[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":788},["ShallowReactive",2],{"/en-us/blog/git-tips-and-tricks":3,"navigation-en-us":33,"banner-en-us":433,"footer-en-us":443,"blog-post-authors-en-us-Achilleas Pipinellis":685,"blog-related-posts-en-us-git-tips-and-tricks":699,"assessment-promotions-en-us":739,"next-steps-en-us":778},{"id":4,"title":5,"authorSlugs":6,"body":8,"categorySlug":9,"config":10,"content":14,"description":8,"extension":22,"isFeatured":12,"meta":23,"navigation":24,"path":25,"publishedDate":20,"seo":26,"stem":30,"tagSlugs":31,"__hash__":32},"blogPosts/en-us/blog/git-tips-and-tricks.yml","Git Tips And Tricks",[7],"achilleas-pipinellis",null,"engineering",{"slug":11,"featured":12,"template":13},"git-tips-and-tricks",false,"BlogPost",{"title":15,"description":16,"authors":17,"heroImage":19,"date":20,"body":21,"category":9},"Git tips and tricks","Handy Git commands for everyday use",[18],"Achilleas Pipinellis","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749672243/Blog/Hero%20Images/git-tricks-cover-image.png","2016-12-08","[Git] comes with a ton of commands, and that's probably an understatement.\n\n[The internet] is full of Git tips and it's hard if not impossible to know\nthem all, but sometimes you stumble upon an aha! moment that changes your\nwhole workflow.\n\nIn this post, we gathered some Git tips and tricks we use at GitLab everyday.\nHopefully they will add up to your aha! moment.\n\n\u003C!-- more -->\n\n- TOC\n{:toc}\n\n## Intro\n\nAlmost everybody at GitLab will need to use Git at some point. For newcomers\nwho know nothing about Git that can be a fearsome experience. We have a\n[Git cheatsheet] and a `#git-help` chat channel where we ask questions and\nprovide help if some of us get stuck. That's a quick way to provide help, and\nif something is complicated or someone has messed up their local repository and\nneeds immediate help, there's always a person to jump on a quick call.\n\nHere's a pack of Git tricks that will leverage your Git-fu and you'll hopefully\nfind useful. Remember, the list is far from exhaustive :)\n\n## Git's built-in help\n\nThe majority of users rely on sites like [StackOverflow] to find answers to their\nGit problems, but how often do you use Git's built-in help to find more about a\ncommand you are struggling with?\n\n### The most common commands\n\nRun `git help` to print a list of the most common commands. You'll probably\nnotice you've used most of them, but how well do you really know them?\nThankfully, there is a help page for every command!\n\n### A help page for every command\n\nGit's documentation is comprehensive and is automatically installed with Git.\nRun `git help \u003Ccommand>` to find out all about a command's behavior and what\noptions it can take.\n\n### Git guides\n\nGit comes with a handful of guides ready for you to explore. Run `git help -g`\nto see what's available:\n\n```text\nThe common Git guides are:\n\n   attributes   Defining attributes per path\n   everyday     Everyday Git With 20 Commands Or So\n   glossary     A Git glossary\n   ignore       Specifies intentionally untracked files to ignore\n   modules      Defining submodule properties\n   revisions    Specifying revisions and ranges for Git\n   tutorial     A tutorial introduction to Git (for version 1.5.1 or newer)\n   workflows    An overview of recommended workflows with Git\n\n```\n\nJump to a Git tutorial with `git help tutorial`, go through the glossary with\n`git help glossary` or learn about the most common commands with\n`git help everyday`.\n\n## See the repository status in your terminal's prompt\n\nIt's very useful to be able to visualize the status of your repository at any\ngiven time. While there are 3rd party tools that include this information\n([oh-my-zsh][ohmyzsh] anyone?), Git itself provides a script named `git-prompt.sh`\nthat does exactly that. You can [download it][gitprompt] and follow the\ninstructions in it to install and use it in your system. If you're using Linux\nand have installed Git with your package manager, it may already be\npresent on your system, usually under `/etc/bash_completion.d/`.\n\nGo ahead and replace your boring shell prompt with something like this:\n\n![Git shell prompt](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/git-tricks/git-shell-info.png){: .shadow}\n\n_Taken from oh-my-zsh's [themes wiki][git-shell-info-source]_\n\n## Autocompletion for Git commands\n\nYou may also find it useful to use the [completion scripts] that provide Git\ncommand completion for `bash`, `tcsh` and `zsh`. Again, follow the instructions\ninside the scripts to learn how to install them. Once done, you can try out\ntyping a command.\n\nLet's say you want to type `git pull`. If Git completion is enabled, typing\njust the first letter with `git p` followed by \u003Ckbd>Tab\u003C/kbd> will show the\nfollowing:\n\n```text\npack-objects   -- create packed archive of objects\npack-redundant -- find redundant pack files\npack-refs      -- pack heads and tags for efficient repository access\nparse-remote   -- routines to help parsing remote repository access parameters\npatch-id       -- compute unique ID for a patch\nprune          -- prune all unreachable objects from the object database\nprune-packed   -- remove extra objects that are already in pack files\npull           -- fetch from and merge with another repository or local branch\npush           -- update remote refs along with associated objects\n```\n\nTo show all available commands, type `git` in your terminal followed by\n\u003Ckbd>Tab\u003C/kbd>+ \u003Ckbd>Tab\u003C/kbd>, and see the magic happening.