Published
GitLab has over 50 million registered users (source). A GitLab project holds more than code - issues, merge requests, boards, labels, milestones, and member permissions built up over months of work. GitLab's native file export is manual, covers a subset of project data, and runs only on demand. Delete a project by accident or lose access through a misconfigured group, and the context behind your codebase goes with it.
Git clone, LFS objects, and project metadata
Cloudback connects to GitLab through a single OAuth authorization with read-only API access. Each backup captures a bare Git clone with all branches, tags, and LFS objects, plus project metadata as JSON: issues and comments, merge requests with code review notes, labels, milestones, members with access levels, and boards with label-based columns (full backup contents).
Backups run on the same schedule you already use for code repositories: daily automated, on-demand when you need it, and configurable retention of 30, 90, 180, or 360 days. Archives are AES-256 encrypted with unique per-archive passwords. For teams requiring customer-managed encryption, RSA Lockbox wraps each password with your public key so Cloudback never holds the private one. Store backups in Cloudback Managed Storage or your own bucket on S3, Google Cloud Storage, Azure Blob, Wasabi, or OneDrive, with S3 Object Lock available for immutable WORM retention. Cloudback is SOC 2 Type II certified, with audit logging across every backup and restore event.
Set up GitLab backup in four steps
Sign in to Cloudback and click Add Account, then select GitLab.
Authorize read-only access to the GitLab API. Your projects appear in the dashboard under the GitLab section.
Open Subscriptions, pick a plan, and assign it to your GitLab account. Billing uses 1 unit per GitLab project.
Configure retention, add customer-managed storage if needed, and set Slack, Teams, Discord, or email notifications.
Full setup walkthrough: docs.cloudback.it/gitlab/installation-guide.
GitLab backup is available on all plans. Cloudback now protects GitHub, Azure DevOps, GitLab, and Linear workspaces from a single dashboard, with 1.7k+ customers and 4M+ backups created as of April 2026.
Already on GitHub or moving between platforms? Cloudback also supports cross-platform restore between GitHub and GitLab for teams consolidating or migrating repositories.
Start backing up GitLab projects
Connect a GitLab account in the Cloudback dashboard and run your first backup in under five minutes. The Free plan covers one repository, project, or workspace, so teams can test the full backup and restore flow before rolling out across an organization.
