GitLab Architecture
Overview
The GitLab application consists of several components, including a web application, a database, and a background processing system. These components are designed to work together to provide a comprehensive Git repository management, issue tracking, and continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) platform.
Components:
- Web Application: The GitLab web application is a Ruby on Rails application responsible for providing the user interface and handling user interactions. It communicates with the database and the background processing system to provide functionality.
- Database: The GitLab database stores all of the application data, including projects, users, issues, and code. GitLab supports several database systems, including PostgreSQL and MySQL.
- Background Processing System: The background processing system, powered by Sidekiq, handles asynchronous tasks such as repository updates, CI/CD pipelines, and email notifications.
Architecture Diagram:
Interaction Flow:
- A user interacts with the GitLab web application through a web browser.
- The web application handles user requests and interacts with the database to retrieve or update data.
- If necessary, the web application enqueues tasks in the background processing system, such as code updates or CI/CD pipeline execution.
- The background processing system processes the tasks asynchronously, updating the database and potentially interacting with other services like GitLab Runner.
- The web application updates its state and provides feedback to the user.
Deployment:
GitLab can be deployed in several ways, including:
- On-premise: GitLab can be installed and configured on your own servers.
- Cloud: GitLab can be deployed on various cloud providers, including AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure.
Scalability:
GitLab is designed to scale horizontally by adding more servers or instances. The background processing system can be scaled independently to handle increased workload.
Security:
GitLab includes features to enhance security, such as:
- Two-factor authentication: Adds an extra layer of security to user accounts.
- Role-based access control (RBAC): Allows administrators to control user permissions and access to resources.
- Security scanning: Provides vulnerability scanning for projects and code.
Reference Materials: