GitLab Enterprise Edition now available for VMware Cloud Marketplace users

Have you ever tried to choose from an extensive list of developer tools and wondered what you should do next? You’re not alone. There are hundreds of solutions to choose from, which can make it challenging to select the right solution and deploy.

Now, GitLab and Bitnami have partnered to offer VMware users GitLab in the VMware Cloud Marketplace. This version package is free, fully functional, and easy to upgrade to an enterprise plan.

Reduce costs and avoid security risks

As the industry leader in application packaging, Bitnami helped GitLab create an easy, click-to-deploy, open source solution. The GitLab Enterprise Edition (CORE) Virtual Appliance certified by Bitnami is an up-to-date and secure image that includes the latest versions of the application, its components, and the most recent security fixes. You can run GitLab with confidence; Bitnami’s automated pipeline and tools for building and testing applications ensure this application can run on any platform without issues. If you experience any problems deploying the solution, you can contact the Bitnami Support team with your questions.

Run on VMware infrastructure in a few clicks

To make GitLab available in the VMware Cloud Marketplace, GitLab placed its trust in Bitnami’s expertise in packaging. GitLab users now have the ability to run the latest version on their VMware infrastructure in a few clicks.

Some of the key benefits of GitLab's marketplace listing:

• GitLab includes a built-in container registry and Kubernetes integration, enabling you to quickly create a continuous integration (CI) pipeline with Kubernetes. Learn more about creating a CI/CD pipeline with GitLab and Kubernetes.
• By deploying GitLab on a VMware cloud server, you can add a budget- and resource-checking stage to your pipeline. This allows you to implement best practices into your continuous deployment (CD) process and control the consumption and costs of your application deployments.
• Premium features such as code quality and performance testing, static and dynamic application security testing, package dependency analysis, and automated tests for vulnerabilities enable you to identify and remediate issues and security breaches from development to monitoring stages. Learn more about building misconfiguration and vulnerability checks into your CI/CD pipeline to achieve continuous security.

How do you get started? We’ll show you how

In order to upgrade your GitLab Core version to enjoy the Enterprise Edition features, take the following steps:

1. First log into the VMware Cloud Marketplace and browse for the “GitLab Enterprise (CORE) Virtual Appliance” solution.

2. Then click to view the details. Note: The GitLab Enterprise (CORE) Virtual Appliance is available in the VMware Cloud Marketplace in two deployment options: VMware Cloud on AWS (VMC) or vCloud Director (VCD).

3. To deploy the application both on VMC or VCD, you need to first subscribe to the image, as shown below:

4. Then, select the platform where you wish to deploy it, as shown below:

5. Depending on the platform you select, you will be redirected to the vSphere Client or vCloud Director platform. Follow these instructions to launch a GitLab Enterprise (CORE) Virtual Appliance using the vSphere Client or as a vApp from VMware vCloud Director.

6. When you deploy the GitLab Enterprise (CORE) Virtual Appliance certified by Bitnami, you get the free and fully functional Core version of GitLab, which is easily upgradable to Starter, Premium, or Ultimate. To upgrade, sign into the application, navigate to the “Admin Area,” and then select the “License” menu option. As you can see in the image below, you now have the option to either upload your .gitlab-license file or start a free trial.

Note: If you start a free trial, you will be able to try all the paid features for 30 days. After that time, your server will revert to Core features.

7. Once you activate your license, paid features will be enabled as shown below and you can start deploying with confidence.

Conclusion

What used to be a complex task is now just a few clicks, without compromising your budget and your security. Enjoy all the advantages of the GitLab in the VMware Cloud Marketplace and accelerate your software delivery process by leveraging the simplicity of the Bitnami experience.

Get started now. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to the Bitnami Support team!

About the guest author

Raquel Campuzano is a Content Marketing Specialist at Bitnami, now part of VMware. She is in charge of managing the creation of technical content that allows developers to deploy awesome software everywhere. Raquel was part of the Bitnami team as technical writer. Her know-how creating tutorials, product documentation, and videos gave her the ability to identify in which stage of developer’s journey the user experience can be improved.

Previous to Bitnami, she led the communication and marketing strategy for Redborder (cybersecurity) and Oklan (network and hosting services). She is also a member of Ping a Programadoras, a non-profit organisation focused on promoting women’s inclusion in programming and software development.