.” Transparency shortens the feedback loop and makes it more straightforward to deal with mistakes or challenging situations. When we [decided to merge both of GitLab’s code bases](/blog/merging-ce-and-ee-codebases/), we did it openly and honestly, wrote a blog post about it, and then waited to see how it was received. “I think by being transparent about our plan up front, what could have turned into a big flame war was a really positive experience for both the people at the company working really hard on this project, but also the wider community feeling like we take their interests seriously. And if we would have made a mistake, this was a proposal. They could have just said, ‘Okay, you're making a mistake here and there,’ and we could have fixed it before people were upset, and we lost trust.”\n\nWould Sid recommend “transparency first” to a startup open core company? Absolutely and it has to be there from the beginning, he says. “Values are really hard to introduce later in a company. I'm pushing for a bit more transparency now, and it's super, super, super, super hard. So, if you plan to do it, do it from the start, and (understand) it feels very counterintuitive to be open. And there are some areas where it's naturally harder to be as transparent. Security comes to mind. So, it's a daily struggle. People see that it works, but it requires effort at any layer of the company to actually do it, but I'm really proud of how far we've come.”\n\n_GitLab CEO Sid Sijbrandij occasionally sits down for a \"[pick your brain](/handbook/eba/ceo-scheduling/#pick-your-brain-meetings)\"\nmeeting with people seeking advice on open source, remote work, or a discussion of other things related to GitLab. Read [other posts in the series here](/blog/tags.html#pick-your-brain)._\n\nCover image by [Natasha Miller](https://unsplash.com/@tashography?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com)\n{: .note}\n",[9,794,749,749],{"slug":3893,"featured":6,"template":685},"thoughts-on-open-source","content:en-us:blog:thoughts-on-open-source.yml","Thoughts On Open Source","en-us/blog/thoughts-on-open-source.yml","en-us/blog/thoughts-on-open-source",{"_path":3899,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":3900,"content":3906,"config":3913,"_id":3915,"_type":13,"title":3916,"_source":15,"_file":3917,"_stem":3918,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/tracking-down-missing-tcp-keepalives",{"title":3901,"description":3902,"ogTitle":3901,"ogDescription":3902,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":3903,"ogUrl":3904,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":3904,"schema":3905},"Tracking TCP Keepalives: Lessons in Docker, Golang & GitLab","An in-depth recap of debugging a bug in the Docker client library.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749680874/Blog/Hero%20Images/network.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/tracking-down-missing-tcp-keepalives","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"What tracking down missing TCP Keepalives taught me about Docker, Golang, and GitLab\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Stan Hu\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-11-15\",\n      }",{"title":3907,"description":3902,"authors":3908,"heroImage":3903,"date":3516,"body":3909,"category":726,"tags":3910},"What tracking down missing TCP Keepalives taught me about Docker, Golang, and GitLab",[2864],"\n\nThis blog post was originally published on the GitLab Unfiltered blog. It was reviewed and republished on 2019-12-03.\n{: .alert .alert-info .note}\n\nWhat began as failure in a GitLab static analysis check led to a\ndizzying investigation that uncovered a subtle [bug in the Docker client\nlibrary code](https://github.com/docker/for-linux/issues/853) used by\nthe GitLab Runner. We ultimately worked around the problem by upgrading\nthe Go compiler, but in the process we uncovered an unexpected change in\nthe Go TCP keepalive defaults that fixed an issue with Docker and GitLab\nCI.\n\nThis investigation started on October 23, when backend engineer [Luke\nDuncalfe](/company/team/#.luke) mentioned, \"I'm seeing\n[`static-analysis` failures with no output](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/jobs/331174397).\nIs there something wrong with this job?\" He opened [a GitLab\nissue](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/issues/34951) to discuss.\n\nWhen Luke ran the static analysis check locally on his laptop, he saw\nuseful debugging output when the test failed. For example, an extraneous\nnewline would accurately be reported by Rubocop. However, when the same\ntest ran in GitLab's automated test infrastructure, the test failed\nquietly:\n\n![Failed job](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/docker-tcp-keepalive-debug/job-failure.png){: .shadow.center}\n\nNotice how the job log did not include any clues after the `bin/rake\nlint:all` step. This made it difficult to determine whether a real\nproblem existed, or whether this was just a flaky test.\n\nIn the ensuing days, numerous team members reported the same problem.\nNothing kills productivity like silent test failures.\n\n## Was something wrong with the test itself?\n\nIn the past, we had seen that if that specific test generated enough\nerrors, [the output buffer would fill up, and the continuous integration\n(CI) job would lock\nindefinitely](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-foss/issues/61432). We\nthought we had [fixed that issue months\nago](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-foss/merge_requests/28402). Upon\nfurther review, that fix seemed to eliminate any chance of a thread\ndeadlock.\n\nDid we have to flush the buffer? No, because the Linux kernel will do\nthat for an exiting process already.\n\n## Was there a change in how CI logs were handled?\n\nWhen a test runs in GitLab CI, the [GitLab\nRunner](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-runner/) launches a Docker\ncontainer that runs commands specified by a `.gitlab-ci.yml` inside the\nproject repository. As the job runs, the runner streams the output to\nthe GitLab API via PATCH requests. The GitLab backend saves this data\ninto a file. The following sequence diagram shows how this works:\n\n```plantuml\n== Get a job! ==\nRunner -> GitLab: POST /api/v4/jobs/request\nGitLab -> Runner: 201 Job was scheduled\n\n== Job sends logs (1 of 2) ==\nRunner -> GitLab: PATCH /api/v4/job/:id/trace\nGitLab -> File: Save to disk\nGitLab -> Runner: 202 Accepted\n\n== Job sends logs (2 of 2) ==\nRunner -> GitLab: PATCH /api/v4/job/:id/trace\nGitLab -> File: Save to disk\nGitLab -> Runner: 202 Accepted\n```\n\n[Henrich Lee Yu](/company/team/#engwan) mentioned\nthat we had recently [disabled a feature flag that changed how GitLab\nhandled CI job\nlogs](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/administration/job_logs.html#new-incremental-logging-architecture). [The\ntiming seemed to line\nup](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/issues/34951#note_236723888).\n\nThis feature, called live CI traces, eliminates the need for a shared\nPOSIX filesystem (e.g., NFS) when saving job logs to disk by:\n\n1. Streaming data into memory via Redis\n2. Persisting the data in the database (PostgreSQL)\n3. Archiving the final data into object storage\n\nWhen this flag is enabled, the flow of CI job logs looks something like\nthe following:\n\n```plantuml\n== Get a job! ==\nRunner -> GitLab: POST /api/v4/jobs/request\nGitLab -> Runner: 201 Job was scheduled\n\n== Job sends logs ==\nRunner -> GitLab: PATCH /api/v4/job/:id/trace\nGitLab -> Redis: Save chunk\nGitLab -> Runner: 202 Accepted\n...\n== Copy 128 KB chunks from Redis to database ==\nGitLab -> Redis: GET gitlab:ci:trace:id:chunks:0\nGitLab -> PostgreSQL: INSERT INTO ci_build_trace_chunks\n...\n== Job finishes ==\n\nRunner -> GitLab: PUT /api/v4/job/:id\nGitLab -> Runner: 200 Job was updated\n\n== Archive trace to object storage ==\n```\n\nLooking at the flow diagram above, we see that this approach has more\nsteps. After receiving data from the runner, something could have gone\nwrong with handling a chunk of data. However, we still had many\nquestions:\n\n1. Did the runners send the right data in the first place?\n1. Did GitLab drop a chunk of data somewhere?\n1. Did this new feature actually have anything to do with the problem?\n1. Are they really making another Gremlins movie?\n\n## Reproducing the bug: Simplify the `.gitlab-ci.yml`\n\nTo help answer those questions, we simplified the `.gitlab-ci.yml` to\nrun only the `static-analysis` step. We inserted a known Rubocop error,\nreplacing a `eq` with `eql`. We first ran this test on a separate GitLab\ninstance with a private runner. No luck there – the job showed the right\noutput:\n\n```\nOffenses:\n\nee/spec/models/project_spec.rb:55:42: C: RSpec/BeEql: Prefer be over eql.\n        expect(described_class.count).to eql(2)\n                                         ^^^\n\n12669 files inspected, 1 offense detected\n```\n\nHowever, we repeated the test on our staging server and found that we\nreproduced the original problem. In addition, the live CI trace feature\nflag had been activated on staging. Since the problem occurred with and\nwithout the feature, we could eliminate that feature as a possible\ncause.\n\nPerhaps something with the GitLab server environment caused a\nproblem. For example, could the load balancers be rate-limiting the\nrunners? As an experiment, we pointed a private runner at the staging\nserver and re-ran the test. This time, it succeeded: the output was\nshown. That seemed to suggest that the problem had more to do with the\nrunner than with the server.\n\n## Docker Machine vs. Docker\n\nOne key difference between the two tests: One runner used a shared,\nautoscaled runner using a [Docker\nMachine](https://docs.docker.com/machine/overview/) executor, and the\nprivate runner used a [Docker\nexecutor](https://docs.gitlab.com/runner/executors/docker.html).\n\nWhat does Docker Machine do exactly? The following diagram may help\nillustrate:\n\n![Docker Machine](https://docs.docker.com/machine/img/machine.png){: .medium.center}\n\nThe top-left shows a local Docker instance. When you run Docker from the\ncommand-line interface (e.g., `docker attach my-container`), the program\njust makes [REST calls to the Docker Engine\nAPI](https://docs.docker.com/engine/api/v1.40/).\n\nThe rest of the diagram shows how Docker Machine fits into the\npicture. Docker Machine is an entirely separate program. The GitLab\nRunner shells out to `docker-machine` to create and destroy virtual\nmachines using cloud-specific (e.g. Amazon, Google, etc.) drivers. Once\na machine is running, the runner then uses the Docker Engine API to run,\nwatch, and stop containers.\n\nNote that this API is used securely over an HTTPS connection. This is an\nimportant difference between the Docker Machine executor and Docker\nexecutor: The former needs to communicate across the network, while the\nlatter can either use a local TCP socket or UNIX domain socket.\n\n## Google Cloud Platform timeouts\n\nWe've known for a while that Google Cloud [has a 10-minute idle\ntimeout](https://cloud.google.com/compute/docs/troubleshooting/general-tips),\nwhich has caused issues in the past:\n\n> Note that idle connections are tracked for a maximum of 10 minutes,\n> after which their traffic is subject to firewall rules, including the\n> implied deny ingress rule. If your instance initiates or accepts\n> long-lived connections with an external host, you should adjust TCP\n> keep-alive settings on your Compute Engine instances to less than 600\n> seconds to ensure that connections are refreshed before the timeout\n> occurs.\n\nWas the problem caused by this timeout? With the Docker Machine\nexecutor, we found that we could reproduce the problem with a simple\n`.gitlab-ci.yml`:\n\n```yaml\nimage: \"busybox:latest\"\n\ntest:\n  script:\n    - date\n    - sleep 601\n    - echo \"Hello world!\"\n    - date\n    - exit 1\n```\n\nThis would reproduce the failure, where we would never see the `Hello\nworld!` output. Changing the `sleep 601` to `sleep 599` would make the\nproblem go away. Hurrah! All we have to do is tweak the system TCP\nkeepalives, right? Google provided these sensible settings:\n\n```sh\nsudo /sbin/sysctl -w net.ipv4.tcp_keepalive_time=60 net.ipv4.tcp_keepalive_intvl=60 net.ipv4.tcp_keepalive_probes=5\n```\n\nHowever, enabling these kernel-level settings didn't solve the\nproblem. Were keepalives even being sent? Or was there some other issue?\nWe turned our attention to network traces.\n\n## Eavesdropping on Docker traffic\n\nIn order to understand what was happening, we needed to be able to\nmonitor the network communication between the runner and the Docker\ncontainer. But how exactly does the GitLab Runner stream data from a\nDocker container to the GitLab server?  The following diagram\nillustrates the flow:\n\n```plantuml\nRunner -> Docker: POST /containers/name/attach\nDocker -> Runner: \u003Ccontainer output>\nDocker -> Runner: \u003Ccontainer output>\nRunner -> GitLab: PATCH /api/v4/job/:id/trace\nGitLab -> File: Save to disk\nGitLab -> Runner: 202 Accepted\n```\n\nFirst, the runner makes a [POST request to attach to the container\noutput](https://docs.docker.com/engine/api/v1.40/#operation/ContainerAttach).\nAs soon as a process running in the container outputs some data, Docker\nwill transmit the data over this HTTPS stream. The runner then copies\nthis data to GitLab via the PATCH request.\n\nHowever, as mentioned earlier, traffic between a GitLab Runner and the\nremote Docker machine is encrypted over HTTPS on port 2376. Was there an\neasy way to disable HTTPS? Searching through the code of Docker Machine,\nwe found that it did not appear to be supported out of the box.\n\nSince we couldn't disable HTTPS, we had two ways to eavesdrop:\n\n1. Use a man-in-the-middle proxy (e.g. [mitmproxy](https://mitmproxy.org/))\n1. Record the traffic and decrypt the traffic later using the private keys\n\n## Ok, let's be the man-in-the-middle!\n\nThe first seemed more straightforward, since [we already had experience\ndoing this with the Docker\nclient](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/administration/packages/container_registry.html#running-the-docker-daemon-with-a-proxy).\n\nHowever, after [defining the proxy variables for GitLab\nRunner](https://docs.gitlab.com/runner/configuration/proxy.html#adding-proxy-variables-to-the-runner-config),\nwe found we were only able to intercept the GitLab API calls with\n`mitmproxy`. The Docker API calls still went directly to the remote\nhost. Something wasn't obeying the proxy configuration, but we didn't\ninvestigate further. We tried the second approach.\n\n## Decrypting TLS data\n\nTo decrypt TLS data, we would need to obtain the encryption keys. Where\nwere these located for a newly-created system with `docker-machine`? It\nturns out `docker-machine` worked in the following way:\n\n1. Call the Google Cloud API to create a new machine\n1. Create a `/root/.docker/machine/machines/:machine_name` directory\n1. Generate a new SSH keypair\n1. Install the SSH key on the server\n1. Generate a new TLS certificate and key\n1. Install and configure Docker on the newly-created machine with TLS certificates\n\nAs long as the machine runs, the directory will contain the information\nneeded to decode this traffic. We ran `tcpdump` and saved the private keys.\n\nOur first attempt at decoding the traffic failed. Wireshark could not\ndecode the encrypted traffic, although general TCP traffic could still\nbe seen. Researching more, we found out why: If the encrypted traffic\nused a [Diffie-Hellman key\nexchange](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffie%E2%80%93Hellman_key_exchange),\nhaving the private keys would not suffice! This is by design, a property\ncalled [perfect forward\nsecrecy](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forward_secrecy).\n\nTo get around that limitation, we modified the GitLab Runner to disable\ncipher suites that used the Diffie-Hellman key exchange:\n\n```diff\ndiff --git a/vendor/github.com/docker/go-connections/tlsconfig/config_client_ciphers.go b/vendor/github.com/docker/go-connections/tlsconfig/config_client_ciphers.go\nindex 6b4c6a7c0..a3f86d756 100644\n",[9,877,534,940,2630,940,3911,3912,705],"AWS","testing",{"slug":3914,"featured":6,"template":685},"tracking-down-missing-tcp-keepalives","content:en-us:blog:tracking-down-missing-tcp-keepalives.yml","Tracking Down Missing Tcp Keepalives","en-us/blog/tracking-down-missing-tcp-keepalives.yml","en-us/blog/tracking-down-missing-tcp-keepalives",{"_path":3920,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":3921,"content":3926,"config":3931,"_id":3933,"_type":13,"title":3934,"_source":15,"_file":3935,"_stem":3936,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/translating-gitlab",{"title":3922,"description":3923,"ogTitle":3922,"ogDescription":3923,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1151,"ogUrl":3924,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":3924,"schema":3925},"Help us speak your language!","GitLab is available in many languages, but there's always more translation work to be done. Here's how you can contribute to translating GitLab.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/translating-gitlab","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Help us speak your language!\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Ray Paik\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-01-08\",\n      }",{"title":3922,"description":3923,"authors":3927,"heroImage":1151,"date":3928,"body":3929,"category":747,"tags":3930},[744],"2019-01-08","\nOne of the lesser-known features of GitLab is that it has been translated into many languages by community members. If you have only seen GitLab in (American) English, you can go to your [Profile page](https://gitlab.com/profile) and change your **Preferred language** to see it in another language.\n\n![Selecting preferred language](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/translation-blog/preferred_language_chinese.png){: .shadow.small.center}\n\n![GitLab in Chinese](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/translation-blog/gitlab_in_chinese.png){: .shadow.small.center}\n\nWe are proud of the work done by so many dedicated community members to help translate GitLab, but this is ongoing work, and we also have many languages that are just getting started with translation. That's where you come in!\n\n## Why translate GitLab?\n\nSome may say that GitLab is used by technical people who are already used to using a lot of different software in English, and translation is not really necessary. That may be true, but having the software available in local languages that people are more comfortable with lowers the barrier to entry not only for users, but for contributors too. Maybe it's because GitLab is an [all-remote company](/blog/the-case-for-all-remote-companies/) with [employees in nearly 50 countries](/company/team/), but GitLab team-members appreciate the benefits of localized software in local communities.\n\n## How is GitLab translated and how do I start contributing?\n\nThe translation is managed at [translate.gitlab.com](https://translate.gitlab.com/) using [Crowdin](https://crowdin.com/). First, a phrase (e.g. one that appears in the GitLab user interface or in error messages) needs to be internationalized before it can be translated. The internationalized phrases are then made available for translations on [translate.gitlab.com](https://translate.gitlab.com/). As each phrase is translated, it is added to the translation file, and will then be merged into future releases. You can find more details on how GitLab is translated in the [Translate GitLab documentation](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/development/i18n/).\n\nAs you can see in the [translation activity stream](https://translate.gitlab.com/project/gitlab-ee/activity_stream), the majority of translations are contributed by community members. You're probably already familar with GitLab's motto, \"Everyone can contribute,\" and contributing translation is even easier than contributing code.  All you need is an account on [CrowdIn](https://crowdin.com/) plus a browser, and you are ready to translate GitLab to a language of your choice. So if you're looking for ways to contribute and know other languages, translation is a great place to get started.\n\nDuring the [GitLab Hackathon](/community/hackathon/) in September, one of our [Core Team](/community/core-team/) members [Hannes Rosenögger](https://gitlab.com/haynes) presented a session on translation where he walked through how community members can contribute. You can watch the recording:\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n  \u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/LJ9oSSx0qyY\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\u003C/figure>\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\n## Where do we need help?\n\nAs you can see from the screenshot below, GitLab is almost fully translated into several languages, such as Chinese (both Simplifed and Traditional), French, German, Filipino, Brazilian Portuguese, Ukrainian, etc. However, many languages are in early stages, with a lot of translation left to be done and may also need [proofreaders](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/development/i18n/proofreader.html) to help review and approve translations. You can find steps to becoming a proofreader also outlined in [the proofreader documentation](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/development/i18n/proofreader.html#become-a-proofreader).\n\n![GitLab translation status](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/translation-blog/gitlab_translation_status.png){: .shadow.medium.center}\n\nEven if a language is fully translated today, new phrases are added all the time, so we welcome new contributors across all languages. If you have any questions as you get started on [translate.gitlab.com](https://translate.gitlab.com/), you can post questions on the [Crowdin discussions forum](https://translate.gitlab.com/project/gitlab-ee/discussions), and you are always welcome to reach me at rpaik@gitlab.com.\n\n[\"GitLab application screengrab\"](https://unsplash.com/photos/ZV_64LdGoao) by [Pankaj Patel](https://unsplash.com/@pankajpatel) on Unsplash\n{: .note}\n",[9,794,749,750],{"slug":3932,"featured":6,"template":685},"translating-gitlab","content:en-us:blog:translating-gitlab.yml","Translating Gitlab","en-us/blog/translating-gitlab.yml","en-us/blog/translating-gitlab",{"_path":3938,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":3939,"content":3945,"config":3953,"_id":3955,"_type":13,"title":3956,"_source":15,"_file":3957,"_stem":3958,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/u-s-navy-black-pearl-lessons-in-championing-devsecops",{"title":3940,"description":3941,"ogTitle":3940,"ogDescription":3941,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":3942,"ogUrl":3943,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":3943,"schema":3944},"U.S. Navy Black Pearl: Lessons in championing DevSecOps","Sigma Defense built a managed service software factory environment for the military using GitLab as its DevSecOps platform. Here's what they learned.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749658924/Blog/Hero%20Images/securitylifecycle-light.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/u-s-navy-black-pearl-lessons-in-championing-devsecops","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"U.S. Navy Black Pearl: Lessons in championing DevSecOps\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Sandra Gittlen\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2023-12-12\",\n      }",{"title":3940,"description":3941,"authors":3946,"heroImage":3942,"date":3948,"body":3949,"category":3950,"tags":3951},[3947],"Sandra Gittlen","2023-12-12","Manuel Gauto, director of engineering at government contractor [Sigma Defense](https://sigmadefense.com/), is a true DevSecOps champion. As co-creator of Black Pearl, a DevSecOps environment Sigma Defense manages for the U.S. Navy, Gauto witnesses firsthand the power that combining development, security, and operations can have in modernizing and scaling software development.\n\n\"If a DevSecOps environment is done correctly - where the tooling, security and compliance, connectivity, and onboarding are all handled as part of the platform – then mission owners can focus on mastering CI/CD in the context of their mission,\" Gauto said.\n\nGauto participated in GitLab's DevSecOps World Tour in Washington, D.C., speaking with GitLab Federal CTO Joel Krooswyk about Black Pearl and how consolidating a multitude of software factories into a single managed DevSecOps cloud environment has yielded tremendous results at scale, including:\n\n- a reduction in software factory setup time from around 6 months to 3 to 5 days\n- a 10x lower cost, decreasing from around $4 million to around $400,000\n- a more secure environment because there is inherent security with Authorization to Operate (ATO)\n- faster onboarding, decreasing from as long as 5 weeks to 1 day\n\n## The origins of Black Pearl\n\nA few years ago, the Navy had numerous software factories operating concurrently. Gauto himself was involved in standing a few of them up. \"We realized that it wasn't the most efficient approach – duplicative infrastructure in four or five different places that was ultimately doing the same thing,\" he said. \n\nThe team pitched the idea of a single environment that would consolidate cloud infrastructure, address security issues, and provide connectivity. That single environment was named \"Black Pearl\" and now consists of two offerings: Lighthouse, a DevSecOps infrastructure as code/configuration as code (IaC/CaC) baseline, and Party Barge, a managed shared offering.\n\nBlack Pearl’s common software environment with ATO provides commoditized DevSecOps tooling, pipeline component templates, governance/management, logging and metrics, integration infrastructure, cloud automation, and compute resources. The GitLab DevSecOps Platform is a major part of Black Pearl, providing \"a one-stop shop\" for source code management, tasks, documentation, and security scanning. Gauto said the dashboards and visualization are particularly integral to go/no-go decisions on shipping software.\n\n\"GitLab is the kind of platform that really enables us because it is the first time, even internally with our development, that we don't have to jump around to a bunch of different tools – we can just do everything in GitLab,\" he said. \"Having everyone on one platform also enables collaborative efficiency.\"\n\nGitLab's capabilities support the fast, secure, and cost-effective standup of software factories, according to Gauto.\n\n> Want to learn more about GitLab for the public sector? [Contact us today](https://about.gitlab.com/solutions/public-sector/).\n\n## How to build a strong DevSecOps environment\n\nIn the years since Black Pearl was first launched, Gauto has learned a lot about what makes a robust and secure DevSecOps environment. He said it comes down to tearing down silos and establishing a development ecosystem, centralizing security and compliance, providing the\nability to easily and quickly onboard talent, and remaining flexible and open to innovation. \n\n### Establish a strong development ecosystem\n\nIn large organizations, especially within government agencies, software development tends to break into silos. \"You'll have units of innovation that struggle to collaborate because they may work in one environment or in one building,\" Gauto said, adding that sharing anything – code, best practices, tooling, or infrastructure – can be challenging.\n\n\"By creating a well-established, well-maintained deployment of tooling, in particular, with GitLab, people can see what other teams are doing and share more readily,\" he said. \"Instead of mailing a CD to some lab somewhere else in the country, DevSecOps teams can just say, 'Let me add you as a developer on my project and you can kick around these repositories.'\" \n\nAn ecosystem helps aggregate demand in a way that breaks down barriers to infrastructure accreditation. \"We can go to the cyber community or certification community and say, 'I'm here representing a large group of users. This is a pain point we all have and we would like to work with you to figure it out,'\" Gauto said. For example, allowing people to connect to Black Pearl over the internet from a contractor machine, government machine, or wherever. \"It should not be this difficult in an unclassified environment.\"\n\nWith a strong ecosystem, you also can build up your best practices and processes around planning (such as Agile, Scrum, and Kanban), integrating on-site and remote development, gaining authorization for software, and delivering applications to various environments.\n\n### Apply security and compliance\n\nWhen it comes to security and compliance, Gauto said the biggest thing is to be able to see the train coming down the tracks and to be as prepared as possible. \"Let's not be surprised and let's not be standing on the tracks when it gets here,\" he said. \n\nOne area where that sentiment is wholly applicable is compliance, where mandates are evolving at breakneck speed. \"We want to be prepared to provide the data and the tooling in a format that's ingestible by the right people,\" he said.\n\nHe credits GitLab for helping with this challenge. \"GitLab Ultimate lets us just bake compliance in from the start and template a bunch of stuff from the start,\" which lets customers immediately start running with compliance, he said.\n\nGitLab also supports licensing and ATO scans in a single platform. \n\n### Support rapid onboarding of talent\n\nAcross the military, there are obstacles to accessing the best DevSecOps talent, including working in buildings with no windows, and having to jump through giant hoops to be able to work on classified networks.\n\n\"I think that really limits the talent that can be brought to the table to solve some of the really hard problems we have,\" Gauto said. For Black Pearl to be successful\nin supporting the missions, it was imperative to \"enable broader access to talent and then build sustainable onboarding workflows.\"\n\nWithin the DoD, there are a lot of difficult and interesting problems that need to be solved but the\nability to collaborate across government, industry, and academia can be a limiting factor. \"There are a large number of locations where software development is being done and without a common environment to work within, work can be repeated, lost, or otherwise underutilized,\" Gauto said.\n\nBlack Pearl provides an environment for different organizations to collaborate in a way that is accessible. Black Pearl has focused on ensuring that authorized users are able to access the environment from different devices, networks, and locations without onerous access procedures. This approach fosters the development of new ideas and increases the speed to new capabilities.\n\n### Enable flexibility and innovation\n\nThe military has so many different delivery environments – from submarines to aircraft carriers – that Black Pearl has to be incredibly flexible. \"We enable everyone to manage their own kingdom and focus their efforts on pieces that are specific to their problem space,\" Gauto said. \"We know there's not one pipeline to rule all. So we provide the toolkit and let everyone tailor the solution to what they need instead of saying, 'you have to do software development this way and you have to deliver it this way.'\"\n\nBlack Pearl encourages customers to have a sense of ownership over their environments, using the building blocks of GitLab Ultimate, including CI/CD pipelines, scanning, and testing. \"We want them to get to the point where they are ready to use all the tools that we offer,\" Gauto said. They also educate the customer so that the customer can drive their own requirements rather than Black Pearl having to pitch functionality to them.\n\nFor example, the Black Pearl team closely collaborates with the developer team for The Forge, a software factory for the Navy's Aegis integrated weapons system. \"One day The Forge team said, 'We feel like we should be scanning our source code for secrets before we check it in.' Exactly.\"\n\nHe also wants to be careful to not stifle innovation or overly restrict customers. \"Not everything is a containerized business application that goes to the cloud,\" he said. He instructs his team members to \"make sure we have a strategy for providing flexibility for people that are doing something weird, because the people that are doing something weird are usually doing something cool.\" \n\nArtificial intelligence and machine learning will be a test of this philosophy. \"There are going to be some novel tools and some novel data classifications that we are going to have to iterate on quickly,\" he said.\n\n## The proven thesis\n\nGauto is proud of Black Pearl's tremendous adoption rates, which have grown 400% over the past 12 months, and believes it is proof of the concept. \"The Black Pearl thesis of a managed service that enables people to quickly start solving their own problems without worrying about the 'boring' stuff can work and is valuable,\" he said.\n\n> Learn more about [GitLab for the public sector](https://about.gitlab.com/solutions/public-sector/).\n","customer-stories",[3952,479,899,9,183],"DevSecOps",{"slug":3954,"featured":90,"template":685},"u-s-navy-black-pearl-lessons-in-championing-devsecops","content:en-us:blog:u-s-navy-black-pearl-lessons-in-championing-devsecops.yml","U S Navy Black Pearl Lessons In Championing Devsecops","en-us/blog/u-s-navy-black-pearl-lessons-in-championing-devsecops.yml","en-us/blog/u-s-navy-black-pearl-lessons-in-championing-devsecops",{"_path":3960,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":3961,"content":3966,"config":3972,"_id":3974,"_type":13,"title":3975,"_source":15,"_file":3976,"_stem":3977,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/updates-from-aws-reinvent",{"title":3962,"description":3963,"ogTitle":3962,"ogDescription":3963,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":784,"ogUrl":3964,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":3964,"schema":3965},"Highlights from AWS re:Invent 2019","DevOps dining, selecting jukebox tunes, learning ‘Dog’Ops from Wag!, supporting Graviton, and more from AWS re:Invent 2019.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/updates-from-aws-reinvent","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Highlights from AWS re:Invent 2019\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Tina Sturgis\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-12-13\",\n      }",{"title":3962,"description":3963,"authors":3967,"heroImage":784,"date":3969,"body":3970,"category":296,"tags":3971},[3968],"Tina Sturgis","2019-12-13","\n\nAWS re:Invent is both energizing and exhausting all at the same time. Come on... admit it, you think so too! But, it is actually one of my favorite events of the year. It is just me and approximately 65,000 of my best friends coming together to hear what AWS is up to and how it will effect GitLab and our joint users. \n\n\n## AWS announcements and how they relate to GitLab\n\n**Transformation.** I am a sucker for a transformation theme and AWS didn’t disappoint this year. Whether we are talking transformation personally or in our business, I can’t help but visualize a caterpillar transforming into a beautiful butterfly. \n\nAWS internally reflected as well as challenged their customers to think about “How should we reinvent ourselves?” In the [keynote with Andy Jassy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-31KgImGgU), Goldman Sachs, and Verizon each told their stories about transforming their business with AWS. While each story was a little different, they all talked about what they have accomplished with AWS. \n\nI sat back and reveled in the fact that the ‘untold’ story of [Goldman Sachs](/customers/goldman-sachs/) is that GitLab’s [DevOps platform](/solutions/devops-platform/) is used exclusively by their dev teams across the entire software development lifecycle. They have been able to remove toolchain complexity while going from providing a build once every two weeks to over a thousand per day. Talk about a transformation. Just imagine the velocity in their build cycle that they are able to achieve. \n\n**Amazon Fargate for Amazon EKS.**: Customers asked and AWS took action by launching Amazon Fargate for Amazon EKS. This is big news seeing that 84% of all Kubernetes installations run on AWS. So if you are looking to manage your containers at the task level, this announcement should have you dancing in your seat. Two out of five new container customers choose to start their container journey with Amazon Fargate, citing its overall ease of use. GitLab already supports Amazon Fargate and Amazon EKS, so it is very natural that we are excited about this new launch. Have a look at our [Trek10 customer case study](/customers/trek10/) to learn more about how it is using GitLab and Amazon Fargate today.\n\n**AWS Graviton**: AWS announced the next generation of Graviton with native runners for 32 and 64-bit ARM-based processors. GitLab already supports this service and our customers are already contributing.\n\n## WAG!’s phased approach to ‘Dog’Ops...errrrr DevOps \n\nDave Bullock from Wag! went through the first two phases of the transformation journey with both AWS and GitLab. Some of my favorite highlights from his talk, in his words, were:\n\n```\n“Automate all the things!”\n\n“We wanted Dev to work locally to test and monitor themselves so they take ownership.”\n\n“Everything as code! Code, not clicks!”\n\n“Everything is built into the pipeline...if something happens you can rollback at each step.”\n\n“Change is hard, things break! No one is perfect.”\n```\n\nWatch the full [Wag! story](https://youtu.be/HfEl9GXZC0s) from AWS re:Invent. \n\n\n\n## The importance of early security\n\n[Brandon Jung](/company/team/#bjung), our VP of alliances and board member at the Linux Foundation, sat down with Stu Miniman and John Walls, hosts of [theCUBE](https://www.thecube.net), to talk about how [GitLab empowers DevOps while making CISOs happy](https://siliconangle.com/2019/12/06/qa-gitlab-empowers-devops-making-cisos-happy-reinvent/). Brandon explained how GitLab users are able to include security earlier in the software development process, which saves them money because they're not iterating in the production phase.\n\nWatch [Brandon’s full interview](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Auua2qMYFOw).\n\n## Do you want to play a game?\n\nWe love games here at GitLab and were thrilled to be the featured SCM tool used in [AWS GameDay](https://aws.amazon.com/gameday/) at re:Invent this year. AWS GameDay is an interactive team-based learning exercise designed to give players a chance to put their AWS skills to the test in a real-world, gamified, risk-free environment. Expect to see us \"play\" a bigger role in AWS GameDay in 2020. \n\nThis year, the GitLab DevOps Diner-themed booth earned an honorable mention for the [best booth by AWS](https://twitter.com/AWSreInvent/status/1202735726153981953). Our corporate events team stayed laser-focused and each and every corner of the booth, including the swag, had the diner theme. My personal fav was the jams on the jukebox – I think this is a must-have in every one of our booths. We are already thinking about how to outdo the diner theme in 2020.\n\n![GitLab Diner at AWS](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/gitlabdiner.jpg){: .shadow.medium.center}\n\nLet’s keep the conversation going...what were your favorite parts at re:Invent this year? Comment here or ping me on Twitter @t_sturgis!\n",[9,750,794,274,703],{"slug":3973,"featured":6,"template":685},"updates-from-aws-reinvent","content:en-us:blog:updates-from-aws-reinvent.yml","Updates From Aws Reinvent","en-us/blog/updates-from-aws-reinvent.yml","en-us/blog/updates-from-aws-reinvent",{"_path":3979,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":3980,"content":3986,"config":3992,"_id":3994,"_type":13,"title":3995,"_source":15,"_file":3996,"_stem":3997,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/upgrade-to-rails5",{"title":3981,"description":3982,"ogTitle":3981,"ogDescription":3982,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":3983,"ogUrl":3984,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":3984,"schema":3985},"The road to Rails 5","Senior Backend Engineer Jan Provaznik shares some of the challenges we encountered when upgrading GitLab to Rails 5 – and how we overcame them.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749683399/Blog/Hero%20Images/road-to-rails-5.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/upgrade-to-rails5","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"The road to Rails 5\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Jan Provaznik\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-05-28\",\n      }",{"title":3981,"description":3982,"authors":3987,"heroImage":3983,"date":3989,"body":3990,"category":726,"tags":3991},[3988],"Jan Provaznik","2019-05-28","\nWith [Rails 6 coming soon](https://weblog.rubyonrails.org/2018/12/20/timeline-for-the-release-of-Rails-6-0/) it's a good time to look back at the journey we took when upgrading GitLab to Rails 5, which was not so long ago.\n\n[Our issue for upgrading to Rails 5](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues/14286) was around for quite a while, largely because it was difficult to switch such a big project as GitLab instantly to the next major version. Here is a brief story about how we solved this upgrade challenge.\n\n## Our solution? Cut it into pieces\n\nThe upgrade to Rails 5 was first prepared as a one big merge request. The nice thing about this approach is that when the merge request is ready, you can just merge the single merge request without dealing with any backward compatibility. The [first attempt](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/merge_requests/5555) had lower priority and it was later replaced with a [second attempt](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/merge_requests/12841). But for the GitLab codebase this merge request became pretty big: 151 commits, over 120 pushes, and more than 1000 changed files. Then it was almost impossible to get such merge request ready to be merged and keep it up to date without hitting problems with conflicts.\n\nRather than trying to get the upgrade done in a single merge request, a couple of changes made it possible to run the application either on Rails 4 or 5 depending on an environment variable. The application was still running on Rails 4 by default, but we were able to run it on Rails 5 either locally or in CI just by setting `RAILS5` and `BUNDLE_GEMFILE` environment variables. This allowed us to split the upgrade into many small issues. Typically each issue addressed one specific type of error in CI, so with each fix there were fewer failing tests in CI. Another major benefit was that then it was significantly easier to split the work between more people and to get an overview of who was working on what issue.\n\nA Rails version-specific Gemfile was loaded depending on the `RAILS5` and `BUNDLE_GEMFILE` environment variable. Here is an example of [enabling Rails 5 in rspec](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/merge_requests/18140):\n\n```ruby\ngemfile = %w[1 true].include?(ENV[\"RAILS5\"]) ? \"Gemfile.rails5\" : \"Gemfile\"\nENV['BUNDLE_GEMFILE'] ||= File.expand_path(\"../#{gemfile}\", __dir__)\n```\n\nThe content of [Gemfile.rails5](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/merge_requests/17761):\n\n```ruby\n# BUNDLE_GEMFILE=Gemfile.rails5 bundle install\n\nENV[\"RAILS5\"] = \"true\"\n\ngemfile = File.expand_path(\"../Gemfile\", __FILE__)\n\neval(File.read(gemfile), nil, gemfile)\n```\n\nAnd the Gemfile:\n\n```ruby\ndef rails5?\n  %w[1 true].include?(ENV[\"RAILS5\"])\nend\n\ngem_versions = {}\ngem_versions['activerecord_sane_schema_dumper'] = rails5? ? '1.0'      : '0.2'\ngem_versions['default_value_for']               = rails5? ? '~> 3.0.5' : '~> 3.0.0'\ngem_versions['html-pipeline']                   = rails5? ? '~> 2.6.0' : '~> 1.11.0'\ngem_versions['rails']                           = rails5? ? '5.0.6'    : '4.2.10'\ngem_versions['rails-i18n']                      = rails5? ? '~> 5.1'   : '~> 4.0.9'\n```\n\nThere were situations when a fix for Rails 5 was not compatible with Rails 4 and two different versions of code were needed, typically an Active Record query. For this purpose we used a simple helper method `Gitlab.rails5?` to check which version was being used and added code for each version. It was pretty easy to remove all Rails 4-compatible code in the cleanup phase when we upgraded to Rails 5 just by searching for `Gitlab.rails5?` in our codebase.\n\nAn example of the check used in `lib/gitlab/database.rb`:\n\n```ruby\ndef self.cached_table_exists?(table_name)\n  if Gitlab.rails5?\n    connection.schema_cache.data_source_exists?(table_name)\n  else\n    connection.schema_cache.table_exists?(table_name)\n  end\nend\n```\n\n## Upgrade process\n\nTo be able to address upgrade issues in small, separate pieces, we did the following steps during the upgrade process:\n\n* [Allowed GitLab to run both with Rails 4 and 5](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/merge_requests/17761), but keep Rails 4 default.\n* We also [added support both for Rails 4 and 5 into GDK](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-development-kit/merge_requests/497).\n* Fixed all issues until it fully worked with Rails 5 and CI was green.\n* Did manual testing to make sure everything will work after the upgrade.\n* [Switched to Rails 5 by default](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/merge_requests/21492), (but kept Rails 4 code).\n* Still enforced compatibility with Rails 4 (by running CI both with Rails 4 and 5) in case we had to switch back because of a blocker issue.\n* Dropped Rails 4 compatibility when we were sure everything worked. Releases are done monthly, so we removed Rails 4 code after the next release.\n\n## Major challenges\n\n### Active Record changes\n\nIn some places we use `Arel` directly and there were various incompatible changes (e.g. [`IN` statement issue](https://github.com/rails/arel/issues/531) solved by [this fix](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/merge_requests/19796)) which caused some of our SQL queries to stop working on Rails 5. (Almost) all of them were discovered during the preparation phase thanks to good test coverage. A list of [database-related changes is here](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/merge_requests?label_name%5B%5D=rails5&label_name%5B%5D=database&scope=all&state=all).\n\n### Monkey patches\n\nWe keep various monkey patches (either not-merged-yet upstream fixes or custom extensions), many of which required refactoring with the major upgrade. The positive is that we were able to get rid of some of them.\n\n### Keeping Rails 5 CI green\n\nThere was quite a long period between the moment we had all Rails 5 issues fixed and the moment we really switched the master branch to Rails 5.\nDuring this period we used a scheduled pipeline which ran daily on CE and EE master branches on Rails 5, so we knew quickly when a new incompatibility issue was introduced.\nAnother option was running CI jobs both for Rails 4 and 5 for each merge request and making it mandatory to pass all jobs. The disadvantage of this option was it would take twice as much time to run CI.\n\nUnfortunately there were many new incompatibility issues introduced during this period. Next time it would be better to run CI for each merge request, both with Rails 4 and 5, although it would require twice as much CI runtime.\n\n## Production release\n\nOnce we had all known issues in our codebase fixed, we still had additional steps to make sure we didn't hit a critical issue when releasing the next version. [We tracked these steps in this issue](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues/48991). We switched master branches to Rails 5 at the beginning of the development cycle (each cycle is one month long). We then ran CI jobs both with Rails 5 (default) and 4 (to keep backward compatibility). Timing was important because during the development cycle we discovered a couple of issues and we had enough time to fix them before release. After the release of the next version (11.6), when we were sure that we would not have to switch back to Rails 4, we removed Rails 4 both from CI and from the codebase.\n\nAlthough it took longer than expected, I think this upgrade was successful because it didn't cause any production issues. There were a few [major issues](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues?scope=all&utf8=%E2%9C%93&state=closed&label_name[]=rails5&label_name[]=P1) discovered after switching the master branch, but we were able to fix them quickly before release.\n\nThis upgrade was done with huge help from our community – especially [@blackst0ne](https://gitlab.com/blackst0ne) and [@jlemaes](https://gitlab.com/jlemaes). Thank you!\n\n## Next steps\n\n* The upgrade to Rails 5.1 is [happening now](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/merge_requests/24852).\n* The upgrade to Rails 5.2 is [still in progress](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ee/merge_requests/8877) – unfortunately there are many incompatibilities.\n\nBecause upgrades to 5.1 and 5.2 should be relatively small, we aim to do each upgrade in a single merge request. The upgrade to Rails 6 is expected to be bigger, so hopefully the same approach we used for Rails 5 upgrade will be useful in this case too.\n\nPhoto by Cody Board on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/photos/2hu-SSktidc)\n{: .note}\n",[794,1590,749,9],{"slug":3993,"featured":6,"template":685},"upgrade-to-rails5","content:en-us:blog:upgrade-to-rails5.yml","Upgrade To Rails5","en-us/blog/upgrade-to-rails5.yml","en-us/blog/upgrade-to-rails5",{"_path":3999,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":4000,"content":4006,"config":4011,"_id":4013,"_type":13,"title":4014,"_source":15,"_file":4015,"_stem":4016,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/using-gitlab-pages-lets-encrypt",{"title":4001,"description":4002,"ogTitle":4001,"ogDescription":4002,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":4003,"ogUrl":4004,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":4004,"schema":4005},"GitLab and Let's Encrypt partner to improve website security","Learn how to add a Let's Encrypt TLS certificate to a website hosted and managed via GitLab Pages.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749667094/Blog/Hero%20Images/container-security.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/using-gitlab-pages-lets-encrypt","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"GitLab and Let's Encrypt partner to improve website security\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Fatima Sarah Khalid\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Bryan Behrenshausen\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2022-09-29\",\n      }",{"title":4001,"description":4002,"authors":4007,"heroImage":4003,"date":4008,"body":4009,"category":899,"tags":4010},[1021,2723],"2022-09-29","\n\n[Let's Encrypt](https://letsencrypt.org/), a free, automated, and open certificate authority, is integrated with GitLab to help DevOps teams encrypt web traffic and protect the confidentiality of information their users share with websites.\n\nThis article explains, step by step, how to add a Let's Encrypt Transport Layer Security ([TLS](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/pages/custom_domains_ssl_tls_certification/ssl_tls_concepts.html)) certificate to a website hosted and managed via GitLab Pages.\n\n## What is TLS?\n\nTLS is a protocol designed to make the internet more secure. Now more than two decades old, TLS, which evolved from Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), helps ensure that when users connect to websites — and transmit potentially sensitive data to and from those websites — they are doing so over a secure connection.\n\nIt's an important protocol because internet connections aren't necessarily secure by default. Malicious actors can intervene in the internet connection made to retreive web pages, and then they can view or even manipulate the data traveling through that connection. To minimize the chance of that happening, DevOps teams need to enable a way to guarantee - to certify - that the connection is genuine and secure.\n\nThat's where TLS comes in.\n\n## How does TLS work?\n\nTLS consists of several components, one of which is [a digital certificate](https://www.digicert.com/what-is-an-ssl-certificate), the goal of which is to secure data flowing to and from a website and help users trust in the integrity and confidentiality of that data.\n\nThe website or domain controller can install that certificate on a web server so that a user visiting the site can view it and feel assured their connection to the website is secure. The controller will ask a certifying body — called a certificate authority, or CA — to electronically sign and verify the certificate to indicate that the person or organization has control over the domain. Users can then view the certificate's details to scrutinize the connection.\n\nTo do this, simply load any TLS-protected website in a browser (\"https://\" will appear in the URL where the \"s\" indicates a secure connection), and, typically, a \"lock\" icon in the browser's URL bar. Clicking on that lock reveals certificate details.\n\nAs long as users trust the body that issued the certificate, they can feel more confident their connection to the website is secure. \n\n![GitLab's website, indicating the secure connection by clicking on the lock icon in the URL bar](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/secureeasy-blog-post-image-1.png)\n\n\nGitLab's website is delivered over a secure connection.\n{: .note.text-center}\n\n\n![GitLab's website indicating the security certificate is valid in the lock icon on the URL browser bar](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/secureeasy-blog-post-image-2.png)\n\n\nGitLab's website security certificate is valid.\n{: .note.text-center}\n\n\n## Let's Encrypt and TLS certificates\n\nHistorically, obtaining TLS certificates was a complicated and costly endeavor.\n\n[Let's Encrypt formed in 2013](https://www.crn.com/news/cloud/300074840/lets-encrypt-a-free-and-automated-certificate-authority-comes-out-of-stealth-mode.htm) to ensure everyone had access to the benefits of encryption. Part of the nonprofit [Internet Security Research Group](https://www.abetterinternet.org/), Let's Encrypt aims to simplify the process of issuing, installing, configuring, and managing TLS certificates. By doing so, it hopes to create an internet that is [more privacy-respecting and secure](https://letsencrypt.org/about/). \n\nLet's Encrypt is an open and secure certificate authority that makes the process of obtaining and applying TLS certificates easy, automated, and free for website administrators. GitLab's integration with Let's Encrypt enables anyone hosting a webpage using GitLab Pages to obtain and apply a TLS certificate with a single click.\n\n## Securing a website with GitLab Pages and Let's Encrypt\n\n[GitLab Pages](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/pages/index.html) allows anyone with a GitLab project to host and maintain a static website and, with [the help of Let's Encrypt](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/pages/custom_domains_ssl_tls_certification/lets_encrypt_integration.html), do so securely.\n\nTo start, create a GitLab pages website:\n\n- Create [a new project](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/pages/index.html#how-it-works) (or [fork a sample project](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/pages/getting_started/pages_new_project_template.html)) in your GitLab namespace.\n- Add your website's source code to that project.\n- Register a personal domain name, add it to the project, and [verify it](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/pages/custom_domains_ssl_tls_certification/index.html#set-up-pages-with-a-custom-domain).\n\nYou're now ready to [add a TLS certificate](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/pages/custom_domains_ssl_tls_certification/index.html#adding-an-ssltls-certificate-to-pages) to your site [with Let's Encrypt](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/pages/custom_domains_ssl_tls_certification/lets_encrypt_integration.html).\n\n* Navigate to your project's Settings, then choose Pages.\n* Find the domain you want to secure and select Details.\n* Click Edit in the top-right corner to modify those details.\n* Click the switch to activate Automatic certificate management using Let's Encrypt.\n* Click Save to save your changes.\n\nAnd that's it. Really.\n\nThe only thing left to do is wait. Obtaining a Let's Encrypt certificate for a website can take up to an hour. But once you've acquired one, you'll see the certificate information underneath the domain name listed in your Pages settings.\n\nAdditionally, you can enhance your website's security by forcing incoming traffic to connect to it securely. Just tick the box to enable \"Force HTTPS\".\n\n## Contributing to a more secure internet\n\nThe internet is an incredibly valuable tool, but with that value comes complexity. Let’s Encrypt provides digital certificates to more than 290 million websites, working to create an internet that is more secure and respectful of the privacy of its users. \n\nAt GitLab, we believe that [everyone can contribute](/company/mission/#everyone-can-contribute) — and that includes contributing to a safer, more secure internet. By obtaining and setting up an TLS certificate, DevOps teams benefit from and contribute to the adoption of internet encryption. Internet security shouldn’t be difficult, and GitLab hopes that our integration with Let’s Encrypt supports a more secure internet for everyone.\n\n\u003Ciframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/_wasba1jCoI\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen>\u003C/iframe>\n",[749,899,9],{"slug":4012,"featured":6,"template":685},"using-gitlab-pages-lets-encrypt","content:en-us:blog:using-gitlab-pages-lets-encrypt.yml","Using Gitlab Pages Lets Encrypt","en-us/blog/using-gitlab-pages-lets-encrypt.yml","en-us/blog/using-gitlab-pages-lets-encrypt",{"_path":4018,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":4019,"content":4025,"config":4031,"_id":4033,"_type":13,"title":4034,"_source":15,"_file":4035,"_stem":4036,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/version-12-year-in-review",{"title":4020,"description":4021,"ogTitle":4020,"ogDescription":4021,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":4022,"ogUrl":4023,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":4023,"schema":4024},"GitLab Version 12 Year In Review: Releases 12.0 to 12.10","Product highlights from a pivotal year","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749680891/Blog/Hero%20Images/cloud-adoption-roadmap.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/version-12-year-in-review","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"GitLab Version 12 Year In Review: Releases 12.0 to 12.10\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Brian Glanz\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2020-05-21\",\n      }",{"title":4020,"description":4021,"authors":4026,"heroImage":4022,"date":4028,"body":4029,"category":703,"tags":4030},[4027],"Brian Glanz","2020-05-21","\n\nAt GitLab, we understand that the strength of your business depends on moving fast. And what makes us strong in good times, makes us resilient in challenging times.\n\nStrength and resilience come from speed, yes, but also agility, operational efficiency, security, and above all, reliability. We've released a new version on the 22nd of every month for [now more than 100 consecutive months](/releases/).\n\nAs we’ve grown, those monthly releases now include dozens of significant features and improvements: 719 new features and improvements total in versions 12.0–12.10, as documented in our [release blog posts](/releases/categories/releases/).\n\nWe’ll cover some of the highlights and trends here in this Version 12 Year in Review. Watch it in the video below, or read on for more detail and all the links.\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n  \u003Ciframe width=\"1141\" height=\"642\" src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/IXRuepeH3xg\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen>\u003C/iframe>\n\u003C/figure>\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\n*Here is the [Version 12 Year in Review slide deck](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ht1da_WIrkG_4Cx5C89D4C7zxV80MIExUVwCyZD10aw/edit?usp=sharing) shown in the video.*\n\nGitLab is not just another startup. Over the past year, the awesome GitLab community [made almost 200 contributions to our open source software in every monthly release](https://gitlab.biterg.io/goto/937475d38035f496df3501c9b30af5ef). Community contributions to versions 12.0–12.10 totaled an incredible 2,158 🙌, and contributions per month/per version have grown steadily over versions 10, 11, and 12:\n\n![GitLab Monthly Community Contributions per Major Version](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/GitLabCommunityContributionsMonthlyPerMajorVersion.png){: .shadow}\n\nOur company and our community are truly working together to make [DevOps](/topics/devops/) a reality for teams of all sizes.\n\nLooking back, Version 12 has been about expanding our focus, first by treating developers, security, and operations alike as first-class citizens in DevOps. [We called 12.0 our DevSecOps release](/releases/2019/06/22/gitlab-12-0-released/) and we’ve delivered on that vision in the year since.\n\nGitLab has also grown to help more types of users contribute, such as by building in [Requirements Management](/releases/2020/04/22/gitlab-12-10-released/#create-and-view-requirements-in-gitlab) and [Design Management](/releases/2019/08/22/gitlab-12-2-released/#annotations-for-designs). As you have more people collaborating in a single application, features like our new [Compliance Dashboard](/blog/make-tracking-agreements-simple-compliance-dashboard/) are more useful, in that case making compliance easier for everyone.\n\n## Dev\n\n![Dev](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/GitLab-Dev.png){: .small.left.wrap-text}\n\nFor developers, it’s all about delivering and shipping faster while meeting business demands. Today, we provide granular analytics on merge requests, with [Productivity Analytics](/releases/2019/09/22/gitlab-12-3-released/#productivity-analytics) and [Code Review Analytics](/blog/troubleshoot-delays-with-code-review-analytics/), in addition to full, downloadable [Code Quality Reports](/releases/2020/03/22/gitlab-12-9-released/#full-code-quality-report) for even more visibility.\n\nBuilt-in package management now includes a [GitLab Conan repository](/releases/2019/12/22/gitlab-12-6-released/#manage-cc-packages-via-conan-within-gitlabs-package-registry) for C and C++ developers, and a [NuGet repository](/releases/2020/02/22/gitlab-12-8-released/#build-publish-and-share-packages-to-the-gitlab-nuget-net-repository) for Windows developers.\n\nAutomation is fundamental for DevOps teams, and with [Directed Acyclic Graphs](/releases/2019/08/22/gitlab-12-2-released/#directed-acyclic-graphs-dag-for-gitlab-pipelines) and [Parent-Child Pipelines](/releases/2020/01/22/gitlab-12-7-released/#parent-child-pipelines), complex pipelines are now faster and more flexible.\n\n## Sec\n\n![Sec](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/GitLab-Sec.png){: .small.right.wrap-text}\n\n[DevSecOps](/solutions/security-compliance/) is not only about shifting left with testing or security — it’s also increasing visibility downstream or “shifting right.” Security teams need to manage and mitigate business risk. To do that, they need visibility into development and what vulnerabilities are being created or discovered.\n\nYou can now easily access and export a project’s [Dependency List](/releases/2019/06/22/gitlab-12-0-released/#project-dependency-list) or “Bill of Materials.” Our [scorecard on Security Dashboards](/releases/2019/12/22/gitlab-12-6-released/#quickly-understand-your-at-risk-projects-with-project-security-grades) lets you know immediately which projects are most at risk.\n\nWe also have more efficient [vulnerability management](/releases/2020/03/22/gitlab-12-9-released/#select-and-dismiss-multiple-vulnerabilities) on security dashboards and [autoremediation of vulnerabilities found in Container Scanning](/releases/2020/03/22/gitlab-12-9-released/#suggested-solution-for-container-scanning). Our new [Container Network Security](/releases/2020/02/22/gitlab-12-8-released/#network-policies-for-container-network-security) helps prevent lateral attacks.\n\n## Ops\n\n![Ops](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/GitLab-Ops.png){: .small.left.wrap-text}\n\nBut containers and applications don’t really run themselves. Application teams everywhere need to plan and architect for stability and efficiency.\n\nEnvironments become hard to wrangle when you have more than just a few, and our [Environments Dashboard](/releases/2019/11/22/gitlab-12-5-released/#environments-dashboard) lets you see what’s going on across projects. For teams with a high volume of merges, [Merge Trains](/releases/2019/07/22/gitlab-12-1-released/#parallel-execution-strategy-for-merge-trains) help mitigate potential conflicts in production pipelines.\n\nManaging deploy tokens is now more efficient, as we introduced both [group-level deploy tokens](/releases/2020/03/22/gitlab-12-9-released/#group-deploy-tokens) and an API to administer them. You can now leverage [HashiCorp Vault](/releases/2020/03/22/gitlab-12-9-released/#secure-your-applications-with-secrets-management-and-vulnerability-remediation) to securely manage keys, tokens, and other secrets with Vault as a GitLab CI managed app.\n\nWe are strong believers in automating repetitive tasks. Creating a new cluster should be simple, and our [EKS integration](/releases/2019/11/22/gitlab-12-5-released/#easily-create-and-deploy-to-an-eks-cluster) does just that. Finally, our new [Log Explorer](/releases/2020/02/22/gitlab-12-8-released/#explore-aggregated-logs) aggregates Kubernetes logs across pods and services, making them searchable and much more useful.\n\n## GitLab is for Everyone\n\nWith Version 12, we can see GitLab is not only for developers, and it’s not even only for DevOps. Expect more progress in Version 13 and beyond, as we continue on [our mission to change all creative work from read-only to read-write](/company/#about-us).\n\nGitLab is for everyone, and everyone can contribute. [Join us, at GitLab.com](https://about.gitlab.com/).\n\nCover image by [Matt Howard](https://unsplash.com/@thematthoward?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/s/photos/journey?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText).\n{: .note}\n",[705,9,706],{"slug":4032,"featured":6,"template":685},"version-12-year-in-review","content:en-us:blog:version-12-year-in-review.yml","Version 12 Year In Review","en-us/blog/version-12-year-in-review.yml","en-us/blog/version-12-year-in-review",{"_path":4038,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":4039,"content":4044,"config":4050,"_id":4052,"_type":13,"title":4053,"_source":15,"_file":4054,"_stem":4055,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/we-need-to-talk-no-proxy",{"title":4040,"description":4041,"ogTitle":4040,"ogDescription":4041,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":3826,"ogUrl":4042,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":4042,"schema":4043},"We need to talk: Can we standardize NO_PROXY?","Subtle differences in proxy setting implementations led to surprising problems for a GitLab customer. Here's how we got to the root of it.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/we-need-to-talk-no-proxy","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"We need to talk: Can we standardize NO_PROXY?