Gitlab‑ce Dockerized

Self‑hosted GitLab stack (CE) packaged with Docker Compose for fast local or medium‑scale deployments.

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Table of contents

• What the project does
• Why this is useful
• Quick start
  • Prerequisites
  • Configuration
  • Create network & start
  • Updating and stopping
• Key files
• Where to get help
• Maintainers & contributing

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What the project does

Gitlab‑ce Dockerized provides a minimal, reproducible Docker Compose stack that runs:

• GitLab (official Docker image)
• PostgreSQL (database)
• Redis (cache and job queue)

It wires these services together using a named Docker network and mounts persistent volumes so data survives container restarts.

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Why this is useful

• Start a full GitLab instance locally in minutes for development, testing, or small self‑hosted usage.
• All configuration is controlled via environment variables for easy customization.
• Uses official images (GitLab, Postgres, Redis) with persistent volumes for safety.
• Designed to be simple and opinionated so it’s easy to adapt to your environment.

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Quick start

Prerequisites

• Docker Engine (20.x+)
• Docker Compose (v1.27+ or Compose v2)
• Basic knowledge of Docker and port configuration
• A Docker network named gitlab_network (the compose file expects this; instructions below create it)

Configuration

1. Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/amintoorchi/Gitlab-ce-dockerized.git
cd Gitlab-ce-dockerized

2. Copy the example environment file and edit it

cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env and fill in DB_PASSWORD, GITLAB_ROOT_PASSWORD, HOST_NAME, SSH_PORT, GUI_PORT, BASE_VOLUMES_PATH, EXTERNAL_URL, etc.

See .env.example for all available variables and guidance.

Create network & start

This project expects an external Docker network called gitlab_network. Create it if missing:

docker network create gitlab_network

Start the stack:

docker-compose up -d

• Web UI: http://<HOST_NAME>:<GUI_PORT> (or use EXTERNAL_URL)
• SSH: <HOST_NAME> on port <SSH_PORT> (mapped to container SSH 22)

Example snippet (key service config)

The Compose configuration maps ports, mounts persistent volumes and sets the GitLab Omnibus config via environment. Example excerpt:

services:
  gitlab:
    image: gitlab/gitlab-ee:latest
    container_name: gitlab
    hostname: ${HOST_NAME}
    restart: unless-stopped
    shm_size: "${SHM_SIZE}"
    ports:
      - "${SSH_PORT}:22"
      - "${GUI_PORT}:80"
    environment:
      GITLAB_OMNIBUS_CONFIG: |
        external_url '${EXTERNAL_URL}'
        gitlab_rails['db_password'] = '${DB_PASSWORD}'
        gitlab_rails['initial_root_password'] = "${GITLAB_ROOT_PASSWORD}"

You can view the full Compose file at docker-compose.yml.

Updating and stopping

• Pull new images and restart:

docker-compose pull
docker-compose up -d

• Stop and remove containers:

docker-compose down

Volumes remain on disk (under the path you set with BASE_VOLUMES_PATH) unless explicitly removed.

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Key files

• docker-compose.yml — main Compose stack (GitLab, Postgres, Redis)
• .env.example — example environment variables (copy to .env and edit)

Both files are in the repository root and are the primary configuration surface for the stack.

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Where to get help

• Official GitLab Docker docs: https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/install/docker.html
• Open an issue in this repository for bugs, feature requests, or questions: https://github.com/amintoorchi/Gitlab-ce-dockerized/issues
• Check container logs for troubleshooting:
  • GitLab: docker logs -f gitlab
  • Postgres: docker logs -f gitlab-db
  • Redis: docker logs -f gitlab-redis

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Maintainers & contributing

• Maintained by: amintoorchi (GitHub: @amintoorchi)
• Contributions welcome — please open issues or PRs.
• If you have project-specific contribution rules, add a CONTRIBUTING.md file. In the meantime, use GitHub Issues to discuss changes.

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Notes & best practices

• Use strong, unique passwords in .env and protect this file (do not commit secrets).
• For production use, consider:
  • Using GitLab Enterprise or an externally managed database per GitLab recommendations.
  • Adding backups for PostgreSQL and /var/opt/gitlab data.
  • Placing GitLab behind a reverse proxy (Nginx, Traefik) and enabling HTTPS / LetsEncrypt.

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If you want, I can:

• Open a pull request that replaces the current minimal README with this expanded version, or
• Commit the README directly to the repository (I will need repo write access).