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The reliable way to self-host GitLab on a VPS is to run GitLab’s official Docker image with Docker Compose, give the server a public DNS name, persist GitLab’s configuration, logs, and data on host volumes, and pin the container to a specific GitLab version. A production setup also needs enough sustained CPU, fast persistent storage, separately configured SMTP, and tested off-host backups that include gitlab-secrets.json.
What you need before deploying GitLab
GitLab’s Docker image packages the GitLab application services, but it does not remove the infrastructure responsibilities of running a server. Prepare these items before creating the container:
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches- A VPS with sustained CPU performance. GitLab lists 8 vCPUs as the baseline for a single-node installation. Burstable instance types are not recommended because their performance can become inconsistent under load.
- Memory headroom. Rails, PostgreSQL, Redis, Gitaly, repository operations, and any CI workload all share the host. The exact amount depends on users, repositories, concurrent jobs, artifacts, registry images, LFS objects, and enabled features.
- Fast persistent storage. Git repositories, PostgreSQL data, artifacts, uploads, package files, container images, LFS objects, logs, and backups can all grow. Size the disk for current data plus retained backups and upgrade headroom.
- A publicly reachable hostname. Create DNS that points the hostname to the VPS before expecting GitLab’s public URL or certificate automation to work.
localhostis not valid for this deployment. - Docker. Install and test Docker Engine and Docker Compose on the VPS before deploying GitLab.
- An MTA if GitLab must send mail. Postfix or Sendmail can provide mail transport, or you can use another SMTP service. The GitLab image does not include an SMTP server.
- Firewall and network control. Permit the HTTP or HTTPS port you publish and the SSH port used for Git operations. Restrict administrative access, such as the Docker host’s SSH service, separately.
For a VPS comparison, evaluate sustained CPU rather than a burst-only specification, memory capacity, persistent-disk I/O, public IPv4 or IPv6, DNS and firewall controls, reverse-DNS options, snapshot and off-site backup support, region, uptime history, support, and the path to a larger instance. Provider prices and commercial terms vary and should be checked directly before purchase.
Choose the Docker deployment layout
GitLab stores more than the container’s writable layer. Keep the following directories on the VPS so replacing a container does not remove the instance:
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| Host path | Container path | What it preserves |
|---|---|---|
/srv/gitlab/config |
/etc/gitlab |
GitLab configuration and secrets |
/srv/gitlab/logs |
/var/log/gitlab |
Application and service logs |
/srv/gitlab/data |
/var/opt/gitlab |
Repositories, database, uploads, artifacts, and other application data |
Set a single host variable for this root directory. The same layout works with Docker Compose or equivalent docker run commands. On an SELinux-enabled host, add :Z to each bind mount so Docker applies the appropriate SELinux labeling.
Build a pinned Docker Compose service
Use a specific GitLab image tag in production. The latest tag is useful for a disposable test, but it does not give you a controlled upgrade target or an easy way to identify the version that created a backup. Enterprise Edition uses an image such as gitlab/gitlab-ee:<version>-ee.0; Community Edition uses the corresponding ce image tag.
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sudo mkdir -p /srv/gitlab/{config,logs,data}
export GITLAB_HOME=/srv/gitlab
cd /srv/gitlabSave a Compose file such as docker-compose.yml. Replace the image tag with the exact GitLab version you intend to run and replace the hostname in external_url with the DNS name you control.
services:
gitlab:
image: gitlab/gitlab-ee:<version>-ee.0
container_name: gitlab
restart: always
hostname: gitlab.example.com
environment:
GITLAB_OMNIBUS_CONFIG: |
external_url 'https://gitlab.example.com'
ports:
- '80:80'
- '443:443'
- '22:22'
volumes:
- '$GITLAB_HOME/config:/etc/gitlab'
- '$GITLAB_HOME/logs:/var/log/gitlab'
- '$GITLAB_HOME/data:/var/opt/gitlab'
shm_size: '256m'The published ports must agree with the URL users open. In this example, HTTP and HTTPS are published on their standard host ports and the container’s SSH service is reachable on host port 22. If another service already occupies one of those ports, change the host-side port and configure GitLab to advertise that change rather than leaving the settings inconsistent.
For Community Edition, use the matching gitlab/gitlab-ce:<version>-ce.0 tag. Keep the edition and version recorded with your backups; a backup can be restored only to the exact same GitLab version and edition on which it was created.
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Start the container and finish first-run setup
- Check DNS and firewall rules. Resolve the chosen hostname from outside the VPS and confirm that the published HTTP, HTTPS, and SSH ports can be reached according to your firewall policy.