\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Stan Hu\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2021-01-27\",\n      }",{"title":4040,"description":4041,"authors":4045,"heroImage":3826,"date":4046,"updatedDate":4047,"body":4048,"category":726,"tags":4049},[2864],"2021-01-27","2025-06-09","If you've used a Web proxy server before, you're probably familiar with\nthe environment variables `http_proxy` or `HTTP_PROXY`. You may be less\nfamiliar with `no_proxy`, which provides a way to exclude traffic\ndestined to certain hosts from using the proxy. While HTTP is a\nwell-defined standard, no standard exists for how clients should handle\nthese variables. As a result, Web clients support these variables in\nsubtly different ways. For one GitLab customer, these differences led\nto a weekend of troubleshooting that uncovered why certain services\nstopped communicating.\n\n## What is a proxy server?\n\nA proxy server acts as an intermediary between your computer or network and the internet. When you send a request to access a website or other online resource, that request first goes to the proxy server. The proxy server then forwards the request to the actual destination and delivers the response back to you. Proxies can serve various purposes, including improving security, enhancing privacy, and controlling internet usage.\n\n## Proxy server environment variables\n\nLet's now look at what proxy server environment variables are, and how to define exemptions and handle exclusions with `no_proxy`.\n\n### Understanding proxy server environment variables \n\nToday, most Web clients support connection to proxy servers via\nenvironment variables:\n\n- `http_proxy` / `HTTP_PROXY`\n- `https_proxy` / `HTTPS_PROXY`\n- `no_proxy` / `NO_PROXY`\n\nThese variables tell the client what URL should be used to access the\nproxy servers and which exceptions should be made. For example, if you\nhad a proxy server listening on `http://alice.example.com:8080`, you\nmight use it via:\n\n```sh\nexport http_proxy=http://alice.example.com:8080\n```\n\nWhich proxy server gets used if troublesome Bob also defines the\nall-caps version, `HTTP_PROXY`?\n\n```sh\nexport HTTP_PROXY=http://bob.example.com:8080\n```\n\nThe answer surprised us: it depends. In some cases, the Alice proxy\nwins, and in other cases Bob wins. We'll discuss the details later.\n\n### Defining proxy exemptions with `no_proxy`\n\nWhat happens if you want to make exceptions? For example, suppose you\nwant to use a proxy server for everything but `internal.example.com` and\n`internal2.example.com`. That's where the `no_proxy` variable comes into\nplay. Then you would define `no_proxy` as follows:\n\n```sh\nexport no_proxy=internal.example.com,internal2.example.com\n```\n\n### Handling IP exclusions in `no_proxy`\n\nWhat if you want to exclude IP addresses? Can you use asterisks or\nwildcards? Can you use CIDR blocks (e.g. `192.168.1.1/32`)? The answer\nagain: it depends.\n\n## How did we get here?\n\nLet's dig into the evolution of proxy variables, and how they are used today.\n\n### The origins of proxy variables\n\nIn 1994, most Web clients used CERN's `libwww`, which [supported `http_proxy` and the `no_proxy` environment variables](https://courses.cs.vt.edu/~cs4244/spring.09/documents/Proxies.pdf).\n`libwww` only used the lowercase form of `http_proxy`, and the [`no_proxy` syntax was\nsimple](https://github.com/w3c/libwww/blob/8678b3dcb4191065ca39caea54bb1beba809a617/Library/src/HTAccess.c#L234-L239):\n\n```\nno_proxy is a comma- or space-separated list of machine\nor domain names, with optional :port part.  If no :port\npart is present, it applies to all ports on that domain.\n\nExample:\n\t\tno_proxy=\"cern.ch,some.domain:8001\"\n```\n\nNew clients emerged that added their own HTTP implementations without\nlinking `libwww`. In January 1996, Hrvoje Niksic released\n`geturl`, the predecessor of what is now `wget`.  A month later,\n`geturl`, [added support for `http_proxy` in v1.1](https://ftp.sunet.se/mirror/archive/ftp.sunet.se/pub/www/utilities/wget/old-versions/).\nIn May 1996, `geturl` v1.3 added support for `no_proxy`. Just as with\n`libwww`, `geturl` only supported the lowercase form.\n\nIn January 1998, Daniel Stenberg released `curl` v5.1, which [supported the `http_proxy` and `no_proxy` variables](https://github.com/curl/curl/blob/ae1912cb0d494b48d514d937826c9fe83ec96c4d/CHANGES#L929-L944).\nIn addition, `curl` allowed the uppercase forms, `HTTP_PROXY` and `NO_PROXY`.\n\nPlot twist: In March 2009, [curl v7.19.4](https://github.com/curl/curl/releases/tag/curl-7_19_4) dropped support for the\nuppercase form of `HTTP_PROXY` [due to security concerns](https://github.com/curl/curl/blob/30e7641d7d2eb46c0b67c0c495a0ea7e52333ee2/lib/url.c#L2250-L2261). However, while `curl` ignores `HTTP_PROXY`, `HTTPS_PROXY` still works today.\n\n### State of the variables today\n\nFast-forward to today. As my [colleague Nourdin el Bacha researched](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/support/support-team-meta/-/issues/2991),\nwe can see that how these proxy server variables are handled varies, depending\non what language or tool you are using.\n\n## Current implementation of proxy variables across languages\n\nKnowing how proxy variables are handled across languages allows you to set them so that they work properly. Here’s a quick rundown.\n\n### `http_proxy` and `https_proxy`\n\nIn the following table, each row represents a supported behavior, while\neach column holds the tool (e.g. `curl`) or language (e.g. `Ruby`) to\nwhich it applies:\n\n|                 | curl      | wget           | Ruby          | Python    | Go        |\n|-----------------|-----------|----------------|---------------|-----------|-----------|\n| `http_proxy`    | Yes       | Yes            | Yes           | Yes       | Yes       |\n| `HTTP_PROXY`    | No        | No             | Yes ([warning](https://github.com/ruby/ruby/blob/0ed71b37fa9af134fdd5a7fd1cebd171eba83541/lib/uri/generic.rb#L1519)) | Yes (if `REQUEST_METHOD` not in env)       | Yes       |\n| `https_proxy`   | Yes       | Yes            | Yes           | Yes       | Yes       |\n| `HTTPS_PROXY`   | Yes       | No             | Yes           | Yes       | Yes       |\n| Case precedence | lowercase | lowercase only | lowercase     | lowercase | Uppercase |\n| Reference       | [source](https://github.com/curl/curl/blob/30e7641d7d2eb46c0b67c0c495a0ea7e52333ee2/lib/url.c#L2250-L2266) | [source](https://github.com/jay/wget/blob/099d8ee3da3a6eea5635581ae517035165f400a5/src/retr.c#L1222-L1239) | [source](https://github.com/ruby/ruby/blob/0ed71b37fa9af134fdd5a7fd1cebd171eba83541/lib/uri/generic.rb#L1474-L1543) | [source](https://github.com/python/cpython/blob/030a713183084594659aefd77b76fe30178e23c8/Lib/urllib/request.py#L2488-L2517) | [source](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/682a1d2176b02337460aeede0ff9e49429525195/src/vendor/golang.org/x/net/http/httpproxy/proxy.go#L82-L97) |\n\u003Cbr>\u003C/br>\nNote that `http_proxy` and `https_proxy` are always supported across the\nboard, while `HTTP_PROXY` is not always supported. Python (via `urllib`) complicates\nthe picture even more: `HTTP_PROXY` can be used [as long as\n`REQUEST_METHOD` is not defined in the environment](https://github.com/python/cpython/blob/030a713183084594659aefd77b76fe30178e23c8/Lib/urllib/request.py#L2504-L2508).\n\nWhile you might expect environment variables to be all-caps,\n`http_proxy` came first, so that's the de facto standard. When in doubt,\ngo with the lowercase form because that's universally supported.\n\nInstead of environment variables, Java uses [system properties](https://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/docs/technotes/guides/net/proxies.html). This avoids case issues entirely.\n\nUnlike most implementations, Go tries the uppercase version before\nfalling back to the lowercase version. We will see later why that caused\nissues for one GitLab customer.\n\n### `no_proxy` format\n\nSome users have [discussed the lack of the `no_proxy` specification in this issue](https://github.com/curl/curl/issues/1208). As\n`no_proxy` specifies an exclusion list, many questions arise about\nhow it behaves. For example, suppose your `no_proxy` configuration is defined:\n\n```sh\nexport no_proxy=example.com\n```\n\nDoes this mean that the domain must be an exact match, or will\n`subdomain.example.com` also match against this configuration? The\nfollowing table shows the state of various implementations. It turns out\nall implementations will match suffixes properly, as shown in the\n`Matches suffixes?` row:\n\n|                       | curl      | wget           | Ruby      | Python    | Go        |Java |\n|-----------------------|-----------|----------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|\n| `no_proxy`            | Yes       | Yes            | Yes       | Yes       | Yes       |No*|\n| `NO_PROXY`            | Yes       | No             | Yes       | Yes       | Yes       |No*|\n| Case precedence       | lowercase | lowercase only | lowercase | lowercase |Uppercase |N/A|\n| Matches suffixes?     | Yes       | Yes            | Yes       | Yes       | Yes       |No|\n| Strips leading `.`?   | Yes       | No             | Yes       | Yes       | No        |No|\n| `*` matches all hosts?| Yes       | No             | No        | Yes       | Yes       |Yes|\n| Supports regexes?     | No        | No             | No        | No        | No        |No|\n| Supports CIDR blocks? | No        | No             | Yes       | No        | Yes       |No|\n| Detects loopback IPs? | No        | No             | No        | No        | Yes       |No|\n| Resolves IP addresses? | No        | No             | Yes        | No        | Yes       |No|\n| Reference             | [source](https://github.com/curl/curl/blob/30e7641d7d2eb46c0b67c0c495a0ea7e52333ee2/lib/url.c#L2152-L2206) | [source](https://github.com/jay/wget/blob/099d8ee3da3a6eea5635581ae517035165f400a5/src/retr.c#L1266-L1274) | [source](https://github.com/ruby/ruby/blob/eead83160bcc5f49706e05669e5a7e2620b9b605/lib/uri/generic.rb#L1552-L1577) | [source](https://github.com/python/cpython/blob/030a713183084594659aefd77b76fe30178e23c8/Lib/urllib/request.py#L2519-L2551)| [source](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/master/src/vendor/golang.org/x/net/http/httpproxy/proxy.go#L170-L205) |[documentation](https://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/docs/technotes/guides/net/proxies.html)\n\n* Java uses the `http.nonProxyHosts` system property.\n\n### The impact of leading dots in no_proxy\n\nHowever, if there is a leading `.` in the `no_proxy` setting, the\nbehavior varies. For example, `curl` and `wget` behave\ndifferently. `curl` will always strip the leading `.` and match against\na domain suffix. This call bypasses the proxy:\n\n```sh\n$ env https_proxy=http://non.existent/ no_proxy=.gitlab.com curl https://gitlab.com\n\u003Chtml>\u003Cbody>You are being \u003Ca href=\"https://about.gitlab.com/\">redirected\u003C/a>.\u003C/body>\u003C/html>\n```\n\nHowever, `wget` does not strip the leading `.` and performs an exact\nstring match against a hostname. As a result, `wget` attempts to use a\nproxy if a top-level domain is used:\n\n```sh\n$ env https_proxy=http://non.existent/ no_proxy=.gitlab.com wget https://gitlab.com\nResolving non.existent (non.existent)... failed: Name or service not known.\nwget: unable to resolve host address 'non.existent'\n```\n\nIn all implementations, regular expressions are never supported. I\nsuspect using regexes complicates matters further, because regexes have\ntheir own flavors (e.g. PCRE, POSIX, etc.). Using regexes also\nintroduces potential performance and security issues.\n\nIn some cases, setting `no_proxy` to `*` effectively disables proxies\naltogether, but this is not a universal rule.\n\nOnly Ruby performs a DNS lookup to resolve a hostname to an IP address when deciding if a proxy should be used. Be careful if you use IP addresses with Ruby because it’s possible a hostname may resolve to an excluded IP address. In general, do not specify IP addresses in no_proxy variable unless you expect that the IPs are explicitly used by the client.\n\nThe same holds true for CIDR blocks, such as `18.240.0.1/24`. CIDR\nblocks only work when the request is directly made to an IP\naddress. Only Go and Ruby allow CIDR blocks. Unlike other\nimplementations, Go even automatically disables the use of a proxy if it\ndetects a loopback IP addresses.\n\n## Why does this matter?\nDiscrepancies in proxy environment variable handling, particularly between Ruby and Go, can lead to a real-world issues where Git pushes worked via the command line but failed in the web UI for a GitLab customer. Understanding these inconsistencies is crucial for troubleshooting and configuring applications that operate across multiple languages within corporate networks utilizing proxy servers.\n\n### Challenges of defining proxy variables in multi-language applications\n\nIf you have an application written in multiple languages that needs to\nwork behind a corporate firewall with a proxy server, you may need to\npay attention to these differences. For example, GitLab is composed of a\nfew services written in Ruby and Go. One customer set its proxy\nconfiguration to something like the following:\n\n```yaml\nHTTP_PROXY: http://proxy.company.com\nHTTPS_PROXY: http://proxy.company.com\nNO_PROXY: .correct-company.com\n```\n\nThe customer reported the following issue with GitLab:\n\n1. A `git push` from the command line worked\n1. Git changes made via the Web UI failed\n\nOur support engineers discovered that due to a Kubernetes configuration\nissue, a few stale values lingered. The pod actually had an environment\nthat looked something like:\n\n```yaml\nHTTP_PROXY: http://proxy.company.com\nHTTPS_PROXY: http://proxy.company.com\nNO_PROXY: .correct-company.com\nno_proxy: .wrong-company.com\n```\n### How inconsistent proxy settings can cause failures\n\nThe inconsistent definitions in `no_proxy` and `NO_PROXY` set off red\nflags, and we could have resolved the issue by making them consistent or\nremoving the incorrect entry. But let's drill into what happened.\nRemember from above that:\n\n1. Ruby tries the lowercase form first\n1. Go tries the uppercase form first\n\nAs a result, services written in Go, such as GitLab Workhorse, had the\ncorrect proxy configuration. A `git push` from the command line worked\nfine because the Go services primarily handled this activity:\n\n```mermaid\nsequenceDiagram\n    participant C as Client\n    participant W as Workhorse\n    participant G as Gitaly\n    C->>W: 1. git push\n    W->>G: 2. gRPC: PostReceivePack\n    G->>W: 3. OK\n    W->>C: 4. OK\n```\n\nThe gRPC call in step 2 never attempted to use the proxy because\n`no_proxy` was configured properly to connect directly to Gitaly.\n\nHowever, when a user makes a change in the UI, Gitaly forwards the\nrequest to a `gitaly-ruby` service, which is written in\nRuby. `gitaly-ruby` makes changes to the repository and [reports back\nvia a gRPC call back to its parent process](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitaly/-/issues/3189).  However,\nas seen in step 4 below, the reporting step didn't happen:\n\n```mermaid\nsequenceDiagram\n    participant C as Client\n    participant R as Rails\n    participant G as Gitaly\n    participant GR as gitaly-ruby\n    participant P as Proxy\n    C->>R: 1. Change file in UI\n    R->>G: 2. gRPC: UserCommitFiles\n    G->>GR: 3. gRPC: UserCommitFiles\n    GR->>P: 4. CONNECT\n    P->>GR: 5. FAIL\n```\n\nBecause gRPC uses HTTP/2 as the underlying transport, `gitaly-ruby`\nattempted a CONNECT to the proxy since it was configured with the wrong\n`no_proxy` setting. The proxy immediately rejected this HTTP request,\ncausing the failure in the Web UI push case.\n\n### Correcting proxy configuration issues\n\nOnce we eliminated the lowercase `no_proxy` from the environment, pushes\nfrom the UI worked as expected, and `gitaly-ruby` connected directly to\nthe parent Gitaly process. Step 4 worked properly in the diagram below:\n\n```mermaid\nsequenceDiagram\n    participant C as Client\n    participant R as Rails\n    participant G as Gitaly\n    participant GR as gitaly-ruby\n    participant P as Proxy\n    C->>R: 1. Change file in UI\n    R->>G: 2. gRPC: UserCommitFiles\n    G->>GR: 3. gRPC: UserCommitFiles\n    GR->>G: 4. OK\n    G->>R: 5. OK\n    R->>C: 6. OK\n```\n\n## A surprising discovery with gRPC\n\nWe also discovered that gRPC does not [support HTTPS proxies](https://github.com/grpc/grpc/issues/20939). This again subtly affects the behavior of the system depending on how `HTTPS_PROXY` is set.\n\n### gRPC behavior with `HTTPS_proxy`\n\nNote that the customer set `HTTPS_PROXY` to an unencrypted HTTP proxy;\nnotice that `http://` is used instead of `https://`. While this isn't\nideal from a security standpoint, some people do this to avoid the\nhassle of clients failing due to TLS certificate verification issues.\n\nIronically, if an HTTPS proxy were specified, we would not have seen\nthis problem. If an HTTPS proxy is used, gRPC will ignore this setting\nsince HTTPS proxies are not supported.\n\n### The lowest common denominator\n\nI think we can all agree that one should never define inconsistent\nvalues with lowercase and uppercase proxy settings. However, if you ever\nhave to manage a stack written in multiple languages, you might need to\nconsider setting HTTP proxy configurations to the lowest common\ndenominator.\n\n1. `http_proxy` and `https_proxy`\n\n* Use lowercase form. `HTTP_PROXY` is not always supported or recommended.\n    * If you _absolutely must_ use the uppercase form as well, be **sure** they share the same value.\n\n2. `no_proxy`\n\n1. Use lowercase form.\n1. Use comma-separated `hostname:port` values.\n1. IP addresses are okay, but hostnames are never resolved.\n1. Suffixes are always matched (e.g. `example.com` will match `test.example.com`).\n1. If top-level domains need to be matched, avoid using a leading dot (`.`).\n1. Avoid using CIDR matching since only Go and Ruby support that.\n\n## Steps toward standardizing `no_proxy`\n\nKnowing the least common denominator can help avoid issues if these\ndefinitions are copied for different Web clients. But should `no_proxy`\nand the other proxy settings have a documented standard rather than an\nad hoc convention? The list below may serve as a starting point for a\nproposal:\n\n1. Prefer lowercase forms over uppercase variables (e.g. `http_proxy` should be searched before `HTTP_PROXY`).\n1. Use comma-separated `hostname:port` values.\n    * Each value may include optional whitespace.\n1. Never perform DNS lookups or use regular expressions.\n1. Use `*` to match **all** hosts.\n1. Strip leading dots (`.`) and match against domain suffixes.\n1. Support CIDR block matching.\n1. Never make assumptions about special IP addresses (e.g. loopback addresses in `no_proxy`).\n\n## Key takeaways on proxy standardization\n\nIt's been over 25 years since the first Web proxy was released. While\nthe basic mechanics of configuring a Web client via environment\nvariables have not changed much, a number of subtleties have emerged\nacross different implementations. We saw for one customer, erroneously\ndefining conflicting `no_proxy` and `NO_PROXY` variables led to hours of\ntroubleshooting due to the differences with which Ruby and Go parse\nthese settings. We hope highlighting these differences will avoid future\nissues in your production stack, and we hope that Web client maintainers\nwill standardize the behavior to avoid such issues in the first place.\n",[9,816,1200,2453],{"slug":4051,"featured":6,"template":685},"we-need-to-talk-no-proxy","content:en-us:blog:we-need-to-talk-no-proxy.yml","We Need To Talk No Proxy","en-us/blog/we-need-to-talk-no-proxy.yml","en-us/blog/we-need-to-talk-no-proxy",{"_path":4057,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":4058,"content":4063,"config":4068,"_id":4070,"_type":13,"title":4071,"_source":15,"_file":4072,"_stem":4073,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/welcome-gnome-to-gitlab",{"title":4059,"description":4060,"ogTitle":4059,"ogDescription":4060,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2564,"ogUrl":4061,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":4061,"schema":4062},"GNOME, welcome to GitLab!","We’re excited to welcome free software project GNOME to the GitLab community.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/welcome-gnome-to-gitlab","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"GNOME, welcome to GitLab!\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Rebecca Dodd\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2018-05-31\",\n      }",{"title":4059,"description":4060,"authors":4064,"heroImage":2564,"date":4065,"body":4066,"category":747,"tags":4067},[723],"2018-05-31","\n\nGNOME, one of the most recognized, respected projects in the open source world, [has moved to GitLab](https://www.gnome.org/news/2018/05/gnome-moves-to-gitlab-2/) to manage their more than 400 software projects and nearly 900 annual contributors. We couldn’t be happier to welcome the GNOME community! The migration is great news for both our communities, and we hope it’s just the beginning of a long and productive partnership.\n\n[_Want to hear how it's going for GNOME now? We caught up with the project in September 2020_](/blog/gnome-follow-up/).\n{: .alert .alert-info .text-center}\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n  \u003Ciframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/v6GTrbfe9xk\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; encrypted-media\" allowfullscreen>\u003C/iframe>\n\u003C/figure>\n\n## A catalyst for change\n\nLast year we were approached by developers of [Debian](/blog/automated-debian-package-build-with-gitlab-ci/) to consider dropping our Contributor License Agreement (CLA) in favor of the Developer’s Certificate of Origin (DCO). In November [we announced that we’d be switching to a DCO](/blog/gitlab-switches-to-dco-license/), and we’re happy that this change has been welcomed by the GNOME community too:\n\n>\"We applaud GitLab for dropping their CLA in favor of a more OSS-friendly approach. Open source communities are born from a sea of contributions that come together and transform into projects. This gesture affirmed GitLab's willingness to protect the individual, their creative process, and most importantly, keeps intellectual property in the hands of the creator.\" - Carlos Soriano, Board Director at GNOME\n\n## About GNOME\n\nGNOME software is used by millions of people worldwide, and is one of the largest and oldest free software projects. It’s best known for its desktop, which is a key part of the most popular GNU/Linux distributions, including Ubuntu, Debian, SUSE, and Fedora. However, the project also has a long history of producing critical pieces of software infrastructure: common parts of countless open source systems that are often taken for granted. Many essential, ubiquitous technologies began their life in the GNOME project, and have gone on to become the essential ingredients for a diverse range of products, communities, and companies. These include Mono, FOSS C# implementation used by Xamarin, a core team of Microsoft; and Inotify, Linux kernel file monitoring.\n\n“Throughout its history, the GNOME project has been the training ground for software engineers and contributors who have gone on to play important roles elsewhere,” says Nuritzi Sanchez, president of GNOME’s board of directors and core member of the engagement team. “With a focus on quality engineering, design-driven development, and system-level plumbing, GNOME serves as an excellent environment for new contributors, and GNOME alumni hold positions at Google, Apple, Microsoft, Red Hat, innovative startups, and beyond.”\n\nGNOME's software is found in televisions, e-book readers, in-vehicle infotainment systems, medical devices, and much more. The project continues to produce new, innovative technologies which are transforming the Linux ecosystem. Recent innovations include Flatpak and the accompanying app store, Flathub, which enables applications to run on any Linux-based operating system.\n\n## So, why GitLab?\n\nBefore migrating, GNOME used a broad range of tools to fulfil a number of specific purposes – from [CGit for hosting to Bugzilla for bug tracking](https://wiki.gnome.org/Initiatives/DevelopmentInfrastructure/ExistingState) – but the number of tools made the onboarding experience for new contributors cumbersome and confusing. They started looking for a single tool to meet more of their needs to make this process easier and to improve their own workflows.\n\n“We did an [extensive analysis](https://wiki.gnome.org/Initiatives/DevelopmentInfrastructure) of multiple tools as we considered a solution that would fit all the requirements of an organization as big as GNOME,” says Nuritzi. “We had a set of hard requirements, with the most important one being that it must be free software, ideally not only in license but also in spirit.”\n\nYou can check out [their analysis](https://wiki.gnome.org/Initiatives/DevelopmentInfrastructure) for a full account of the decision-making process.\n\n## What does the move mean for GNOME?\n\nGNOME was looking for a way to make it easier for newcomers to contribute, and they got it.\n\n“With a modern and familiar interface with well-designed tools, using GitLab makes the GNOME community more approachable – especially to a new generation of newcomers that is used to products that are modern-looking and easy to use,” says Nuritzi. They’ve also noticed that by using a single tool and having everyone under the same roof (as it were!), there’s more opportunity for teams to work together and cross-pollinate, resulting in a more engaged and collaborative community.\n\n### Better together\n\nApart from an easier workflow for newcomers and improved collaboration and cohesion between teams, GNOME has picked up on an unexpected benefit: the return of old projects and an influx of new ones. The ease of creating personal projects in GitLab has fostered better proximity between GNOME’s community of developers and [projects](https://gitlab.gnome.org/explore/groups), even if they aren’t part of the official GNOME project. “This allows those projects to be closer to our community of developers and products, and helps us increase our reach,” says Nuritzi. “We’re also very pleased to see that some major Linux distributions have begun to move part of their operations to groups in GNOME’s GitLab. This has allowed more collaboration between GNOME and these distributions, and is a great step forward in helping to create a tighter-knit broader community.”\n\nThis improved closeness and reach is what we’re really excited about – when it comes to open source communities using GitLab, the more the merrier we say! It’s our hope that the boost in collaboration and networking GNOME has experienced will extend to our own community, as well as those of other open source projects moving to GitLab.\n\n## How to contribute\n\nIn keeping with our own vision of “everyone can contribute,” GNOME has opportunities for contributors from all backgrounds. “If you like marketing and community management, we have the engagement team, if you’re into doing translations and documentation, we have the teams for that. If you like designing software, we have the design team. And if you want to contribute code, there are many projects with maintainers who welcome newcomers and can help answer the questions they may have,” says Nuritzi. “Each team has its own resources and workflows, but we all belong to the larger GNOME community with a common culture based on free software and open collaboration.” Visit [gnome.com/get-involved](https://www.gnome.org/get-involved/) to get started.\n",[749,703,9],{"slug":4069,"featured":6,"template":685},"welcome-gnome-to-gitlab","content:en-us:blog:welcome-gnome-to-gitlab.yml","Welcome Gnome To Gitlab","en-us/blog/welcome-gnome-to-gitlab.yml","en-us/blog/welcome-gnome-to-gitlab",{"_path":4075,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":4076,"content":4082,"config":4089,"_id":4091,"_type":13,"title":4092,"_source":15,"_file":4093,"_stem":4094,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/welcoming-opencores-to-gitlab",{"title":4077,"description":4078,"ogTitle":4077,"ogDescription":4078,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":4079,"ogUrl":4080,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":4080,"schema":4081},"OpenCores come to GitLab","OpenCores moves to GitLab to accelerate digital design flow.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749669768/Blog/Hero%20Images/gitlab-opencores-oliscience.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/welcoming-opencores-to-gitlab","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"OpenCores come to GitLab\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Andrea Borga\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"David Planella\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-12-03\",\n      }",{"title":4077,"description":4078,"authors":4083,"heroImage":4079,"date":4086,"body":4087,"category":296,"tags":4088},[4084,4085],"Andrea Borga","David Planella","2019-12-03","\n\n[OpenCores](https://opencores.org), the largest and most popular Gateware\ndevelopment community with over [300K members and 1200+\nprojects](https://opencores.org/about/statistics), is moving to GitLab. This\nis excellent news all around: as a catalyst for accelerating IP core development\nand for introducing GitLab to innovative uses in the scientific and electronic\ndesign communities.\n\n## Gateware and OpenCores\n\n![Gateware design flow diagram](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/welcoming-opencores-to-gitlab/gateware_flow.png \"Gateware flow\")\n\nOpenCores is a repository of reusable units of logic, open to use as building\nblocks for the electronics design community. These units are most commonly known as\n[Intellectual Property (IP)\ncores](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semiconductor_intellectual_property_core),\nand are described (coded), in [Hardware Description\nLanguage](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardware_description_language) (HDL)\nfor the most part.\n\n### What is gateware?\n\nIn the semiconductor industry, these are the basic constituents of advanced\ndigital designs, collectively known as\n**gateware**: A layer in the electronics development chain positioned in\nbetween _hardware_ (such as a Printed Circuit Board – PCB – or a packaged chip),\nand _firmware_ (a set of decoded and executed instructions for a microprocessor).\n\n### What is OpenCores?\n\nThe [OpenCores portal](https://opencores.org) hosts the source code for a\nmultitude of digital gateware projects. In its more than 20 years of web history, it has\nevolved into a platform that enables its user community to discover, showcase,\nand manage such projects, including revision control for [source code](/solutions/source-code-management/).\n\nThe target devices for gateware have historically been\n[FPGA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field-programmable_gate_array) (Field\nProgrammable Gate Arrays) and\n[ASIC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Application-specific_integrated_circuit)s\n(Application Specific Integrated Circuits), which allow building a vast range\nof hardware digital electronics appliances. These are often described as\n[SoC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/System_on_a_chip) (System on a Chip).\n\nIn recent years, the OpenCores portal has been particularly focused on hosting FPGA\napplications, with the intention to enlarge the pool of available cores based\non emerging hardware description methods, such as\n[HLS](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-level_synthesis) (High-level\nsynthesis).\n\nOpenCores is also the place where digital designers meet to showcase, promote,\nand talk about their passion and work. They do this through forums, news feeds,\nand much more!\n\n### Who maintains the OpenCores portal?\n\n[Oliscience](http://oliscience.nl/) (open logic interconnects science) act as\nthe stewards of the OpenCores community and its portal. Oliscience is an\ninitiative originated from the\n[CERN](/customers/cern/)-Nikhef Business Incubation\nCentre (CERN-BIC@Nikhef), and is [supported](https://opencores.org/partners) by\n[Nikhef](https://www.nikhef.nl/en/), the Dutch National Institute for Subatomic\nPhysics, and [ASTRON](https://www.astron.nl/), the Netherlands Institute for\nRadio Astronomy.\n\nAs part of the stewardship charter, Oliscience is committed to maintaining and\nsupporting the OpenCores portal. This mission involves globally promoting its\ncommunity, fostering the use of open standards and practices, actively\ndeveloping the portal infrastructure and content, and more.\nThe [Wishbone bus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wishbone_(computer_bus)),\nused throughout OpenCores designs, is one of the most well-known examples.\n\n## Leading change and embracing the DevOps culture for Gateware development\n\n[Moore's law](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moore%27s_law) is slowing down, and\nthe semiconductor industry is starting to experience a new resurgence. With a\nwave of new opportunities arising, FPGA is one of the key technologies that\nplay a crucial role in the future of computing architectures.\n\nThe barrier to entry for becoming a gateway developer is fairly higher than learning a new programming language as a software developer. As\nsuch, the digital electronics industry is continually striving to simplify\nthe approach to programmable logic.\n\nOpen Source IP Cores play a significant role in this goal. They unlock a\nvast knowledge pool that enables new gateware developers to start hacking on\nnew projects straight away. They can use existing solutions to draw knowledge\nvery quickly.\n\nIP Cores strive for quality, and quality calls for a structured way to assess\nthe content of a code bundle. This is where Continuous Verification (CV) comes into\nplay.