info: To determine the technical writer assigned to the Stage/Group associated with this page, see https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/product/ux/technical-writing/#assignments
To harden your GitLab instance and minimize the risk of unwanted user account creation, consider access control features like [Sign up restrictions](../user/admin_area/settings/sign_up_restrictions.md) and [Authentication options](../topics/authentication/index.md) .
Self-managed GitLab customers and administrators are responsible for the security of their underlying hosts, and for keeping GitLab itself up to date. It is important to [regularly patch GitLab](../policy/maintenance.md), patch your operating system and its software, and harden your hosts in accordance with vendor guidance.