The top 5 mistakes GitLab users make and how to fix them

In this blog post, we cover five common areas where GitLab users struggle the most and offer remediations to these challenges. Read on if you want to leverage GitLab effectively so that your projects not only run smoothly, but align with best practices in DevSecOps.

Common mistakes of GitLab users and remediations

Mistake 1: Ignoring merge request best practices

The importance of merge requests (MRs) can’t be overstated when it comes to GitLab’s collaborative framework, particularly for the code review phase.

Merge requests are far more than pull requests; they are designed to improve the quality of code in shared repositories and are a point of discussion and review before changes are integrated into the main branch.

Overlooking best practices—thorough peer reviews, clear descriptions, and proper handling of merge conflicts—can severely hinder the effectiveness of your DevSecOps practices and the quality of your code, leading to a patchwork of fixes thanks to bugs that are harder to trace and fix, and downtime, which ultimately makes for a poor user experience.

You can also expect productivity and communication within your team to break down, meaning you’ll spend more time deciphering what each MR is meant to achieve rather than contributing valuable feedback for advancing the project.

In short, unresolved merge conflicts lead to complex problems down the road that call for significant time and resources to fix.

Quick fixes

To mitigate these issues and optimize the use of merge requests, try to...

Ensure every merge request is reviewed by at least one if not multiple team members before it is merged. This process can be enforced in GitLab settings.

Templates guide contributors to include all necessary information, such as a summary of changes covering the reason behind them and feedback. These templates are armed with the ability to perform quick actions when creating the merge request, such as adding metadata (hint: /assign_reviewer) to improve the clarity and quality of communication.

The integration of Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment/Delivery (CI/CD) pipelines that run automated tests, catch errors early, lessening the burden on your team as only passing code is considered for merging. The merge request overview tab gives the results of tests on recently run pipelines on the branch so you can see the health of your code.

“The goal of a good code review process in GitLab should be not only to improve the code, but also to enhance the capabilities of the team.” -Matt Muschol, Swiftix Software.

By adopting these best practices, you can foster a culture of continuous improvement and collaboration, leading to higher-quality software and more efficient project timelines.

Mistake 2: Mismanagement of branches

This is pivotal in any DevSecOps environment, especially in platforms like GitLab that support collaborative development projects. The mismanagement of branches, such as letting them grow too large or remain active beyond their useful life, is a common pitfall that disrupts the development process.

Large branches occur when too many changes happen in a single branch without merging back to the main development line. Stale branches are those that remain in the repository long after they’ve served their purpose (often forgotten or ignored but still housing potentially valuable changes).

Another example of mismanagement happens when teams or projects within the same GitLab instance use inconsistent branching strategies, leading to confusion and errors, where developers move between projects and have to adjust to different workflows. Integration challenges are often the result and are time-consuming and complex to resolve, delaying critical releases and increasing the risk of bugs and the likelihood of errors.

Quick fixes

Consider adopting a standardized branching strategy that suits your team’s workflow and project size:

Suitable for projects with a scheduled release cycle. This workflow maintains different branches for new features, releases, hotfixes, and the mainline. It simplifies the model to integrate directly with Continuous Deployment environments for more frequent and flexible releases, reducing branch complexity.

2. Trunk-based development
Ideal for teams aiming for Continuous Delivery. This strategy involves shorter-lived branches and frequent merges back to the main branch (trunk) so that no branch deviates too much from the trunk, reducing the complexity of merges.

Whatever your chosen strategy, you must, must, must regularly prune branches and remove any that are stale. GitLab can automate this process to some extent by identifying outdated branches for safe removal.

Top tip: Establishing and maintaining clear guidelines for when branches should be merged or closed can prevent them from becoming too large or going stale.

Mistake 3: Inadequate security practices

Just because security should be at the top of your list doesn’t mean it is. When it comes to GitLab, ignoring security can leave your projects exposed to data breaches and malicious code being entered into the repository by unauthorized users. This can easily happen if key features like signed commits that authenticate the identity of contributors are neglected.

