--- applies_to: stack: preview 9.3 serverless: preview navigation_title: "GitLab" mapped_pages: - https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/current/es-connectors-gitlab.html --- # Elastic GitLab connector reference [es-connectors-gitlab] The *Elastic GitLab connector* is a [connector](/reference/search-connectors/index.md) for [GitLab](https://www.gitlab.com). This connector is written in Python using the [Elastic connector framework](https://github.com/elastic/connectors/tree/main). View the [**source code** for this connector](https://github.com/elastic/connectors/tree/main/app/connectors_service/connectors/sources/gitlab) (branch *main*, compatible with Elastic *9.3*). ## **Self-managed connector** [es-connectors-gitlab-connector-client-reference] ### Availability and prerequisites [es-connectors-gitlab-client-availability-prerequisites] This connector is available as a self-managed connector. This self-managed connector is compatible with Elastic versions **9.3.0+**. To use this connector, satisfy all [self-managed connector requirements](/reference/search-connectors/self-managed-connectors.md). ### Create a GitLab connector [es-connectors-gitlab-create-connector-client] #### Use the UI [es-connectors-gitlab-client-create-use-the-ui] To create a new GitLab connector: 1. In the Kibana UI, search for "connectors" using the [global search field](docs-content://explore-analyze/query-filter/filtering.md#_finding_your_apps_and_objects) and choose the "Elasticsearch" connectors. 2. Follow the instructions to create a new **GitLab** self-managed connector. #### Use the API [es-connectors-gitlab-client-create-use-the-api] You can use the {{es}} [Create connector API](https://www.elastic.co/docs/api/doc/elasticsearch/group/endpoint-connector) to create a new self-managed GitLab self-managed connector. For example: ```console PUT _connector/my-gitlab-connector { "index_name": "my-elasticsearch-index", "name": "Content synced from GitLab", "service_type": "gitlab" } ``` % TEST[skip:can't test in isolation] :::::{dropdown} You'll also need to create an API key for the connector to use. ::::{note} The user needs the cluster privileges `manage_api_key`, `manage_connector` and `write_connector_secrets` to generate API keys programmatically. :::: To create an API key for the connector: 1. Run the following command, replacing values where indicated. Note the `encoded` return values from the response: ```console POST /_security/api_key { "name": "connector_name-connector-api-key", "role_descriptors": { "connector_name-connector-role": { "cluster": [ "monitor", "manage_connector" ], "indices": [ { "names": [ "index_name", ".search-acl-filter-index_name", ".elastic-connectors*" ], "privileges": [ "all" ], "allow_restricted_indices": false } ] } } } ``` 2. Update your `config.yml` file with the API key `encoded` value. ::::: Refer to the [{{es}} API documentation](https://www.elastic.co/docs/api/doc/elasticsearch/group/endpoint-connector) for details of all available Connector APIs. ### Usage [es-connectors-gitlab-client-usage] To use this connector as a **self-managed connector**, see [*Self-managed connectors*](/reference/search-connectors/self-managed-connectors.md) For additional usage operations, see [*Connectors UI in {{kib}}*](/reference/search-connectors/connectors-ui-in-kibana.md). #### GitLab personal access token [es-connectors-gitlab-client-personal-access-token] Configure a GitLab personal access token to fetch data from GitLab. Follow these steps to generate a GitLab personal access token: * Go to **User Settings → Access Tokens** (or for project tokens: **Settings → Access Tokens → Project Access Tokens**). * Click `Add new token`. * Enter a token name and optional expiration date. * Select the following scopes: * `api` - Required for GraphQL API access (note: the connector only performs read-only operations) * `read_api` - Grants read access to REST API endpoints * `read_repository` - Grants read access to repository files * Click `Create personal access token` and copy the token. ### Compatibility [es-connectors-gitlab-client-compatibility] This connector supports GitLab Cloud (gitlab.com) only. GitLab Self-Managed instances are not currently supported. ### Configuration [es-connectors-gitlab-client-configuration] The following configuration fields are required: `token` : GitLab personal access token to authenticate with the GitLab instance. The token must have `api`, `read_api`, and `read_repository` scopes. `projects` : List of project paths to sync (e.g., `group/project`, `username/project`). Use `*` or leave empty (`[]`) to sync all projects where the token's user is a member. Default value is `[]` (empty list, which syncs all projects). Examples: * `elastic/elasticsearch`, `elastic/kibana` * `*` * `[]` (syncs all projects) ::::{tip} **Project path format** Projects should be specified using their full path including the namespace (group or username). In the examples provided here: * `elastic/elasticsearch` syncs the Elasticsearch project from the elastic group * `elastic/kibana` syncs the Kibana project from the elastic group :::: ### Deployment using Docker [es-connectors-gitlab-client-docker] You can deploy the GitLab connector as a self-managed connector using Docker. Follow these instructions. ::::{dropdown} Step 1: Download sample