Migrating from GitHub to GitLab Seamlessly: A Step-by-Step Guide

Moving your code and workflows from GitHub to GitLab can feel intimidating, especially if your team relies on CI/CD pipelines, security checks, and issue tracking every day. The good news: with the right plan and a structured process, you can migrate with minimal disruption and keep your development and DevSecOps workflows running smoothly.

This guide walks through how to migrate your repositories, issues, and pipelines from GitHub to GitLab, explains what will and will not transfer automatically, and highlights practical tips to avoid downtime for your team.

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Key Takeaways

• Plan before you import. Decide what you need to move (repos, issues, CI pipelines, wikis) and what can be archived.
• Use GitLab’s GitHub importer. It handles repositories, issues, pull requests, and some metadata automatically.
• Expect to adjust pipelines. GitHub Actions workflows rarely map 1:1 to GitLab CI/CD; some manual refactoring is normal.
• Protect your history. Validate commit history, branches, tags, and permissions after migration.
• Communicate changes early. Tell your team how and when the migration is happening, and where to find updated URLs and credentials.

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1. Decide What You’re Migrating and Why

Before touching any settings in GitLab, clarify what you want out of the move and what needs to be preserved. This helps you choose the right migration path and avoid surprises.

Clarify your goals

Common reasons for moving from GitHub to GitLab include:

• Wanting a single integrated platform for code, CI/CD, and security scans
• Needing self-hosted or private DevOps infrastructure
• Consolidating tooling to save cost and reduce vendor sprawl
• Aligning with internal security, compliance, or data residency rules

Document your goals in a short internal brief. It will guide decisions on what to migrate and what to re-implement in GitLab.

Inventory your GitHub assets

Make a list of what you have today in GitHub, including:

• Repositories: application code, infrastructure as code, internal libraries
• Issues and pull requests: open and closed, labels, milestones, projects
• CI/CD workflows: GitHub Actions workflows, secrets, environment settings
• Wiki and documentation: repo wikis, Markdown docs, Pages sites
• Integrations: webhooks, notifications (Slack, email), project boards, bots
• Permissions: collaborators, teams, and role structure

Decide which items must be migrated and which can be archived, exported, or rebuilt as needed.

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2. Prepare Your GitLab Environment

Once you know what you’re moving, get GitLab ready so you are not configuring basics in the middle of a migration.

Choose GitLab hosting

You have two main options:

• GitLab.com (SaaS): Hosted by GitLab, minimal maintenance, good for small teams and businesses that don’t want to manage infrastructure.
• Self-managed GitLab: Installed on your own server or cloud instance, offering more control over security, compliance, and integrations.

Most small businesses will start with GitLab.com and consider self-hosted later if needed.

Set up groups and projects

In GitLab, groups act like organizations and can contain nested subgroups and projects. Before migrating:

• Create a group that maps to your company or product line.
• Set default permissions and visibility (private is standard for business projects).
• Plan subgroup structure if you have many repositories (for example, frontend, backend, infrastructure).

Configure access and security

Align GitLab access with what you had in GitHub:

• Invite team members and assign roles (Guest, Reporter, Developer, Maintainer, Owner).
• Set up SSO if you use an identity provider (e.g., Google Workspace, Azure AD).
• Review branch protection rules and approvals, which you’ll re-create per project after migration.

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3. Use GitLab’s GitHub Importer

GitLab includes a built-in GitHub importer that can pull in repositories and related data from GitHub with minimal manual work.

Connect GitLab to GitHub

1. Sign in to GitLab.
2. Go to New project and choose Import project.
3. Select GitHub as the import source.
4. Authorize GitLab to access your GitHub account or organization using OAuth or a personal access token with appropriate scopes (typically repo, read:org, and read:user).

Once connected, GitLab will display a list of repositories it can import.

Select and import repositories

1. From the list of GitHub repositories, choose which repos to import into your GitLab group.
2. Optionally rename projects or adjust visibility if you want different names or privacy settings in GitLab.
3. Start the import. GitLab will queue each repository and pull in data in the background.