\n\n![It's a kind of magic](https://media.giphy.com/media/12NUbkX6p4xOO4/giphy.gif)\n\n## Git plugins\n\nSince Git is free software, it's easy for people to write scripts that extend\nits functionality. Let's see some of the most common ones.\n\n### The `git-extras` plugin\n\nIf you want to enhance Git with more commands, you'll want to try out the\n[`git-extras` plugin][gitextras]. It includes commands like `git info` (show\ninformation about the repository), `git effort` (number of commits per file),\nand the list goes on. After you [install][extras-inst] it, make sure to visit\nthe [documentation on the provided commands][commands] in order to understand\nwhat each one does before using it.\n\n### The `git-open` plugin\n\nIf you want to quickly visit the website on which the repository you're on is\nhosted, `git-open` is for you. All major providers are supported (GitLab, GitHub,\nBitbucket) and you can even use them all at the same time if you set\nthem as different remotes.\n\n[Install it][install-open], and try it out by cloning a repository from\n[GitLab.com](https://gitlab.com/explore). From your terminal navigate to that\nrepository and run `git open` to be transferred to the project's page on\nGitLab.com.\n\nIt works by default for projects hosted on GitLab.com, but you can also use it\nwith your own GitLab instances. In that case, make sure to set up the domain\nname with:\n\n```bash\ngit config gitopen.gitlab.domain git.example.com\n```\n\nYou can even open different remotes and branches if they have been set up.\nRead more in the [examples section][git-open-examples].\n\n## `.gitconfig` on steroids\n\nThe `.gitconfig` file contains information on how you want Git to behave on\ncertain circumstances. There are options you can set at a repository level,\nbut you can also set them in a global `.gitconfig` so that all local config\nwill inherit its values. This file usually resides in your home directory.\nIf not, either you'll have to create it manually or it will be automatically\nbe created when you issue a command starting with `git config --global` as\nwe'll see below.\n\nThe very first encounter with `.gitconfig` was probably when you set your\nname and email address for Git to know who you are.\nTo know more about the options `.gitconfig` can take, see the [Git documentation\non `.gitconfig`][gitconfig].\n\nIf you are using macOS or Linux, `.gitconfig` will probably be hidden if you are\ntrying to open it from a file manager. Either make sure the hidden files are\nshown or open it using a command in the terminal: `atom ~/.gitconfig`.\n\n\nLet's explore some of the most useful config options.\n\n###  Set a global `.gitignore`\n\nIf you want to avoid committing files like `.DS_Store`, Vim `swp` files, etc.,\nyou can set up a global `.gitignore` file.\n\nFirst create the file:\n\n```bash\ntouch ~/.gitignore\n```\n\nThen run:\n\n```bash\ngit config --global core.excludesFile ~/.gitignore\n```\n\nOr manually add the following to your `~/.gitconfig`:\n\n```ini\n[core]\n  excludesFile = ~/.gitignore\n\n```\n\nGradually build up your own useful list of things you want Git to ignore. Read\nthe [gitignore documentation](https://git-scm.com/docs/gitignore) to find out\nmore.\n\n---\n\n_[Git docs source](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-config#git-config-coreexcludesFile)_\n\n###  Delete local branches that have been removed from remote on fetch/pull\n\nYou might already have a bunch of stale branches in your local repository that\nno longer exist in the remote one. To delete them in each fetch/pull, run:\n\n```bash\ngit config --global fetch.prune true\n```\n\nOr manually add the following to your `~/.gitconfig`:\n\n```ini\n[fetch]\n  prune = true\n\n```\n\n---\n\n_[Git docs source](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-config#git-config-fetchprune)_\n\n### Enable Git's autosquash feature by default\n\nAutosquash makes it quicker and easier to squash or fixup commits during an\ninteractive rebase. It can be enabled for each rebase using\n`git rebase -i --autosquash`, but it's easier to turn it on by default.\n\n```bash\ngit config --global rebase.autosquash true\n```\n\nOr manually add the following to your `~/.gitconfig`:\n\n```ini\n[rebase]\n  autosquash = true\n\n```\n\nAt this point, let us remind you of [the perils of rebasing][rebase].\n\n\n---\n\n_[Git docs source](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-config#git-config-rebaseautoSquash)_\n_([tip taken from thoughbot](https://github.com/thoughtbot/dotfiles/pull/377))_\n\n### Extra info when using Git submodules\n\nIf you are using [submodules], it might be useful to turn on the submodule summary.\nFrom your terminal run:\n\n```bash\ngit config --global status.submoduleSummary true\n```\n\nOr manually add the following to your `~/.gitconfig`:\n\n```ini\n[status]\n  submoduleSummary = true\n\n```\n\n---\n\n_[Git docs source](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-config#git-config-statussubmoduleSummary)_\n\n### Change the editor of Git's messages\n\nYou can change the default text editor for use by Git commands.