\n\nIn the context of programmable logic, CV is a\nworkflow in which Gateware defined in a [HDL](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardware_description_language)\nruns against standardized testbenches and benchmarked to assess and rank its\nquality. Full coverage for test cases and failure corner cases is guaranteed.\n\n## Accelerating digital design with GitLab\n\nThe OpenCores community leaders have strong ties to [CERN](https://home.cern/)\nand the [European Space Agency](https://www.esa.int/). Both are leading\nresearch organizations committed to supporting their respective scientific\ncommunities, which use GitLab for internal development.\n\nBoth organizations and the electronics industry in general are particularly\ninterested in a better assessment of the quality of gateware products, as their\nusage in industrial and commercial applications continues to increase at an\naccelerated rate. When you launch a satellite into space, you can't just press\nthe reset button if there is a bug!\n\nWhile talking to those teams, and hearing the preliminary exploration of\nimplementing CV practices into gateware design, [GitLab's integral CI/CD\nfeatures](/solutions/continuous-integration/) seemed a natural fit to pioneer the adoption of a DevOps approach to\ndigital design.\n\nSource control was also a feature that would enable engineers to share and\ncollaborate on their code in the public space. In summary, the benefits of a\nsingle application for the entire DevOps cycle, with the ultimate goal of\nreducing the gateware design cycle time made the decision easy.\n\nThe next objective for the OpenCores team is to implement a CV process in the\nOpenCores portal, starting with FPGA and until ASICs. It's an ambitious one,\nwhich requires ambitious partners.\n\nAndrea Borga, Oliscience CEO mentions:\n> we have a very strong scientific background, and we love to make experiments…\n> all the time! Exploring new ideas, and striving for impeccable execution are\n> embedded in our engineering way of thinking. You need innovative and\n> ambitious partners to achieve equally innovative and ambitious goals. This\n> is why we do what we do, and why we firmly believe GitLab's vision and spirit\n> strongly align with our own. This is how we chose to go with them.\n\nGitLab is thrilled to start working with the OpenCores team, to contribute to\nthat goal and welcoming them to a community that leading Open Source projects\nsuch as Drupal, GNOME, KDE, Debian, Freedesktop and many more are already a\npart of.\n\n[Cover image](https://www.flickr.com/photos/130561288@N04/39116042294/) by\n[Fritzchens Fritz](https://www.flickr.com/photos/130561288@N04/),\nlicensed under [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)\n{: .note}\n",[682,108,749,703,9],{"slug":4090,"featured":6,"template":685},"welcoming-opencores-to-gitlab","content:en-us:blog:welcoming-opencores-to-gitlab.yml","Welcoming Opencores To Gitlab","en-us/blog/welcoming-opencores-to-gitlab.yml","en-us/blog/welcoming-opencores-to-gitlab",{"_path":4096,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":4097,"content":4103,"config":4109,"_id":4111,"_type":13,"title":4112,"_source":15,"_file":4113,"_stem":4114,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/what-makes-a-great-tech-talk",{"title":4098,"description":4099,"ogTitle":4098,"ogDescription":4099,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":4100,"ogUrl":4101,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":4101,"schema":4102},"What makes a great tech talk?","I've compiled some of my favorite tech talks to find out what makes them great.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749670658/Blog/Hero%20Images/data-startup-cognitive-logic-talks-migrating-to-gitlab.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/what-makes-a-great-tech-talk","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"What makes a great tech talk?\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Brendan O'Leary\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2022-10-04\",\n      }",{"title":4098,"description":4099,"authors":4104,"heroImage":4100,"date":4106,"body":4107,"category":679,"tags":4108},[4105],"Brendan O'Leary","2022-10-04","\n\nAs someone who spends a reasonable amount of time writing, rehearsing, and giving tech talks, I often find folks new to speaking about tech asking me: how do you do it? How do you know that you will be able to write and give an excellent tech talk?\n\nThe simple answer is: I don't know. An excellent tech talk isn't definable and solvable like an engineering problem. It's part tech, part passion, part storytelling, and part luck. But in thinking about speakers and talks that I've looked up to throughout the years, I believe that I've found a few key ingredients in any tech talk that I've seen and would consider \"great.\"  In reviewing these, I actually came to appreciate what I somewhat already knew: the \"tech\" part of the talk is probably the least important part of a great tech talk. Yet, as professionals, that is what we get wrapped around. And it is what worries us when writing a speech. The best demo ever - that's what will save my talk! But in the end, it's not just the tech content that counts, so let's look at the five critical ingredients for a great tech talk:\n\n- Story and narrative\n- Passion\n- Connection to the audience\n- Balance\n- Call to action\n\nFor each ingredient, I've included a talk that best illustrates that principle and a link to the talk. As an aside, every moderately good talk I've ever written was inspired while listening to or after hearing a great talk from one of these amazing technologists. Remember: [good artists copy, great artists steal](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6jeZ7m0ycw).\n\n## Story and narrative\n\n[Keynote: Reflections](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiaLsxjBeOQ): **Kelsey Hightower, KubeCon CloudNativeCon North America 2019**\n\nStories are how humans have always learned and taught each other. From the earliest stories around campfires to teach about the dangers of predators or the ways to find food to the modern world where we are bombarded by stories that we now call 'marketing' - stories have always played a pivotal role in learning and teaching.\n\nAnd so, without a story, your audience is already lost. You can show some of the most incredible technology, a fantastic demo, and wow people with statistics...but if there is no connection to the real world - to their lives - then it will go in one ear and out of the other. And the story doesn't have to be complicated - a story is, after all, just a beginning, middle, and an end...maybe a conflict or two. But telling the story - showing how the technology or what you are presenting applies to real people in the real world - is critical to getting your point across.\n\nIt's so critical that some of the best tech talks are only stories. In the \"Reflections\" Keynote at KubeCon CloudNativeCon 2019, Kelsey Hightower - one of the most respected tech speakers known for his impressive and fun demos - didn't even appear to bring a laptop on stage. Speaking from the heart, Kelsey tells the stories of the early days of Kubernetes, of showing inclusion, of practicing intentional inclusion. And with those few simple but powerful stories, the audience is captivated and learns more in 15 minutes about what it means to be an inclusive open source community than they would have with hours of slides of fancy graphics and data.\n\n### More from Kelsey\n\n- [Kubernetes and the Path to Serverless](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNa3xK2GFKY)\n- [Kelsey Hightower's Best Live Demo Yet](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6SfRPwTKqo)\n- [TechExplorers: Kelsey Hightower](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OHNejqXOoo)\n- [HashiConf 2017 Keynote](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v77FFbQwC6E)\n\n## Passion\n\n**[Zebras All the Way Down](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fE2KDzZaxvE): Bryan Cantrill, Uptime 2017**\n\nStories will help you make your talk more personal - both for you and the audience. But that won't carry much weight for long if you don't have passion for the stories and how they apply to the problem and solution you're trying to present. For the audience to stay engaged throughout the talk, they need to care about what you are talking about. And if it isn't clear from your speech, word choice, and energy that you are passionate about your topic, there is no way your audience will come along with you and care about what you have to say.\n\nNo one will ever accuse Bryan Cantrill of not being passionate. And in his talk \"Zebras All the Way Down,\" he brings that passion to advocating for one's own healthcare to understand at a deep level how our systems are impacted by the various layers of software. And that includes a lot of software we don't think about like that below the operating system. Turning a personal story about his physician father and his sister who had a rare condition into the way to think about solving hard debugging problems, Bryan brings the audience along. He makes you care about what he has to say...even if what he's talking about is far removed from your daily work.\n\n### More from Bryan\n\n- [Debugging Under Fire: Keep your Head when Systems have Lost their Mind](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30jNsCVLpAE)\n\n- [Corporate Open Source Anti-patterns](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pm8P4oCIY3g)\n\n- [Fork Yeah! The Rise and Development of illumos](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zRN7XLCRhc)\n\n## Connection to the audience\n\n**[Why Open Source Firmware is Important](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUTx61t443A): Jessie Frazelle, GOTO 2019**\n\nOnce you've brought your whole self to the talk - your stories and your passion - you still need to ensure your audience will be engaged and want to hear about those things from you. To do that, you have to build a connection with your audience. The way to do this may seem simple on the surface, but it does actually take some effort. You need to understand at least two things about your audience: who they are and why they showed up to your talk.\n\nFirst - who is your audience? You have to understand who they are - what are their roles professionally? What is their experience like personally? What makes them passionate, and what are their stories? Understanding your audience will help you shape your talk to match their interests with your passions - a surefire method for success.\n\nSecond - why did they show up to your talk? You've already won a little bit here - they came to the conference or meetup, they saw your abstract and maybe a little bit about you, and chose to come to hear what you had to say. That should give you confidence that the audience wants you to succeed just as much as you want. Think for yourself: have you ever shown up to a tech talk hoping the speaker would bomb? Probably not. So that's half of the battle won already, but you can't take it for granted. They showed up expecting to learn or get something out of your talk. You need to think about how they apply what they want out of it and then deliver.\n\nA great example is Jessie Frazelle's talk at GOTO Chicago in 2019 on \"Open Source Firmware.\" On the surface, it might not seem like a great example - Jessie even has a disclaimer at the beginning of the talk. She's \"forcing\" an audience of software engineers to get a few rings lower than they are comfortable - down into the  UEFI kernel, management engine, and other low-level firmware pieces. But Jessie's passion for this part of the stack and showing the audience how it directly applies to how we all build software with many abstraction layers above the firmware is offered throughout the talk. Jessie convinces the audience to care about the software turtles all the way down. Along the way, she teaches about the stack of code we don't know about...and the rings of trust below \"0\" and the kernel.\n\n### More from Jessie\n\n- [Breaking Containers: Chaos Engineering and Kubernetes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hhVS4pdrrk)\n\n- [Benefits of isolation provided by containers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKDupfKu_Mw)\n\n- [Container Hacks and Fun Images](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYsVvV1aVss)\n\n## Balance\n\n**[The Art of Code](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6avJHaC3C2U): Dylan Beattie, NDC London 2020**\n\nOnce you've got your audience bought in - and know what you're going to tell them and why - you've got to write the talk. Until now, not much has been focused on that. There are a lot of methods out there for outlining, writing, and structuring your speech. Far too many, in fact, for me to get into here. And that's not my goal - there is a one-size-fits-all method for creating a great tech talk. Much like many technical problems, the answer to \"how should I structure this thing\" is \"it depends.\" However, the best tech talks I've ever seen strike a balance - a balance of the tech and the stories, learning and entertainment, questions and answers.\n\nThis balance boils down to balancing the \"three S's of a great tech talk\":\n\n_Style_\n\n_Substance_\n\n_Stories_\n\nEven though one of these S's (stories) repeats one of our early items, I think that only serves to express how important it is to a great talk. You must tell a story. But unless you're giving a keynote at a conference where you're the most respected person in the room (shoutout to Kelsey Hightower), the stories won't always be the whole package. In most tech talks, folks are coming to learn something about technology or how humans interact with technology - so bringing substance is essential. You have to prove you know what you're talking about and that it matters to your audience.\n\nBut, as we've discussed already, that substance can't be just dry numbers on a chart or some other way to present cold unconnected data. While that is often the business of any serious engineering endeavor, a presentation on stage is more than that. You must also bring style - charisma, humor, fun visuals, and passion - all ways you can make sure style is balanced with the substance of your talk. Sure, some have a lot more style than others - but those with no style are the ones that are quickly forgotten.\n\nPerhaps one of the best speakers when it comes to this balance is Dylan Beattie. In \"The Art of Code,\" Dylan takes us through various elements - from maths to retro computing to programming Fizz Buzz as an 80's hair ballad, complete with guitar playing and singing from Dylan. However, Dylan balances the exciting talk style with the stories he wants the audience to hear. And he sprinkles in the substance about how we as technologists have a responsibility to the world...and need to not take ourselves too seriously.\n\n### More from Dylan\n\n- [Fractals, Factories and Fast Food](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vs1DWYrw2Ps)\n\n- [Architecture: The Stuff That's Hard to Change](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LtQWxhqjqI)\n\n- [Ctrl-Alt-Del: Learning to Love Legacy Code](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPjHuvulivM)\n\n## Call to Action\n\n**[Why work doesn't happen at work](https://www.ted.com/talks/jason_fried_why_work_doesn_t_happen_at_work/transcript?language=en): Jason Fried, TEDx Midwest**\n\nThis last key - a meaningful call to action - is the one I struggled the most to name. As they say, there are only two hard things in software development: naming things, cache invalidation, and off-by-one errors. The connotation behind \"call to action\" may come off at first as sounding too \"sales and marketing\" like many software engineers. But that connotation does not impact the importance of a call to action. Using the strictest definition of the word, it is a vital part of your talk.\n\nAs we discussed, your audience came to your talk, hoping for you to succeed. They've now sat through you talking \"at\" them for 15, 25, 45 minutes or more. So the call to action is not for you - it's not self-serving like a sales pitch. Your call to action at the end of your talk should be your gift to the audience. It should be about them, not about you. It should give them concrete next steps they can take to positively impact what you were talking about in their own lives, organization, or world. This call to action is what you want the audience to remember, and the best tech talks are also the most memorable.\n\nAnd they don't have to be about tech at all even. In Jason Fried's TEDx talk \"Why work doesn't happen at work,\" Jason presents the main ideas around how we've become accustomed to working together are broken...and, more importantly, offers concrete ways to fix them. And while those calls to action are simple, they also go to the heart of Jason's story and passion: making it less crazy at work by freeing up people to do their best work with time and space.\n\n## What's next?\n\nSo, given that you've come this far, I hope I've shared my passion for great tech talks with you. Hopefully, that passion is shared, and you've found a new way of thinking about your own talks. So what is my gift to you for having come this far? Well, it's going to sound like an oversimplified call to action, but I'm telling you it's exactly what you should do:\n\n**Go give a talk!**\n\nYour unique stories are valuable. You are passionate about things that others should care more about. There are audiences out there - in meetups, small events, or large conferences  - that want to hear what you have to say and will be rooting for you when you get up in front of them. All that's left is to strike a balance between those stories and substance with some of your own personal style to make it exciting and engaging.\n\nSo go forth, and write that talk. I'm confident you can do it.\n",[816,9,749],{"slug":4110,"featured":6,"template":685},"what-makes-a-great-tech-talk","content:en-us:blog:what-makes-a-great-tech-talk.yml","What Makes A Great Tech Talk","en-us/blog/what-makes-a-great-tech-talk.yml","en-us/blog/what-makes-a-great-tech-talk",{"_path":4116,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":4117,"content":4120,"config":4128,"_id":4130,"_type":13,"title":4131,"_source":15,"_file":4132,"_stem":4133,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/what-s-new-in-git-2-50-0",{"noIndex":6,"title":4118,"description":4119},"What’s new in Git 2.50.0?","Here are contributions from GitLab's Git team and the Git community such as the git-diff-pairs(1) command and git-rev-list(1) option to perform batched reference updates.",{"title":4118,"description":4121,"authors":4122,"heroImage":4124,"body":4125,"date":4126,"category":747,"tags":4127},"Here are contributions from GitLab's Git team and the Git community such as the git-diff-pairs(1) command and git-update-ref(1) option to perform batched reference updates.",[4123],"Justin Tobler","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749663087/Blog/Hero%20Images/git3-cover.png","The Git project recently released [Git Version 2.50.0](https://lore.kernel.org/git/xmqq1prj1umb.fsf@gitster.g/T/#u). Let's look at a few notable highlights from this release, which includes contributions from the Git team at GitLab and also the wider Git community.\n## New git-diff-pairs(1) command\n\nDiffs are at the heart of every code review and show all the changes made\nbetween two revisions. GitLab shows diffs in various places, but the most\ncommon place is a merge request's [\"Changes\" tab](https://docs.gitlab.com/user/project/merge_requests/changes/).\nBehind the scenes, diff generation is powered by\n[`git-diff(1)`](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-diff). For example:\n\n```shell\n$ git diff HEAD~1 HEAD\n```\n\nThis command returns the full diff for all changed files. This might pose a scalability challenge because the number of files changed between a set of revisions could be very large and cause the command to reach self-imposed timeouts for the GitLab backend. For large change sets, it would be better if\nthere were a way to break diff computation into smaller, more digestible chunks.\n\nOne way this can be achieved is by using\n[`git-diff-tree(1)`](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-diff-tree) to retrieve info\nabout all the changed files:\n\n```shell\n$ git diff-tree -r -M --abbrev HEAD~ HEAD\n:100644 100644 c9adfed339 99acf81487 M      Documentation/RelNotes/2.50.0.adoc\n:100755 100755 1047b8d11d 208e91a17f M      GIT-VERSION-GEN\n```\n\nGit refers to this output as the [\"raw\" format](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-diff-tree#_raw_output_format).\nIn short, each line of output lists filepairs and the accompanying metadata\nabout what has changed between the start and end revisions. Compared to\ngenerating the \"patch\" output for large changes, this process is relatively\nquick and provides a summary of everything that changed. This command can optionally perform rename detection by  appending the `-M` flag to check if identified changes were due to a file rename.\n\nWith this information, we could use `git-diff(1)` to compute each of the\nfilepair diffs individually. For example, we can provide the blob IDs\ndirectly:\n\n```shell\n$ git diff 1047b8d11de767d290170979a9a20de1f5692e26 208e91a17f04558ca66bc19d73457ca64d5385f\n```\n\nWe can repeat this process for each of the filepairs, but spinning up a\nseparate Git process for each individual file diff is not very efficient.\nFurthermore, when using blob IDs, the diff loses some contextual information\nsuch as the change status, and file modes which are stored in with the parent\ntree object. What we really want is a mechanism to feed \"raw\" filepair info and\ngenerate the corresponding patch output.\n\nWith the 2.50 release, Git has a new built-in command named\n[`git-diff-pairs(1)`](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-diff-pairs). This command\naccepts \"raw\" formatted filepair info as input on stdin to determine exactly which patches to output. The following example showcases how this command could be\nused:\n\n```shell\n$ git diff-tree -r -z -M HEAD~ HEAD | git diff-pairs -z\n```\n\nWhen used in this manner, the resulting output is identical to using `git-diff(1)`.\nBy having a separate command to generate patch output, the \"raw\" output from\n`git-diff-tree(1)` can be broken up into smaller batches of filepairs and fed to separate\n`git-diff-pairs(1)` processes. This solves the previously mentioned scalability\nconcern because diffs no longer have to be computed all at once. Future GitLab\nreleases could build upon this mechanism to improve diff\ngeneration performance, especially in cases where large change sets are\nconcerned. For more information on this change, check out the corresponding\n[mailing-list thread](https://lore.kernel.org/git/20250228213346.1335224-1-jltobler@gmail.com/).\n\n_This project was led by [Justin Tobler](https://gitlab.com/justintobler)._\n\n## Batched reference updates\n\nGit provides the [`git-update-ref(1)`](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-update-ref)\ncommand to perform reference updates. When used with the `--stdin` flag,\nmultiple reference updates can be batched together in a single transaction by\nspecifying instructions for each reference update to be performed on stdin.\nBulk updating references in this manner also provides atomic behavior whereby a\nsingle reference update failure results in an aborted transaction and no\nreferences being updated. Here is an example showcasing this behavior:\n\n```shell\n# Create repository with three empty commits and branch named \"foo\"\n$ git init\n$ git commit --allow-empty -m 1\n$ git commit --allow-empty -m 2\n$ git commit --allow-empty -m 3\n$ git branch foo\n\n# Print out the commit IDs\n$ git rev-list HEAD\ncf469bdf5436ea1ded57670b5f5a0797f72f1afc\n5a74cd330f04b96ce0666af89682d4d7580c354c\n5a6b339a8ebffde8c0590553045403dbda831518\n\n# Attempt to create a new reference and update existing reference in transaction.\n# Update is expected to fail because the specified old object ID doesn’t match.\n$ git update-ref --stdin \u003C\u003CEOF\n> create refs/heads/bar cf469bdf5436ea1ded57670b5f5a0797f72f1afc\n> update refs/heads/foo 5a6b339a8ebffde8c0590553045403dbda831518 5a74cd330f04b96ce0666af89682d4d7580c354c\n> EOF\nfatal: cannot lock ref 'refs/heads/foo': is at cf469bdf5436ea1ded57670b5f5a0797f72f1afc but expected 5a74cd330f04b96ce0666af89682d4d7580c354c\n\n# The \"bar\" reference was not created.\n$ git switch bar\nfatal: invalid reference: bar\n```\n\nCompared to updating many references individually, updating in bulk is also\nmuch more efficient. While this works well, there might be certain\ncircumstances where it is okay for a subset of the requested reference updates\nto fail, but we still want to take advantage of the efficiency gains of bulk\nupdates.\n\nWith this release, `git-update-ref(1)` has the new `--batch-updates` option,\nwhich allows the updates to proceed even when one or more reference updates\nfails. In this mode, individual failures are reported in the following format:\n\n```text\nrejected SP (\u003Cold-oid> | \u003Cold-target>) SP (\u003Cnew-oid> | \u003Cnew-target>) SP \u003Crejection-reason> LF\n```\n\nThis allows successful reference updates to proceed while providing context to\nwhich updates were rejected and for what reason. Using the same example\nrepository from the previous example:\n\n```shell\n# Attempt to create a new reference and update existing reference in transaction.\n$ git update-ref --stdin --batch-updates \u003C\u003CEOF\n> create refs/heads/bar cf469bdf5436ea1ded57670b5f5a0797f72f1afc\n> update refs/heads/foo 5a6b339a8ebffde8c0590553045403dbda831518 5a74cd330f04b96ce0666af89682d4d7580c354c\n> EOF\nrejected refs/heads/foo 5a6b339a8ebffde8c0590553045403dbda831518 5a74cd330f04b96ce0666af89682d4d7580c354c incorrect old value provided\n\n# The \"bar\" reference was created even though the update to \"foo\" was rejected.\n$ git switch bar\nSwitched to branch 'bar'\n```\n\nThis time, with the `--batch-updates` option, the reference creation succeeded\neven though the update didn't work. This patch series lays the groundwork for\nfuture performance improvements in `git-fetch(1)` and `git-receive-pack(1)`\nwhen references are updated in bulk. For more information, check the\n[mailing-list thread](https://lore.kernel.org/git/20250408085120.614893-1-karthik.188@gmail.com/)\n\n_This project was led by [Karthik Nayak](https://gitlab.com/knayakgl)._\n\n## New filter option for git-cat-file(1)\n\nWith [`git-cat-file(1)`](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-cat-file), it is possible\nto print info for all objects contained in the repository via the\n`--batch–all-objects` option. For example:\n\n```shell\n# Setup simple repository.\n$ git init\n$ echo foo >foo\n$ git add foo\n$ git commit -m init\n\n# Create an unreachable object.\n$ git commit --amend --no-edit\n\n# Use git-cat-file(1) to print info about all objects including unreachable objects.\n$ git cat-file --batch-all-objects --batch-check='%(objecttype) %(objectname)'\ncommit 0b07e71d14897f218f23d9a6e39605b466454ece\ntree 205f6b799e7d5c2524468ca006a0131aa57ecce7\nblob 257cc5642cb1a054f08cc83f2d943e56fd3ebe99\ncommit c999f781fd7214b3caab82f560ffd079ddad0115\n```\n\nIn some situations, a user might want to search through all objects in the\nrepository, but only output a subset based on some specified attribute. For\nexample, if we wanted to see only the objects that are commits, we could use\n`grep(1)`:\n\n```shell\n$ git cat-file --batch-all-objects --batch-check='%(objecttype) %(objectname)' | grep ^commit\ncommit 0b07e71d14897f218f23d9a6e39605b466454ece\ncommit c999f781fd7214b3caab82f560ffd079ddad0115\n```\n\nWhile this works, one downside with filtering the output is that\n`git-cat-file(1)` still has to traverse all the objects in the repository, even\nthe ones that the user is not interested in. This can be rather inefficient.\n\nWith this release, `git-cat-file(1)` now has the `--filter` option, which only\nshows objects matching the specified criteria. This is similar to the option of\nthe same name for `git-rev-list(1)`, but with only a subset of the filters\nsupported. The supported filters are `blob:none`, `blob:limit=`, as well as\n`object:type=`. Similar to the previous example, objects can be filtered by\ntype with Git directly:\n\n```shell\n$ git cat-file --batch-all-objects --batch-check='%(objecttype) %(objectname)' --filter='object:type=commit'\ncommit 0b07e71d14897f218f23d9a6e39605b466454ece\ncommit c999f781fd7214b3caab82f560ffd079ddad0115\n```\n\nNot only is it convenient for Git to handle the processing, for large\nrepositories with many objects, it is also potentially more efficient. If a\nrepository has bitmap indices, it becomes possible for Git to efficiently\nlookup objects of a specific type, and thus avoid scanning through the\npackfile, which leads to a significant speedup. Benchmarks conducted on the\n[Chromium repository](https://github.com/chromium/chromium.git) show\nsignificant improvements:\n\n```text\nBenchmark 1: git cat-file --batch-check --batch-all-objects --unordered --buffer --no-filter\n   Time (mean ± σ):     82.806 s ±  6.363 s    [User: 30.956 s, System: 8.264 s]\n   Range (min … max):   73.936 s … 89.690 s    10 runs\n\nBenchmark 2: git cat-file --batch-check --batch-all-objects --unordered --buffer --filter=object:type=tag\n   Time (mean ± σ):      20.8 ms ±   1.3 ms    [User: 6.1 ms, System: 14.5 ms]\n   Range (min … max):    18.2 ms …  23.6 ms    127 runs\n\nBenchmark 3: git cat-file --batch-check --batch-all-objects --unordered --buffer --filter=object:type=commit\n   Time (mean ± σ):      1.551 s ±  0.008 s    [User: 1.401 s, System: 0.147 s]\n   Range (min … max):    1.541 s …  1.566 s    10 runs\n\nBenchmark 4: git cat-file --batch-check --batch-all-objects --unordered --buffer --filter=object:type=tree\n   Time (mean ± σ):     11.169 s ±  0.046 s    [User: 10.076 s, System: 1.063 s]\n   Range (min … max):   11.114 s … 11.245 s    10 runs\n\nBenchmark 5: git cat-file --batch-check --batch-all-objects --unordered --buffer --filter=object:type=blob\n   Time (mean ± σ):     67.342 s ±  3.368 s    [User: 20.318 s, System: 7.787 s]\n   Range (min … max):   62.836 s … 73.618 s    10 runs\n\nBenchmark 6: git cat-file --batch-check --batch-all-objects --unordered --buffer --filter=blob:none\n   Time (mean ± σ):     13.032 s ±  0.072 s    [User: 11.638 s, System: 1.368 s]\n   Range (min … max):   12.960 s … 13.199 s    10 runs\n\nSummary\n   git cat-file --batch-check --batch-all-objects --unordered --buffer --filter=object:type=tag\n    74.75 ± 4.61 times faster than git cat-file --batch-check --batch-all-objects --unordered --buffer --filter=object:type=commit\n   538.17 ± 33.17 times faster than git cat-file --batch-check --batch-all-objects --unordered --buffer --filter=object:type=tree\n   627.98 ± 38.77 times faster than git cat-file --batch-check --batch-all-objects --unordered --buffer --filter=blob:none\n  3244.93 ± 257.23 times faster than git cat-file --batch-check --batch-all-objects --unordered --buffer --filter=object:type=blob\n  3990.07 ± 392.72 times faster than git cat-file --batch-check --batch-all-objects --unordered --buffer --no-filter\n```\n\nInterestingly, these results indicate that the computation time now scales with\nthe number of objects for a given type instead of the number of total objects\nin the packfile. The original mailing-list thread can be found\n[here](https://lore.kernel.org/git/20250221-pks-cat-file-object-type-filter-v1-0-0852530888e2@pks.im/).\n\n_This project was led by [Patrick Steinhardt](https://gitlab.com/pks-gitlab)._\n\n## Improved performance when generating bundles\n\nGit provides a means to generate an archive of a repository which contains a\nspecified set of references and accompanying reachable objects via the\n[`git-bundle(1)`](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-bundle) command. This operation\nis used by GitLab to generate repository backups and also as part of the\n[bundle-URI](https://git-scm.com/docs/bundle-uri) mechanism.\n\nFor large repositories containing millions of references, this operation can\ntake hours or even days. For example, with the main GitLab repository\n([gitlab-org/gitlab](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab)), backup times were\naround 48 hours. Investigation revealed there was a performance bottleneck due\nto how Git was performing a check to avoid duplicated references being included\nin the bundle. The implementation used a nested `for` loop to iterate and\ncompare all listed references, leading to O(N^2) time complexity. This scales\nvery poorly as the number of references in a repository increases.\n\nIn this release, this issue was addressed by replacing the nested loops with a\nmap data structure leading to a significant speedup. The following benchmark\nthe performance improvement for creating a bundle with a repository containing\n100,000 references:\n\n```text\nBenchmark 1: bundle (refcount = 100000, revision = master)\n  Time (mean ± σ):     14.653 s ±  0.203 s    [User: 13.940 s, System: 0.762 s]\n  Range (min … max):   14.237 s … 14.920 s    10 runs\n\nBenchmark 2: bundle (refcount = 100000, revision = HEAD)\n  Time (mean ± σ):      2.394 s ±  0.023 s    [User: 1.684 s, System: 0.798 s]\n  Range (min … max):    2.364 s …  2.425 s    10 runs\n\nSummary\n  bundle (refcount = 100000, revision = HEAD) ran\n    6.12 ± 0.10 times faster than bundle (refcount = 100000, revision = master)\n```\n\nTo learn more, check out our blog post\n[How we decreased GitLab repo backup times from 48 hours to 41 minutes](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/how-we-decreased-gitlab-repo-backup-times-from-48-hours-to-41-minutes/).\nYou can also find the original mailing list thread\n[here](https://lore.kernel.org/git/20250401-488-generating-bundles-with-many-references-has-non-linear-performance-v1-0-6d23b2d96557@gmail.com/).