configuration file Download the sample configuration file. You can either download it manually or run the following command: ```sh curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/elastic/connectors/main/app/connectors_service/config.yml.example --output ~/connectors-config/config.yml ``` % NOTCONSOLE Remember to update the `--output` argument value if your directory name is different, or you want to use a different config file name. :::: ::::{dropdown} Step 2: Update the configuration file for your self-managed connector Update the configuration file with the following settings to match your environment: * `elasticsearch.host` * `elasticsearch.api_key` * `connectors` If you're running the connector service against a Dockerized version of Elasticsearch and Kibana, your config file will look like this: ```yaml # When connecting to your cloud deployment you should edit the host value elasticsearch.host: http://host.docker.internal:9200 elasticsearch.api_key: connectors: - connector_id: service_type: gitlab api_key: # Optional. If not provided, the connector will use the elasticsearch.api_key instead ``` Using the `elasticsearch.api_key` is the recommended authentication method. However, you can also use `elasticsearch.username` and `elasticsearch.password` to authenticate with your Elasticsearch instance. Note: You can change other default configurations by simply uncommenting specific settings in the configuration file and modifying their values. :::: ::::{dropdown} Step 3: Run the Docker image Run the Docker image with the Connector Service using the following command: ```sh subs=true docker run \ -v ~/connectors-config:/config \ --network "elastic" \ --tty \ --rm \ docker.elastic.co/integrations/elastic-connectors:{{version.stack}} \ /app/bin/elastic-ingest \ -c /config/config.yml ``` :::: Refer to [`DOCKER.md`](https://github.com/elastic/connectors/tree/main/docs/DOCKER.md) in the `elastic/connectors` repo for more details. Find all available Docker images in the [official registry](https://www.docker.elastic.co/r/integrations/elastic-connectors). ::::{tip} We also have a quickstart self-managed option using Docker Compose, so you can spin up all required services at once: Elasticsearch, Kibana, and the connectors service. Refer to this [README](https://github.com/elastic/connectors/tree/main/scripts/stack#readme) in the `elastic/connectors` repo for more information. :::: ### Documents and syncs [es-connectors-gitlab-client-documents-syncs] The connector syncs the following objects and entities: * **Projects** * **Issues** (using Work Items API) * **Merge Requests** * **Epics** (using Work Items API, group-level, requires Premium/Ultimate tier) * **Releases** (project-level version releases with changelogs) * **README Files** (.md, .rst, .txt) Only the following file extensions are ingested for README files: * `.md` * `.rst` * `.txt` ::::{note} * Content of files bigger than 10 MB won't be extracted. * Epics are only available for Premium/Ultimate GitLab tiers and are synced at the group level. * **Epic syncing behavior**: Epics are fetched only for groups that contain synced projects. * Permissions are not synced. **All documents** indexed to an Elastic deployment will be visible to **all users with access** to that Elasticsearch Index. :::: #### Sync types [es-connectors-gitlab-client-sync-types] [Full syncs](/reference/search-connectors/content-syncs.md#es-connectors-sync-types-full) are supported by default for all connectors. This connector does not currently support [incremental syncs](/reference/search-connectors/content-syncs.md#es-connectors-sync-types-incremental). ### Sync rules [es-connectors-gitlab-client-sync-rules] *Basic* sync rules are identical for all connectors and are available by default. For more information read [Types of sync rule](/reference/search-connectors/es-sync-rules.md#es-sync-rules-types). #### Advanced sync rules [es-connectors-gitlab-client-sync-rules-advanced] Advanced sync rules are not currently supported for this connector. This feature may be added in future releases. ### Content Extraction [es-connectors-gitlab-client-content-extraction] See [Content extraction](/reference/search-connectors/es-connectors-content-extraction.md). ### Self-managed connector operations [es-connectors-gitlab-client-connector-client-operations] ### End-to-end testing [es-connectors-gitlab-client-testing] The connector framework enables operators to run functional tests against a real data source. Refer to [Connector testing](/reference/search-connectors/self-managed-connectors.md#es-build-connector-testing) for more details. To perform E2E testing for the GitLab connector, run the following command: ```shell $ make ftest NAME=gitlab ``` For faster tests, add the `DATA_SIZE=small` flag: ```shell make ftest NAME=gitlab DATA_SIZE=small ``` ### Known issues [es-connectors-gitlab-client-known-issues] There are currently no known issues for this connector. Refer to [Known issues](/release-notes/known-issues.md) for a list of known issues for all connectors. ### Troubleshooting [es-connectors-gitlab-client-troubleshooting] See [Troubleshooting](/reference/search-connectors/es-connectors-troubleshooting.md). ### Security [es-connectors-gitlab-client-security] See [Security](/reference/search-connectors/es-connectors-security.md).