\n\nFrom `git help var`:\nthe order of preference is the `$GIT_EDITOR` environment variable, then\n`core.editor` configuration, then `$VISUAL`, then `$EDITOR`, and then the\ndefault chosen at compile time, which is usually `vi`.\n\nRunning `git config --show-origin core.editor` will tell you if `core.editor`\nis set and from which file. This needs at least Git 2.8.\n\nTo change it to your favor editor (`vim`, `emacs`, `atom`, etc.), run:\n\n```bash\ngit config --global core.editor vim\n```\n\nOr manually add the following to your `~/.gitconfig`:\n\n```ini\n[core]\n  editor = vim\n\n```\n\n---\n\n_[Git docs source](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-config.html#git-config-coreeditor)_\n\n### Change the tool with which diffs are shown\n\n`git diff` is useful as it shows the changes that are not currently staged.\nWhen running this command Git usually uses its internal tool and displays\nthe changes in your terminal.\n\nIf you don't like the default difftool there are a couple of others to choose\nfrom:\n\n- `vimdiff` - [Vim's built-in vimdiff](http://vimdoc.sourceforge.net/htmldoc/diff.html)\n- `magit` - [Emacs most popular tool is Magit](https://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/Magit)\n- `meld` - [A visual diff and merge tool written in Python](http://meldmerge.org/)\n- `kdiff3` - [A diff and merge program written in Qt](http://kdiff3.sourceforge.net/)\n\nTo change the default tool for watching diffs run the following:\n\n```bash\ngit config --global diff.tool vimdiff\n```\n\nOr manually add the following to your `~/.gitconfig`:\n\n```ini\n[diff]\n  tool = vimdiff\n\n```\n\nAlso related is the `merge.tool` setting which can be set to a tool to be used\nas the merge resolution program. Similarly:\n\n```bash\ngit config --global merge.tool vimdiff\n```\n\nOr manually add the following to your `~/.gitconfig`:\n\n```ini\n[merge]\n  tool = vimdiff\n\n```\n\n---\n\n_[Git docs source](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-difftool)_\n\n## Aliases\n\nGit commands can take a lot of flags at a time. For example, for a log graph\nyou can use the following command:\n\n```bash\ngit log --graph --pretty=format:'%Cred%h%Creset -%C(yellow)%d%Creset %s %Cgreen(%cr)%Creset' --abbrev-commit --date=relative\n```\n\nYou sure don't want to type this every time you need to run it. For that purpose,\nGit supports aliases, which are custom user-defined commands that build on top\nof the core ones. They are defined in `~/.gitconfig` under the `[alias]` group.\n\nOpen `~/.gitconfig` with your editor and start adding stuff.\n\n### Add an alias to pretty log graphs\n\nIn your `~/.gitconfig` add:\n\n```ini\n[alias]\n  lg = log --graph --pretty=format:'%Cred%h%Creset -%C(yellow)%d%Creset %s %Cgreen(%cr)%Creset' --abbrev-commit --date=relative\n  lol = log --graph --decorate --pretty=oneline --abbrev-commit\n\n```\n\nNext time you want the pretty log to appear, run: `git lg` or `git lol` for\nsome pretty log graphs.\n\n### Add an alias to checkout merge requests locally\n\nA merge request contains all the history from a repository, plus the additional\ncommits added to the branch associated with the merge request. Note that you\ncan checkout a public merge request locally even if the source project is a fork\n(even a private fork) of the target project.\n\nTo checkout a merge request locally, add the following alias to your `~/.gitconfig`:\n\n```text\n[alias]\n  mr = !sh -c 'git fetch $1 merge-requests/$2/head:mr-$1-$2 && git checkout mr-$1-$2' -\n\n```\n\nNow you can check out a particular merge request from any repository and any\nremote. For example, to check out the merge request with ID 5 as shown in GitLab\nfrom the `upstream` remote, run:\n\n```shell\ngit mr upstream 5\n```\n\nThis will fetch the merge request into a local `mr-upstream-5` branch and check\nit out. In the above example, `upstream` is the remote that points to GitLab\nwhich you can find out by running `git remote -v`.\n\n### The Oh-my-zsh Git aliases plugin\n\nIf you are an [Oh My Zsh][ohmyzsh] user you'll probably know this already.\nLearn how you can [enable the Git plugin][zshgit] provided with Oh My Zsh and\nstart using the short commands to save time. Some examples are:\n\n- `gl`  instead of `git pull`\n- `gp`  instead of `git push`\n- `gco` instead of `git checkout`\n\n## Git command line tips\n\nHere's a list of Git tips we gathered.\n\n### An alias of `HEAD`\n\nDid you know `@` is the same as `HEAD`? Using it during a rebase is a life saver:\n\n```bash\ngit rebase -i @~2\n```\n\n### Quickly checkout the previous branch you were on\n\nA dash (`-`) refers to the branch you were on before the current one.