GitLab authentication and authorization (FREE SELF)
GitLab integrates with a number of OmniAuth providers, and the following external authentication and authorization providers:
- LDAP: Includes Active Directory, Apple Open Directory, Open LDAP, and 389 Server.
- SAML for GitLab.com groups (PREMIUM SAAS)
- Smartcard (PREMIUM SELF)
NOTE: UltraAuth has removed their software which supports OmniAuth integration. We have therefore removed all references to UltraAuth integration.
SaaS vs Self-Managed Comparison
The external authentication and authorization providers may support the following capabilities. For more information, see the links shown on this page for each external provider.
| Capability | SaaS | Self-managed |
|---|---|---|
| User Provisioning | SCIM SAML 1 |
LDAP 1 SAML 1 OmniAuth Providers 1 |
| User Detail Updating (not group management) | Not Available | LDAP Sync |
| Authentication | SAML at top-level group (1 provider) | LDAP (multiple providers) Generic OAuth2 SAML (only 1 permitted per unique provider) Kerberos JWT Smartcard OmniAuth Providers (only 1 permitted per unique provider) |
| Provider-to-GitLab Role Sync | SAML Group Sync | LDAP Group Sync SAML Group Sync (GitLab 15.1 and later) |
| User Removal | SCIM (remove user from top-level group) | LDAP (remove user from groups and block from the instance) |
- Using Just-In-Time (JIT) provisioning, user accounts are created when the user first signs in.
Change apps or configuration
When GitLab doesn't support having multiple providers (such as OAuth), GitLab configuration and user identification must be updated at the same time if the provider or app is changed.
These instructions apply to all methods of authentication where GitLab stores an extern_uid and it is the only data used
for user authentication.
When changing apps within a provider, if the user extern_uid does not change, only the GitLab configuration must be
updated.
To swap configurations:
- Change provider configuration in your
gitlab.rbfile. - Update
extern_uidfor all users that have an identity in GitLab for the previous provider.
To find the extern_uid, look at an existing user's current extern_uid for an ID that matches the appropriate field in
your current provider for the same user.
There are two methods to update the extern_uid:
-
Using the Users API. Pass the provider name and the new
extern_uid. -
Using the Rails console:
Identity.where(extern_uid: 'old-id').update!(extern_uid: 'new-id')`