\n\n_This project was led by [Karthik Nayak](https://gitlab.com/knayakgl)._\n\n## Better bundle URI unbundling\n\nThrough the [bundle URI](https://git-scm.com/docs/bundle-uri) mechanism in Git,\nlocations to fetch bundles from can be provided to clients with the goal to\nhelp speed up clones and fetches. When a client downloads a bundle, references\nunder `refs/heads/*` are copied from the bundle into the repository along with\ntheir accompanying objects. A bundle might contain additional references\noutside of `refs/heads/*` such as `refs/tags/*`, which are simply ignored when\nusing bundle URI on clone.\n\nIn Git 2.50, this restriction is lifted, and all references\nmatching `refs/*` contained in the downloaded bundle are copied.\n[Scott Chacon](https://github.com/schacon), who contributed this functionality,\ndemonstrates the difference when cloning\n[gitlab-org/gitlab-foss](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-foss):\n\n```shell\n$ git-v2.49 clone --bundle-uri=gitlab-base.bundle https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-foss.git gl-2.49\nCloning into 'gl2.49'...\nremote: Enumerating objects: 1092703, done.\nremote: Counting objects: 100% (973405/973405), done.\nremote: Compressing objects: 100% (385827/385827), done.\nremote: Total 959773 (delta 710976), reused 766809 (delta 554276), pack-reused 0 (from 0)\nReceiving objects: 100% (959773/959773), 366.94 MiB | 20.87 MiB/s, done.\nResolving deltas: 100% (710976/710976), completed with 9081 local objects.\nChecking objects: 100% (4194304/4194304), done.\nChecking connectivity: 959668, done.\nUpdating files: 100% (59972/59972), done.\n\n$ git-v2.50 clone --bundle-uri=gitlab-base.bundle https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-foss.git gl-2.50\nCloning into 'gl-2.50'...\nremote: Enumerating objects: 65538, done.\nremote: Counting objects: 100% (56054/56054), done.\nremote: Compressing objects: 100% (28950/28950), done.\nremote: Total 43877 (delta 27401), reused 25170 (delta 13546), pack-reused 0 (from 0)\nReceiving objects: 100% (43877/43877), 40.42 MiB | 22.27 MiB/s, done.\nResolving deltas: 100% (27401/27401), completed with 8564 local objects.\nUpdating files: 100% (59972/59972), done.\n```\n\nComparing these results, we see that Git 2.50 fetches 43,887 objects\n(40.42 MiB) after the bundle was extracted whereas Git 2.49 fetches a\ntotal of 959,773 objects (366.94 MiB). Git 2.50 fetches roughly 95% fewer\nobjects and 90% less data, which benefits both the client and the server. The\nserver needs to process a lot less data to the client and the client needs to\ndownload and extract less data. In the example provided by Scott this led to a\nspeedup of 25%.\n\nTo learn more, check out the corresponding\n[mailing-list thread](https://lore.kernel.org/git/pull.1897.git.git.1740489585344.gitgitgadget@gmail.com/).\n\n_This patch series was contributed by [Scott Chacon](https://github.com/schacon)._\n\n## Read more\n\nThis article highlighted just a few of the contributions made by GitLab and\nthe wider Git community for this latest release. You can learn about these from\nthe [official release announcement](https://lore.kernel.org/git/xmqq1prj1umb.fsf@gitster.g/) of the Git project. Also, check\nout our [previous Git release blog posts](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/tags/git/)\nto see other past highlights of contributions from GitLab team members.\n","2025-06-16",[877,749,9],{"featured":90,"template":685,"slug":4129},"what-s-new-in-git-2-50-0","content:en-us:blog:what-s-new-in-git-2-50-0.yml","What S New In Git 2 50 0","en-us/blog/what-s-new-in-git-2-50-0.yml","en-us/blog/what-s-new-in-git-2-50-0",{"_path":4135,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":4136,"content":4141,"config":4147,"_id":4149,"_type":13,"title":4150,"_source":15,"_file":4151,"_stem":4152,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/what-we-learned-by-taking-our-bug-bounty-program-public",{"title":4137,"description":4138,"ogTitle":4137,"ogDescription":4138,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2953,"ogUrl":4139,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":4139,"schema":4140},"What we learned by taking our bug bounty program public","Six months into our public bug bounty program, we're taking stock of what's working and where we can make improvements.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/what-we-learned-by-taking-our-bug-bounty-program-public","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"What we learned by taking our bug bounty program public\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Ethan Strike\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-07-19\",\n      }",{"title":4137,"description":4138,"authors":4142,"heroImage":2953,"date":4144,"body":4145,"category":899,"tags":4146},[4143],"Ethan Strike","2019-07-19","\nWhen [we opened up our bug bounty program to the public back in December 2018](/blog/gitlab-hackerone-bug-bounty-program-is-public-today/), we weren’t sure WHAT to expect. Certainly we anticipated a flood of new reports which would keep us occupied for quite some time, and the community did not disappoint! While this was true for the first few months, that spike has since evened itself out. We did encounter a few surprises, though, around the net number of new, unique reporters and the number of reports from unique reporters.\n\nIn the first seven weeks after making the program public, 42% of all reporters were first-time contributors, and 64% of all the reports received since going public were from first-time reporters to the GitLab program.\n\nSince taking the program public, we roughly doubled the number of valid reports in the program’s history. We have had a paid, private program since 2017, and this program included only the top 1-10% of HackerOne contributors, so opening our program up publicly has not only engaged a broad cross-section of the reporter community, but also made our products and services more secure. We took a closer look at [how we measure success in our public bug bounty program in an earlier blog post](/blog/inside-the-gitlab-public-bug-bounty-program/).\n\n## Triage and response\nResponding to the sheer volume of new reports coming in presents its own set of challenges. So, what does our triage and response process look like?\n\nFor new reports we use an automated bot to provide the initial response to reporters that includes our current triage ETA. This gives an estimation of how long it will take for our team to triage their report. Reports which clearly have a \"critical\" impact will be triaged first. Then, everything else is triaged according to the order submitted. This is important because it helps us to identify duplicate reports and gives fair priority.\n\nFor effective triage, it's paramount for reports to include clear proof of concepts and any other evidence which makes the impact evident to our triage team. Here we classify impact as the amount of affected assets multiplied against their sensitivity levels, according to our data classification policy. This and other factors help us to determine the appropriate severity and priority of an issue.\n\nWe also use an internally developed slack command to import triaged reports from HackerOne and into GitLab issues. We define the impacted project and appropriate labels as input, and then the script creates a new confidential issue. The correct team is then assigned, specifically the [product managers](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/product/categories/), where they will take further action to schedule the fix with the engineering teams. Read more on our [issue triage process](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/security/#issue-triage).\n\n![Thank you to our new reporters!](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/New-reporters-July2019.png){: .shadow.medium.center}\n\nRefining our triage process is just one area where we’ve built improvements based on lessons learned and the evolution of the public program over the last six months. If we look at overall results, we’ve got both positive and not-so-positive results we’re analyzing and improving upon. Our public program has certainly been impactful in the number of vulnerabilities we've identified:\n* From the public program debut through July 3rd, we received 205 valid vulnerabilities. Of that total, 89 vulnerabilities (43%) were from reporters new to the program.\n* In that same period, we received 10 critical-severity vulnerabilities, three of which were from new reporters.\n* And, of the 33 high-severity vulnerabilities reported, 24 (72%) were from new reporters.\n\nOn the flip side, we received an increased number of false positives. Of the 677 reports received through July 3rd, 277 were false positives; 215 (78%) of which were by reporters that started participating after the program went public. Overall though, we consider it a net win, because even these false positives allow us to refine and improve our triage and response processes.\n\n## Timely and accurate communications\nThe one area where we’re most looking to improve upon is communication. An effective feedback loop with our HackerOne reporters is vital to continued engagement and effective collaboration. Naturally, with the increased number of reports it’s even more challenging to keep reporters in the loop with timely information. Luckily, this is one area in which automation can help.\n\nPreviously, our security automation team had put together a bot that made first contact when a report was submitted. As the program has matured, our automation team has added the ability to send the reporter the expected date of fix, based on the milestone assigned to the issue; providing further transparency into our triage and response process. Initially, this information was collected by the triaging engineer, but utilizing the GitLab API allows for communication in a more timely manner.\n\nOutside of automation, we’ve implemented a rotation schedule within our team, which assigns a dedicated individual for H1 response and triage each week. This simple system has allowed us to work through our backlog and increase our responsiveness. We’ll continue to explore ways to keep our reporters best informed.\n\nWe’ve also tweaked how fixes are reported and scheduled based on lessons learned from the first few weeks of our public program. Previously, fixes were reported to engineering managers for each team, who fit them into each development cycle as needed. With the increased number of findings, however, we’ve adjusted the process so that the security team now assigns the due date, but the product manager is the single decision-maker for balancing feature and security deliverables. This allows us to better track company response times, and work with development teams to prioritize fixes.\n\n## Transparency and collaboration\n[Transparency](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#transparency) is one of our core values; everything we make at Gitlab is public by default and HackerOne reports are no different. We believe that publicly disclosing the reports we receive through our bug bounty program helps reduce the threshold to contribution because it allows researchers to learn and develop on top of other researchers’ findings.\n\nIt’s also noteworthy that the public bug bounty findings help us identify areas to focus on for developer secure coding training. For example, if we see a trend of a certain class of vulnerabilities, we can target education efforts for our developers around the recommended best practices to reduce the number of future reports relating to that class of vulnerabilities.\n\nOur bug bounty program has also delivered data and findings that prompted us to refine and improve how we approach [application security](/topics/devsecops/) at GitLab. Due to the significant volume of authorization issues reported, we realized that ensuring precision and accuracy of our [permissions model](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/permissions.html) across the whole platform is an area that needs improvement. An efficient solution we are investigating is to automate these authorization checks via CI.\n\nAnother key finding this program helped us uncover is that certain classes of vulnerabilities appear repeatedly. Therefore we advocate code reuse through the use of security-focused libraries. This consolidates the security controls needed to prevent vulnerability classes such as SSRF from reappearing.\n\nWe’re proud to see the benefits and value being generated by our bug bounty program and specifically our reporter community, spread far beyond GitLab and across the industry.\n\nYou can always see the most up-to-date program stats on our public [HackerOne dashboard](https://hackerone.com/gitlab).\n\nCover image by [markus spiske](https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-green-data-matrix-1089438/) on [Pexels](https://www.pexels.com)\n{: .note}\n",[9,899,706,898],{"slug":4148,"featured":6,"template":685},"what-we-learned-by-taking-our-bug-bounty-program-public","content:en-us:blog:what-we-learned-by-taking-our-bug-bounty-program-public.yml","What We Learned By Taking Our Bug Bounty Program Public","en-us/blog/what-we-learned-by-taking-our-bug-bounty-program-public.yml","en-us/blog/what-we-learned-by-taking-our-bug-bounty-program-public",{"_path":4154,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":4155,"content":4161,"config":4166,"_id":4168,"_type":13,"title":4169,"_source":15,"_file":4170,"_stem":4171,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/what-will-devops-do-for-your-team-in-2022",{"title":4156,"description":4157,"ogTitle":4156,"ogDescription":4157,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":4158,"ogUrl":4159,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":4159,"schema":4160},"What will DevOps do for your team in 2022?","DevOps brings the technical wins but business is winning too, thanks to this modern software development strategy. Here's what our latest DevOps assessment found.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749676702/Blog/Hero%20Images/data.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/what-will-devops-do-for-your-team-in-2022","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"What will DevOps do for your team in 2022?\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Valerie Silverthorne\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2022-01-19\",\n      }",{"title":4156,"description":4157,"authors":4162,"heroImage":4158,"date":4163,"body":4164,"category":814,"tags":4165},[1136],"2022-01-19","\n\nOver the last six months, we’ve asked teams and individual contributors to assess their DevOps platform practices by answering a 20-question quiz. To date, more than 600 people have shared their experiences, providing a clear, and somewhat surprising, snapshot of DevOps as it’s done _today_. There are obvious technical wins, of course, but there are also glimpses of how DevOps and modern software development are driving business change. \n\nHere are some of the key takeaways:\n\n### DevOps is a stand up (and out) choice\t\n\nAlmost 35% of respondents say they’ve been doing DevOps for between one and three years, while 22% report they’ve been at DevOps less than a year. And 16% are in that DevOps sweet spot of between three and five years, while 15% are seasoned DevOps pros with more than five years of experience. \n\nDevOps, of course, enables faster and safer software development and it’s clearly taking teams and entire organizations along for the ride, with much greater levels of collaboration/planning and a commitment to cross-functional processes. Nearly one-quarter of respondents say everyone in their organization considers themselves to be part of the DevOps team. And 17% say security, test, and design have joined dev and ops to create their DevOps teams. \n\nBig changes are happening within those teams as well. Just shy of 30% say the traditional roles of “dev” and “ops” are definitely blurring and 16% report everyone on their team is “cross-functional”. Nearly 15% say dev, sec, ops, and test are all seeing roles change and blend together.\n\nWhen asked how teams handle planning and collaboration, 50% say their processes were either “long-established and effective” or “completely seamless and baked into everything.” Meanwhile, 43% are either just starting a planning/collaboration process or are well underway. \n\nTo put it another way, it appears DevOps drives faster releases *and* better planning and collaboration almost in equal measure. \n\n### A DevOps platform in 2022\n\nJust shy of 36% of quiz takers use an “out of the box” [DevOps platform](/solutions/devops-platform/), while only 7% are considering one. Nearly one-third of respondents say their DevOps platform is a “hybrid” affair of homegrown and purchased solutions, or what GitLab refers to as [DIY DevOps](/blog/welcome-to-the-devops-platform-era/#phase-3",[682,794,9],{"slug":4167,"featured":6,"template":685},"what-will-devops-do-for-your-team-in-2022","content:en-us:blog:what-will-devops-do-for-your-team-in-2022.yml","What Will Devops Do For Your Team In 2022","en-us/blog/what-will-devops-do-for-your-team-in-2022.yml","en-us/blog/what-will-devops-do-for-your-team-in-2022",{"_path":4173,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":4174,"content":4179,"config":4185,"_id":4187,"_type":13,"title":4188,"_source":15,"_file":4189,"_stem":4190,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/whats-new-in-git-2-45-0",{"title":4175,"description":4176,"ogTitle":4175,"ogDescription":4176,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":3826,"ogUrl":4177,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":4177,"schema":4178},"What’s new in Git 2.45.0?","Here are some highlights of contributions from GitLab's Git team and the wider Git community to the latest Git release, including reftables and better tooling for references.\n","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/whats-new-in-git-2-45-0","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"What’s new in Git 2.45.0?\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Patrick Steinhardt\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2024-04-30\",\n      }",{"title":4175,"description":4176,"authors":4180,"heroImage":3826,"date":4182,"body":4183,"category":747,"tags":4184},[4181],"Patrick Steinhardt","2024-04-30","The Git project recently released [Git Version 2.45.0](https://lore.kernel.org/git/xmqq8r0ww0sj.fsf@gitster.g/). Let's look at the highlights of this release, which includes contributions from GitLab's Git team and the wider Git community.\n\n## Reftables: A new backend for storing references\n\nEvery Git repository needs to track two basic data structures:\n- The object graph that stores the data of your files, the directory structure, commit messages, and tags.\n- References that are pointers into that object graph to associate specific objects with a more accessible name. For example, a branch is a reference whose name starts with a `refs/heads/` prefix.\n\nThe on-disk format of how references are stored in a repository has remained largely unchanged since Git’s inception and is referred to as  the \"files\" format. Whenever you create a reference, Git creates a so-called \"loose reference\" that is a plain file in your Git repository whose path matches the ref name. For example:\n\n```shell\n$ git init .\nInitialized empty Git repository in /tmp/repo/.git/\n\n# Updating a reference will cause Git to create a \"loose ref\". This loose ref is\n# a simple file which contains the object ID of the commit.\n$ git commit --allow-empty --message \"Initial commit\"\n[main (root-commit) c70f266] Initial commit\n$ cat .git/refs/heads/main\nc70f26689975782739ef9666af079535b12b5946\n\n# Creating a second reference will end up with a second loose ref.\n$ git branch feature\n$ cat .git/refs/heads/feature\nc70f26689975782739ef9666af079535b12b5946\n$ tree .git/refs\n.git/refs/\n├── heads\n│   ├── feature\n│   └── main\n└── tags\n\n3 directories, 2 files\n```\n\nEvery once in a while, Git packs those references into a \"packed\"\nfile format so that it becomes more efficient to look up references. For example:\n\n```shell\n# Packing references will create \"packed\" references, which are a sorted list of\n# references. The loose reference does not exist anymore.\n$ git pack-refs --all\n$ cat .git/refs/heads/main\ncat: .git/refs/heads/main: No such file or directory\n$ cat .git/packed-refs\n# pack-refs with: peeled fully-peeled sorted\nc70f26689975782739ef9666af079535b12b5946 refs/heads/feature\nc70f26689975782739ef9666af079535b12b5946 refs/heads/main\n```\n\nWhile this format is rather simple, it has limitations:\n- In large mono repos with many references, we started to hit scalability issues. Deleting references is especially inefficient because the entire “packed-refs” file must be rewritten to drop the deleted reference. In our largest repositories, this can lead to rewriting multiple gigabytes of data on every reference deletion.\n- It is impossible to perform an atomic read of references without blocking concurrent writers because you have to read multiple files to figure out all references.\n- It is impossible to perform an atomic write because it requires you to create or update multiple files, which cannot be done in a single step.\n- Housekeeping of references does not scale well because you have to rewrite the full \"packed-refs\" file.\n- Because loose references use the filesystem path as their name, they are subject to filesystem-specific behavior. For example, case-insensitive file systems cannot store references for which only the case differs.\n\nTo address these issues, Git v2.45.0 introduces a new \"reftable\" backend, which uses a new binary format to store references. This new backend has been in development for a very long time. It was initially proposed by [Shawn Pearce](https://sfconservancy.org/blog/2018/jan/30/shawn-pearce/) in July 2017 and was initially implemented in [JGit](https://www.eclipse.org/jgit/). It is used extensively by the [Gerrit project](https://www.gerritcodereview.com/). In 2021, [Han-Wen Nienhuys](https://hanwen.home.xs4all.nl/) upstreamed the library into Git that allows it to read and write the [reftable format](https://git-scm.com/docs/reftable).\n\nThe new \"reftable\" backend that we upstreamed in Git v2.45.0 now finally brings together the reftable library and Git such that it is possible to use the new format as storage backend in your Git repositories.\n\nAssuming that you run at least Git v2.45.0, you can create new repositories with the \"reftable\" format by passing the `--ref-format=reftable` switch to either `git-init(1)` or `git-clone(1)`. For example:\n\n```shell\n$ git init --ref-format=reftable .\nInitialized empty Git repository in /tmp/repo/.git/\n$ git rev-parse --show-ref-format\nreftable\n$ find -type f .git/reftable/\n.git/reftable/0x000000000001-0x000000000001-01b5e47d.ref\n.git/reftable/tables.list\n\n$ git commit --allow-empty --message \"Initial commit\"\n$ find -type f .git/reftable/\n.git/reftable/0x000000000001-0x000000000001-01b5e47d.ref\n.git/reftable/0x000000000002-0x000000000002-87006b81.ref\n.git/reftable/tables.list\n```\n\nAs you can see, the references are now stored in `.git/reftable` instead of in the `.git/refs` directory. The references and the reference logs are stored in “tables,” which are the files ending with `.ref`, whereas the `tables.list` file contains the list of all tables that are currently active. The technical details of how this work will be explained in a separate blog post. Stay tuned!\n\nThe “reftable” backend is supposed to be a  drop-in replacement for the “files” backend. Hence, from a user’s perspective, everything should just work the same.\n\nThis project was led by [Patrick Steinhardt](https://gitlab.com/pks-gitlab). Credit also goes to Shawn Pearce as original inventor of the format and Han-Wen Nienhuys as the author of the reftable library.\n\n## Better tooling for references\n\nWhile the \"reftable\" format solves many of the issues we have, it also\nintroduces some new issues. One of the most important issues is accessibility of the data it contains.\n\nWith the \"files\" backend, you can, in the worst case, use your regular Unix tools to inspect the state of references. Both the \"packed\" and the \"loose\" references contain human-readable data that one can easily make sense of. This is different with the \"reftable\" format, which is a binary format. Therefore, Git needs to provide all the necessary tooling to extract data from the new \"reftable\" format.\n\n### Listing all references\n\nThe first problem we had is that it is basically impossible to learn about all the references that a repository knows about. This is somewhat puzzling at first: you can create and modify references via Git, but it cannot exhaustively list all references that it knows about?\n\nIndeed, the \"files\" backend can't. While it can trivially list all \"normal\"\nreferences that start with the `refs/` prefix, Git also uses so-called\n[pseudo refs](https://git-scm.com/docs/gitglossary#Documentation/gitglossary.txt-aiddefpseudorefapseudoref). These files live directly in the root of the Git directory and would be files like, for example, `.git/MERGE_HEAD`. The problem here is that those pseudo refs live next to other files that Git stores like, for example, `.git/config`.\n\nWhile some pseudo refs are well-known and thus easy to identify, there is\nin theory no limit to what references Git can write. Nothing stops you from\ncreating a reference called \"foobar\".\n\nFor example:\n\n```shell\n$ git update-ref foobar HEAD\n$ cat .git/foobar\nf32633d4d7da32ccc3827e90ecdc10570927c77d\n```\n\nNow the problem that the \"files\" backend has is that it can only enumerate\nreferences by scanning through directories. So to figure out that\n`.git/foobar` is in fact a reference, Git would have to open the file and check whether it is formatted like a reference or not.\n\nOn the other hand, the \"reftable\" backend trivially knows about all references that it contains: They are encoded in its data structures, so all it needs to do is to decode those references and return them. But because of the restrictions of the \"files\" backend, there is no tooling that would allow you to learn about all references that exist.\n\nTo address the issue, we upstreamed a new flag to `git-for-each-ref(1)` called `--include-root-refs`, which will cause it to also list all references that exist in the root of the reference naming hierarchy. For example:\n\n```shell\n$ git for-each-ref --include-root-refs\nf32633d4d7da32ccc3827e90ecdc10570927c77d commit    HEAD\nf32633d4d7da32ccc3827e90ecdc10570927c77d commit    MERGE_HEAD\nf32633d4d7da32ccc3827e90ecdc10570927c77d commit    refs/heads/main\n```\n\nFor the \"files\" backend, this new flag is handled on a best-effort basis where we include all references that match a known pseudo ref name. For the \"reftable\" backend, we can simply list all references known to it.\n\nThis project was led by [Karthik Nayak](https://gitlab.com/knayakgl).\n\n### Listing all reflogs\n\nWhenever you update branches, Git, by default, tracks those branch updates in a so-called reflog. This reflog allows you to roll back changes to that branch in case you performed an unintended change and can thus be a very helpful tool.\n\nWith the \"files\" backend, those logs are stored in your `.git/logs` directory:\n\n```shell\n$ find -type f .git/logs/\n.git/logs/HEAD\n.git/logs/refs/heads/main\n```\n\nIn fact, listing files in this directory is the only way for you to learn what references actually have a reflog in the first place. This is a problem for the \"reftable\" backend, which stores those logs together with the references. Consequently, there doesn't exist any way for you to learn about which reflogs exist in the repository at all anymore when you use the \"reftable\" format.\n\nThis is not really the fault of the \"reftable\" format though, but an omission in the tooling that Git provides. To address the omission, we introduced a new `list` subcommand for `git-reflog(1)` that allows you to list all existing reflogs:\n\n```shell\n$ git reflog list\nHEAD\nrefs/heads/main\n```\n\nThis project was led by [Patrick Steinhardt](https://gitlab.com/pks-gitlab).\n\n### More efficient packing of references\n\nTo stay efficient, Git repositories need regular maintenance. Usually,\nthis maintenance is triggered by various Git commands that write data into the Git repositories by executing `git maintenance run --auto`. This command \nonly optimizes data structures that actually need to be optimized so that Git doesn’t waste compute resources.\n\nOne data structure that gets optimized by Git's maintenance is the reference\ndatabase, which is done by executing `git pack-refs --all`. For the \"files\"\nbackend, this means that all references get repacked into the \"packed-refs\" file and the loose references get deleted, whereas for the \"reftable\" backend all the tables will get merged into a single table.\n\nFor the \"files\" backend, we cannot reasonably do much better. Given that we have to rewrite the whole \"packed-refs\" file anyway, it makes sense that we would want to pack _all_ loose references.\n\nBut for the \"reftable\" backend this is suboptimal as the \"reftable\" backend is self-optimizing. Whenever Git appends a new table to the \"reftable\" backend, it will perform auto-compaction and merge tables together as needed. Consequently, the reference database should always be in a well-optimized state and thus merging all tables together is a wasted effort.\n\nIn Git v2.45.0, we thus introduced a new `git pack-refs --auto` mode, which asks the reference backend to optimize on an as-needed basis. While the \"files\" backend continues to work the same even with the `--auto` flag set, the \"reftable\" backend will use the same heuristics as it already uses for its auto-compaction. In practice, this should be a no-op in most cases.\n\nFurthermore, `git maintenance run --auto` has been adapted to pass the `-tauto` flag to `git-pack-refs(1)` to make use of this new mode by default.\n\nThis project was led by [Patrick Steinhardt](https://gitlab.com/pks-gitlab).\n\n## Read more\n\nThis blog post put a heavy focus on the new \"reftable\" backend, which allows us to scale better in large repositories with many references, as well as related tooling that we have introduced alongside it to make it work well. There, of course, have been various performance improvements, bug fixes and smaller features introduced with this Git release by the wider Git community, as well. You can learn about these from the [official release announcement](https://lore.kernel.org/git/xmqq8r0ww0sj.fsf@gitster.g/) of the Git project.\n\n## GitLab's previous Git release contributions\n* [GitLab's contributions to Git 2.44.0](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/gitlabs-contributions-to-git-2-44-0/)\n* [GitLab's contributions to Git 2.43.0](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/the-contributions-we-made-to-the-git-2-43-release/)\n* [GitLab's contributions to Git 2.42.0](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/contributions-to-git-2-42-release/)\n* [GitLab's contributions to Git 2.41.0](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/contributions-to-latest-git-release/)\n",[877,9],{"slug":4186,"featured":6,"template":685},"whats-new-in-git-2-45-0","content:en-us:blog:whats-new-in-git-2-45-0.yml","Whats New In Git 2 45 0","en-us/blog/whats-new-in-git-2-45-0.yml","en-us/blog/whats-new-in-git-2-45-0",{"_path":4192,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":4193,"content":4199,"config":4204,"_id":4206,"_type":13,"title":4207,"_source":15,"_file":4208,"_stem":4209,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/whats-new-in-git-2-46-0",{"title":4194,"description":4195,"ogTitle":4194,"ogDescription":4195,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":4196,"ogUrl":4197,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":4197,"schema":4198},"What’s new in Git 2.46.0?","Here are highlights of release contributions from GitLab's Git team and the wider Git community, including reference backend migration tooling and transactional symbolic reference updates.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749660028/Blog/Hero%20Images/blog-image-template-1800x945__25_.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/whats-new-in-git-2-46-0","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"What’s new in Git 2.46.0?\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Justin Tobler\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2024-07-29\",\n      }",{"title":4194,"description":4195,"authors":4200,"heroImage":4196,"date":4201,"body":4202,"category":747,"tags":4203},[4123],"2024-07-29","The Git project recently released [Git v2.46.0](https://lore.kernel.org/git/xmqqzfq0i0qa.fsf@gitster.g/T/#u). Let's look at a few notable highlights from this release, which includes contributions from GitLab's Git team and the wider Git community.\n\n## Tooling to migrate reference backends\n\nIn the previous [Git 2.45.0](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/git/-/raw/master/Documentation/RelNotes/2.45.0.txt?ref_type=heads)\nrelease, the reftables format was introduced as a new backend for storing\nreferences. This new reference format solves some challenges that large\nrepositories face as the number of references scales. If you are not yet\nfamiliar with the reftables backend, check out our previous [Git release blog post](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/whats-new-in-git-2-45-0/) where the feature was introduced and our beginner’s guide to [learn more about how reftables work](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/a-beginners-guide-to-the-git-reftable-format/).\n\nThe reftable backend has a different on-disk format than the pre-existing files backend. Consequently, to use reftables on an existing repository requires a conversion between the different formats. To accomplish this, a new git-refs(1) command has been introduced with the `migrate` subcommand to perform reference backend migrations. Below is an example of how this command can be used.\n\n```shell\n# Initialize a new repository as “bare” so it does not contain reflogs.\n$ git init --bare .\n$ git commit --allow-empty -m \"init\"\n# Populate repository with references in the files backend.