\nUse it to checkout the previous branch ([source][dash]):\n\n```sh\n# Checkout master\ngit checkout master\n\n# Create and checkout to a new branch\ngit checkout -b git-tips\n\n# Checkout master\ngit checkout master\n\n# Checkout to the previous branch (git-tips)\ngit checkout -\n```\n\n### Delete local branches which have already been merged into master\n\nIf you are working everyday on a project that gets contributions all the time,\nthe local branches number increases without noticing it. Run the following\ncommand to delete all local branches that are already merged into master\n([source][del-merged]):\n\n```bash\n# Make sure you have checked out master first\ngit checkout master\n\n# Delete merged branches to master except master\ngit branch --merged master | grep -v \"master\" | xargs -n 1 git branch -d\n```\n\nIn the event that you accidentally delete master (💩 happens),  get it back with:\n\n```bash\ngit checkout -b master origin/master\n```\n\n### Delete local branches that no longer exist in the remote repo\n\nTo remove all tracking branches that you have locally but are no more present in\nthe remote repository (`origin`):\n\n```bash\ngit remote prune origin\n```\n\nUse the `--dry-run` flag to only see what branches will be pruned, but not\nactually prune them:\n\n```bash\ngit remote prune origin --dry-run\n```\n\nIf you want this to be run automatically every time you fetch/pull, see\n[how to add it to your `.gitconfig`](#delete-local-branches-that-have-been-removed-from-remote-on-fetchpull).\n\n### Checking out a new branch from a base branch\n\nYou can checkout a new branch from a base branch without first checking out\nthe base branch. Confusing? Here's an example.\n\nIf you are on a branch named `old-branch` and you want to\ncheckout `new-branch` based off `master`, you'd normally do:\n\n```bash\ngit checkout master\ngit checkout -b new-branch\n```\n\nThere's a quicker way though. While still on the `old-branch`, run:\n\n```bash\ngit checkout -b new-branch master\n```\n\nThe pattern is the following:\n\n```bash\ngit checkout -b new_branch base_branch\n```\n\n## References\n\n- [Thoughbot's gitconfig file](https://github.com/thoughtbot/dotfiles/blob/master/gitconfig)\n  contains useful tips some of which are also present in this post\n- [A collection of Git tips](https://github.com/git-tips/tips/blob/master/README.md)\n- [Git and Vimdiff](http://usevim.com/2012/03/21/git-and-vimdiff/)\n- [Git's official site](https://git-scm.com/)\n\n## Conclusion\n\nAs always, writing something about Git, only scratches the surface. While some\nof the tips included in this post might come in handy, there are sure a lot\nof other stuff we're not familiar with.\n\n![Uncle Sam wants you to tell your trick](https://about.gitlab.com/images/blogimages/git-tricks/uncle-sam-wants-git.jpg){: .shadow}\n\n---\n\n_Image: \"[Branching illustration][img-url]\" by [Jason Long](https://twitter.com/jasonlong) is licensed under [CC BY 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/)_\n\n\u003C!-- Links -->\n\n[git-open-examples]: https://github.com/paulirish/git-open#examples\n[img-url]: https://github.com/git/git-scm.com/blob/master/public/images/branching-illustration%402x.png\n[install-open]: https://github.com/paulirish/git-open#installation\n[commands]: https://github.com/tj/git-extras/blob/master/Commands.md\n[gitextras]: https://github.com/tj/git-extras\n[zshgit]: https://github.com/robbyrussell/oh-my-zsh/wiki/Plugin:git\n[completion scripts]: https://github.com/git/git/tree/master/contrib/completion\n[gitprompt]: https://github.com/git/git/blob/master/contrib/completion/git-prompt.sh\n[git-shell-info-source]: https://github.com/robbyrussell/oh-my-zsh/wiki/Themes#kafeitu\n[del-merged]: http://stevenharman.net/git-clean-delete-already-merged-branches\n[dash]: https://twitter.com/holman/status/530490167522779137\n[ohmyzsh]: http://ohmyz.sh/\n[the internet]: /images/theinternet.png\n[gitconfig]: https://git-scm.com/docs/git-config\n[stackoverflow]: https://stackoverflow.com\n[extras-inst]: https://github.com/tj/git-extras/blob/master/Installation.md\n[rebase]: https://git-scm.com/book/en/v2/Git-Branching-Rebasing#The-Perils-of-Rebasing\n[submodules]: https://git-scm.com/book/en/v2/Git-Tools-Submodules\n[git]: https://git-scm.com\n[git cheatsheet]: 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to use GitLab Container Virtual Registry with Docker Hardened Images","Learn how to simplify container image management with this step-by-step guide.",[705],"Tim Rizzi","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1772111172/mwhgbjawn62kymfwrhle.png","2026-03-12","If you're a platform engineer, you've probably had this conversation:\n  \n*\"Security says we need to use hardened base images.\"*\n\n*\"Great, where do I configure credentials for yet another registry?\"*\n\n*\"Also, how do we make sure everyone actually uses them?\"*\n\nOr this one:\n\n*\"Why are our builds so slow?\"*\n\n*\"We're pulling the same 500MB image from Docker Hub in every single job.\"*\n\n*\"Can't we just cache these somewhere?\"*\n\nI've been working on [Container Virtual Registry](https://docs.gitlab.com/user/packages/virtual_registry/container/) at GitLab specifically to solve these problems. It's a pull-through cache that sits in front of your upstream registries — Docker Hub, dhi.io (Docker Hardened Images), MCR, and Quay — and gives your teams a single endpoint to pull from. Images get cached on the first pull. Subsequent pulls come from the cache. Your developers don't need to know or care which upstream a particular image came from.\n\nThis article shows you how to set up Container Virtual Registry, specifically with Docker Hardened Images in mind, since that's a combination that makes a lot of sense for teams concerned about security and not making their developers' lives harder.\n\n## What problem are we actually solving?