GitLab CE
Compare VPS plans to self-host GitLab CE. Best providers with 4GB+ RAM from $5/mo. GitLab CE server hosting comparison.
Find the best and cheapest VPS plans to self-host GitLab CE.
Minimum Requirements
These VPS plans meet the minimum requirements to run GitLab CE. Suitable for testing or light usage.
Recommended Requirements
For optimal performance, we recommend these VPS plans that exceed the minimum requirements.
What is GitLab CE?
GitLab Community Edition is a complete DevSecOps platform providing source code management, CI/CD pipelines, container registry, security scanning, and project management. It's an all-in-one alternative to GitHub, Jenkins, and Jira combined. GitLab CE includes merge requests, issue boards, wikis, snippets, and robust API. Used by enterprises worldwide for complete software development lifecycle management, from planning to monitoring production applications.
Why Server Specs Matter
GitLab is resource-intensive by design, integrating many components: Rails web application, Sidekiq background workers, Gitaly for Git access, Redis for caching, PostgreSQL database, and optional Prometheus monitoring. Memory requirements are substantial - each component needs its share. CPU handles CI pipeline coordination, code syntax processing, and container operations. The omnibus installation manages these components together.
Problems with Undersized Servers
Undersized GitLab installations suffer severely. Web interface becomes very slow or unresponsive. Git pushes timeout. CI pipelines queue indefinitely. Background jobs pile up. Merge request diffs fail to render. The application may crash during peak usage. Sidekiq workers overwhelm the database. Repository imports fail. The system becomes effectively unusable under load.
Our Recommendation
GitLab minimum is 4GB RAM and 4 CPU cores - 8GB RAM recommended even for small teams. Use PostgreSQL with generous shared_buffers. Plan 50GB+ storage for repositories and CI artifacts. SSD storage is mandatory for acceptable performance. Disable unused features to reduce resource consumption. Consider GitLab Runner on separate machines. For teams under 50 users, evaluate Gitea as a lighter alternative. Regular maintenance including database vacuuming is essential.
Minimum Requirements - VPS Plans
These VPS plans meet the minimum requirements to run GitLab CE. Suitable for testing or light usage.
| Provider | Plan | CPU | RAM | Storage | Features | Price/mo | Actions |
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Recommended Requirements - VPS Plans
For optimal performance, we recommend these VPS plans that exceed the minimum requirements.
| Provider | Plan | CPU | RAM | Storage | Features | Price/mo | Actions |
|---|
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