How To Back Up GitLab To Prevent Data Loss

Uploaded on 2023-07-03 in FREE TO VIEW, BUSINESS-Services-IT & Telecoms

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Data backup is a critical aspect of any DevOps environment, though users are not always aware of the importance of safeguarding their repos and project data. There is a thought that the git is a backup itself, however, it’s far away from the truth.

Let’s dive into comparing different GitLab backup methods, and their strong and weak sides. But first, let’s figure out why Security Leaders and DevSecOps experts may consider the necessity of GitLab backup.

Why Is It Critical To Back Up GitLab Data?

How often do you hear about ransomware attacks, vulnerabilities, outages, and other events of failure that can lead to data loss? Actually, it has already become our reality and every company should know what to do if an event of failure occurs.

In spite of GitLab being a highly secure AI-powered DevSecOps platform, its customers still need to think about their critical data protection and backup. It isn’t only a final line against ransomware, backup also helps to minimize or even eliminate the downtime during the outage, meet legal and compliance requirements, and fulfill the Shared Responsibility Model within which the service provider takes care of the data important for its infrastructure sustainability, and the user is responsible for protecting its GitLab data.

To sum up, here are the main reasons to back up your GitLab ecosystem:

to eliminate data loss during outages and ransomware attacks
to ensure business continuity in case of those events
to meet the Shared Responsibility Model
to meet legal and compliance regulations.

GitLab Backup Methods

When it comes to GitLab backup, organizations always try to find the best way to meet their requirements and expectations. So, let’s go through the options Security Leaders and DevSecOps specialists stop their eyes on as the basis to build their GitLab data protection strategy.

Method # 1 - GitLab Backup and Restore Utility
We’ve already mentioned that GitLab values security, Thus, it provides its own dependability measure to support its users with Gitlab backups. For that reason, the service provider has its own built-in backup and restore utility - gitlab-rake.

These Rake tasks function permits to create an archive file of a user’s entire GitLab instance, including database, repositories, configuration files, and attachments. Though, you should keep in mind that “GitLab doesn’t back up items that aren’t stored on the file system.”

Depending on what version of GitLab your organization uses and the way you installed GitLab, you will need to pick up the appropriate command:

If you installed GitLab using the Omnibus package, you will need to choose between two commands sudo gitlab-backup create (when it comes to the version of GitLab 12.2 or later) or gitlab-rake gitlab:bakup:crete (if you use 12.1 and earlier version of GitLab).

If you installed GitLab from the source, your option is the command: sudo -u git -H exec rake gitlab:backup:crete RAILS_ENV=production .

If you’re running the service provider from within the Docker container, then you may start your backup from the host: docker exec -t <container name> gitlab-backup create (for GitLab version 12.2 and later) or docker exec -t <container name> gitlab-rake gitlab:backup:create (for GitLab 12.1 and earlier versions).

What is good GitLab has prepared detailed documentation on how to back up your GitLab environment. Though, it needs your attentiveness and time to read all the guidance and create your backup plan.

Method # 2 - GitLab Repository Cloning
Is cloning the same as a backup? Actually, no… though some DevOps consider this operation as one to substitute backups, as by cloning a repository you create a local, fully functional copy. So, what actually does the process look like when you clone a repository? In this case, you download remote repo files to your computer and create a connection between them. Though, you shouldn’t forget that this connection will require you to add credentials. Thus, you get a few possible ways to clone your GitLab repository:

Clone with SSH by running the command git clone git@gitlab.com:gitlab-tests/sample-project.git if you want to authenticate only one time.

Clone with HTTPS by running git clone https://gitlab.com/gitlab-tests/sample-project.git if you want to authenticate each time you make an operation between your computer and GitLab instance.

Clone with HTTPS using Personal access, Deploy, Project access, or group access tokens when you want to use Two-Factor Authentication or you want to have a set of credentials that is recoverable and specific to one or more repos. Here is the command for that purpose: git clone https://<username>:<token>@gitlab.example.com/tanuki/awesome_project.git .