\n$ git branch foo\n$ git branch bar\n$ tree .git/refs\n.git/refs\n├── heads\n│   ├── bar\n│   ├── foo\n│   ├── main\n└── tags\n# Perform reference migration to reftables format.\n$ git refs migrate --ref-format=reftable\n# Check that reftables backend is now in use.\n$ tree .git/reftable\n.git/reftable\n├── 0x000000000001-0x000000000001-a3451eed.ref\n└── tables.list\n# Check the repository config to see the updated `refstorage` format.\n$ cat config\n[core]\n        repositoryformatversion = 1\n        filemode = true\n        bare = true\n        ignorecase = true\n        precomposeunicode = true\n[extensions]\n        refstorage = reftable\n```\n\nOnce a repository has been migrated, the on-disk format is changed to begin\nusing the reftable backend. Git operations on the repository continue to\nfunction and interact with remotes the same as before. The migration only\naffects how references are stored internally for the repository. If you wish to go back to the files reference backend, you can accomplish this with the same command by instead specifying `--ref-format=files`.\n\nThe migration tooling currently has some notable limitations. The reflogs in a repository are a component of a reference backend and would also require\nmigration between formats. Unfortunately, the tooling is not yet capable of\nconverting reflogs between the files and reftables backends. Also, a repository with worktrees essentially has multiple ref stores and the migration tool is not yet capable of handling this scenario. Therefore, if a repository contains reflogs or worktrees, reference migration is currently unavailable. These limitations may be overcome in future versions.\n\nBecause a bare Git repository does not have reflogs, it is easier to migrate. To migrate a standard non-bare repository, reflogs must be pruned first. Therefore, any repository without reflogs or worktrees can be migrated. With these limitations in mind, this tool can be used to begin taking advantage of the reftables backend in your existing repositories.\n\nThis project was led by [Patrick Steinhardt](https://gitlab.com/pks-gitlab).\n\n## Transactional symref updates\n\nThe [git-update-ref(1)](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-update-ref) command\nperforms reference updates in a Git repository. These reference updates can also be performed atomically in bulk with transactions by using\n`git update-ref --stdin` and passing update-ref instructions on stdin. Below is an example of how this is done.\n\n```shell\n$ git init .\n$ git branch -m main\n$ git commit --allow-empty -m \"foo\" && git commit --allow-empty -m \"bar\"\n# Retrieve the object ID of the two commits created.\n$ git rev-parse main~ main\n567aac2b3d1fbf0bd2433f669eb0b82a0348775e\n3b13462a9a42e0a3130b9cbc472ab479d3ef0631\n# Start transaction, provide update-ref instructions, and commit.\n$ git update-ref --stdin \u003C\u003CEOF\n> start\n> create refs/heads/new-ref 3b13462a9a42e0a3130b9cbc472ab479d3ef0631\n> update refs/heads/main 567aac2b3d1fbf0bd2433f669eb0b82a0348775e\n> commit\n> EOF\n$ git for-each-ref\n567aac2b3d1fbf0bd2433f669eb0b82a0348775e commit refs/heads/main\n3b13462a9a42e0a3130b9cbc472ab479d3ef0631 commit refs/heads/my-ref\n```\n\nFrom this example, once the transaction is committed, a new branch is created pointing to the “bar” commit and the main branch is updated to point to the previous “foo” commit. Committing the transaction performs the specified reference updates atomically. If an individual reference update fails, the transaction is aborted and no reference updates are performed.\n\nA notable absence here is instructions to support symref updates in these\ntransactions. If a user wants to update a symref along with other references\natomically in the same transaction, there is no tooling to do so. In this\nrelease, the `symref-create`, `symref-update`, `symref-delete`, and\n`symref-verify` instructions are introduced to provide this functionality.\n\n```shell\n# Create a symref that will be updated during the next operation.\n$ git symbolic-ref refs/heads/symref refs/heads/main\n# The --no-deref flag is required to ensure the symref itself is updated.\n$ git update-ref --stdin --no-deref \u003C\u003CEOF\n> start\n> symref-create refs/heads/new-symref refs/heads/main\n> symref-update refs/heads/symref refs/heads/new-ref\n> commit\n> EOF\n$ git symbolic-ref refs/heads/symref\nrefs/heads/new-ref\n$ git symbolic-ref refs/heads/new-symref\nrefs/heads/main\n```\n\nFrom the above example, a new symbolic reference is created and another is\nupdated in a transaction. These new symref instructions can be used in\ncombination with the pre-existing instructions to perform all manner of\nreference updates now in a single transaction. Check out the\n[documentation](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-update-ref) for more information regarding each of these new instructions.\n\nThis project was led by [Karthik Nayak](https://gitlab.com/knayakgl).\n\n## UX improvements for git-config(1)\n\nThe git-config(1) command allows repository and global options to be viewed and configured. The modes used to interact with configuration can be selected explicitly using flags or determined implicitly based on the number of arguments provided to the command. For example:\n\n```shell\n$ git config --list\n# Explicit retrieval of username configuration\n$ git config --get user.name\n# Implicit retrieval of username configuration\n$ git config user.name\n# Explicit setting of username configuration\n$ git config --set user.name \"Sidney Jones\"\n# Implicit setting of username configuration\n$ git config user.name \"Sidney Jones\"\n# An optional third argument is also accepted. What do you think this does?\n$ git config \u003Cname> [\u003Cvalue> [\u003Cvalue-pattern>]]\n```\n\nOverall, the [git-config(1)](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-config) user\ninterface is not consistent with how other more modern Git commands work where you usually use subcommands. For example, `git remote list`. This release introduces `list`, `get`, `set`, `unset`, `rename-section`, `remove-section`, and `edit` as subcommands for use with the config command while also keeping the old-style syntax available. This change aims to improve user experience by adapting the config command to follow more UI practices and better conform to other commands within Git. For example:\n\n```shell\n$ git config list\n$ git config get user.name\n$ git config set user.name \"Sidney Jones\"\n```\n\nThis project was led by [Patrick Steinhardt](https://gitlab.com/pks-gitlab).\n\n## Addressed performance regression\n\nGit operations that leverage attributes rely on reading `.gitattributes` files found in the repository’s working-tree. This is problematic for bare Git repositories because by definition they lack a working-tree. To get around this, Git has the `attr.tree` configuration that allows a source tree to be specified and used to lookup attributes from.\n\nIn Git release 2.43.0, Git started using the tree of `HEAD` as the source of Git attributes for bare repositories by default. Unfortunately, the additional overhead due to scanning for Git attributes files had severe performance impacts. This is because, when `attr.tree` is set, each attribute lookup requires walking the source tree to check for an associated `.gitattributes` file. The larger and deeper the source tree of the repository is, the more pronounced the performance regression becomes. For example, benchmarks run on the linux.git repository showed\ngit-pack-objects(1) taking 1.68 times longer to complete. This could lead to slowdowns when performing clones or fetches.\n\n```\n# attr.tree set to HEAD as done by default in Git version 2.43.0.\nBenchmark 1: git -c attr.tree=HEAD pack-objects --all --stdout \u003C/dev/null >/dev/null\n  Time (mean ± σ):     133.807 s ±  4.866 s    [User: 129.034 s, System: 6.671 s]\n  Range (min … max):   128.447 s … 137.945 s    3 runs\n\n# attr.tree is set to an empty tree to disable attribute lookup as done in Git versions prior to 2.43.0.\nBenchmark 2: git -c attr.tree=4b825dc642cb6eb9a060e54bf8d69288fbee4904 pack-objects --all --stdout \u003C/dev/null >/dev/null\n  Time (mean ± σ):     79.442 s ±  0.822 s    [User: 77.500 s, System: 6.056 s]\n  Range (min … max):   78.583 s … 80.221 s    3 runs\n```\n\nSome of the most notable Git commands that were affected were `clone`, `pull`, `fetch`, and `diff` when, as previously mentioned, used on repositories with large or deep trees. Consequently, the `attr.tree` configuration was partially reverted to no longer be set to `HEAD` by default to address the performance regression. To learn more, check out this\n[thread](https://lore.kernel.org/git/CAKOHPAn1btewYTdLYWpW+fOaXMY+JQZsLCQxUSwoUqnnFN_ohA@mail.gmail.com/) on the mailing list.\n\n## Unit-test migration\n\nHistorically, testing in the Git project has been done via end-to-end tests\nimplemented as shell scripts. The Git project has relatively recently\nintroduced a unit-testing framework written in C. This new testing framework\nbrings opportunities for more in-depth testing of low-level implementation\ndetails at the individual function call level and helps complement the existing end-to-end tests. There are some existing end-to-end tests that are a better fit as unit-tests and thus are good candidates to be ported.\n\nThis year, GitLab is again helping mentor [Google Summer of Code (GSoC)](https://summerofcode.withgoogle.com/) contributors working in the Git project. Thanks to efforts from these ongoing GSoC projects and also the wider Git community, some existing tests are being refactored and migrated to the unit-testing framework. During this last release cycle, there have been several contributions towards the goal of improving the testing in the Git project. To follow development progress for these GSoC contributor projects, check out [Chandra’s](https://chand-ra.github.io/) and [Ghanshyam’s](https://spectre10.github.io/posts/) blogs.\n\n## Bundle URI fixes\n\nUsually when a client fetches from a remote repository, all required objects\nare sent in a packfile computed by the remote server. To avoid some of this\ncomputation, servers can opt to advertise prebuilt “bundles” stored separately from the remote server which contain sets of references and objects that the client may need. The client can fetch these bundles first through a mechanism called [bundle-uri](https://git-scm.com/docs/bundle-uri).\n\nThanks to [Xing Xin](https://lore.kernel.org/git/pull.1730.git.1715742069966.gitgitgadget@gmail.com/), an issue was identified and fixed where Git, despite having downloaded some bundles, was still downloading everything from the remote as if there were no bundles. This was due to Git not correctly discovering all the downloaded bundles, which resulted in having to fetch the consecutive ones from the remote. With this fixed, remotes using the bundle-uri mechanism can avoid having to perform redundant work and improve performance.\n\n## Read more\n\nThis article highlighted just a few of the contributions made by GitLab and\nthe wider Git community for this latest release. You can learn about these from the [official release announcement](https://lore.kernel.org/git/xmqqzfq0i0qa.fsf@gitster.g/T/#u) of the Git project. Also, check out our [previous Git release blog posts](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/tags/git/) to see other past highlights of contributions from GitLab team members.",[877,749,9],{"slug":4205,"featured":90,"template":685},"whats-new-in-git-2-46-0","content:en-us:blog:whats-new-in-git-2-46-0.yml","Whats New In Git 2 46 0","en-us/blog/whats-new-in-git-2-46-0.yml","en-us/blog/whats-new-in-git-2-46-0",{"_path":4211,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":4212,"content":4218,"config":4223,"_id":4225,"_type":13,"title":4226,"_source":15,"_file":4227,"_stem":4228,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/whats-new-in-git-2-47-0",{"title":4213,"description":4214,"ogTitle":4213,"ogDescription":4214,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":4215,"ogUrl":4216,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":4216,"schema":4217},"What's new in Git 2.47.0?","Learn about the latest version of Git, including new global variables to configure reference and object hash formats. Discover contributions from GitLab's Git team and the wider Git community.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749663691/Blog/Hero%20Images/AdobeStock_752438815.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/whats-new-in-git-2-47-0","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"What's new in Git 2.47.0?\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Justin Tobler\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2024-10-07\",\n      }",{"title":4213,"description":4214,"authors":4219,"heroImage":4215,"date":4220,"body":4221,"category":747,"tags":4222},[4123],"2024-10-07","The Git project recently released [Git v2.47.0](https://lore.kernel.org/git/xmqqa5fg9bsz.fsf@gitster.g/).\nLet's look at a few notable highlights from this release, which includes\ncontributions from GitLab's Git team and the wider Git community.\n\n## New global configuration options\n\nIf you have been following recent Git releases, you are probably familiar with the new \"reftable\" reference backend that became available with\n[Git version 2.45](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/whats-new-in-git-2-45-0/). Check out our [Beginner's guide to the Git reftable format](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/a-beginners-guide-to-the-git-reftable-format/) to learn more. Previously, in order to initialize a repository with the \"reftable\" format, the `--ref-format` option needed to be passed to git-init(1):\n\n```sh\n$ git init --ref-format reftable\n```\n\nWith the 2.47 release, Git now has the `init.defaultRefFormat` configuration\noption, which tells Git which reference backend to use when initializing a\nrepository. This can be used to override the default \"files\" backend and begin using the \"reftable\" backend. To configure, execute the following:\n\n```sh\n$ git config set --global init.defaultRefFormat reftable\n```\n\nAs some of you may know, the object hash format used by Git repositories is\nalso configurable. By default, repositories are initialized to use the SHA-1\nobject format. An alternative is the SHA-256 format, which is more secure and future-proof. You can read more about this in one of our\n[previous blog posts on SHA-256 support in Gitaly](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/sha256-support-in-gitaly/#what-is-sha-256%3F). A SHA-256 repository can be created by passing the `--object-format` option to git-init(1):\n\n```sh\n$ git init --object-format sha256\n```\n\nIn this Git release another configuration option, `init.defaultObjectFormat`, has been added. This option tells Git which object format to use by default when initializing a repository. To configure, execute the following:\n\n```sh\n$ git config set --global init.defaultObjectFormat sha256\n```\n\nSomething to note, SHA-256 repositories are not interoperable with SHA-1\nrepositories and not all forges support hosting SHA-256 repositories. GitLab\nrecently announced [experimental support for SHA-256 repositories](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/gitlab-now-supports-sha256-repositories/) if you want to try it out.\n\nThese options provide a useful mechanism to begin using these repository\nfeatures without having to consciously think about it every time you initialize a new repository.\n\nThis project was led by [Patrick Steinhardt](https://gitlab.com/pks-gitlab).\n\n## New subcommand for git-refs(1)\n\nIn the previous Git release, the [git-refs(1)](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-refs) command was introduced to provide low-level access to references in a\nrepository and provided the \"migrate\" subcommand to convert between reference backends. This release adds a new \"verify\" subcommand which allows the user to check the reference database for consistency. To verify the consistency of a repository, we often execute [git-fsck(1)](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-fsck).\n\nNotably, this command does not explicitly verify the reference database of the repository though. With the introduction of the \"reftable\" reference format, which is a binary format and thus harder to inspect manually, it is now even more important that tooling be established to fill this gap. Let's set up a repository with an invalid reference to demonstrate:\n\n```sh\n# The \"files\" backend is used so we can easily create an invalid reference.\n$ git init --ref-format files\n$ git commit --allow-empty -m \"init\"\n# A lone '@' is not a valid reference name.\n$ cp .git/refs/heads/main .git/refs/heads/@\n$ git refs verify\nerror: refs/heads/@: badRefName: invalid refname format\n```\n\nWe can see the invalid reference was detected and an error message printed to the user. While this tooling is not something the end-user will likely run, it is particularly useful on the server side to ensure repositories remain consistent. Eventually, the goal is to integrate this command as part of git-fsck(1) to provide a unified way to execute repository consistency checks.\n\nThis project was led by Jialuo She as part of the Google Summer of Code. To\nlearn more, you can read Jialuo's [GSoC report](https://luolibrary.com/2024/08/25/GSoC-Final-Report/).\n\n## Ongoing reftables work\n\nThis release also includes fixes for some bugs found in the \"reftable\" backend. One of these bugs is particularly interesting and revolves around how table compaction was being performed.\n\nAs you may recall, the reftable backend consists of a series of tables\ncontaining the state of all the references in the repository. Each atomic set of reference changes results in a new table being written and recorded in the \"tables.list\" file. To reduce the number of tables present, after each reference update, the tables are compacted to follow a geometric sequence by file size. After the tables are compacted, the \"tables.list\" file is updated to reflect the new on-disk state of the reftables.\n\nBy design, concurrent table writes and compaction is allowed. Synchronization at certain points is controlled through the use of lock files. For example, when compaction is starting the \"tables.list\" file is initially locked so the file can be consistently read and the tables requiring compaction can also be locked. Since the actual table compaction can take a while the lock is released, allowing concurrent writes to proceed. This is safe because concurrent writers know that they must not modify the now-locked tables which are about to be compacted. When the newly compacted tables have finished being written, the \"tables.list\" file is locked again and this time it is updated to reflect the new table state.\n\nThere is a problem though: What happens if a concurrent reference update writes a new table to the \"tables.list\" in the middle of table compaction after the initial lock was released, but before the new list file was written? If this race were to occur, the compacting process would not know about the new table and consequently rewrite the \"tables.list\" file without the new table. This effectively drops the concurrent update and could result in references not being added, updated, or removed as expected.\n\nLuckily, the fix to remediate this problem is rather straightforward. When the compacting process acquires the lock to write to the \"tables.list\" it must first check if any updates to the file have occurred and reload the file. Doing so ensures any concurrent table updates are also reflected appropriately. For more information on this fix, check out the corresponding\n[mailing-list thread](https://lore.kernel.org/git/cover.1722435214.git.ps@pks.im/).\n\nThis project was led by [Patrick Steinhardt](https://gitlab.com/pks-gitlab).\n\n## Fixes for git-maintenance(1)\n\nAs a repository grows, it is important that it is properly maintained. By\ndefault, Git executes\n[git-maintenance(1)](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-maintenance) after certain\noperations to keep the repository healthy. To avoid performing unnecessary\nmaintenance, the `--auto` option is specified which uses defined heuristics to determine whether maintenance tasks should be run. The command can be\nconfigured to perform various different maintenance tasks, but by default, it simply executes [git-gc(1)](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-gc) in the background and allows the user to carry on with their business.\n\nThis works as expected until maintenance is configured to perform non-default maintenance tasks. When this happens the configured maintenance tasks are performed in the foreground and the initial maintenance process doesn't exit until all tasks complete. Only the \"gc\" task detaches into the background as expected. It turns out this was because git-gc(1), when run with `--auto`, was accidentally detaching itself, and other maintenance tasks had no means to do so. This had the potential to slow down certain Git commands as auto-maintenance had to run to completion before they could exit.\n\nThis release addresses this issue by teaching git-maintenance(1) the `--detach` option, which allows the whole git-maintenance(1) process to run in the background instead of individual tasks. The auto-maintenance performed by Git was also updated to use this new option. For more information on this fix, check out the [mailing-list thread](https://lore.kernel.org/git/cover.1723533091.git.ps@pks.im/).\n\nA little earlier it was mentioned that the auto-maintenance uses a set of\nheuristics to determine whether or not certain maintenance operations should be performed. Unfortunately for the \"files\" reference backend, when\n[git-pack-refs(1)](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-pack-refs) executes with the\n`--auto` option, there is no such heuristic and loose references are\nunconditionally packed into a \"packed-refs\" file. For repositories with many\nreferences, rewriting the \"packed-refs\" file can be quite time-consuming.\n\nThis release also introduces a heuristic that decides whether it should pack\nloose references in the \"files\" backend. This heuristic takes into account the size of the existing \"packed-refs\" file and the number of loose references present in the repository. The larger the \"packed-refs\" file gets, the higher the threshold for the number of loose references before reference packing occurs. This effectively makes reference packing in the \"files\" backend less aggressive while still keeping the repository in a maintained state. Check out the [mailing-list thread](https://lore.kernel.org/git/cover.1725280479.git.ps@pks.im/)\nfor more info.\n\nThis project was led by [Patrick Steinhardt](https://gitlab.com/pks-gitlab).\n\n## Code refactoring and maintainability improvements\n\nIn addition to functional changes, there is also work being done to refactor\nand clean up the code. These improvements are also valuable because they help move the project closer toward the longstanding goal of libifying its internal components. To read more, here is a recent\n[update thread](https://lore.kernel.org/git/eoy2sjhnul57g6crprxi3etgeuacjmgxpl4yllstih7woyuebm@bd62ib3fi2ju/) regarding libification.\n\nOne area of improvement has been around resolving memory leaks. The Git project has quite a few memory leaks. For the most part, these leaks don't cause much trouble because usually a Git process only runs for a short amount of time and the system cleans up after, but in the context of libification it becomes something that should be addressed. Tests in the project can be compiled with a leak sanitizer to detect leaks, but due to the presence of existing leaks, it is difficult to validate and enforce that new changes do not introduce new leaks. There has been an ongoing effort to fix all memory leaks surfaced by existing tests in the project. Leak-free tests are subsequently marked with `TEST_PASSES_SANITIZE_LEAK=true` to indicate that they are expected to be free of leaks going forward. Prior to this release, the project had 223 test files containing memory leaks. This has now been whittled down to just 60 in this release.\n\nAnother ongoing effort has been to reduce the use of global variables\nthroughout the project. One such notorious global variable is `the_repository`, which contains the state of the repository being operated on and is referenced all over the project. This release comes with a number of patches that remove uses of `the_repository` in favor of directly passing the value where needed. Subsystems in the Git project that still depend on `the_repository` have `USE_THE_REPOSITORY_VARIABLE` defined allowing the global to be used. Now the refs, config, and path subsystems no longer rely on its use.\n\nThis project was led by [Patrick Steinhardt](https://gitlab.com/pks-gitlab)\nwith the help of [John Cai](https://gitlab.com/jcaigitlab) and\n[Jeff King](https://github.com/peff).\n\n## Read more\n\nThis blog post highlighted just a few of the contributions made by GitLab and the wider Git community for this latest release. You can learn about these from the [official release announcement](https://lore.kernel.org/git/xmqqa5fg9bsz.fsf@gitster.g/)\nof the Git project. Also, check out our [previous Git release blog posts](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/tags/git/)\nto see other past highlights of contributions from GitLab team members.\n\n- [What’s new in Git 2.46.0?](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/whats-new-in-git-2-46-0/)\n- [What's new in Git 2.45.0?](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/whats-new-in-git-2-45-0/)\n- [A beginner's guide to the Git reftable format](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/a-beginners-guide-to-the-git-reftable-format/)\n- [Git pull vs. git fetch: What's the difference?](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/git-pull-vs-git-fetch-whats-the-difference/)",[877,749,9],{"slug":4224,"featured":90,"template":685},"whats-new-in-git-2-47-0","content:en-us:blog:whats-new-in-git-2-47-0.yml","Whats New In Git 2 47 0","en-us/blog/whats-new-in-git-2-47-0.yml","en-us/blog/whats-new-in-git-2-47-0",{"_path":4230,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":4231,"content":4236,"config":4241,"_id":4243,"_type":13,"title":4244,"_source":15,"_file":4245,"_stem":4246,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/whats-new-in-git-2-48-0",{"title":4232,"description":4233,"ogTitle":4232,"ogDescription":4233,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":4215,"ogUrl":4234,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":4234,"schema":4235},"What’s new in Git 2.48.0?","Learn about the latest version of Git, including a new build system and optimization in the new reftable backend. Discover contributions from GitLab's Git team and the Git community.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/whats-new-in-git-2-48-0","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"What’s new in Git 2.48.0?\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Christian Couder\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2025-01-10\",\n      }",{"title":4232,"description":4233,"authors":4237,"heroImage":4215,"date":4238,"body":4239,"category":747,"tags":4240},[1320],"2025-01-10","The Git project recently released [Git 2.48.0](https://lore.kernel.org/git/xmqqplku7cvm.fsf@gitster.g/). Let's look at a few notable highlights from this release, which includes contributions from GitLab's Git team and the wider Git community.\n\n## Meson build system\n\nFor a long time, Git could be built using either a [Makefile](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU_Make)-based build system or an [Autoconf](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autoconf)-based build system. Git developers have been using mostly the Makefile-based build system, so\n[the Autoconf-based build system has lagged behind](https://lore.kernel.org/git/GV1PR02MB848925A79A9DD733848182D58D662@GV1PR02MB8489.eurprd02.prod.outlook.com/) in features and maintenance. Another issue was that a lot of Windows\ndevelopers use integrated development environments (IDEs) that don’t\nhave good support for Makefile- and Autoconf-based build systems.\n\nIn 2020, support for building Git using [CMake](https://cmake.org/) was added. CMake added better Windows support and IDE integration, especially for Visual\nStudio. Some modern build system features like out-of-source builds were also included.\n\nRecently, it appeared the CMake support was also lagging\nbehind and that it might never be a good option to replace the two other\nbuild systems. So [Patrick Steinhardt](https://gitlab.com/pks-gitlab), GitLab Git Engineering Manager, implemented support for the [Meson](https://mesonbuild.com/) build\nsystem with the goal of eventually replacing the Autoconf-, CMake-, and\nmaybe the Makefile-based build systems.\n\nThe new Meson-based build system has the following advantages:\n* Allows users to easily find the available build options, something which is difficult with Makefiles and CMake\n* Has a simple syntax compared to Autoconf and CMake\n* Supports many different operating systems, compilers, and IDEs\n* Supports modern build system features like out-of-source builds\n\nHere is an example of how it can actually be used to build Git:\n\n```shell\n$ cd git             \t# go into the root of Git's source code\n$ meson setup build/ \t# setup \"build\" as a build directory\n$ cd build           \t# go into the \"build\" directory\n$ meson compile      \t# actually build Git\n$ meson test         \t# test the new build\n$ meson install      \t# install the new build\n\n```\n\nMultiple build directories can be set up using `meson setup \u003Cbuild_dir>`, and the configuration of the build inside a build directory can be viewed or changed by running `meson configure` inside the build directory.\n\nMore information on how to build Git using Meson can be found at the top of the [`meson.build` file](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/git/-/blob/master/meson.build) in the Git code repository. A\n[comparison of the different build systems](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/git/-/blob/master/Documentation/technical/build-systems.txt) for Git is available as part of Git's technical documentation.\n\nThis project was led by [Patrick Steinhardt](https://gitlab.com/pks-gitlab).\n\n## Git is now memory-leak-free (as exercised by the test suite)\n\nIn our Git release blog post about the previous Git 2.47.0 release, we\ntalked about our [ongoing effort to fix all memory leaks](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/whats-new-in-git-2-47-0/#code-refactoring-and-maintainability-improvements) surfaced by existing tests in the project. We said that prior to the Git 2.47.0 release, the project had 223 test files containing memory\nleaks, and that this had been whittled down to just 60.\n\nWe are pleased to report that the memory leaks in all 60 remaining test files have been resolved. As a result, Git, as exercised by the test suite, is now free of memory leaks. This is an important step towards the longstanding goal of “libifying” Git internal components (which means converting those components into internal libraries). It will also help with optimizing Git for memory usage.\n\nNow, any newly added test must be leak-free by default. It's still\npossible to have leaking tests, but the authors will have to use an\nescape hatch for that and provide good arguments why their test cannot\nbe made leak free.\n\nThis project was led by [Patrick Steinhardt](https://gitlab.com/pks-gitlab).\n\n## Improved bundle URI checks\n\nIn our Git release blog post about the Git 2.46.0 release, we talked\nabout some [bundle URI fixes](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/whats-new-in-git-2-46-0/#bundle-uri-fixes)\nby [Xing Xin](https://lore.kernel.org/git/pull.1730.git.1715742069966.gitgitgadget@gmail.com/).\nAfter those fixes, Xing Xin worked on making it possible for [fetches using bundles to be fully checked](https://lore.kernel.org/git/pull.1730.v8.git.1718770053.gitgitgadget@gmail.com/)\nusing the [fsck](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-fsck) mechanism like regular fetches.\n\nWhen validating regular fetches, it's possible to specify\n[different severities](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-fsck#Documentation/git-fsck.txt-fsckltmsg-idgt) for [different fsck issues](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-fsck#_fsck_messages)\nto have fine-grained handling of what is accepted and what is rejected in a specific repository. This wasn't possible for fetches using bundles previously.\n\nTo further increase the usefulness and safety of [bundle-uri](https://git-scm.com/docs/bundle-uri), we [addressed this problem](https://lore.kernel.org/git/20241121204119.1440773-1-jltobler@gmail.com/) so that the different severities specified for different fsck issues\nare now used when checking fetches using bundles, too.\n\nThis project was led by [Justin Tobler](https://gitlab.com/justintobler).\n\n## Add reference consistency checks\n\nIn our Git release blog post about the Git 2.47.0 release, we mentioned Jialuo She's work on\n[adding a new 'verify' subcommand](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/whats-new-in-git-2-47-0/#new-subcommand-for-git-refs(1)) to git-refs(1) which was part of the\n[Google Summer of Code 2024](https://summerofcode.withgoogle.com/archive/2024/projects/ukm4PTEF) (GSoC 2024).\n\nIn that blog post, we said that eventually the goal was to integrate this new subcommand as part of git-fsck(1) to provide a unified way to execute repository consistency checks. Jialuo She has decided to work on that after his GSoC was over.\n\nThe result from [this effort](https://lore.kernel.org/git/ZrtrT1CPI4YUf5db@ArchLinux/)\nis that git-fsck(1) can now detect and handle a number of reference-related issues, like when the content of a reference is bad, when a symbolic link is used as a symbolic reference, or when the target of a symbolic reference doesn't point to a valid reference. We still need to call `git refs verify` as part of git-fsck(1), and have the former perform all non-backend-specific checks that the latter currently does, but we are closer to our end goal of a unified way to execute all refs consistency checks.