Last Updated on September 25, 2022 by WebsiteDesigner.sg

In the 21st century, software development gurus do not necessarily have to sit in a room and collaborate. They can be spaced apart and be in different continent to work on a project together. Thanks to the internet for this. It’s now easier for software developers to work with people of like minds, exchange ideas and learn from one another. GitLab is a famous tool among software developers, especially those that seek to collaborate on a project together. It also serves the purpose of hosting repositories. But is that all GitLab is about? No!

What exactly is GitLab?

GitLab is a tool of the 21st century that has been made popular among software development experts. For the record, its main purpose is to host repositories and manage codes. It is a program designed by Dmitriy Zaporozhets whose major focus was to create a tool that would serve as a channel for collaboration, especially for software developers. He designed the whole system and how the tool would function, approached the CEO of GitLab who saw that the open-source project was a good one. He backed it up with a full-time research support, and today, it is famous among software developers. To be specific, this tool can allow several people (commonly referred to as team) to work or collaborate on a project. Each member of be team will be able to share the code while all of them will be able to see every change made in each code. GitLab is different from other collaborative tools because it allows users to import repositories from other platforms such as Google Code and BitBucket into GitLab.

What are the benefits of GitLab?

Team members can collaborate on a project: GitLab provides developers the opportunity to meet from different parts of the world and work together on a project. Also, the members of the team will also be able to learn from others and also see changes made to each code.

System requirements:

To use GitLab, you don’t need much. In fact, the system requirements can be afforded by most devices. The basic requirements are 4GB RAM for such device. As it is, even mobile phones have this feature. Hence, you can definitely use it on mobile phone and not necessarily on a computer system. Other requirements include 4vCPU which you may not find in all mobile devices but in personal computers only.

Free public repositories

If you want to create public repositories and you don’t have much to pay for that, trust that this is available on GitLab and it’s absolutely free. You are not going to be charged during the activation stage neither will you be charged later (as some tools do). This feature is not what you can see on some other software tools but only on GitLab. In fact, for many people, this is enough a reason to choose GitLab when they consider how much they’ll pat for public repositories on other platforms. 

Issue Tracking System

This platform has an issue tracking system. If you’re not familiar with that, imagine losing your phone when you’re on a public transport. The ability to track your mobile phone can give you some sorts of hope that you can retrieve it back. It’s the same for GitLab. The issue tracker allows you to see the status of changes you have effected in your code over a period of time. This also makes it easier for developers to fix bugs in their codes.

Command-line and Web-based interfaces

GitLab offers command-line interface for advanced freelance web designers in Singapore while the web-based interface is available for newbies and amateurs that want to have the best of experience on the platform.

Integration

If you want to do some third-party integrations, then GitLab is the best that can give you such amazing experience. The main purpose of integration is to make version control of applications easier. However, you can not just make any sort of third-party integration with GitLab as there are some integrations that will not work with the software. However, you can get a list of the supported integrations by checking out the documentation. Right there, you’ll see the compatible integrations that can be made on GitLab.

CI/CD Lifecycle support

GitLab is one of the few software tools with  Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery Lifecycle support, which is a rare feature. The CI//CD Lifecycle feature is fast becoming an inseparable part of software development today.

Pull request support

With GitLab, it’s possible to pull request from other developers and members of your team. You can also lend voices on their code and give your review about their codes. You can make changes on their codes by sharing useful tips after reviewing their codes.

It has a built-in code review option 

Many software developers face challenges when writing their code and sometimes do not have access to people who can help them review their codes. With GitLab, this can be easily solved. GitLab comes with a built-in code review option that helps you to find errors in your repositories. It will also test the quality of the code and see if it’s error-free. This reduces the stress of having to hire an editor or looking for one online.

It is suitable for beginners 

For beginners and newbies, GitLab is highly recommended. It’s very easy to navigate through. Also, the UI is very easy to understand. These qualities make it a go-to option for a lot of people who are just joining the software development industry.

Conclusion

GitLab continues to be favourite to many developers because it does not require much money to use. If you’re looking forward to joining a pool of developers, and you don’t want to spend much, GitLab is the option to go for. With this review, you are now exposed to the benefits attached to using GitLab and why it’s better than some other options out there. This will ultimately guide you in decision-making process that has to do with choosing from a pool of software development tools.