Where Does Self-Hosted GitLab Store Repositories and Data?
GitLab /var/opt/gitlab data with repositories, uploads and config on Linux.
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Omnibus GitLab funnels state into /var/opt/gitlab with repositories, uploads, artifacts and the database beneath it, while behavior comes from gitlab.rb. Lose the data tree and every project goes with it.
Backups need the built-in rake task rather than raw copies for consistency. Copy gitlab.rb and gitlab-secrets.json alongside or restores cannot decrypt variables.
Where GitLab stores this, by platform
/var/opt/gitlab
Holds git-data with every repository plus uploads, artifacts, pages and the database. Config lives at /etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb with secrets in gitlab-secrets.json. Back up with gitlab-backup create and copy both config files; raw disk copies of the database corrupt.
Frequently asked questions
How do I back up self-hosted GitLab?
Run the built-in backup task, which archives repositories plus the database, then copy gitlab.rb and gitlab-secrets.json. Restore on a matching GitLab version only.
Where are GitLab repositories?
Bare repos under git-data/repositories inside the path above, hashed by project. Browse them through the UI, never by hand.
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