\n\nThe Platform teams I usually talk to manage container images across three to five registries:\n\n* **Docker Hub** for most base images\n* **dhi.io** for Docker Hardened Images (security-conscious workloads)\n* **MCR** for .NET and Azure tooling\n* **Quay.io** for Red Hat ecosystem stuff\n* **Internal registries** for proprietary images\n\nEach one has its own:\n\n* Authentication mechanism\n* Network latency characteristics\n* Way of organizing image paths\n\nYour CI/CD configs end up littered with registry-specific logic. Credential management becomes a project unto itself. And every pipeline job pulls the same base images over the network, even though they haven't changed in weeks.\n\nContainer Virtual Registry consolidates this. One registry URL. One authentication flow (GitLab's). Cached images are served from GitLab's infrastructure rather than traversing the internet each time.\n\n## How it works\n\nThe model is straightforward:\n\n```text\nYour pipeline pulls:\n  gitlab.com/virtual_registries/container/1000016/python:3.13\n\nVirtual registry checks:\n  1. Do I have this cached? → Return it\n  2. No? → Fetch from upstream, cache it, return it\n\n```\n\nYou configure upstreams in priority order. When a pull request comes in, the virtual registry checks each upstream until it finds the image. The result gets cached for a configurable period (default 24 hours).\n\n```text\n┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐\n│                    CI/CD Pipeline                       │\n│                          │                              │\n│                          ▼                              │\n│   gitlab.com/virtual_registries/container/\u003Cid>/image   │\n└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘\n                           │\n                           ▼\n┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐\n│            Container Virtual Registry                   │\n│                                                         │\n│  Upstream 1: Docker Hub ────────────────┐               │\n│  Upstream 2: dhi.io (Hardened) ────────┐│               │\n│  Upstream 3: MCR ─────────────────────┐││               │\n│  Upstream 4: Quay.io ────────────────┐│││               │\n│                                      ││││               │\n│                    ┌─────────────────┴┴┴┴──┐            │\n│                    │        Cache          │            │\n│                    │  (manifests + layers) │            │\n│                    └───────────────────────┘            │\n└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘\n```\n\n## Why this matters for Docker Hardened Images\n\n[Docker Hardened Images](https://docs.docker.com/dhi/) are great because of the minimal attack surface, near-zero CVEs, proper software bills of materials (SBOMs), and SLSA provenance. If you're evaluating base images for security-sensitive workloads, they should be on your list.\n\nBut adopting them creates the same operational friction as any new registry:\n\n* **Credential distribution**: You need to get Docker credentials to every system that pulls images from dhi.io.\n* **CI/CD changes**: Every pipeline needs to be updated to authenticate with dhi.io.\n* **Developer friction**: People need to remember to use the hardened variants.\n* **Visibility gap**: It's difficulat to tell if teams are actually using hardened images vs. regular ones.\n\nVirtual registry addresses each of these:\n\n**Single credential**: Teams authenticate to GitLab. The virtual registry handles upstream authentication. You configure Docker credentials once, at the registry level, and they apply to all pulls.\n\n**No CI/CD changes per-team**: Point pipelines at your virtual registry. Done. The upstream configuration is centralized.\n\n**Gradual adoption**: Since images get cached with their full path, you can see in the cache what's being pulled. If someone's pulling `library/python:3.11` instead of the hardened variant, you'll know.\n\n**Audit trail**: The cache shows you exactly which images are in active use. Useful for compliance, useful for understanding what your fleet actually depends on.\n\n## Setting it up\n\nHere's a real setup using the Python client from this demo project.\n\n### Create the virtual registry\n\n```python\nfrom virtual_registry_client import VirtualRegistryClient\n\nclient = VirtualRegistryClient()\n\nregistry = client.create_virtual_registry(\n    group_id=\"785414\",  # Your top-level group ID\n    name=\"platform-images\",\n    description=\"Cached container images for platform teams\"\n)\n\nprint(f\"Registry ID: {registry['id']}\")\n# You'll need this ID for the pull URL\n```\n\n### Add Docker Hub as an upstream\n\nFor official images like Alpine, Python, etc.:\n\n```python\ndocker_upstream = client.create_upstream(\n    registry_id=registry['id'],\n    url=\"https://registry-1.docker.io\",\n    name=\"Docker Hub\",\n    cache_validity_hours=24\n)\n```\n\n### Add Docker Hardened Images (dhi.io)\n\nDocker Hardened Images are hosted on `dhi.io`, a separate registry that requires authentication:\n\n```python\ndhi_upstream = client.create_upstream(\n    registry_id=registry['id'],\n    url=\"https://dhi.io\",\n    name=\"Docker Hardened Images\",\n    username=\"your-docker-username\",\n    password=\"your-docker-access-token\",\n    cache_validity_hours=24\n)\n```\n\n### Add other upstreams\n\n```python\n# MCR for .NET teams\nclient.create_upstream(\n    registry_id=registry['id'],\n    url=\"https://mcr.microsoft.com\",\n    