- Start GitLab. From the directory containing the Compose file, run:
docker compose up -d - Watch initialization. GitLab’s first startup can take a while while services are configured and databases are initialized. Follow the log stream when needed:
docker logs -f gitlabPress
Ctrl-Cto stop following logs; it does not stop the container. - Retrieve the initial administrator password. Before the password file is removed, run:
docker exec -it gitlab grep 'Password:' /etc/gitlab/initial_root_passwordGitLab automatically deletes this file after the first container restart that occurs after 24 hours. Sign in promptly, change the password, and store it in your normal credential-management system.
- Open the public URL. Use the exact HTTP or HTTPS address specified by
external_url. If the browser reaches a different hostname, GitLab may generate links and clone URLs that do not match how users access the service.
Do not treat a running container as proof that the deployment is healthy. Confirm that the web interface loads, a test project can be created, an SSH clone uses the advertised port, and the host has free disk space.
Configure the domain, HTTPS, SMTP, and SSH port
Set the canonical external URL
external_url is the address GitLab publishes in web links and clone instructions. Set it to the real DNS name and the scheme users will use, for example https://gitlab.example.com. Do not use an internal name or localhost. The DNS record must point to the VPS, and the selected HTTP or HTTPS host port must be reachable through the firewall.
You can provide this setting through GITLAB_OMNIBUS_CONFIG in Compose, as shown above, or edit /etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb inside the container. Environment-based Omnibus settings are evaluated at startup and are not written into gitlab.rb. If you use that method with docker run, include the settings on every subsequent invocation; otherwise a recreated container can lose the intended configuration.
Use HTTPS consistently
When the public address is HTTPS, publish port 443 and make the URL begin with https://. The certificate and any reverse-proxy arrangement must match the same hostname. If you terminate TLS in a separate proxy, ensure that the proxy forwards the required headers and that GitLab’s configured external URL still reflects the URL users see. A mismatch commonly produces redirects, clone URLs, or callback addresses with the wrong scheme or port.
Move Git-over-SSH to a custom host port
If host port 22 is unavailable, map another host port to the container’s port 22 and tell GitLab to advertise that port. For example:
ports:
- '80:80'
- '443:443'
- '2424:22'
environment:
GITLAB_OMNIBUS_CONFIG: |
external_url 'https://gitlab.example.com'
gitlab_rails['gitlab_shell_ssh_port'] = 2424The host-side port (2424 in this example) is the port users must place in their SSH URLs and client configuration; the container continues listening on port 22. If you change the mapping without changing gitlab_shell_ssh_port, GitLab will display clone instructions that fail.
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Configure outbound email separately
The image contains GitLab services, not an SMTP server. Configure an MTA such as Postfix or Sendmail on the VPS, or supply credentials for an external SMTP relay, then set GitLab’s SMTP options in /etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb or through startup configuration. Test password-reset, notification, and confirmation messages from a non-administrator account before relying on email operationally.
Permissions, storage, and operational checks
Bind-mount permissions
GitLab services run as users inside the container and must be able to write the three mounted directories. If startup logs show permission errors, inspect ownership and mode on /srv/gitlab/config, /srv/gitlab/logs, and /srv/gitlab/data, then correct them according to the image’s documented requirements. On SELinux hosts, verify that the mounts include the :Z label option.
Keep Gitaly data on suitable storage
GitLab cautions that NFS-based filesystems can cause performance problems for Gitaly data. Use local or block storage with predictable latency for repositories and database files, and reserve network storage for a design that has been tested for GitLab’s workload.
Watch capacity before it becomes an outage
- Track free disk space in the data and log volumes, not only the VPS root partition.
- Account for repository growth, CI artifacts, uploads, package registries, container images, LFS objects, and backup retention.
- Monitor memory pressure and sustained CPU usage during imports, large pushes, pipeline bursts, and upgrades.
- Keep the prior image tag available until an upgrade has been verified and a rollback decision is no longer needed.
Back up GitLab before upgrades
A container image is not a backup. Create an application backup, protect the secrets file separately, store copies away from the VPS, and perform restore tests before you depend on the procedure.
Create an application backup
Run the GitLab backup command from the host:
docker exec -t gitlab gitlab-backup createGitLab writes the backup under the mounted data volume. Identify the resulting archive and copy it to storage that will survive loss of the VPS, disk, or Docker host. Apply a retention policy so old archives do not consume the production volume indefinitely.
Protect gitlab-secrets.json
Back up /etc/gitlab/gitlab-secrets.json as part of the configuration set. On the host using the layout above, that file is /srv/gitlab/config/gitlab-secrets.json. It contains secrets required for practical recovery; an application archive without the matching secrets can leave encrypted data and integrations unusable.