\n\nThis project was led by Jialuo She.\n\n## Iterator reuse in reftables\n\nIn the [Git 2.45.0](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/git/-/raw/master/Documentation/RelNotes/2.45.0.txt) release, the 'reftables' format was introduced as a new backend for storing references (mostly branches and tags). If you are not yet\nfamiliar with the reftables backend, check out our previous [Git release blog post](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/whats-new-in-git-2-45-0/) where the feature was introduced and our beginner’s guide to [learn more about how reftables work](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/a-beginners-guide-to-the-git-reftable-format/).\n\nSince that release, we continued to improve this backend, and we recently focused on improving its performance by [reusing some internal iterators](https://lore.kernel.org/git/cover.1730732881.git.ps@pks.im/) when reading random references. Before these changes, reading a single reference required us to create a whole new iterator, seek it to the correct location in the respective tables, and then read the next value from it, which can be quite inefficient when reading many references in quick succession. After the change we now only create a single iterator and reuse it to read multiple references, thus saving some overhead.\n\nThe result of this work is increased performance in a number of reftables-related use cases, especially a 7% speedup when creating many references in a transaction that performs many random reads. Furthermore, this creates the possibility for more optimizations as we can continue to reuse more state kept in the iterators.\n\nThis project was led by [Patrick Steinhardt](https://gitlab.com/pks-gitlab).\n\n## Support for reflogs in `git-refs migrate`\n\nAfter the 'reftables' backend was introduced in Git 2.45.0 (see the section above), we worked on tooling to migrate reference backends in Git 2.46.0, which consisted of adding a new `migrate` subcommand to git-refs(1).\n\nOur article about Git 2.46.0 [talked about this work](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/whats-new-in-git-2-46-0/#tooling-to-migrate-reference-backends) and mentioned some limitations that still existed. In particular, the article said:\n\n\"The reflogs in a repository are a component of a reference backend and would also require migration between formats. Unfortunately, the tooling is not yet capable of converting reflogs between the files and reftables backends.\"\n\nWe are pleased to report that we have [lifted this limitation in Git 2.48.0](https://lore.kernel.org/git/20241216-320-git-refs-migrate-reflogs-v4-0-d7cd3f197453@gmail.com/).\nReflogs can now also be migrated with `git refs migrate`. The migration tool is not yet capable of handling a repository with multiple worktrees, but this is the only limitation left. If you\ndon't use worktrees, you can already take advantage of the reftables backend in your existing repositories.\n\nThis project was led by [Karthik Nayak](https://gitlab.com/knayakgl).\n\n## Ref-filter optimization\n\nThe 'ref-filter' subsystem is some formatting code used by commands like `git for-each-ref`, `git branch` and `git tag` to sort, filter, format, and display information related to Git references.\n\nAs repositories grow, they can contain a huge number of references. This is why there is work not only on improving backends that store references, like the reftables backend (see above), but\nalso on optimizing formatting code, like the 'ref-filter' subsystem.\n\nWe recently [found a way](https://lore.kernel.org/git/d23c3e3ee7fdb49fcd05b4f2e52dd2a1cfdc10f2.1729510342.git.ps@pks.im/)\nto avoid temporarily buffering references and iterating several times on them in the ref-filter code when they should be processed in the same sorting order as the order the backends provide them. This results in memory savings and makes certain commands up to 770 times faster in some\ncases.\n\nThis project was led by [Patrick Steinhardt](https://gitlab.com/pks-gitlab).\n\n## Read more\n\nThis blog post highlighted just a few of the contributions made by GitLab and the wider Git community for this latest release. You can learn about these from the official release announcement of the Git project. Also, check out [our previous Git release blog posts](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/tags/git/) to see other past highlights of contributions from GitLab team members.\n\n- [What’s new in Git 2.47.0?](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/whats-new-in-git-2-47-0/)\n- [What’s new in Git 2.46.0?](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/whats-new-in-git-2-46-0/)\n- [What’s new in Git 2.45.0](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/whats-new-in-git-2-45-0/)\n- [A beginner's guide to the Git reftable format](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/a-beginners-guide-to-the-git-reftable-format/)\n",[877,749,9],{"slug":4242,"featured":90,"template":685},"whats-new-in-git-2-48-0","content:en-us:blog:whats-new-in-git-2-48-0.yml","Whats New In Git 2 48 0","en-us/blog/whats-new-in-git-2-48-0.yml","en-us/blog/whats-new-in-git-2-48-0",{"_path":4248,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":4249,"content":4254,"config":4260,"_id":4262,"_type":13,"title":4263,"_source":15,"_file":4264,"_stem":4265,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/whats-new-in-git-2-49-0",{"title":4250,"description":4251,"ogTitle":4250,"ogDescription":4251,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":4124,"ogUrl":4252,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":4252,"schema":4253},"What's new in Git 2.49.0?","Learn about the latest version of Git, including improved performance thanks to zlib-ng, a new name-hashing algorithm, and git-backfill(1).","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/whats-new-in-git-2-49-0","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"What's new in Git 2.49.0?\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Toon Claes\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2025-03-14\",\n      }",{"title":4250,"description":4251,"authors":4255,"heroImage":4124,"date":4257,"body":4258,"category":747,"tags":4259},[4256],"Toon Claes","2025-03-14","The Git project recently released [Git 2.49.0](https://lore.kernel.org/git/xmqqfrjfilc8.fsf@gitster.g/). Let's look at a few notable highlights from this release, which includes contributions from GitLab's Git team and the wider Git community.\n\nWhat's covered:\n- [git-backfill(1) and the new path-walk API](#git-backfill(1)-and-the-new-path-walk-api)\n- [Introduction of zlib-ng](#introduction-of-zlib-ng)\n- [Continued iteration on Meson](#continued-iteration-on-meson)\n- [Deprecation of .git/branches/ and .git/remotes/](#deprecation-of-.gitbranches%2F-and-.git%2Fremotes%2F)\n- [Rust bindings for libgit](#rust-bindings-for-libgit)\n- [New name-hashing algorithm](#new-name-hashing-algorithm)\n- [Promisor remote capability](#promisor-remote-capability)\n- [Thin clone using `--revision`](#thin-clone-using---revision)\n\n## git-backfill(1) and the new path-walk API\n\nWhen you [`git-clone(1)`](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-clone) a Git repository,\nyou can pass it the\n[`--filter`](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-clone#Documentation/git-clone.txt-code--filterltfilter-specgtcode)\noption. Using this option allows you to create a _partial clone_. In a partial\nclone the server only sends a subset of reachable objects according to the given\nobject filter. For example, creating a clone with `--filter=blob:none` will not\nfetch any blobs (file contents) from the server and create a _blobless clone_.\n\nBlobless clones have all the reachable commits and trees, but no blobs. When you\nperform an operation like\n[`git-checkout(1)`](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-checkout), Git will download\nthe missing blobs to complete that operation. For some operations, like\n[`git-blame(1)`](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-blame), this might result in\ndownloading objects one by one, which will slow down the command drastically.\nThis performance degradation occurs because `git-blame(1)` must traverse the\ncommit history to identify which specific blobs it needs, then request each\nmissing blob from the server separately.\n\nIn Git 2.49, a new subcommand `git-backfill(1)` is introduced, which can be\nused to download missing blobs in a blobless partial clone.\n\nUnder the hood, the `git-backfill(1)` command leverages the new path-walk API, which is different from how Git generally iterates over commits. Rather than iterating over the commits one at a time and recursively visiting the trees and blobs associated with each commit, the path-walk API does traversal by path. For each path, it adds a list of associated tree objects to a stack. This stack is then processed in a depth-first order. So, instead of processing every object in commit `1` before moving to commit `2`, it will process all versions of file `A` across all commits before moving to file `B`. This approach greatly improves performance in scenarios where grouping by path is essential.\n\nLet me demonstrate its use by making a blobless clone of [`gitlab-org/git`](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/git):\n\n```shell\n$ git clone --filter=blob:none --bare --no-tags git@gitlab.com:gitlab-org/git.git\nCloning into bare repository 'git.git'...\nremote: Enumerating objects: 245904, done.\nremote: Counting objects: 100% (1736/1736), done.\nremote: Compressing objects: 100% (276/276), done.\nremote: Total 245904 (delta 1591), reused 1547 (delta 1459), pack-reused 244168 (from 1)\nReceiving objects: 100% (245904/245904), 59.35 MiB | 15.96 MiB/s, done.\nResolving deltas: 100% (161482/161482), done.\n```\n\nAbove, we use `--bare` to ensure Git doesn't need to download any blobs to check\nout an initial branch. We can verify this clone does not contain any blobs:\n\n```sh\n$ git cat-file --batch-all-objects --batch-check='%(objecttype)' | sort | uniq -c\n  83977 commit\n 161927 tree\n```\n\nIf you want to see the contents of a file in the repository, Git has to download it:\n\n```sh\n$ git cat-file -p HEAD:README.md\nremote: Enumerating objects: 1, done.\nremote: Total 1 (delta 0), reused 0 (delta 0), pack-reused 1 (from 1)\nReceiving objects: 100% (1/1), 1.64 KiB | 1.64 MiB/s, done.\n\n[![Build status](https://github.com/git/git/workflows/CI/badge.svg)](https://github.com/git/git/actions?query=branch%3Amaster+event%3Apush)\n\nGit - fast, scalable, distributed revision control system\n=========================================================\n\nGit is a fast, scalable, distributed revision control system with an\nunusually rich command set that provides both high-level operations\nand full access to internals.\n\n[snip]\n```\n\nAs you can see above, Git first talks to the remote repository to download the blob before\nit can display it.\n\nWhen you would like to `git-blame(1)` that file, it needs to download a lot\nmore:\n\n```sh\n$ git blame HEAD README.md\nremote: Enumerating objects: 1, done.\nremote: Counting objects: 100% (1/1), done.\nremote: Total 1 (delta 0), reused 0 (delta 0), pack-reused 0 (from 0)\nReceiving objects: 100% (1/1), 1.64 KiB | 1.64 MiB/s, done.\nremote: Enumerating objects: 1, done.\nremote: Counting objects: 100% (1/1), done.\nremote: Total 1 (delta 0), reused 0 (delta 0), pack-reused 0 (from 0)\nReceiving objects: 100% (1/1), 1.64 KiB | 1.64 MiB/s, done.\nremote: Enumerating objects: 1, done.\nremote: Counting objects: 100% (1/1), done.\nremote: Total 1 (delta 0), reused 0 (delta 0), pack-reused 0 (from 0)\nReceiving objects: 100% (1/1), 1.64 KiB | 1.64 MiB/s, done.\nremote: Enumerating objects: 1, done.\n\n[snip]\n\ndf7375d772 README.md (Ævar Arnfjörð Bjarmason 2021-11-23 17:29:09 +0100  1) [![Build status](https://github.com/git/git/workflows/CI/badge.svg)](https://github.com/git/git/actions?query=branch%3Amaster+event%3Apush)\n5f7864663b README.md (Johannes Schindelin \t2019-01-29 06:19:32 -0800  2)\n28513c4f56 README.md (Matthieu Moy        \t2016-02-25 09:37:29 +0100  3) Git - fast, scalable, distributed revision control system\n28513c4f56 README.md (Matthieu Moy        \t2016-02-25 09:37:29 +0100  4) =========================================================\n556b6600b2 README\t(Nicolas Pitre       \t2007-01-17 13:04:39 -0500  5)\n556b6600b2 README\t(Nicolas Pitre       \t2007-01-17 13:04:39 -0500  6) Git is a fast, scalable, distributed revision control system with an\n556b6600b2 README\t(Nicolas Pitre       \t2007-01-17 13:04:39 -0500  7) unusually rich command set that provides both high-level operations\n556b6600b2 README\t(Nicolas Pitre       \t2007-01-17 13:04:39 -0500  8) and full access to internals.\n556b6600b2 README\t(Nicolas Pitre       \t2007-01-17 13:04:39 -0500  9)\n\n[snip]\n```\n\nWe've truncated the output, but as you can see, Git goes to the server for each\nrevision of that file separately. That's really inefficient. With\n`git-backfill(1)` we can ask Git to download all blobs:\n\n```shell\n$ git backfill\nremote: Enumerating objects: 50711, done.\nremote: Counting objects: 100% (15438/15438), done.\nremote: Compressing objects: 100% (708/708), done.\nremote: Total 50711 (delta 15154), reused 14730 (delta 14730), pack-reused 35273 (from 1)\nReceiving objects: 100% (50711/50711), 11.62 MiB | 12.28 MiB/s, done.\nResolving deltas: 100% (49154/49154), done.\nremote: Enumerating objects: 50017, done.\nremote: Counting objects: 100% (10826/10826), done.\nremote: Compressing objects: 100% (634/634), done.\nremote: Total 50017 (delta 10580), reused 10192 (delta 10192), pack-reused 39191 (from 1)\nReceiving objects: 100% (50017/50017), 12.17 MiB | 12.33 MiB/s, done.\nResolving deltas: 100% (48301/48301), done.\nremote: Enumerating objects: 47303, done.\nremote: Counting objects: 100% (7311/7311), done.\nremote: Compressing objects: 100% (618/618), done.\nremote: Total 47303 (delta 7021), reused 6693 (delta 6693), pack-reused 39992 (from 1)\nReceiving objects: 100% (47303/47303), 40.84 MiB | 15.26 MiB/s, done.\nResolving deltas: 100% (43788/43788), done.\n```\n\nThis backfills all blobs, turning the blobless clone into a full clone:\n\n```shell\n$ git cat-file --batch-all-objects --batch-check='%(objecttype)' | sort | uniq -c\n 148031 blob\n  83977 commit\n 161927 tree\n```\n\nThis [project](https://lore.kernel.org/git/pull.1820.v3.git.1738602667.gitgitgadget@gmail.com/)\nwas led by [Derrick Stolee](https://stolee.dev/) and was merged with\n[e565f37553](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/git/-/commit/e565f3755342caf1d21e22359eaf09ec11d8c0ae).\n\n## Introduction of zlib-ng\n\nAll objects in the `.git/` folder are compressed by Git using [`zlib`](https://zlib.net/). `zlib` is the reference implementation for the [RFC\n1950](https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc1950): ZLIB Compressed Data\nFormat. Created in 1995, `zlib` has a long history and is incredibly\nportable, even supporting many systems that predate the Internet. Because of its\nwide support of architectures and compilers, it has limitations in what it is\ncapable of.\n\nThe fork [`zlib-ng`](https://github.com/zlib-ng/zlib-ng) was created to\naccommodate the limitations. `zlib-ng` aims to be optimized for modern\nsystems. This fork drops support for legacy systems and instead brings in\npatches for Intel optimizations, some Cloudflare optimizations, and a couple\nother smaller patches.\n\nThe `zlib-ng` library itself provides a compatibility layer for `zlib`. The\ncompatibility later allows `zlib-ng` to be a drop-in replacement for `zlib`, but\nthat layer is not available on all Linux distributions. In Git 2.49:\n\n- A compatibility layer was added to the Git project.\n- Build options were added to both to the [`Makefile`](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/git/-/blob/b9d6f64393275b505937a8621a6cc4875adde8e0/Makefile#L186-187)\n  and [Meson Build file](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/git/-/blob/b9d6f64393275b505937a8621a6cc4875adde8e0/meson.build#L795-811).\n\nThese additions make it easier to benefit from the performance improvements of\n`zlib-ng`.\n\nIn local benchmarks, we've seen a ~25% speedup when using `zlib-ng` instead of `zlib`. And we're in the process of rolling out these changes to\nGitLab.com, too.\n\nIf you want to benefit from the gains of `zlib-ng`, first verify if Git\non your machine is already using `zlib-ng` by running\n`git version --build-options`:\n\n```shell\n$ git version --build-options\ngit version 2.47.1\ncpu: x86_64\nno commit associated with this build\nsizeof-long: 8\nsizeof-size_t: 8\nshell-path: /bin/sh\nlibcurl: 8.6.0\nOpenSSL: OpenSSL 3.2.2 4 Jun 2024\nzlib: 1.3.1.zlib-ng\n```\n\nIf the last line includes `zlib-ng` then your Git is already built\nusing the faster `zlib` variant. If not, you can either:\n\n- Ask the maintainer of the Git package you are using to include `zlib-ng` support.\n- Build Git yourself from source.\n\nThese [changes](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/git/-/commit/9d0e81e2ae3bd7f6d8a655be53c2396d7af3d2b0)\nwere [introduced](https://lore.kernel.org/git/20250128-b4-pks-compat-drop-uncompress2-v4-0-129bc36ae8f5@pks.im/)\nby [Patrick Steinhardt](https://gitlab.com/pks-gitlab).\n\n## Continued iteration on Meson\n\nIn our article about the Git 2.48 release,\nwe touched on [the introduction of the Meson build system](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/whats-new-in-git-2-48-0/#meson-build-system). [Meson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meson_(software)) is\na build automation tool used by the Git project that at some point might replace [Autoconf](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autoconf),\n[CMake](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CMake), and maybe even\n[Make](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Make_(software)).\n\nDuring this release cycle, work continued on using Meson, adding various missing\nfeatures and stabilization fixes:\n\n  - [Improved test coverage for\n\tCI](https://lore.kernel.org/git/20250122-b4-pks-meson-additions-v3-0-5a51eb5d3dcd@pks.im/)\n\twas merged in\n\t[72f1ddfbc9](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/git/-/commit/72f1ddfbc95b47c6011bb423e6947418d1d72709).\n  - [Bits and pieces to use Meson in `contrib/`](https://lore.kernel.org/git/20250219-b4-pks-meson-contrib-v2-0-1ba5d7fde0b9@pks.im/)\n\twere merged in\n\t[2a1530a953](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/git/-/commit/2a1530a953cc4d2ae62416db86c545c7ccb73ace).\n  - [Assorted fixes and improvements to the build procedure based on\n\tmeson](https://lore.kernel.org/git/20250226-b4-pks-meson-improvements-v3-0-60c77cf673ae@pks.im/)\n\twere merged in\n\t[ab09eddf60](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/git/-/commit/ab09eddf601501290b5c719574fbe6c02314631f).\n  - [Making Meson aware of building\n\t`git-subtree(1)`](https://lore.kernel.org/git/20250117-b4-pks-build-subtree-v1-0-03c2ed6cc42e@pks.im/)\n\twas merged in\n\t[3ddeb7f337](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/git/-/commit/3ddeb7f3373ae0e309d9df62ada24375afa456c7).\n  - [Learn Meson to generate HTML documentation\n\tpages](https://lore.kernel.org/git/20241227-b4-pks-meson-docs-v2-0-f61e63edbfa1@pks.im/)\n\twas merged in\n\t[1b4e9a5f8b](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/git/-/commit/1b4e9a5f8b5f048972c21fe8acafe0404096f694).\n\nAll these efforts were carried out by [Patrick Steinhardt](https://gitlab.com/pks-gitlab).\n\n## Deprecation of .git/branches/ and .git/remotes/\n\nYou are probably aware of the existence of the `.git` directory, and what is\ninside. But have you ever heard about the sub-directories `.git/branches/` and\n`.git/remotes/`? As you might know, reference to branches are stored in\n`.git/refs/heads/`, so that's not what `.git/branches/` is for, and what about\n`.git/remotes/`?\n\nWay back in 2005, [`.git/branches/`](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-fetch#_named_file_in_git_dirbranches)\nwas introduced to store a shorthand name for a remote, and a few months later they were\nmoved to [`.git/remotes/`](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-fetch#_named_file_in_git_dirremotes).\nIn [2006](https://lore.kernel.org/git/Pine.LNX.4.63.0604301520460.2646@wbgn013.biozentrum.uni-wuerzburg.de/),\n[`git-config(1)`](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-config) learned to store\n[remotes](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-config#Documentation/git-config.txt-remoteltnamegturl).\nThis has become the standard way to configure remotes and, in 2011, the\ndirectories `.git/branches/` and `.git/remotes/` were\n[documented](https://gitlab.com/git-scm/git/-/commit/3d3d282146e13f2d7f055ad056956fd8e5d7ed29#e615263aaf131d42be8b0d0888ebd3fec954c6c9_132_124)\nas being \"legacy\" and no longer used in modern repositories.\n\nIn 2024, the document [BreakingChanges](https://git-scm.com/docs/BreakingChanges)\nwas started to outline breaking changes for the next major version of Git\n(v3.0). While this release is not planned to happen any time soon, this document\nkeeps track of changes that are expected to be part of that release.\nIn [8ccc75c245](https://gitlab.com/git-scm/git/-/commit/8ccc75c2452b5814d2445d60d54266293ca48674),\nthe use of the directories `.git/branches/` and `.git/remotes/` was added to\nthis document and that officially marks as them deprecated and to be removed in\nGit 3.0.\n\nThanks to [Patrick Steinhardt](https://gitlab.com/pks-gitlab) for\n[formalizing this deprecation](https://lore.kernel.org/git/20250122-pks-remote-branches-deprecation-v4-5-5cbf5b28afd5@pks.im/).\n\n## Rust bindings for libgit\n\nWhen compiling Git, an internal library `libgit.a` is made. This library\ncontains some of the core functionality of Git.\n\nWhile this library (and most of Git) is written in C, in Git 2.49 bindings were\nadded to make some of these functions available in Rust. To achieve this, two\nnew Cargo packages were created: `libgit-sys` and `libgit-rs`. These packages\nlive in the [`contrib/`](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/git/-/tree/master/contrib) subdirectory in the Git source tree.\n\nIt's pretty\n[common](https://doc.rust-lang.org/cargo/reference/build-scripts.html#-sys-packages)\nto split out a library into two packages when a [Foreign Function\nInterface](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_function_interface) is used.\nThe `libgit-sys` package provides the pure interface to C functions and links to\nthe native `libgit.a` library. The package `libgit-rs` provides a high-level\ninterface to the functions in `libgit-sys` with a feel that is more idiomatic to\nRust.\n\nSo far, the functionality in these Rust packages is very limited. It only\nprovides an interface to interact with the `git-config(1)`.\n\nThis initiative was led by [Josh Steadmon](https://lore.kernel.org/git/8793ff64a7f6c4c04dd03b71162a85849feda944.1738187176.git.steadmon@google.com/) and was merged with [a4af0b6288](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/git/-/commit/a4af0b6288e25eb327ae9018cee09def9e43f1cd).\n\n## New name-hashing algorithm\n\nThe Git object database in `.git/` stores most of its data in packfiles. And\npackfiles are also used to submit objects between Git server and client over the\nwire.\n\nYou can read all about the format at\n[`gitformat-pack(5)`](https://git-scm.com/docs/gitformat-pack). One important\naspect of the packfiles is delta-compression. With delta-compression not every\nobject is stored as-is, but some objects are saved as a _delta_ of another\n_base_. So instead of saving the full contents of the objects, changes compared\nto another object are stored.\n\nWithout going into the details how these deltas are calculated or stored, you\ncan imagine that it is important group files together that are very similar. In\nv2.48 and earlier, Git looked at the last 16 characters of the path name to\ndetermine whether blobs might be similar. This algorithm is named version `1`.\n\nIn Git 2.49, version `2` is available. This is an iteration on version `1`, but\nmodified so the effect of the parent directory is reduced. You can specify the\nname-hash algorithm version you want to use with option `--name-hash-version` of\n[`git-repack(1)`](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-repack).\n\n[Derrick Stolee](https://stolee.dev/), who drove this project, did some\ncomparison in resulting packfile size after running `git repack -adf\n--name-hash-version=\u003Cn>`:\n\n| Repo                                          \t| Version 1 size   | Version 2 size |\n|---------------------------------------------------|-----------|---------|\n| [fluentui](https://github.com/microsoft/fluentui) | 440 MB \t| 161 MB   |\n| Repo B                                        \t| 6,248 MB   | 856 MB   |\n| Repo C                                        \t| 37,278 MB  | 6,921 MB |\n| Repo D                                        \t| 131,204 MB | 7,463 MB |\n\nYou can read more of the details in the [patch\nset](https://lore.kernel.org/git/pull.1823.v4.git.1738004554.gitgitgadget@gmail.com/),\nwhich is merged in\n[aae91a86fb](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/git/-/commit/aae91a86fb2a71ff89a71b63ccec3a947b26ca51).\n\n## Promisor remote capability\n\nIt's known that Git isn't great in dealing with large files. There are some\nsolutions to this problem, like [Git LFS](https://git-lfs.com/), but there are\nstill some shortcomings. To give a few:\n\n- With Git LFS the user has to configure which files to put in LFS. The server has\n  no control about that and has to serve all files.\n- Whenever a file is committed to the repository, there is no way to get it out\n  again without rewriting history. This is annoying, especially for large files,\n  because they are stuck for eternity.\n- Users cannot change their mind on which files to put into Git LFS.\n- A tool like Git LFS requires significant effort to set up, learn, and use\n  correctly.\n\nFor some time, Git has had the concept of promisor remotes. This feature can be used to deal with large files, and in Git 2.49 this feature took a step forward.\n\nThe idea for the new “promisor-remote” capability is relatively simple: Instead of sending all\nobjects itself, a Git server can tell to the Git client \"Hey, go download these\nobjects from _XYZ_\". _XYZ_ would be a promisor remote.\n\nGit 2.49 enables the server to advertise the information of the promisor remote\nto the client. This change is an extension to\n[`gitprotocol-v2`](https://git-scm.com/docs/gitprotocol-v2). While the server\nand the client are transmitting data to each other, the server can send  names and URLs of the promisor remotes it knows\nabout.\n\nSo far, the client is not using the promisor remote info it gets from the server during clone, so all\nobjects are still transmitted from the remote the clone initiated from. We are planning to continue work on this feature, making it use promisor remote info from the server, and making it easier to use.\n\nThis [patch\nset](https://lore.kernel.org/git/20250218113204.2847463-1-christian.couder@gmail.com/)\nwas submitted by [Christian Couder](https://gitlab.com/chriscool) and merged\nwith\n[2c6fd30198](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/git/-/commit/2c6fd30198187c928cbf927802556908c381799c).\n\n## Thin clone using `--revision`\n\nA new `--revision` option was added to\n[`git-clone(1)`](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-clone). This enables you to create\na thin clone of a repository that only contains the history of the given\nrevision. The option is similar to `--branch`, but accepts a ref name (like\n`refs/heads/main`, `refs/tags/v1.0`, and `refs/merge-requests/123`) or a\nhexadecimal commit object ID. The difference to `--branch` is that it does not\ncreate a tracking branch and detaches `HEAD`. This means it's not suited if you\nwant to contribute back to that branch.\n\nYou can use `--revision` in combination with `--depth` to create a very minimal\nclone. A suggested use-case is for automated testing. When you have a CI system\nthat needs to check out a branch (or any reference) to perform autonomous\ntesting on the source code, having a minimal clone is all you need.\n\nThis\n[change](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/git/-/commit/5785d9143bcb3ef19452a83bc2e870ff3d5ed95a)\nwas\n[driven](https://lore.kernel.org/git/20250206-toon-clone-refs-v7-0-4622b7392202@iotcl.com/)\nby [Toon Claes](https://gitlab.com/toon).\n\n# Read more\n- [What’s new in Git 2.48.0?](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/whats-new-in-git-2-48-0/)\n- [What’s new in Git 2.47.0?](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/whats-new-in-git-2-47-0/)\n- [What’s new in Git 2.46.0?](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/whats-new-in-git-2-46-0/)",[9,749,877],{"slug":4261,"featured":90,"template":685},"whats-new-in-git-2-49-0","content:en-us:blog:whats-new-in-git-2-49-0.yml","Whats New In Git 2 49 0","en-us/blog/whats-new-in-git-2-49-0.yml","en-us/blog/whats-new-in-git-2-49-0",{"_path":4267,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":4268,"content":4274,"config":4279,"_id":4281,"_type":13,"title":4282,"_source":15,"_file":4283,"_stem":4284,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/where-to-donate-your-devops-skills",{"title":4269,"description":4270,"ogTitle":4269,"ogDescription":4270,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":4271,"ogUrl":4272,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":4272,"schema":4273},"Where to donate your DevOps skills","Want to feel great and help fill the DevOps talent pipeline? Here are some rewarding opportunities to donate your tech knowledge to others.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749683269/Blog/Hero%20Images/clark-tibbs-oqstl2l5oxi-unsplash.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/where-to-donate-your-devops-skills","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Where to donate your DevOps skills\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Sandra Gittlen\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2021-12-08\",\n      }",{"title":4269,"description":4270,"authors":4275,"heroImage":4271,"date":4276,"body":4277,"category":816,"tags":4278},[3947],"2021-12-08","\n\nYour technical knowledge could be a gift to someone else. Nonprofits around the world are seeking talented professionals to mentor, volunteer their technical skills, or teach courses in-person and online. The donations of your time and expertise could change the lives of people in your community or halfway around the world. The more access underrepresented groups, including women and minorities, have to skills development and mentoring that lead to higher-paying jobs, the better their chances of rising up out of difficult socio-economic conditions. And don’t forget, volunteering is incredibly rewarding.\n\nHere are six organizations and tech communities that could benefit from your skills and experience: \n\n## [Outreachy](https://www.outreachy.org/)\n\nOutreachy provides internships in open source to people subject to systemic bias and impacted by underrepresentation in the technical industry where they are living. Outreachy interns work with experienced mentors from open source communities. Internship projects may include programming, user experience, documentation, graphical design, data science, marketing, user advocacy, or community event planning.\n\nGitLab has participated in the Outreachy internship program, which intersects with our [Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#diversity-inclusion) value. Our team, including Senior Backend Engineer [Christian Couder](https://gitlab.com/chriscool), wrote [about their experience](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/outreachy-sponsorship-winter-2020/): “One of the benefits of the Outreachy technology internship is that the interns do not need to be students. It's a great opportunity for people who are coming back into the workforce after a hiatus, or who are navigating a career change into tech. This technology internship program is unique because it incorporates skill sets beyond engineering – which creates a broader range of skill sets represented in the open source world. The Outreachy internship is remote, making it more relevant than ever during the pandemic by helping interns gain experience working on an all-remote team.”\n\n## [CodeYourFuture](https://codeyourfuture.io/)\n\nCodeYourFuture is a U.K.-based nonprofit that trains “some of the most deprived members of society” to become web developers and helps them to find work in the tech industry. Students are trained in full-stack web development by volunteers from the tech industry, putting a strong emphasis on collaboration and product development through tech projects.\n\nSenior Frontend Engineer [Coung Ngo](https://gitlab.com/cngo) contributes his time to the nonprofit and says that while DevOps is not in the syllabus, the underlying skill sets are. “They teach a full-stack course of HTML, CSS, JS, React, Node, and SQL/MongoDB,” Ngo says. “It's a nice community, so if someone lives in London, Glasgow, Manchester, or Birmingham, it's enjoyable to join in with the in-person classes.”\n\n## [WeThinkCode](https://www.wethinkcode.co.za/about)\n\nWeThinkCode is a nonprofit aimed at closing the skills gap in the digital sector in South Africa and preparing young people to participate in the region’s economy. The organization believes that South Africa’s youth represent a pool of talent that mostly remains untapped and wants to provide businesses with access to this source of tech talent. Nonprofits like WeThinkCode are important because of the way they mobilize previously underestimated groups by providing an avenue for education where traditional paths are often more closed off. \n\nWeThinkCode was a GitLab donation recipient and the organization utilizes GitLab’s free SaaS version in their curriculum. The organization has [four ways for professionals to volunteer](https://www.wethinkcode.co.za/volunteer), including virtual opportunities:\n\n- Mentorship - Experienced software development practitioners provide guidance to a group of four to six students on communication, ways of working, insights on tackling programming challenges in the curriculum, and tips on the conduct expected in the workplace. \n \n- Interview readiness - Practitioners with experience in hiring and recruiting will help conduct mock interviews and then provide constructive feedback.