name=\"Microsoft Container Registry\",\n    cache_validity_hours=48\n)\n\n# Quay for Red Hat stuff\nclient.create_upstream(\n    registry_id=registry['id'],\n    url=\"https://quay.io\",\n    name=\"Quay.io\",\n    cache_validity_hours=24\n)\n```\n\n### Update your CI/CD\n\nHere's a `.gitlab-ci.yml` that pulls through the virtual registry:\n\n```yaml\nvariables:\n  VIRTUAL_REGISTRY_ID: \u003Cyour_virtual_registry_ID>\n\n  \nbuild:\n  image: docker:24\n  services:\n    - docker:24-dind\n  before_script:\n    # Authenticate to GitLab (which handles upstream auth for you)\n    - echo \"${CI_JOB_TOKEN}\" | docker login -u gitlab-ci-token --password-stdin gitlab.com\n  script:\n    # All of these go through your single virtual registry\n    \n    # Official Docker Hub images (use library/ prefix)\n    - docker pull gitlab.com/virtual_registries/container/${VIRTUAL_REGISTRY_ID}/library/alpine:latest\n    \n    # Docker Hardened Images from dhi.io (no prefix needed)\n    - docker pull gitlab.com/virtual_registries/container/${VIRTUAL_REGISTRY_ID}/python:3.13\n    \n    # .NET from MCR\n    - docker pull gitlab.com/virtual_registries/container/${VIRTUAL_REGISTRY_ID}/dotnet/sdk:8.0\n```\n\n### Image path formats\n\nDifferent registries use different path conventions:\n\n| Registry | Pull URL Example |\n|----------|------------------|\n| Docker Hub (official) | `.../library/python:3.11-slim` |\n| Docker Hardened Images (dhi.io) | `.../python:3.13` |\n| MCR | `.../dotnet/sdk:8.0` |\n| Quay.io | `.../prometheus/prometheus:latest` |\n\n### Verify it's working\n\nAfter some pulls, check your cache:\n\n```python\nupstreams = client.list_registry_upstreams(registry['id'])\nfor upstream in upstreams:\n    entries = client.list_cache_entries(upstream['id'])\n    print(f\"{upstream['name']}: {len(entries)} cached entries\")\n\n```\n\n## What the numbers look like\n\nI ran tests pulling images through the virtual registry:\n\n| Metric | Without Cache | With Warm Cache |\n|--------|---------------|-----------------|\n| Pull time (Alpine) | 10.3s | 4.2s |\n| Pull time (Python 3.13 DHI) | 11.6s | ~4s |\n| Network roundtrips to upstream | Every pull | Cache misses only |\n\n\n\n\nThe first pull is the same speed (it has to fetch from upstream). Every pull after that, for the cache validity period, comes straight from GitLab's storage. No network hop to Docker Hub, dhi.io, MCR, or wherever the image lives.\n\nFor a team running hundreds of pipeline jobs per day, that's hours of cumulative build time saved.\n\n## Practical considerations\nHere are some considerations to keep in mind:\n\n### Cache validity\n\n24 hours is the default. For security-sensitive images where you want patches quickly, consider 12 hours or less:\n\n```python\nclient.create_upstream(\n    registry_id=registry['id'],\n    url=\"https://dhi.io\",\n    name=\"Docker Hardened Images\",\n    username=\"your-username\",\n    password=\"your-token\",\n    cache_validity_hours=12\n)\n```\n\nFor stable, infrequently-updated images (like specific version tags), longer validity is fine.\n\n### Upstream priority\n\nUpstreams are checked in order. If you have images with the same name on different registries, the first matching upstream wins.\n\n### Limits\n\n* Maximum of 20 virtual registries per group\n* Maximum of 20 upstreams per virtual registry\n\n## Configuration via UI\n\nYou can also configure virtual registries and upstreams directly from the GitLab UI—no API calls required. Navigate to your group's **Settings > Packages and registries > Virtual Registry** to:\n\n* Create and manage virtual registries\n* Add, edit, and reorder upstream registries\n* View and manage the cache\n* Monitor which images are being pulled\n\n## What's next\n\nWe're actively developing:\n\n* **Allow/deny lists**: Use regex to control which images can be pulled from specific upstreams.\n\nThis is beta software. It works, people are using it in production, but we're still iterating based on feedback.\n\n## Share your feedback\n\nIf you're a platform engineer dealing with container registry sprawl, I'd like to understand your setup:\n\n* How many upstream registries are you managing?\n* What's your biggest pain point with the current state?\n* Would something like this help, and if not, what's missing?\n\nPlease share your experiences in the [Container Virtual Registry feedback issue](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/work_items/589630).\n## Related resources\n- [New GitLab metrics and registry features help reduce CI/CD bottlenecks](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/new-gitlab-metrics-and-registry-features-help-reduce-ci-cd-bottlenecks/#container-virtual-registry)\n- [Container Virtual Registry documentation](https://docs.gitlab.com/user/packages/virtual_registry/container/)\n- [Container Virtual Registry API](https://docs.gitlab.com/api/container_virtual_registries/)",[710,711,712],"tutorial","product","features",{"featured":12,"template":13,"slug":714},"using-gitlab-container-virtual-registry-with-docker-hardened-images",{"content":716,"config":726},{"title":717,"description":718,"authors":719,"heroImage":721,"date":722,"category":9,"tags":723,"body":725},"How IIT Bombay students are coding the future with GitLab","At GitLab, we often talk about how software accelerates innovation. But sometimes, you have to step away from the Zoom calls and stand in a crowded university hall to remember why we do this.",[720],"Nick Veenhof","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1750099013/Blog/Hero%20Images/Blog/Hero%20Images/blog-image-template-1800x945%20%2814%29_6VTUA8mUhOZNDaRVNPeKwl_1750099012960.png","2026-01-08",[255,607,724],"open source","The GitLab team recently had the privilege of judging the **iHack Hackathon** at **IIT Bombay's E-Summit**. The energy was electric, the coffee was flowing, and the talent was undeniable. But what struck us most wasn't just the code — it was the sheer determination of students to solve real-world problems, often overcoming significant logistical and financial hurdles to simply be in the room.