Project import/export

Notes:

This feature was introduced in GitLab 8.9

Importing will not be possible if the import instance version is lower than 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.

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

Go to the project settings page by clicking on Edit Project:
Scroll down to find the Export project button:
Once the export is generated, you should receive an e-mail with a link to download the file:
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:

Importing the project

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:
You can see where the project will be imported to. You can now select file exported previously:
Click on Import project to begin importing. Your newly imported project page will appear soon.