Method # 3 File system data transfer or snapshot
You may consider using the option of snapshot or file system data transfer if your GitLab instance contains too much Git repository data making the GitLab backup script much slower, or your GitLab instance has many forked projects and you don’t want to duplicate your GitLab data.

Though you should remember that file system data transfer or snapshot is not a backup strategy, it’s just a picture of your entire GitLab instance at some point in time. Moreover, the OS of the source should be similar to the destination making these ways to migrate from one operating system to another almost impossible.

Method # 4 GitLab DIY backup
Another option is to rely on self-developed scripts and do-it-yourself (DIY) solutions. These methods involve creating custom scripts and may seem cost-effective from the first side, but have certain limitations:

Limited scalability: DIY solutions may struggle to handle the backup needs of large and complex GitLab environments, leading to performance issues.

Complexity and maintenance: Developing and maintaining custom scripts can be time-consuming and resource-intensive, requiring ongoing updates and debugging.

Data integrity and consistency: DIY solutions may face challenges in ensuring consistent and reliable backups, increasing the risk of data loss or corruption.

Method # 5 Backup with PgBouncer
Another option to back up your GitLab instance is through a PgBouncer connection. Though GitLab doesn’t advise this way as a reliable backup solution, as it can cause your GitLab instance outage and you’ll get the error message: ActiveRecord::StatementInvalid: PG::UndefinedTable .

To avoid it GitLab states that backup and restore tasks “must bypass PgBouncer and connect directly to the PostgreSQL primary database node.” Or, you can use environment variables to override the settings of your database once you perform your backup.

Method # 6 Third-party backup tools
You can opt for third-party backup tools, like GitProtect.io, which will definitely minimize your and your DevOps team’s time and nerves on backup performance. Moreover, using a professional GitLab Backup & Recovery software brings not only automation but also gives you a bundle of features aimed at protecting your GitLab data, reducing your responsibilities within the Shared Responsibility Model the service providers usually follow, and complying with SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 Security Audits (a reliable DevOps backup is a necessary requirement if a security audit is behind the corner for your team!).

Thus, a backup vendor will guarantee that you have immutable backups with the possibility to keep them on a few storage instances (both local and cloud) and meet the 3-2-1 backup rule, ransomware protection, unlimited retention, and monitoring opportunities on how your GitLab backups have been performed. So, third-party backup tools provide:

Simplified setup and management: Third-party tools offer intuitive interfaces and streamlined workflows, making it easier to configure and manage backups without extensive technical expertise.

Scalability and performance: Dedicated backup tools are designed to handle large-scale GitLab environments, ensuring efficient backup and restore operations even in complex scenarios.

Data integrity and security: By implementing robust backup strategies, third-party tools minimize the risk of data loss, corruption, or unauthorized access, providing enhanced data protection.

Automation and scheduling: Backup tools often offer flexible scheduling options, enabling automated backups at regular intervals, reducing the burden on administrators, and ensuring data consistency.
Granular Restore and Disaster Recovery Technologies: Professional backup software guarantees uninterrupted workflow and business continuity by ensuring fast recovery of your data after an event of failure. Thus, your DevOps team can keep coding while your DR team is dealing with the occurred disaster.

And you make sure tools like GitProtect enable you to natively backup all crucial GitLab data - repositories, metadata (both SaaS and self-managed) as well as groups and subgroups.

Takeaway

It’s important to choose a backup method that aligns with your infrastructure, legal, compliance, and data protection requirements. While backup scripts have their merits, they may not always provide the optimal level of scalability, simplicity, and data integrity required for GitLab backup and data protection. Third-party backup tools like GitProtect.io offer specialized features and dedicated support, addressing the limitations of alternative approaches.

By leveraging such tools, organizations can streamline their backup processes, ensure data reliability, and let DevOps focus more on their core development tasks.

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