\n\n\nThrough our [GitLab for Education program](https://about.gitlab.com/solutions/education/), we aim to empower the next generation of developers with tools and opportunity. Here is a look at what the students built, and how they used GitLab to bridge the gap between idea and reality.\n\n## The challenge: Build faster, build securely\n\nThe premise for the GitLab track of the hackathon was simple: Don't just show us a product; show us how you built it. We wanted to see how students utilized GitLab's platform — from Issue Boards to CI/CD pipelines — to accelerate the development lifecycle.\n\nThe results were inspiring.\n\n## The winners\n\n### 1st place: Team Decode — Democratizing Scientific Research\n\n**Project:** FIRE (Fast Integrated Research Environment)\n\nTeam Decode took home the top prize with a solution that warms a developer's heart: a local-first, blazing-fast data processing tool built with [Rust](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/secure-rust-development-with-gitlab/) and Tauri. They identified a massive pain point for data science students: existing tools are fragmented, slow, and expensive.\n\nTheir solution, FIRE, allows researchers to visualize complex formats (like NetCDF) instantly. What impressed the judges most was their \"hacker\" ethos. They didn't just build a tool; they built it to be open and accessible.\n\n**How they used GitLab:** Since the team lived far apart, asynchronous communication was key. They utilized **GitLab Issue Boards** and **Milestones** to track progress and integrated their repo with Telegram to get real-time push notifications. As one team member noted, \"Coordinating all these technologies was really difficult, and what helped us was GitLab... the Issue Board really helped us track who was doing what.\"\n\n![Team Decode](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1767380253/epqazj1jc5c7zkgqun9h.jpg)\n\n### 2nd place: Team BichdeHueDost — Reuniting to Solve Payments\n\n**Project:** SemiPay (RFID Cashless Payment for Schools)\n\nThe team name, BichdeHueDost, translates to \"Friends who have been set apart.\" It's a fitting name for a group of friends who went to different colleges but reunited to build this project. They tackled a unique problem: handling cash in schools for young children. Their solution used RFID cards backed by a blockchain ledger to ensure secure, cashless transactions for students.\n\n**How they used GitLab:** They utilized [GitLab CI/CD](https://about.gitlab.com/topics/ci-cd/) to automate the build process for their Flutter application (APK), ensuring that every commit resulted in a testable artifact. This allowed them to iterate quickly despite the \"flaky\" nature of cross-platform mobile development.\n\n![Team BichdeHueDost](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1767380253/pkukrjgx2miukb6nrj5g.jpg)\n\n### 3rd place: Team ZenYukti — Agentic Repository Intelligence\n\n**Project:** RepoInsight AI (AI-powered, GitLab-native intelligence platform)\n\nTeam ZenYukti impressed us with a solution that tackles a universal developer pain point: understanding unfamiliar codebases. What stood out to the judges was the tool's practical approach to onboarding and code comprehension: RepoInsight-AI automatically generates documentation, visualizes repository structure, and even helps identify bugs, all while maintaining context about the entire codebase.\n\n**How they used GitLab:** The team built a comprehensive CI/CD pipeline that showcased GitLab's security and DevOps capabilities. They integrated [GitLab's Security Templates](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/tree/master/lib/gitlab/ci/templates/Security) (SAST, Dependency Scanning, and Secret Detection), and utilized [GitLab Container Registry](https://docs.gitlab.com/user/packages/container_registry/) to manage their Docker images for backend and frontend components. They created an AI auto-review bot that runs on merge requests, demonstrating an \"agentic workflow\" where AI assists in the development process itself.\n\n![Team ZenYukti](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1767380253/ymlzqoruv5al1secatba.jpg)\n\n## Beyond the code: A lesson in inclusion\n\nWhile the code was impressive, the most powerful moment of the event happened away from the keyboard.\n\nDuring the feedback session, we learned about the journey Team ZenYukti took to get to Mumbai. They traveled over 24 hours, covering nearly 1,800 kilometers. Because flights were too expensive and trains were booked, they traveled in the \"General Coach,\" a non-reserved, severely overcrowded carriage.