{"slug": "github-to-gitlab-migration-the-easy-way", "title": "GitHub-to-GitLab migration the easy way", "summary": "GitLab announced that migrating from GitHub to GitLab is easier than ever with its built-in project importer and GitLab Duo AI assistant, which converts GitHub Actions workflows into GitLab CI/CD. The importer automatically transfers most project data, including repositories, issues, pull requests, comments, labels, milestones, and wiki pages, while collaborators, markdown attachments, large comment volumes, Git LFS objects, and secrets require manual handling or caveats. GitLab Duo handles the traditionally manual CI/CD translation, and user contribution mapping (GitLab 17.8+) simplifies attribution without requiring matching public email addresses.", "body_md": "Updated on: August 18, 2026\n\n12 min read\n\nLearn how easy it is to migrate from GitHub to GitLab using GitLab's project importer and GitLab Duo AI.\n\nIf you're evaluating a move to GitLab, the first question is almost always the same: *How hard is the migration?* For most [DevSecOps](https://about.gitlab.com/topics/devsecops/) teams, the fear of \"heavy lifting\" is the biggest obstacle between them and a single, AI-native [DevSecOps platform](https://about.gitlab.com/platform/).\n\nMigrating to GitLab is easier than ever. GitLab's built-in importer moves the vast majority of your project data automatically and in the background. Additionally, translating your CI/CD pipeline, one part that has traditionally required a human, is now largely handled by [GitLab Duo](https://about.gitlab.com/gitlab-duo/). Duo, our AI-native assistant, can convert GitHub Actions workflows into GitLab CI/CD.\n\nIn this post, I'll walk through the full migration end to end:\n\nLet's get started.\n\nGitLab's [built-in GitHub importer](https://docs.gitlab.com/user/project/import/github/) is accessed directly from\nGitLab's project creation UI, and it runs as a background job, meaning you can kick off an import and walk away.\nMost of your project data comes across automatically. A smaller set of items are optional toggles or have caveats\nworth knowing about up front.\n\nThe table below breaks down what migrates and how:\n\n| Data | Status |\n|---|---|\n| Git repository, branches, tags, and commit history | ✅ Automatic. Includes fork branches for open pull requests. |\n| Issues | ✅ Automatic |\n| Pull requests (become merge requests) | ✅ Automatic. Includes reviews, review comments, suggestions, assigned reviewers, and \"merged by\" info. |\n| Issue and pull request comments | ✅ Automatic |\n| Labels and milestones | ✅ Automatic |\n| Release notes content | ✅ Automatic |\n| Wiki pages | ✅ Automatic |\n| Branch protection rules | ✅ Automatic |\n| Issue and pull request events | ✅ Automatic |\n| Collaborators (members) | ⚠️ With caveats. Optional toggle (on by default). Requires the `read:org` scope; GitHub roles are mapped to GitLab roles (see below). GitHub Enterprise Cloud custom roles aren't supported and are added manually. |\n| Markdown attachments (in descriptions, comments, releases) | ⚠️ With caveats. Optional toggle. Attachments in private repos from before May 2023 can't be imported (a GitHub limitation); GitHub Enterprise Server imports only images and video. |\n| Large comment volumes (~30,000+) | ⚠️ With caveats. Enable the alternative comments import to work around GitHub's per-issue API limits. Comments from before 2017 may import as separate threads. |\n| Git LFS objects | ⚠️ With caveats. LFS must be enabled on the destination project before the import runs, or objects are silently skipped. |\n| GitHub Actions workflows | 🛠️ Manual (AI-assisted). Converted to `.gitlab-ci.yml` . GitLab Duo can do most of this for you. |\n| Secrets → CI/CD variables | 🛠️ Manual. Recreate secrets as\n|\n\nGitHub and GitLab use different naming conventions, so a mapping is performed during migration. When collaborators are imported, GitHub roles map to GitLab roles as follows:\n\n| GitHub role | GitLab role |\n|---|---|\n| Read | Guest |\n| Triage | Reporter |\n| Write | Developer |\n| Maintain | Maintainer |\n| Admin | Owner |\n\nThe prerequisites have gotten *simpler* over the years. Notably, you no longer need every GitHub author to have a\nmatching public email address on GitLab. GitLab now handles attribution automatically with [user contribution mapping](https://docs.gitlab.com/user/project/import/#user-contribution-and-membership-mapping) (GitLab 17.8+). More on that below.