Why people self-host GitLab CE
GitLab CE is the heavyweight option for teams that want source hosting, CI, registry, planning, and review workflows in one platform. It is powerful when the team can operate it properly.
The tradeoff is resource demand and upgrade complexity. Budget CPU, memory, storage, runners, and maintenance windows before adoption.
Deployment notes
GitLab CE is listed with support signals for linux, docker. Check the upstream documentation before exposing it to the internet, review authentication defaults, and keep backups outside the primary host.