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Project import/export

Notes:

  • Introduced in GitLab 8.9.
  • Importing will not be possible if the import instance version differs from that of the exporter.
  • For existing installations, the project import option has to be enabled in application settings (/admin/application_settings) under 'Import sources'. Ask your administrator if you don't see the GitLab export button when creating a new project.
  • You can find some useful raketasks if you are an administrator in the import_export raketask.
  • The exports are stored in a temporary shared directory and are deleted every 24 hours by a specific worker.

Existing projects running on any GitLab instance or GitLab.com can be exported with all their related data and be moved into a new GitLab instance.

Version history

GitLab version Import/Export version
8.13.0 to current 0.1.5
8.12.0 0.1.4
8.10.3 0.1.3
8.10.0 0.1.2
8.9.5 0.1.1
8.9.0 0.1.0

The table reflects what GitLab version we updated the Import/Export version at. For instance, 8.10.3 and 8.11 will have the same Import/Export version (0.1.3) and the exports between them will be compatible.

Exported contents

The following items will be exported:

  • Project and wiki repositories
  • Project uploads
  • Project configuration including web hooks and services
  • Issues with comments, merge requests with diffs and comments, labels, milestones, snippets, and other project entities

The following items will NOT be exported:

  • Build traces and artifacts
  • LFS objects

Exporting a project and its data

  1. Go to the project settings page by clicking on Edit Project:

    Project settings button

  2. Scroll down to find the Export project button:

    Export button

  3. Once the export is generated, you should receive an e-mail with a link to download the file:

    Email download link

  4. Alternatively, you can come back to the project settings and download the file from there, or generate a new export. Once the file available, the page should show the Download export button:

    Download export

Importing the project

  1. The new GitLab project import feature is at the far right of the import options when creating a New Project. Make sure you are in the right namespace and you have entered a project name. Click on GitLab export:

    New project

  2. You can see where the project will be imported to. You can now select file exported previously:

    Select file

  3. Click on Import project to begin importing. Your newly imported project page will appear soon.