GitLab vs Spinnaker
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted ci/cd & build options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
GitLab
Git-repository manager providing wiki, issue-tracking and CI/CD
VS
Spinnaker
Multi-cloud continuous delivery platform
| Feature | GitLab | Spinnaker |
|---|---|---|
| Category | CI/CD & Build | CI/CD & Build |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Java | |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 2,000 MB | 4,096 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | kubernetes, helm |
| GitHub stars | — | ★ 9,762 |
| First released | 2023 | 2015 |
| Replaces | GitHub | Harness |
Why pick each one
Choose Spinnaker if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Mature project with 9.8k GitHub stars
- Written in Java
Frequently asked questions
Is GitLab or Spinnaker better?
Neither is universally better. Spinnaker has the larger community, while GitLab is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are GitLab and Spinnaker free and open-source?
Yes. GitLab is licensed under MIT and Spinnaker under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run GitLab and Spinnaker with Docker?
GitLab: check the project docs for container support. Spinnaker: check the project docs for container support.