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Use a database-only backup when appropriate
Before an upgrade, GitLab documents a database-only option for a rollback-focused copy. It excludes repositories, artifacts, uploads, builds, Pages data, LFS objects, packages, and Terraform state. Use it only when that scope is intentional; it is not a substitute for a complete application backup when those objects must be recoverable.
Verify that recovery is possible
- Record the exact GitLab image tag and edition that produced each backup.
- Keep the matching image available during the upgrade window.
- Restore a copy in an isolated environment periodically, not just after a failure.
- Confirm that repositories, users, permissions, encrypted settings, artifacts, and integrations work after restoration.
GitLab requires a restore target to use the exact same GitLab version and edition as the backup source. A backup from one release cannot be treated as a generic import into an arbitrary newer or older container.
Upgrade the Docker installation safely
- Read the target release requirements. Confirm that your data volume has room for the upgrade and that the target image supports your current edition.
- Create and verify a backup. Run
docker exec -t gitlab gitlab-backup create, copy the archive off-host, and secure the matchinggitlab-secrets.json. - Record the running version. Keep the current image tag and Compose file so you can recreate the previous container if verification fails.
- Change only the image tag. Replace the pinned tag in Compose with the target version; do not switch to
latestas an upgrade strategy. - Recreate the service.
docker compose pull gitlab docker compose up -d - Watch the migration. Follow
docker logs -f gitlaband wait for GitLab’s services to become ready. Do not interrupt a database migration simply because the web page is temporarily unavailable. - Verify the application. Sign in, open a project, fetch and push a test repository, run a representative pipeline, check registry or package functions you use, and confirm outbound email.
- Retain the old tag until acceptance is complete. If verification fails, stop and use the documented rollback or restore process for that exact version rather than guessing at a downgrade.
Migrate an existing Linux-package installation
GitLab documents two migration paths from a Linux-package installation:
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- Deploy fresh and restore a backup. Create a new Docker instance, then restore an application backup and its matching
gitlab-secrets.json.
The source and destination GitLab versions must match. After the Docker instance starts, run the reconfiguration and health checks:
docker exec -it gitlab gitlab-ctl reconfigure
docker exec -it gitlab gitlab-rake gitlab:checkReview the command output, sign in through the public hostname, test repository access, and verify integrations before directing users to the new instance.
Troubleshoot the problems that stop most deployments
The hostname does not resolve or the site is unreachable
Check the DNS record from a network outside the VPS, confirm that the record points to the correct public address, and verify firewall rules for the published port. A container can be healthy on the host while the public hostname still points elsewhere.
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Redirects or clone URLs use the wrong port or scheme
Compare three values: the URL users open, external_url, and the host-side Docker port mappings. For custom SSH, also compare the mapping with gitlab_rails['gitlab_shell_ssh_port']. Correct all values together and recreate the service so startup configuration is applied.
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GitLab reports permission errors on startup
Inspect the ownership and permissions of all three host-mounted directories. On SELinux systems, add :Z to the bind mounts and relaunch the container. Keep the mounts on storage that supports the required file operations.
The VPS runs out of memory or disk
Look at sustained CPU, memory pressure, volume usage, log growth, artifacts, registry images, and backup retention. Reduce retention where appropriate, move backups off-host, and resize the VPS before routine CI or repository activity becomes an outage. Burstable CPU plans are a poor fit when GitLab load is continuous.
Password-reset and notification messages never arrive
Configure SMTP or an MTA; the GitLab container does not provide one. Check relay credentials, DNS, firewall egress, and the mail service’s delivery logs, then send a test message from GitLab.
A restore fails or encrypted data is unusable
Confirm that the restore target uses the exact source GitLab version and edition and that the matching gitlab-secrets.json is present. Restore tests that omit the secrets file can appear successful while leaving encrypted settings unrecoverable.
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Repository performance is erratic
Check whether Gitaly data resides on NFS or another high-latency filesystem. Move repository and database data to fast persistent storage, then reassess CPU, memory, and disk I/O under a representative workload.
Quick Recap
Production readiness checklist
- A pinned GitLab image tag is recorded in version control.
- DNS resolves the public hostname to the VPS before deployment.
/etc/gitlab,/var/log/gitlab, and/var/opt/gitlabare host-mounted and included in the operating plan.- The VPS provides at least GitLab’s 8-vCPU single-node baseline with sustained performance and enough memory and storage for the workload.
external_url, HTTPS configuration, published ports, and SSH advertisement agree.- SMTP is configured and a test notification succeeds.
- An application backup and separate
gitlab-secrets.jsoncopy exist off-host. - Restore testing has confirmed the backup on the exact matching GitLab version and edition.
- Upgrade procedures retain the previous image tag until post-upgrade checks pass.
- Monitoring covers CPU, memory, disk capacity, service logs, backup completion, and public availability.
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