\n\nTo import from **GitHub.com** or **GitHub Enterprise Server** into either **GitLab.com** or a **GitLab Self-Managed** instance, you need:\n\nA couple of situational prerequisites:\n\n`read:org`\n\nscope on your token and at least Write or Maintain access on the GitHub project.Previously, contribution history only carried over cleanly if each GitHub user's public email matched their GitLab email.\nToday, GitLab creates **placeholder users** for any GitHub author, assignee, or reviewer without a matching GitLab account,\nand preserves their contributions.\n\nAfter the import, a group Owner or Maintainer goes to **Members → Placeholders** and reassigns each placeholder to the\nreal GitLab user, who then accepts the reassignment. This means you can migrate first and sort out attribution afterward.\n\nThere are three ways to run the import. Pick the one that fits your source and scale.\n\nThis is the fastest path for most teams.\n\n**Optional toggles:**\n\n| Toggle | Default | Use it when |\n|---|---|---|\n| Import collaborators | On | You want project members brought over with role mapping. |\n| Import Markdown attachments | Off | You want images and files embedded in descriptions, comments, and releases. |\n| Use alternative comments import | Off | Your project has ~30,000+ comments and you're hitting GitHub API limits. |\n\nIf OAuth isn't configured, authenticate with a token instead.\n\n`github.com/settings/tokens/new`\n\nwith the `repo`\n\nscope (add `read:org`\n\nif you're importing collaborators or LFS). Note: Fine-grained tokens aren't supported.For migrating many repositories at once, scripting a move, or importing public repos you don't own, use the [import API](https://docs.gitlab.com/api/import/).\n\n```\ncurl --request POST \\\n  --url \"https://gitlab.com/api/v4/import/github\" \\\n  --header \"PRIVATE-TOKEN: $GITLAB_TOKEN\" \\\n  --header \"Content-Type: application/json\" \\\n  --data '{\n    \"personal_access_token\": \"<github_classic_pat>\",\n    \"repo_id\": 12345678,\n    \"target_namespace\": \"my-group\",\n    \"new_name\": \"imported-project\",\n    \"optional_stages\": {\n      \"single_endpoint_notes_import\": true,\n      \"attachments_import\": true,\n      \"collaborators_import\": true\n    }\n  }'\n```\n\nTrack progress with:\n\n```\ncurl --header \"PRIVATE-TOKEN: $GITLAB_TOKEN\" \\\n  \"https://gitlab.com/api/v4/projects/<project_id>/import\"\n```\n\nYou'll need a GitHub classic PAT with the `repo`\n\nscope plus a GitLab PAT with the `api`\n\nscope.\n\nOnce the import finishes, do a quick sanity check:\n\nRe-importing creates a fresh copy (you can't import into an existing project), so if something looks off, delete and re-run.\n\nMigration doesn't have to be a hard cutover. Most teams move gradually, keeping GitHub in play while they stand up GitLab, validate their pipelines, and bring people over team by team. GitLab is designed to coexist with GitHub during that transition, so you can adopt it incrementally instead of flipping a switch overnight.\n\nHere are the main ways the two platforms work side by side while you migrate:\n\n`.gitlab-ci.yml`\n\nconversion against real commits while the source of truth still lives in GitHub.CI/CD is one part of the migration that isn't automatic. It's your chance to modernize your pipelines. Many core concepts map cleanly between the two platforms:\n\n| GitHub Actions | GitLab CI/CD |\n|---|---|\n`.github/workflows/*.yml` | `.gitlab-ci.yml` |\n| Workflow | Pipeline |\n| Job | Job |\n| Step in a job | Line in `script:` |\nEvent triggers (`on:` ) | `rules:` / `workflow:` |\n`runs-on:` / `container:` | `image:` and runner `tags:` |\n| Actions Marketplace |\n|\n\n`strategy.matrix`\n\n`parallel.matrix`\n\n`actions/checkout`\n\n`actions/cache`\n\n`cache:`\n\nkeyword`actions/upload-artifact`\n\n`artifacts:`\n\nkeywordA key difference to keep in mind: In GitLab, **stages run sequentially and jobs within a stage run in parallel**, and you can use `needs:`\n\nto build an explicit Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG).\n\n[GitLab Duo Agent Platform](https://about.gitlab.com/gitlab-duo-agent-platform/) includes a [Convert to GitLab CI/CD flow](https://docs.gitlab.com/user/duo_agent_platform/flows/foundational_flows/convert_to_gitlab_ci/) that translates your GitHub Actions workflows into `.gitlab-ci.yml`\n\nfor you, so you're reviewing a draft instead of rewriting from scratch.