\n\n- WomenThinkCode Meetups - Women in tech to act as role models and deliver talks about their career journeys covering tech and interpersonal aspects.\n\n- Community-hosted talks - Practitioners deliver talks on the real-world application of various technologies.\n\n## [KodewithKlossy](https://www.kodewithklossy.com/)\n\nKodewithKlossy is a nonprofit with the mission to create learning experiences and opportunities for young women and nonbinary individuals that increase their confidence and inspire them to pursue their passions in a technology-driven world. KodewithKlossy found that prior to camp, only two out of 10 attendees (also called scholars) had computer science experience and after, as a result of their camp experience, nine in 10 say they plan to pursue education and opportunities in computer science. Volunteers can serve as role models in the camp speaker series or participate in other important ways.\n\n## [Google Summer of Code](https://summerofcode.withgoogle.com/archive/)\n\nGoogle Summer of Code (GSoC) is a global program focused on bringing more student developers into open source software development. Students work on a three-month programming project with an open source organization during their break from university. \n\nIn 2022, Google will [expand its GSOC enrollment](https://opensource.googleblog.com/2021/11/expanding-google-summer-of-code-in-2022.html) beyond students to include all newcomers to open source who are 18 years and older. Google states, “We realize there are many folks that could benefit from the GSoC program that are at various stages of their career, recent career changers, self-taught, those returning to the workforce, etc. so we wanted to allow these folks the opportunity to participate in GSoC.”\n\nGitLab [participated this year](https://summerofcode.withgoogle.com/archive/2021/organizations/5396515480141824/), helping to mentor students, and Couder has been a mentor since 2008.\n\n## Open source communities\n\nOpen source communities like Cloud Native Computing Foundation [(CNCF)](https://www.cncf.io/), which include students and people who are changing careers, are a fantastic outlet to share your DevOps expertise. You can help other community members improve their features or applications, learn about documentation, learn new languages, and uncover bugs. Senior Developer Evangelist [Michael Friedrich](https://gitlab.com/dnsmichi) says it is rewarding to become a mentor in open source communities. “It is important to be honest, but also to be patient and kind. Don’t say something is easy – it’s not easy for that person. Instead, make sure to share your expertise in a constructive and helpful way,” he adds. Listen to more of Friedrich’s [advice for open source contributions](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yT63olXdS-I).\n\n_Cover image by Clark Tibbs via [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/)._\n",[682,749,9],{"slug":4280,"featured":6,"template":685},"where-to-donate-your-devops-skills","content:en-us:blog:where-to-donate-your-devops-skills.yml","Where To Donate Your Devops Skills","en-us/blog/where-to-donate-your-devops-skills.yml","en-us/blog/where-to-donate-your-devops-skills",{"_path":4286,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":4287,"content":4292,"config":4297,"_id":4299,"_type":13,"title":4300,"_source":15,"_file":4301,"_stem":4302,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/why-2022-was-a-record-breaking-year-in-bug-bounty-awards",{"title":4288,"description":4289,"ogTitle":4288,"ogDescription":4289,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":2953,"ogUrl":4290,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":4290,"schema":4291},"Why 2022 was a record-breaking year in bug bounty awards","Find out about the researchers who together earned more than $1 million USD in prizes and their bug hunting contributions.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/why-2022-was-a-record-breaking-year-in-bug-bounty-awards","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Why 2022 was a record-breaking year in bug bounty awards\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Nick Malcolm\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2022-12-19\",\n      }",{"title":4288,"description":4289,"authors":4293,"heroImage":2953,"date":1705,"body":4295,"category":899,"tags":4296},[4294],"Nick Malcolm","Each year, GitLab's [Application Security team](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/security/security-engineering-and-research/application-security/) likes to recap the highlights from GitLab's bug bounty program.\n\nIt's been a busy 2022 for security teams across the industry, and we have been fortunate to receive a huge number of excellent reports that help us keep GitLab and its customers secure. With the [increase we made to our bug bounty award amounts](/blog/3rd-annual-bug-bounty-contest/#-increased-bounties-across-all-bounty-ranges-) in November 2021 and increased researcher engagement, we've broken a new record by **awarding over $1 million USD** in bounties during 2022!\n\nWe wouldn't be where we are without the collaboration of our bug bounty community, and we consider these awards as hugely beneficial and money well spent.\n\n## 2022 by the numbers\n\n\u003C!--\n\nSSoT for amounts is https://hackerone.com/gitlab/analytics/explore\nIt includes reports made prior to 2022 but where the resolution and payout were in 2022. It also includes valid but still unresolved reports where partial or full award has already been made.\n\nSSoT for top researchers is https://hackerone.com/gitlab/program_statistics\n\nSSoT for non-confidential ~hackerone issues is https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/?sort=created_date&state=all&label_name%5B%5D=HackerOne&confidential=no&first_page_size=100\nThe count is the number of non-confidential ~hackerone issues created in 2022 (open + closed)\n\nSSoT for number of reports and researchers is https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/gl-security/appsec/tooling/h1-stats/-/tree/master/ruby\n\nSSoT for Ultimate licenses is via https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/security/security-engineering-and-research/application-security/runbooks/hackerone-process.html#awarding-ultimate-licenses\n-->\n\n- Awarded a total of $1,055,770 USD in bounties across 221 valid reports, up from $337,780 last year!\n- Three researchers earned $100,000+ USD across their multiple reports, and another seven earned over $20,000 USD.\n- Received a total of 920 reports from 424 researchers in 2022.\n- Resolved 158 valid reports and made 94 public - this year, we received a number of information leak reports which, unlike vulnerabilities, don't need a public GitLab issue.\n- Had 138 security researchers submit more than one report this year, signaling a positive commitment to our program.\n- Awarded eight GitLab Ultimate licenses to researchers who submitted three or more valid reports.\n\n_Note: Data is accurate as of December 16, 2022._\n\nYou can see program statistics updated daily on our [HackerOne program page](https://hackerone.com/gitlab). That's also the place to get started with our program if you want in on the action!\n\n## Reports and reporters that stood out\n\n\u003Ci class=\"fas fa-address-card fa-fw\" style=\"color:rgb(46,46,46); font-size:1.0em\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u003C/i> **Most valid reports to our program.** Congratulations to [@joaxcar](https://hackerone.com/joaxcar) who made 22 valid and now-resolved reports in 2022.\n\n\u003Ci class=\"fas fa-address-card fa-fw\" style=\"color:rgb(46,46,46); font-size:1.0em\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u003C/i> **Most valid reports from a newcomer to our program.** Welcome and congratulations to [@albatraoz](https://hackerone.com/albatraoz) who made seven valid and now-resolved reports in 2022.\n\n\u003Ci class=\"fas fa-pencil-alt fa-fw\" style=\"color:rgb(219,58,33); font-size:1.0em\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u003C/i> **Best written report.** Well done and thank you [@yvvdwf](https://hackerone.com/yvvdwf) for writing up a really interesting [remote code execution bug](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/371098). The walkthrough of the code and root cause, the scripts to create a dummy malicious server, and the collaboration with our AppSec team during validation was fantastic!\n\n\u003Ci class=\"far fa-lightbulb fa-fw\" style=\"color:rgb(252,161,33); font-size:1.0em\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u003C/i> **Most innovative report.** High five, [@vakzz](https://hackerone.com/vakzz), who captured the flag with a [novel local `git` read vulnerability](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/372165)! He also did [a neat followup](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/371884) to `@yvvdwf`'s RCE mentioned above.\n\n\u003Ci class=\"fas fa-exclamation fa-fw\" style=\"color:rgb(252,109,38); font-size:1.0em\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u003C/i> **Most impactful finding.** We're thrilled to recognize [@taraszelyk](https://hackerone.com/taraszelyk), whose back-to-back information disclosure submissions led to a lot of positive security changes within GitLab. Thanks, Taras!\n\nWe will be getting in touch with these researchers to send out [GitLab Swag Shop](https://shop.gitlab.com) vouchers as a token of our appreciation.\n\n## Changes made in 2022\n\n- We adopted HackerOne's Gold Standard Safe Harbor statement. See [this announcement from HackerOne](https://www.hackerone.com/press-release/hackerone-announces-gold-standard-safe-harbor-improve-protections-good-faith-security).\n- We introduced [a $20,000 USD capture the flag bonus](https://hackerone.com/gitlab#user-content-capture-the-flag-for-20000), which was [captured once](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/372165).\n- We created [HackerOne Questions](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/gl-security/appsec/hackerone-questions/), a dedicated space for getting in touch with the AppSec team outside of HackerOne reports.\n- Created [\"Reproducible Vulnerabilities\"](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/security/security-engineering-and-research/application-security/reproducible-vulnerabilities.html), a brand-new learning resource in our handbook structured with expandable hint sections so that you can challenge yourself and learn how to find real security bugs.\n- Continued to iterate transparently on our [HackerOne triage process](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/www-gitlab-com/-/commits/master/sites/handbook/source/handbook/security/security-engineering-and-research/application-security/runbooks/hackerone-process.html.md), and on our [Bug Bounty Calculator](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/gl-security/appsec/cvss-calculator/-/commits/master), including standardized amounts for non-vulnerability reports like information leaks.\n\nThis year, we also continued to provide content that helps both researchers and other organizations running bug bounty programs:\n\n- GitLab Blog: [\"Want to start hacking? Here's how to quickly dive in\"](/blog/cracking-our-bug-bounty-top-10/)\n- GitLab Blog: [\"How GitLab handles security bugs (and why it matters)\"](/blog/how-gitlab-handles-security-bugs/)\n- YouTube: [NullCon 2022 Video Panel: \"CXO Panel: Bug Bounty? Great! Now What?\"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqvai-ml1iV4)\n\nAs always, it is a real pleasure to work with the best security researchers our industry has to offer, including many newcomers. GitLab's AppSec team is committed to being an industry leader when it comes to the transparency of our bug bounty program and the awards given. [Let us know how we're doing](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/gl-security/appsec/hackerone-questions/) so we can iterate on our program processes.\n\nHere's to 2023 - happy hacking!",[899,898,9],{"slug":4298,"featured":6,"template":685},"why-2022-was-a-record-breaking-year-in-bug-bounty-awards","content:en-us:blog:why-2022-was-a-record-breaking-year-in-bug-bounty-awards.yml","Why 2022 Was A Record Breaking Year In Bug Bounty Awards","en-us/blog/why-2022-was-a-record-breaking-year-in-bug-bounty-awards.yml","en-us/blog/why-2022-was-a-record-breaking-year-in-bug-bounty-awards",{"_path":4304,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":4305,"content":4310,"config":4315,"_id":4317,"_type":13,"title":4318,"_source":15,"_file":4319,"_stem":4320,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/why-manjaro-builds-with-gitlab",{"title":4306,"description":4307,"ogTitle":4306,"ogDescription":4307,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":1541,"ogUrl":4308,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":4308,"schema":4309},"Why the Manjaro Linux distribution builds with GitLab","Watch this interview with the Manjaro project to learn why the Linux distribution chooses to build with GitLab.","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/why-manjaro-builds-with-gitlab","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Why the Manjaro Linux distribution builds with GitLab\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Bryan Behrenshausen\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2023-08-29\",\n      }",{"title":4306,"description":4307,"authors":4311,"heroImage":1541,"date":4312,"body":4313,"category":747,"tags":4314},[2723],"2023-08-29","\nThe [Manjaro](https://manjaro.org/) project is the newest member of the [GitLab Open Source Partners](https://go.gitlab.com/BM5JwV) community. Linux users know the Manjaro project as an [open source](https://go.gitlab.com/wYTY0o) operating system that is fast, reliable, and user-friendly. We recently caught up with project leaders [Philip Müller](https://gitlab.com/philm) and [Bernhard Landauer](https://gitlab.com/oberon-manjaro) to learn how GitLab helps the Manjaro community accomplish its great work.\n\n> [Join us at Open Source Summit Europe 2023](https://go.gitlab.com/dPQ92t) to learn more about GitLab's dedication to open source.\n\n## Why the Manjaro project moved to GitLab\nIn 2018, the Manjaro community decided to [adopt GitLab](https://gitlab.manjaro.org) as its development platform, citing several key motivations:\n* **Achieve greater data sovereignty.** By migrating to a new development platform, Manjaro wanted to gain greater control over project development infrastructure. The community now hosts its own dedicated GitLab instance, where all critical Manjaro development occurs. The move has meant greater freedom and autonomy for the community. \"It feels really good to self-host and have our own control,\" Landauer said.\n\n* **Empower a small group of volunteers.** Like so many other open source projects, Manjaro relies on the dedicated work of volunteer contributors from across the world. Müller explained that the project needed a toolkit that could equip a core group of 16 developers to maintain [more than 3,000 packages](https://gitlab.manjaro.org/packages) and foster a community of roughly 8,000 participants. GitLab's sophisticated [CI/CD functionality](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/) helps the community scale to empower its relatively small developer team to manage ever-increasing complexity.\n\n* **Expand monitoring capabilities.** Using GitLab grants community leads much greater visibility into the project's operations, Müller said. By configuring various activity feeds, maintainers can more efficiently monitor potential pipeline issues and build failures across projects in the Manjaro namespace. Adopting GitLab also produced an interesting network effect for Manjaro: Using the same platform as peers, dependencies, and upstream projects meant greater overall visibility into Manjaro's open source ecosystem. \"Projects like [GNOME and KDE are switching](https://go.gitlab.com/BM5JwV) also over to GitLab,\" Müller said. \"We can look at what the upstream is doing.\"\n\n## Watch the interview\nTo learn more about Manjaro's use of GitLab, watch the full interview.\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n  \u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/Rn5IiI3--Ag\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\u003C/figure>\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\n[Join us at Open Source Summit Europe 2023](https://go.gitlab.com/dPQ92t) to learn more about GitLab's dedication to open source.\n{: .note}\n",[749,9,705],{"slug":4316,"featured":6,"template":685},"why-manjaro-builds-with-gitlab","content:en-us:blog:why-manjaro-builds-with-gitlab.yml","Why Manjaro Builds With Gitlab","en-us/blog/why-manjaro-builds-with-gitlab.yml","en-us/blog/why-manjaro-builds-with-gitlab",{"_path":4322,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":4323,"content":4329,"config":4334,"_id":4336,"_type":13,"title":4337,"_source":15,"_file":4338,"_stem":4339,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/why-software-developer-job-satisfaction-matters-and-how-to-make-it-happen",{"title":4324,"description":4325,"ogTitle":4324,"ogDescription":4325,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":4326,"ogUrl":4327,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":4327,"schema":4328},"Why software developer job satisfaction matters and how to make it happen","Science has proven happier developers are more productive. It’s time to take software developer job satisfaction seriously – here’s how the right combo of culture and tools, i.e., a DevOps platform, can help.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749663975/Blog/Hero%20Images/devsecopssurvey.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/why-software-developer-job-satisfaction-matters-and-how-to-make-it-happen","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Why software developer job satisfaction matters and how to make it happen\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Valerie Silverthorne\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2021-05-13\",\n      }",{"title":4324,"description":4325,"authors":4330,"heroImage":4326,"date":4331,"body":4332,"category":679,"tags":4333},[1136],"2021-05-13","\nIn the midst of a global pandemic and an ongoing worldwide shortage of coders, software developer job satisfaction has never been more important. But to managers, and their teams, happiness can certainly feel elusive, hard-to-measure, and difficult to achieve.\n\nBut there’s no question it’s a worthwhile goal, and you don’t have to look further than science for proof of that. Two years ago authors Daniel Graziotin and Fabian Fagerholm [studied more than 1300 developers](https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4842-4221-6_10) to rate their happiness, assess factors that make them unhappy, and to see if software developer job satisfaction was truly linked to improved productivity. The duo used the Scale of Positive and Negative Experience (SPANE) and their results were published in [_Rethinking Productivity in Software Engineering_](https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-1-4842-4221-6).\n\nTheir findings were surprisingly straightforward: Coders were a \"moderately happy\" group, as a whole, and were made unhappy by three primary things: being stuck while problem solving, time pressure, and working with bad code or with poor coding processes. A fourth reason related to information overload. \"(The)...current software tools may overload developers with information,\" the study found. The research went on to outline how unhappy developers were less productive, suffered from \"broken flow,\" had less motivation, and produced low quality code. And finally, after two different psychological tests done in labs, the authors were able to declare definitively that \"happy software developers are indeed more productive.\"\n\n## Get happy, but how?\n\nNow that science has validated what we *felt* had to be true all along, it’s time to step back and consider the factors that play into software developer job satisfaction.\n\nA good place to start is with the development process. In our [2021 Global DevSecOps Survey](/developer-survey/), we found almost 36% of respondents said their teams are doing DevOps or DevSecOps, up from 27% in 2020. And there’s a reason why DevOps is so popular: it’s not only most likely to yield better code quality and faster time to market but it also adds to developer job satisfaction. In fact, more than 13% of respondents said [DevOps](/topics/devops/) makes developers  happier or makes their team more attractive to potential new employees.\n\nBut one of the realities of DevOps is tools...lots of them. In our survey, 38% of respondents used five tool chains while nearly 28% used between five and 10 (and 56% said there were an average of five tools on each tool chain.) Five tool chains with five tools each means teams are dealing with 25 tools – that’s certainly building a case for information overload and potentially *very unhappy* developers.\n\n_Our [2022 Global DevSecOps Survey](/developer-survey/) is out now! Learn the latest in DevOps insights from over 5,000 DevOps professionals._\n\n## The beauty of less\n\nSo if DevOps, streamlined, is the key to software developer job satisfaction, the answer is obvious: Adopting a DevOps platform that brings tools together in a single application for collaboration, visibility, and development velocity makes for happier devs.\n\nOur survey respondents seemed to agree. When we asked about the benefits of a DevOps platform, the answers were clear: Better DevOps overall, improved collaboration, easier automation, and visibility/traceability. Here’s what they said:\n\n_\"Reduced mean time to recovery (MTTR), quicker time to market, reduced lead time for fixes, and fewer change failures.\"_\n\n_\"More ownership of everything to do with the product.\"_\n\n_\"Reliability, repeatability, consistency, productivity.\"_\n\nIf it’s time for more efficient DevOps (and of course happier developers), take our quiz to understand your level of DevOps platform maturity. And if you want to understand the heavy toll too many tools can take on your team, dive into [how to avoid the DevOps tax](/topics/devops/use-devops-platform-to-avoid-devops-tax/).\n",[681,682,9],{"slug":4335,"featured":6,"template":685},"why-software-developer-job-satisfaction-matters-and-how-to-make-it-happen","content:en-us:blog:why-software-developer-job-satisfaction-matters-and-how-to-make-it-happen.yml","Why Software Developer Job Satisfaction Matters And How To Make It Happen","en-us/blog/why-software-developer-job-satisfaction-matters-and-how-to-make-it-happen.yml","en-us/blog/why-software-developer-job-satisfaction-matters-and-how-to-make-it-happen",{"_path":4341,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":4342,"content":4348,"config":4354,"_id":4356,"_type":13,"title":4357,"_source":15,"_file":4358,"_stem":4359,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/why-we-use-rails-to-build-gitlab",{"title":4343,"description":4344,"ogTitle":4343,"ogDescription":4344,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":4345,"ogUrl":4346,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":4346,"schema":4347},"Why we use Ruby on Rails to build GitLab","Here's our CEO on GitLab’s inception using Rails, and how challenges are being handled along the way.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749668296/Blog/Hero%20Images/gitlab-ruby.jpg","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/why-we-use-rails-to-build-gitlab","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"Why we use Ruby on Rails to build GitLab\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Aricka Flowers\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2018-10-29\",\n      }",{"title":4343,"description":4344,"authors":4349,"heroImage":4345,"date":4350,"body":4351,"category":296,"tags":4352},[2665],"2018-10-29","\nWhen our Co-founder and Engineering Fellow [Dmitriy Zaporozhets](/company/team/#dzaporozhets) decided to build GitLab, he chose to do it with Ruby on Rails, despite working primarily in PHP at the time. GitHub, a source of inspiration for GitLab, was also based on Rails, making it a logical pick considering his interest in the framework. GitLab CEO [Sid Sijbrandij](/company/team/#sytses) thinks his co-founder made a good choice:\n\n\"It's worked out really well because the Ruby on Rails ecosystem allows you to shape a lot of functionality at a high quality,\" he explained. \"If you look at GitLab, it has an enormous amount of functionality. Software development is very complex and to help with that, we need a lot of functionality and Ruby on Rails is a way to do it. Because there's all these best practices that are on your happy path, it’s also a way to keep the code consistent when you ship something like GitLab. You're kind of guided into doing the right thing.\"\n\n### Depending on useful gems\n\nRuby gems play an integral role in the building of GitLab, with it loading more than a thousand non-unique gems, according to Sid. Calling the Ruby on Rails framework \"very opinionated,\" he thinks it's a strong environment in which to build a complex app like GitLab.\n\n\"There's a great ecosystem around it with gems that can make assumptions about how you're doing things and in that regard, I think the Ruby on Rails ecosystem is still without par,\" he says. \"If you look at our Gemfile, it gives you an indication of how big the tower is of dependencies that we can build on. Ruby on Rails has amazing shoulders to stand on and it would have been much slower to develop GitLab in any other framework.\"\n\n### Overcoming challenges\n\nAll of this is not to say there haven’t been challenges in building GitLab with Ruby on Rails. Performance has been an issue that our developers have made strides to improve in a number of ways, including rewriting code in Go and [using the Vue framework](/blog/why-we-chose-vue/). The latter is being used to rewrite frequently accessed pages, like issues and merge requests, so they load faster, improving user experience.\n\nGo is being used to address other issues affecting load times and reduce memory usage.\n\n\"Ruby was optimized for the developer, not for running it in production,\" says Sid. \"For the things that get hit a lot and have to be very performant or that, for example, have to wait very long on a system IO, we rewrite those in Go … We are still trying to make GitLab use less memory. So, we'll need to enable multithreading. When we developed GitLab that was not common in the Ruby on Rails ecosystem. Now it's more common, but because we now have so much code and so many dependencies, it's going to be a longer path for us to get there. That should help; it won't make it blazingly fast, but at least it will use less memory.\"\n\nAdding Go to GitLab’s toolbox led to the creation of a separate service called [Gitaly](/blog/the-road-to-gitaly-1-0/), which handles all Git requests.\n\n### Building on GitLab’s mission\n\nThe organized, structured style of Ruby on Rails’ framework falls in line with our core mission. Because Rails is streamlined, anyone can jump into GitLab and participate, which made it especially attractive to Sid from the start.\n\n\"[Our mission is that everyone can contribute](/company/mission/#mission),\" he explains. \"Because Ruby on Rails is really opinionated about which pieces go where, it's much easier for new developers to get into the codebase, because you know where people have put stuff. For example, in every kitchen you enter, you never know where the knives and plates are located. But with Ruby on Rails, you enter the kitchen and it's always in the same place, and we want to stick to that.\n\n>In every kitchen you enter, you never know where the knives and plates are located. But with Ruby on Rails, you enter the kitchen and it's always in the same place, and we want to stick to that.\n\n\"I was really encouraged when I opened the project and saw it for the first time a year after Dmitriy started it. I opened it up and it's idiomatic Rails. He followed all the principles. He didn't try to experiment with some kind of fad that he was interested in. He made it into a production application. Dmitriy carefully vetted all the contributions to make sure they stick to those conventions, and that's still the case. I think we have a very nice codebase that allows other people to build on top of it. One of our sub-values is [boring solutions](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/values/#efficiency): don't do anything fancy. This is so that others can build on top it. I think we've done that really well … and we're really thankful that Ruby has been such a stable, ecosystem for us to build on.\"\n\n[Cover image](https://unsplash.com/photos/0y6Y56Pw6DA) by [Elvir K](https://unsplash.com/@elvir) on Unsplash\n{: .note}\n",[794,9,1178,706,4353,1590,1222],"performance",{"slug":4355,"featured":6,"template":685},"why-we-use-rails-to-build-gitlab","content:en-us:blog:why-we-use-rails-to-build-gitlab.yml","Why We Use Rails To Build Gitlab","en-us/blog/why-we-use-rails-to-build-gitlab.yml","en-us/blog/why-we-use-rails-to-build-gitlab",{"_path":4361,"_dir":243,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"seo":4362,"content":4368,"config":4373,"_id":4375,"_type":13,"title":4376,"_source":15,"_file":4377,"_stem":4378,"_extension":18},"/en-us/blog/1-mil-merge-requests",{"title":4363,"description":4364,"ogTitle":4363,"ogDescription":4364,"noIndex":6,"ogImage":4365,"ogUrl":4366,"ogSiteName":670,"ogType":671,"canonicalUrls":4366,"schema":4367},"You contributed 1 million merge requests in a month!","GitLab.com surpassed 1 million merge requests in March 2019, hitting a new record for monthly engagement.","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749680631/Blog/Hero%20Images/1m-merge-requests-cover.png","https://about.gitlab.com/blog/1-mil-merge-requests","\n                        {\n        \"@context\": \"https://schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"Article\",\n        \"headline\": \"You contributed 1 million merge requests in a month!\",\n        \"author\": [{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Sara Kassabian\"}],\n        \"datePublished\": \"2019-06-06\",\n      }",{"title":4363,"description":4364,"authors":4369,"heroImage":4365,"date":4370,"body":4371,"category":747,"tags":4372},[700],"2019-06-06","\n\nWhile the open source community comes together this week to celebrate the [fifth anniversary of Kubernetes](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/kubernetes-5th-anniversary-celebration-tickets-62064099392?aff=ebdssbdestsearch), at GitLab, we've hit a milestone of our own 🎉\n\nGitLab.com received a record **1 million merge requests** (MRs) in March 2019, the largest number of monthly MRs since the project began. The increase in engagement continued through April, when another million MRs were created. There was a 17% spike in the number of merge requests between February and March 2019 – a significant increase in engagement.\n\nThe amount of monthly MR activity has outpaced the number of active monthly users on GitLab.com. In fact, the number of new MRs per active user has increased by 40% year-over-year (May 2019 vs. May 2018). The primary driver of this spike is MRs in private projects on GitLab.com, indicating there is opportunity to increase the wider community's engagement in public projects.\n\n## Everyone can contribute\n\nWe built GitLab so [everyone can contribute](/company/mission/#mission)! We regularly receive MRs from software developers, project managers, and writers (like me!) pertaining to different private and public projects.\n\nGitLab may be a DevOps tool, but these MRs are in no way limited to developer activities. GitLab was designed so contributors can collaborate on projects, taking an idea from the conceptual to the actionable through a series of iterative changes. These 1 million MRs in March 2019 don’t all represent monumental changes to GitLab. Instead, they represent a million different ways the community has contributed to GitLab.\n\n\"Our [ambitious, shared vision](/direction/#vision) to make it easier and faster to innovate with a [single application](/handbook/product/single-application/) is only achievable with the support of the wider community,\" says Jeremy Watson, senior product manager for the Manage team at GitLab. \"We can't do it alone; we're happy to welcome first-time contributors, and [members of the community can help in a variety of ways](/community/contribute/) – even if you're not comfortable with contributing with code.\"\n\n\"We've had about 40-50 new contributors in the past six to seven releases,\" adds Ray Paik, code contributor program manager. \"These are first-time contributors who had their MRs merged.\"\n\nWe see MRs that span highly technical topics, such as executing on our [monitoring product roadmap](/direction/monitor/), to MRs that are more operational, such as making improvements to the GitLab onboarding process. A lot of first-time contributors start by making improvements to our documentation, which doesn't involve writing code at all. There's also [more to contributing than submitting MRs](/blog/how-do-you-contribute/)!\n\nSo whether you spot a typo in the [GitLab handbook](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/), or want to [contribute to our documentation](/community/contribute/), start a conversation with us and open an issue or submit an MR today.\n",[9,749],{"slug":4374,"featured":6,"template":685},"1-mil-merge-requests","content:en-us:blog:1-mil-merge-requests.yml","1 Mil Merge Requests","en-us/blog/1-mil-merge-requests.yml","en-us/blog/1-mil-merge-requests",22,[663,690,713,734,757,779,801,823,844],1754424513841]