Overlooking the use of GitLab’s security scanning tools can also lead to undetected vulnerabilities in dependencies or containers, which are prime targets for attackers. This oversight not only endangers the security of the application but also compromises user data and system integrity, potentially leading to financial and reputational damage.

Quick fixes

1. Enable signed commits
Turn on the requirement for signed commits in your GitLab repository settings so that every change made is authenticated.

2. Utilize built-in security scanning tools

• SAST and secret detection ensure your code is of high quality and secret-free before it is built/compiled.
• Dependency scanning automatically scans for vulnerabilities in your project’s dependencies. This also integrates with your CI/CD pipeline, checking for security issues each time changes are merged.
• Container scanning of your Docker images checks for vulnerabilities before deployment.

Implementing SDLC practices in your development process means that security is considered at every stage of coding. This includes regular audits, static and dynamic code analysis, and training your team on security best practices.

Keep your software and dependencies up to date. Many attacks exploit outdated software with known vulnerabilities, so maintaining current versions is key to protecting your environment.

Mistake 4: Overlooking automation

Automation is the backbone of workflows, and yet, a common oversight among GitLab users is CI/CD pipelines, which extend to automated testing, deployment, and routine operational tasks—all essential for optimizing DevSecOps processes.

Manual testing is not only time-consuming, but prone to human error. Automated testing ensures consistency and thoroughness for each change made to the codebase.

Quick fixes

To capitalize on GitLab’s automation capabilities:

1. Set up basic CI/CD pipelines to...

• Automate unit testing every time a commit is made to a repository so that changes are vetted for issues before moving on to the next stage of deployment.
• Automate deployments to stages or production environments once your code passes all tests. This can be configured for either Continuous Delivery or Continuous Deployment, depending on your project’s needs.

Top tip: The distinction between Continuous Delivery and Continuous Deployment is crucial. Continuous Delivery ensures that your software is always in a deployable state after passing automated tests, and Continuous Deployment takes this a step further by automatically deploying all changes that pass tests into production. Both practices are foundational for accelerating the release cycle and reducing risks.

Enable Auto DevOps in your GitLab project settings. This feature automatically detects, builds, tests, deploys, and monitors your apps based on a predefined CI/CD configuration. This is particularly useful for teams new to DevOps or those looking to optimize existing workflows.

Top tip: Customize the Auto DevOps template to suit the needs of your project to define deployment strategies, add testing phases, and so on.

Seek out training to understand how to effectively use GitLab features. Investing in this will dramatically improve your productivity and project outcomes.

Mistake 5: Poor project management

Effective project management is key to the success of any software development undertaking. GitLab has built-in tools with boards to plan, track, and execute development tasks. Failing to utilize these leads to unclear objectives, a lack of real-time visibility into project status, duplicated work, and missed deadlines, to name a few.

Quick fixes

To optimize project management within GitLab:

1. Leverage GitLab’s issue tracking and boards to create, assign, and manage tasks so that they are linked to milestones and labeled appropriately for better visibility. Boards can be configured to reflect various stages of the project, such as "Todo," "Doing," and "Done." This gives a clear overview of project progress and individual contributions.

2. Integrate external project management tools like Jira, Trello, or Asana if GitLab’s native apps aren’t meeting all of your requirements. These can be connected to GitLab via APIs or marketplace apps for a seamless flow of information between code repositories.

3. Conduct regular reviews and updates so that all team members are aware of the status of projects and their responsibilities. Use GitLab’s reporting features to generate status updates and dashboards that keep everyone aligned.

4. Seek training for your team on how to use GitLab’s project management features effectively. Establish best practices for managing projects within GitLab for consistency across your organization.

Making the most of GitLab

I urge you to review your current practices in GitLab and consider the advice given in this blog post to enhance your workflows and project outcomes.

If you’ve experienced any of the issues outlined in this article firsthand or if you've encountered other mistakes not mentioned, please share your experiences with me on social media. Your stories help to enlighten others and foster a community of learning and improvement.

Additionally, if you found this article helpful, pay it forward. Together, we can refine our DevSecOps processes and push towards more efficient, secure, and successful project outcomes across the industry. Thank you for reading and contributing to our community's growth!