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Integrate with GitLab

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If you have code in a GitLab repository, you might want to connect it to a Platform.sh project. This means you can keep your GitLab workflows and treat the GitLab repository as the source of truth for your code.

Your Platform.sh project becomes a mirror of your GitLab repository. This means you shouldn’t push code directly to Platform.sh. Any changes you push directly get overwritten by the integration when changes happen in the GitLab repository.

When you set up an integration with GitLab, it automates the following processes for you:

  • Creating a new environment when a branch is created or a merge request is opened.
  • Rebuilding the environment when new code is pushed to GitLab.
  • Deleting the environment when a merge request is merged.

Before you begin Anchor to this heading

To manage source integrations, you need to be a project admin.

You also need a GitLab repository with working code.

1. Generate a token Anchor to this heading

To integrate your Platform.sh project with an existing GitLab repository, generate a project access token. Ensure the token has the following scopes:

  • api to access your API
  • read_repository to read the repository

For the integration to work, your GitLab user needs push access to the repository and to configure a webhook on a GitLab repository, you need to have Maintainer or Owner user permissions.

Copy the token.

2. Enable the integration Anchor to this heading

To enable the integration, use either the CLI or the Console.

Run the following command:

platform integration:add \
  --project PROJECT_ID \
  --type gitlab \
  --server-project PROJECT/SUBPROJECT \
  --token GITLAB_ACCESS_TOKEN \
  --base-url GITLAB_URL
  • PROJECT_ID is the ID of your Platform.sh project.
  • PROJECT/SUBPROJECT is the name of your repository in GitLab.
  • GITLAB_ACCESS_TOKEN is the token you generated.
  • GITLAB_URL is the base URL for your GitLab server if you self-host. If you use the public https://gitlab.com, omit the --base-url flag when running the command.

For example, if your repository is located at https://gitlab.com/platformsh/platformsh-docs, the command is similar to the following:

platform integration:add \
  --project abcdefgh1234567 \
  --type gitlab \
  --server-project platformsh/platformsh-docs \
  --token abc123
  1. Select the project where you want to enable the integration.
  2. Click Settings.
  3. Under Project settings, click Integrations.
  4. Click + Add integration.
  5. Under GitLab, click + Add.
  6. Add the token you generated.
  7. Optional: If your GitLab project isn’t hosted at gitlab.com, enter your GitLab custom domain.
  8. Click Continue.
  9. Choose the repository to use for the project.
  10. Check that the other options match what you want.
  11. Click Add integration.

In both the CLI and Console, you can choose from the following options:

CLI flag Default Description
fetch-branches true Whether to mirror and update branches on Platform.sh and create inactive environments from them. When enabled, merging on a Platform.sh isn’t possible. That is, merging environments must be done on the source repository rather than on the Platform.sh project. See note below for details related to this flag and synchronizing code from a parent environment.
prune-branches true Whether to delete branches from Platform.sh that don’t exist in the GitLab repository. When enabled, branching (creating environments) must be done on the source repository rather than on the Platform.sh project. Branches created on Platform.sh that are not on the source repository will not persist and will be quickly pruned. Automatically disabled when fetching branches is disabled.
build-merge-requests true Whether to track all merge requests and create active environments from them, which builds the merge request.
build-wip-merge-requests true Whether to also track and build draft merge requests. Automatically disabled when merge requests aren’t built.
merge-requests-clone-parent-data true Whether to clone data from the parent environment when creating a merge request environment.

To keep your repository clean and avoid performance issues, make sure you enable both the fetch-branches and prune-branches options.

3. Validate the integration Anchor to this heading

Verify that your integration is functioning properly using the CLI:

platform integration:validate

Add the webhook manually Anchor to this heading

If the integration was added with the correct permissions, the necessary webhook is added automatically. If you see a message that the webhook wasn’t added, add one manually.

To configure a webhook on a GitLab repository, you need to have Maintainer or Owner user permissions.

  1. Get the webhook URL by running this command: platform integration:get --property hook_url.

  2. Copy the returned URL.

  3. In your GitLab repository, click Settings > Webhooks.

  4. In the URL field, paste the URL you copied.

  5. Under Trigger, select Push events and Merge request events.

  6. Click Add webhook.

You can now start pushing code, creating new branches, and opening merge requests directly in your GitLab repository. Your Platform.sh environments are automatically created and updated.

Environment parent and status Anchor to this heading

When a branch is created in GitLab, an environment is created in Platform.sh with the default branch as its parent. It starts as an inactive environment with no data or services.

When a merge request is opened in GitLab, an environment is created in Platform.sh with the merge request’s target branch as its parent. It starts as an active environment with a copy of its parent’s data.

Source of truth Anchor to this heading

When you add an integration, your GitLab repository is considered to be the source of truth for the project. Your Platform.sh project is only a mirror of that repository and you can only push commits to GitLab.

To clone your code, follow these steps:

Run the following command:

platform get PROJECT_ID
  1. In the Console, open the project you want to clone.
  2. Click Code.
  3. Click Git.
  4. Run the command you find using Git.

When you do this, you're cloning from your integrated GitLab repository, if you have the appropriate access to do so.

Sync, fetch, and prune Anchor to this heading

An integration from GitLab to Platform.sh establishes that:

  • GitLab is the source of truth, where Git operations occur
  • Platform.sh is a mirror of that repository - provisioning infrastructure according to configuration, and orchestrating environments according to the branch structure of the GitLab repository

Actions that take place on Platform.sh don’t affect commits on GitLab. Because of this, the GitLab integration enables both fetch-branches (track branches on GitLab) and prune-branches (delete branches that don’t exist on GitLab) by default. You can change these settings but it is recommend to keep them.

When enabled by default, you are limited by design as to what actions can be performed within the context of a Platform.sh project with a GitLab integration:

Action Observation Recommendation
Branch from parent Running environment:branch with the CLI, or selecting Branch in Console produces a new child environment, but it’s deleted shortly after automatically. Contribute to the GitLab repository itself by creating a branch and pull request. When the PR has been opened, a new environment will be provisioned for it.
Merge in parent Running environment:merge with the CLI fails locally, and the Merge option in Console is not clickable. Review and merge pull requests and/or branches on the GitLab repository.
Merge into child (sync code) Running environment:synchronize with the CLI fails locally, and the Sync option in Console won’t allow me to include code in that sync. Perform the merge locally from a matching branch on GitLab. For example, clone the most recent parent (git pull origin parent-branch), switch to the pull request branch (git checkout ga-staging), and then merge the parent into the current branch (git merge main).

Merge request URLs Anchor to this heading

When a merge request is deployed, the integration reports the primary URL for the deployed environment. So you get a link to the deployed environment right in the merge request.

If you have multiple routes, ensure the correct one is reported by specifying the primary route.

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