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How to Transfer GitLab Projects from One GitLab Instance to Another

Step 1: Preparation

  1. Access Rights:

    • Ensure you have sufficient access rights (Owner or Maintainer) to the project in the source GitLab instance.
    • Ensure you have access to create repositories in the destination GitLab instance.

  2. GitLab Versions:

    • Confirm both GitLab instances are compatible. Ideally, they should be on the same or a close version to avoid issues during import/export.

  3. Check for Features:

    • Identify features that won't transfer, such as CI/CD configurations, runners, or container registry content. Plan to recreate these in the destination.

  4. Install Git:

    • Ensure Git is installed on your local machine.

Step 2: Export the Project from Source GitLab

  1. Go to the Source GitLab Instance:

    • Navigate to the project you want to transfer.

  2. Export the Project:

    • In the project’s settings, go to Settings > General > Advanced.
    • Scroll to the Export project section and click Export project.
    • GitLab will create a downloadable .tar.gz file containing all the project data (code, issues, merge requests, and more).

  3. Download the Export File:

    • Once the export is complete, download the file from the provided link.

Step 3: Import the Project to Destination GitLab

  1. Go to the Destination GitLab Instance:

    • Log in to the destination GitLab instance.

  2. Create a New Project:

    • Go to Projects > New project.
    • Select Import project and choose GitLab Export.

  3. Upload the Export File:

    • Upload the .tar.gz file you downloaded from the source GitLab instance.

  4. Verify the Imported Project:

    • Check if all the contents, issues, and merge requests are present in the destination project.

Step 4: Manually Handle Non-Exportable Items

  • Some items may not transfer and need manual setup:
    • CI/CD Configurations: Copy .gitlab-ci.yml and validate pipelines on the destination.
    • Runners: Configure runners in the destination GitLab.
    • Container Registry: If using a container registry, push images manually:
      1. Pull images from the source using docker pull.
      2. Tag and push images to the destination registry using docker tag and docker push.

Step 5: Validate and Test

  1. Clone the new project from the destination GitLab to your local machine: 
    git clone https://destination-gitlab-instance.com/username/project-name.git
  2. Verify that the codebase, issues, and pipelines are intact.

Step 6: Update Remote Repository on Local Clones

  • If you or other team members have cloned the project locally, update the remote URL:
git remote set-url origin https://destination-gitlab-instance.com/username/project-name.git

Optional: Using Command Line for Repository Transfer

If you only need the Git repository without issues or CI/CD:

  1. Clone the repository from the source:
git clone --mirror https://source-gitlab-instance.com/username/project-name.git
  1. Push it to the destination:
cd project-name.git
git push --mirror https://destination-gitlab-instance.com/username/project-name.git

For Gitlab admins:

The previous steps can be followed, additionally the namespace of the project can be changed here: Settings > General > Advanced.