static-cms/website/content/docs/gitlab-backend.md

title	weight	group
GitLab	20	accounts

For repositories stored on GitLab, the gitlab backend allows CMS users to log in directly with their GitLab account. Note that all users must have push access to your content repository for this to work.

Note: GitLab default branch is protected by default, thus typically requires maintainer permissions in order for users to have push access.

The GitLab API allows for two types of OAuth2 flows:

• Web Application Flow, which works much like the GitHub OAuth flow described above.
• Implicit Grant, which operates without the need for an authentication server.

Web Application Flow with Netlify

When using GitLab's Web Application Flow for authentication, you can use Netlify to handle the server-side authentication requests.

To enable it:

1. Follow the GitLab docs to add your Netlify CMS instance as an OAuth application. For the Redirect URI, enter https://api.netlify.com/auth/done, and check the box for api scope.
2. Follow the Netlify docs to add your new GitLab Application ID and Secret to your Netlify site dashboard.
3. In your repository, add the following lines to your Netlify CMS config.yml file:

backend:
  name: gitlab
  repo: owner-name/repo-name # Path to your GitLab repository

Client-Side Implicit Grant (GitLab)

With GitLab's Implicit Grant, users can authenticate with GitLab directly from the client. To do this:

1. Follow the GitLab docs to add your Netlify CMS instance as an OAuth application. For the Redirect URI, enter the address where you access Netlify CMS, for example, https://www.mysite.com/admin/. For scope, select api.

2. GitLab gives you an Application ID. Copy this ID and enter it in your Netlify CMS config.yml file, along with the following settings:

   backend:
     name: gitlab
     repo: owner-name/repo-name # Path to your GitLab repository
     auth_type: implicit # Required for implicit grant
     app_id: your-app-id # Application ID from your GitLab settings
   

   You can also use Implicit Grant with a self-hosted GitLab instance. This requires adding api_root, base_url, and auth_endpoint fields:

   backend:
     name: gitlab
     repo: owner-name/repo-name # Path to your GitLab repository
     auth_type: implicit # Required for implicit grant
     app_id: your-app-id # Application ID from your GitLab settings
     api_root: https://my-hosted-gitlab-instance.com/api/v4
     base_url: https://my-hosted-gitlab-instance.com
     auth_endpoint: oauth/authorize
   

Note: In both cases, GitLab also provides you with a client secret. You should never store this in your repo or reveal it in the client.