---
stage: none
group: unassigned
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
description: 'Learn how to use and administer GitLab, the most scalable Git-based fully integrated platform for software development.'
---

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  <h3>Visit <a href="https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/">docs.gitlab.com</a> for the latest version
  of this help information with enhanced navigation, discoverability, and readability.</h3>
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# GitLab Docs

Welcome to the GitLab documentation!

|                         |                         |
|:------------------------|:------------------------|
| [**Use GitLab**](user/index.md)<br>Get started with GitLab features and functionality. | [**Administer GitLab**](administration/index.md)<br/>Administer a self-managed GitLab instance. |
| [**New to Git and GitLab?**](tutorials/index.md)<br/>Start learning about Git and GitLab. | [**Contribute to GitLab development**](#contributing-to-gitlab)<br/>Create new GitLab functionality and documentation. |
| [**Coming to GitLab from another platform?**](#coming-to-gitlab-from-another-platform)<br/>Learn how to move to GitLab. | [**Build an integration with GitLab**](#build-an-integration-with-gitlab)<br/>Integrate with Jira and other common applications. |
| [**Choose a subscription**](subscriptions/index.md)<br/>Determine which subscription tier makes sense for you. | [**Install GitLab**](https://about.gitlab.com/install/)<br/>Install GitLab on different platforms. |
| [**Reference architectures**](administration/reference_architectures/index.md)<br/>View recommended deployments at scale. | [**Upgrade GitLab**](update/index.md)<br/>Upgrade your GitLab self-managed instance to the latest version. |
| [**GitLab releases**](https://about.gitlab.com/releases/)<br/>See what's new in GitLab. |  |

## Popular topics

Have a look at some of our most popular topics:

| Popular topic                                                                              | Description |
|:-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|:------------|
| [Two-factor authentication](user/profile/account/two_factor_authentication.md)             | Improve the security of your GitLab account. |
| [GitLab groups](user/group/index.md)                                                       | Manage projects together. |
| [Keyword reference for the `.gitlab-ci.yml` file](ci/yaml/index.md)                        | Available configuration options for `.gitlab-ci.yml` files. |
| [Activate GitLab EE with a license](user/admin_area/license.md)                            | Activate GitLab Enterprise Edition functionality with a license. |
| [Back up and restore GitLab](raketasks/backup_restore.md)                                  | Rake tasks for backing up and restoring GitLab self-managed instances. |
| [GitLab release and maintenance policy](policy/maintenance.md)                             | Policies for version naming and cadence, and also upgrade recommendations. |
| [Elasticsearch integration](integration/advanced_search/elasticsearch.md)                  | Integrate Elasticsearch with GitLab to enable advanced search. |
| [Omnibus GitLab database settings](https://docs.gitlab.com/omnibus/settings/database.html) | Database settings for Omnibus GitLab self-managed instances. |
| [Omnibus GitLab NGINX settings](https://docs.gitlab.com/omnibus/settings/nginx.html)       | NGINX settings for Omnibus GitLab self-managed instances. |
| [Omnibus GitLab SSL configuration](https://docs.gitlab.com/omnibus/settings/ssl/index.html)      | SSL settings for Omnibus GitLab self-managed instances. |
| [GitLab.com settings](user/gitlab_com/index.md)                                            | Settings used for GitLab.com. |

## The entire DevOps lifecycle

GitLab is the first single application for software development, security,
and operations that enables [Concurrent DevOps](https://about.gitlab.com/topics/concurrent-devops/).
GitLab makes the software lifecycle faster and radically improves the speed of business.

GitLab provides solutions for [each of the stages of the DevOps lifecycle](https://about.gitlab.com/stages-devops-lifecycle/).

### User account

For more information about GitLab account management, see:

| Topic                                                      | Description |
|:-----------------------------------------------------------|:------------|
| [User account](user/profile/index.md)                      | Manage your account. |
| [Authentication](topics/authentication/index.md)           | Account security with two-factor authentication, set up your SSH keys, and deploy keys for secure access to your projects. |
| [User settings](user/profile/index.md#access-your-user-settings) | Manage your user settings, two factor authentication, and more. |
| [User permissions](user/permissions.md)                    | Learn what each role in a project can do. |

## Coming to GitLab from another platform

If you are coming to GitLab from another platform, the following information is useful:

| Topic                                               | Description |
|:----------------------------------------------------|:------------|
| [Importing to GitLab](user/project/import/index.md) | Import your projects from GitHub, Bitbucket, GitLab.com, FogBugz, and SVN into GitLab. |
| [Migrating from SVN](user/project/import/index.md#import-from-subversion)    | Convert a SVN repository to Git and GitLab. |

## Build an integration with GitLab

There are many ways to integrate with GitLab, including:

| Topic                                      | Description |
|:-------------------------------------------|:------------|
| [GitLab REST API](api/rest/index.md)           | Integrate with GitLab using our REST API. |
| [GitLab GraphQL API](api/graphql/index.md) | Integrate with GitLab using our GraphQL API. |
| [Integrations](integration/index.md)      | Integrations with third-party products. |

## Contributing to GitLab

GitLab Community Edition is [open source](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-foss/)
and GitLab Enterprise Edition is [open-core](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/).

Learn how to contribute to GitLab with the following resources:

| Topic                                                       | Description |
|:------------------------------------------------------------|:------------|
| [Development](development/index.md)                        | How to contribute to GitLab development. |
| [Legal](legal/index.md)                                    | Contributor license agreements. |
| [Writing documentation](development/documentation/index.md) | How to contribute to GitLab Docs. |