GitLab for Drupal Teams: CI/CD and Version Control
Last updated: March 2026 · Reading time: 5 minutes
GitLab was developed in 2011 by Dmitriy Zaporozhets and Valery Sizov. It is a web-based Git repository manager with integrated CI/CD pipeline, issue tracking, and code review features. GitLab is available as an open-source solution under the MIT license and can be self-hosted or used as a cloud version.
GitLab in the Drupal Development Workflow
In Drupal projects, GitLab controls the entire development process: code management via Git repositories, automated tests on every merge request, code reviews by the team, and automated deployment to staging and production systems.
GitLab's integrated CI/CD pipeline automatically runs tests on every code push: PHPUnit for backend tests, Cypress or Playwright for frontend tests, PHP CodeSniffer for code quality. Only when all tests pass is the code deployed.
Why GitLab Instead of GitHub?
GitLab offers a more comprehensive DevOps toolchain than GitHub: integrated CI/CD without third parties, project management features, code quality tools, and the option to self-host the entire platform. For organizations with data privacy requirements, self-hosting is a decisive advantage.
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Is GitLab free?
The Community Edition of GitLab is open source and free. The Premium and Ultimate editions offer extended features like Advanced Security and Compliance, starting at 29 USD per user per month.
Can you self-host GitLab?
Yes. GitLab can be operated on your own servers or in your own cloud. This gives full control over data and systems — an advantage for organizations with strict data privacy requirements.
Read more
- Drupal Development — Our development process
- Hosting and operations — Deployment and operations
- Future Check (Audit) — Independent analysis
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