\n\nGitLab Duo helps across the whole migration, not just conversion:\n\n`needs:`\n\nDAGs, and CI/CD components.[GitLab Duo Agentic Chat](https://docs.gitlab.com/user/gitlab_duo_chat/agentic_chat/) can pull in context from your issues, merge requests, and pipelines to answer questions in-platform, and [Duo Code Suggestions](https://docs.gitlab.com/user/project/repository/code_suggestions/) help as you edit `.gitlab-ci.yml`\n\nin the Web IDE.\n\nIf GitLab Duo isn't available in your environment, the same conversions work well with a frontier model using a structured prompt. A prompt that produces reliable results:\n\nConvert this GitHub Actions workflow to GitLab CI/CD. Preserve matrix builds, job dependencies, artifacts, and conditional rules. Return a valid\n\n`.gitlab-ci.yml`\n\n.\n\nA few guardrails when using any AI assistant for migration: Never paste secrets, tokens, or internal hostnames; always validate generated YAML with GitLab's [CI Lint tool](https://docs.gitlab.com/ci/yaml/lint/); and treat the output as a reviewable draft, not a final commit.\n\nWhether GitLab Duo drafts the code or you write it by hand, it helps to see the translation. Here's a typical GitHub Actions build-and-test workflow:\n\n```\nname: CI\non: [push, pull_request]\njobs:\n  build:\n    runs-on: ubuntu-latest\n    steps:\n      - uses: actions/checkout@v4\n      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4\n        with: { node-version: '18' }\n      - run: npm install\n      - run: npm test\n      - run: npm run build\n```\n\nAnd the equivalent GitLab CI/CD. Notice checkout disappears (GitLab clones for you), `runs-on`\n\nbecomes `image`\n\n, and each step becomes a line in `script:`\n\n:\n\n```\nstages: [test, build]\n\n# GitLab-maintained SAST is one line away\n# a nice upgrade to add during migration.\ninclude:\n  - template: Jobs/SAST.gitlab-ci.yml\n\ntest:\n  stage: test\n  image: node:18\n  script:\n    - npm install\n    - npm test\n\nbuild:\n  stage: build\n  image: node:18\n  script:\n    - npm install\n    - npm run build\n  artifacts:\n    paths: [dist/]\n```\n\nMatrix builds translate just as directly: `strategy.matrix`\n\nbecomes `parallel.matrix`\n\n:\n\n```\ntest:\n  image: node:${NODE_VERSION}\n  parallel:\n    matrix:\n      - NODE_VERSION: ['16', '18', '20']\n  script:\n    - npm install\n    - npm test\n```\n\nAnd conditional deployments map to `rules:`\n\n:\n\n```\ndeploy:\n  stage: deploy\n  script: ./deploy.sh\n  rules:\n    - if: $CI_COMMIT_BRANCH == \"main\"\n```\n\nOnce you commit `.gitlab-ci.yml`\n\n, GitLab runs the pipeline immediately.\nTo learn more, see the [GitLab CI/CD documentation](https://docs.gitlab.com/ci/).\n\nGitHub isn't the only source. GitLab's importer supports one-click migration from several other platforms:\n\nWe also have documentation covering migrations from:\n\nThanks for reading! Migration doesn't have to be the scary part of adopting a new platform. GitLab moves your data automatically and GitLab Duo handles the CI/CD conversion, so you can focus on shipping. For more, follow the links below:\n\nAre you just managing tools or shipping innovation?\n\nQuiz will take 5 minutes or less\n\nEnjoyed reading this blog post or have questions or feedback? Share your thoughts by creating a new topic in the GitLab community forum.\n\nStart building faster today\n\nSee what your team can do with the intelligent orchestration platform for DevSecOps.", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/github-to-gitlab-migration-the-easy-way", "canonical_source": "https://about.gitlab.com/blog/github-to-gitlab-migration-made-easy/", "published_at": "2026-08-19 20:23:52+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-08-19 20:45:08.323783+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["developer-tools", "ai-tools", "artificial-intelligence"], "entities": ["GitLab", "GitHub", "GitLab Duo", "GitLab Self-Managed", "GitLab.com", "GitHub Enterprise Server", "GitHub Enterprise Cloud"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/github-to-gitlab-migration-the-easy-way", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/github-to-gitlab-migration-the-easy-way.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/github-to-gitlab-migration-the-easy-way.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/github-to-gitlab-migration-the-easy-way.jsonld"}}