For each imported project, GitLab can bring over:

• Git data: full commit history, branches, and tags
• Issues and pull requests: including titles, descriptions, comments, and authors (mapped where possible)
• Labels and milestones used on issues and pull requests

Check GitLab’s current documentation for the latest list of imported items, as capabilities evolve over time.

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4. Validate Your Imported Projects

After the import completes, review a sample of projects to confirm everything looks correct before switching the team over.

Check repository content and history

• Confirm branches and tags exist and match GitHub.
• Inspect the commit history to ensure authorship and timestamps look right.
• Verify large files or Git LFS assets where applicable.

Review issues, merge requests, and labels

• Open several imported issues and pull requests (now merge requests) to confirm titles, descriptions, and comments are intact.
• Validate labels, milestones, and assignees.
• Check any cross-references (e.g., “fixes #123”) still link correctly inside GitLab.

Recreate branch protections and approvals

GitHub’s branch protection rules do not automatically map 1:1 to GitLab. For each important branch:

• Set branch protection in Settings > Repository > Protected branches.
• Configure required approvals and code owner rules as needed.

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5. Migrate CI/CD from GitHub Actions to GitLab CI

Your code may move relatively easily, but CI/CD pipelines usually require more attention. GitLab CI/CD uses a .gitlab-ci.yml file and runners, while GitHub Actions uses YAML workflows under .github/workflows/.

Map your workflows

Start by reviewing your existing GitHub Actions workflows:

• List what each workflow does (build, test, deploy, security scan).
• Note triggers (push to main, pull request, schedule, environment, etc.).
• Identify secrets, environment variables, and external services used.

Create a .gitlab-ci.yml

For each repository, create a .gitlab-ci.yml file at the root:

• Define stages (e.g., build, test, deploy).
• Add jobs with scripts that mirror your existing steps (running tests, building artifacts, etc.).
• Use only/rules to replicate your triggers (for example, run on merge requests or specific branches).

Some GitHub Actions marketplace tasks have GitLab equivalents, but others may require standard shell scripts or third-party integrations.

Configure runners and variables

• Set up GitLab Runners (shared or specific) to execute your pipelines.
• Add environment variables and secrets in Settings > CI/CD > Variables rather than hardcoding them.
• Test pipelines on a feature branch before relying on them for production deployments.

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6. Update Integrations and Developer Workflows

Once code and pipelines are validated, switch the rest of your tooling and team workflows.

Update remotes for local clones

Each developer needs to point their local Git repository to GitLab instead of GitHub:

git remote set-url origin <new-gitlab-repo-url>

After updating, they can push and pull as usual, but from GitLab.

Adjust integrations and webhooks

• Recreate notifications to Slack, Teams, or email from GitLab instead of GitHub.
• Update any project management tools that link to GitHub issues or pull requests.
• Verify automation scripts or bots that referenced GitHub APIs.

Communicate the change to your team

Share a brief migration guide internally that covers:

• How to sign in to GitLab and where projects now live
• How to update their Git remotes
• New CI/CD expectations (e.g., using GitLab merge requests for reviews)
• Where to report issues with pipelines or permissions

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7. Run GitHub and GitLab in Parallel (Briefly)

For many small teams, the safest option is a short period where GitHub remains read-only while GitLab becomes the system of record.

• Mark GitHub repositories as archived or clearly note that they’re read-only in the README.
• Direct developers to open new issues and merge requests only in GitLab.
• After a defined period (for example, two to four weeks), lock down GitHub or fully decommission it.

This buffer helps catch any missing configurations, integrations, or permissions before completely cutting over.

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Conclusion: Make Your Move Intentional, Not Rushed

Migrating from GitHub to GitLab is less about moving code and more about preserving how your team ships software. With planning, GitLab’s GitHub importer, and a structured approach to CI/CD and integrations, you can transition smoothly without sacrificing security, velocity, or visibility.

Focus on:

• Planning what to migrate and what to retire
• Validating imported repositories, issues, and history
• Refactoring CI/CD thoughtfully instead of rushing a direct translation
• Communicating clearly with your developers before and after the cutover

Handled well, the move to GitLab can simplify your tooling, improve your DevSecOps workflow, and give your team a clearer, more integrated environment for building and shipping code.

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