Installation Guide

Step-by-step guide to connecting your GitLab account to Cloudback for automated backup of repositories, issues, merge requests, and project metadata.

Cloudback provides automated backups for your GitLab projects, including repository content, issues, merge requests, labels, milestones, boards, and project metadata. This guide walks you through connecting your GitLab account to Cloudback.

Overview of the Setup Process

1. Sign in to Cloudback with your existing GitLab account

2. Add a GitLab account via the Cloudback dashboard

3. Authorize Cloudback through GitLab's OAuth flow

4. Verify configuration and optionally customize backup settings

Prerequisites

• A GitLab.com account — You need access to the projects you want to back up

• An active subscription — A Cloudback subscription covering your GitLab projects. Purchase via GitHub Marketplace, Azure Marketplace, or contact support for invoiced billing

Note: GitLab does not have its own marketplace integration. Subscriptions are managed via existing payment methods and assigned to your GitLab account through the Subscription Management page.

Step 1: Add a GitLab Account

1. Sign in to the Cloudback Dashboard

2. In the left sidebar under Dashboard, click Add Account (the + icon)

3. Select GitLab from the platform options

Step 2: Authorize Cloudback

Clicking "GitLab" opens a popup window that redirects you to GitLab's OAuth consent page.

• Scope requested: read_api (read-only access to the GitLab API)

• Purpose: Allows Cloudback to discover your projects and download repository data and metadata for backup

Click Authorize to grant access and complete the connection.

After authorization, Cloudback automatically:

1. Retrieves your GitLab user profile

2. Discovers all groups you have access to

3. Creates account entries for your personal namespace and each group

4. Discovers projects within each namespace and creates backup definitions

Step 3: Verify Your Projects

After connecting, your GitLab projects appear in the dashboard under the GitLab section in the left sidebar. Cloudback creates a separate backup definition for each project it discovers.

Both account types are supported:

Account Type	Description	Example
Personal	Projects in your personal namespace	username/my-project
Group	Projects in GitLab groups you belong to	my-org/team-project

Step 4: Configure Settings

Cloudback applies the settings from your account to each GitLab project. Customize settings by clicking on a project to open the Project Details page, then modifying the Settings section.

Assign a Subscription

Assign a subscription to your GitLab account:

1. Navigate to Subscriptions in the left sidebar

2. Click View on the subscription you want to use

3. In the Account Assignments section, select your GitLab account from the dropdown

4. Click Assign

Setup Complete

Cloudback is now configured to protect your GitLab projects. Here's what to expect:

• Backup Schedule: Your first backups will commence according to the schedule you've set.

• Dashboard Access: Access your Cloudback Dashboard anytime at https://app.cloudback.it.

• Service Status: If you experience any issues, check our status page at https://status.cloudback.it/.

• Support: If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact our support team.

Learn More

• GitLab Backup Contents — What data is included in each backup

• First Backup Walkthrough — Step-by-step guide to your first backup

• GitLab: Restoring Data — How to restore from a backup

• Cross-Platform Restore — GitHub ↔ GitLab bidirectional restore

• Subscription Management — Assigning subscriptions