Collaborating with GitLab – A Guide to Teamwork & DevOps Integration
Why Collaborate on GitLab?
GitLab is more than just a Git repository—it’s a complete DevOps platform that enables teams to collaborate, automate workflows, and deploy code efficiently. Whether you’re contributing to open-source projects or managing enterprise applications, GitLab provides:
✅ Merge Requests for Code Collaboration – Review, discuss, and merge changes seamlessly.
✅ Integrated CI/CD Pipelines – Automate testing, builds, and deployments.
✅ Project Management Tools – Use issues, milestones, and Kanban boards for tracking tasks.
✅ Role-Based Access Control – Manage user permissions and protect critical branches.
✅ Built-in Security & Compliance – Secure code scanning and access controls for teams.
This guide covers everything from forking repositories and managing merge requests to leveraging GitLab’s project management features.
Forking & Cloning a Repository
If you want to contribute to a project you don’t own, you need to fork and clone it first.
Forking a Repository (For Open-Source Contributions)
1️⃣ Go to the repository on GitLab.
2️⃣ Click Fork (top-right corner).
3️⃣ This creates a copy of the repository under your GitLab account.
Cloning a Repository (To Work Locally)
To copy a repository to your computer:
git clone <repository-url>
Example:
git clone https://gitlab.com/user/project.git
Then, navigate into the project folder:
cd project
Now you can start working on the code!
Working with Branches
To keep the main branch stable, create a new branch for your work:
git checkout -b feature-branch
Make your changes, commit them, and push the branch:
git add .
git commit -m "Added a new feature"
git push origin feature-branch
Creating & Managing Merge Requests (MRs)
Once your changes are pushed to GitLab, you need to create a Merge Request (MR) to propose merging them into the main branch.
Creating a Merge Request
1️⃣ Go to your repository on GitLab.
2️⃣ Click Merge Requests → New Merge Request.
3️⃣ Choose the source branch (your feature branch) and the target branch (usually main).
4️⃣ Add a title and description explaining your changes.
5️⃣ Click Create Merge Request.
Requesting a Code Review
To request a teammate's review, mention them in a comment using their GitLab username. Make sure the username is correct and that they have access to the repository.
Example in a Merge Request Comment:
@username Can you review this MR?
✅ The user will receive a notification in GitLab.
✅ Ensure you use the exact username as it appears in GitLab.
✅ This helps streamline the review process and keeps communication clear.
Mention a teammate for review using:
@
@username Can you review this MR?They’ll get a notification and can leave comments or approve the changes.
Reviewing & Merging Merge Requests
Once an MR is created, team members can review the code, suggest changes, or approve it.
Reviewing a Merge Request
1️⃣ Go to the MR page.
2️⃣ Click Changes to review the code.
3️⃣ Leave comments by selecting specific lines.
4️⃣ Click Approve or Request changes.
Merging a Merge Request
If the MR is approved and ready to be merged:
1️⃣ Click Merge.
2️⃣ Choose Squash commits (to keep history clean) or Fast-forward merge (if no conflicts exist).
3️⃣ Click Confirm Merge.
After merging, delete the branch to keep the repository clean:
git branch -d feature-branch
git push origin --delete feature-branch
⚙️ Leveraging GitLab’s Project Management Features
GitLab includes powerful tools for organizing projects and tracking progress:
- Issues & Milestones – Track bugs, feature requests, and development progress.
- Kanban Boards – Organize tasks visually using GitLab’s issue boards.
- Labels & Tags – Categorize issues and merge requests for easy navigation.
Best Practices for GitLab Collaboration
Write meaningful commit messages – Clearly describe what the change does.
Keep branches small & focused – Avoid large MRs with too many changes.
Review code thoroughly – Look for bugs, readability issues, and improvements.
Use GitLab CI/CD – Automate testing and deployments for a smoother workflow.
Next Steps
Now that you know how to collaborate on GitLab, explore more advanced topics:
Collaborating with GitHub – Learn how GitHub offers similar features for team workflows.
Merging Branches – Understand different merge strategies for handling MRs effectively.
Need help? Check the GitLab Docs or ask in the comments!