\n\nAs one student described it:\n\n*\"You cannot even imagine something like this... there are no seats... people sit on the top of the train. This is what we have endured.\"*\n\nThis hit home. [Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/company/culture/inclusion/) are core values at GitLab. We realized that for these students, the barrier to entry wasn't intellect or skill, it was access.\n\nIn that moment, we decided to break that barrier. We committed to reimbursing the travel expenses for the participants who struggled to get there. It's a small step, but it underlines a massive truth: **talent is distributed equally, but opportunity is not.**\n\n![hackathon class together](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1767380252/o5aqmboquz8ehusxvgom.jpg)\n\n### The future is bright (and automated)\n\nWe also saw incredible potential in teams like Prometheus, who attempted to build an autonomous patch remediation tool (DevGuardian), and Team Arrakis, who built a voice-first job portal for blue-collar workers using [GitLab Duo](https://about.gitlab.com/gitlab-duo/) to troubleshoot their pipelines.\n\nTo all the students who participated: You are the future. Through [GitLab for Education](https://about.gitlab.com/solutions/education/), we are committed to providing you with the top-tier tools (like GitLab Ultimate) you need to learn, collaborate, and change the world — whether you are coding from a dorm room, a lab, or a train carriage. **Keep shipping.**\n\n> :bulb: Learn more about the [GitLab for Education program](https://about.gitlab.com/solutions/education/).\n",{"slug":727,"featured":12,"template":13},"how-iit-bombay-students-code-future-with-gitlab",{"content":729,"config":737},{"title":730,"description":731,"authors":732,"heroImage":733,"date":734,"category":9,"tags":735,"body":736},"Artois University elevates research and curriculum with GitLab Ultimate for Education","Artois University's CRIL leveraged the GitLab for Education program to gain free access to Ultimate, transforming advanced research and computer science curricula.",[720],"https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1750099203/Blog/Hero%20Images/Blog/Hero%20Images/blog-image-template-1800x945%20%2820%29_2bJGC5ZP3WheoqzlLT05C5_1750099203484.png","2025-12-10",[607,255,711],"Leading academic institutions face a critical challenge: how to provide thousands of students and researchers with industry-standard, **full-featured DevSecOps tools** without compromising institutional control. Many start with basic version control, but the modern curriculum demands integrated capabilities for planning, security, and advanced CI/CD.\n\nThe **GitLab for Education program** is designed to solve this by providing access to **GitLab Ultimate** for qualifying institutions, allowing them to scale their operations and elevate their academic offerings. \n\nThis article showcases a powerful success story from the **Centre de Recherche en Informatique de Lens (CRIL)**, a joint laboratory of **Artois University** and CNRS in France. After years of relying solely on GitLab Community Edition (CE), the university's move to GitLab Ultimate through the GitLab for Education program immediately unlocked advanced capabilities, transforming their teaching, research, and contribution workflows virtually overnight. This story demonstrates why GitLab Ultimate is essential for institutions seeking to deliver advanced computer science and research curricula.\n\n## GitLab Ultimate unlocked: Managing scale and driving academic value\n\n**Artois University's** self-managed GitLab instance is a large-scale operation, supporting nearly **3,000 users** across approximately **19,000 projects**, primarily serving computer science students and researchers. While GitLab Community Edition was robust, the upgrade to GitLab Ultimate provided the sophisticated tooling necessary for managing this scale and facilitating advanced university-level work.\n\n***\"We can see the difference,\" says Daniel Le Berre, head of research at CRIL and the instance maintainer. \"It's a completely different product. Each week reveals new features that directly enhance our productivity and teaching.\"***\n\nThe institution joined the GitLab for Education program specifically because it covers both **instructional and non-commercial research use cases** and offers full access to Ultimate's features, removing significant cost barriers.\n\n### Key GitLab Ultimate benefits for students and researchers\n\n* **Advanced project management at scale:** Master's students now benefit from **GitLab Ultimate's project planning features**. This enables them to structure, track, and manage complex, long-term research projects using professional methodologies like portfolio management and advanced issue tracking that seamlessly roll up across their thousands of projects.\n\n* **Enhanced visibility:** Features like improved dashboards and code previews directly in Markdown files dramatically streamline tracking and documentation review, reducing administrative friction for both instructors and students managing large project loads.\n\n## Comprehensive curriculum: From concepts to continuous delivery\n\nGitLab Ultimate is deeply integrated into the computer science curriculum, moving students beyond simple `git` commands to practical **DevSecOps implementation**.\n\n* **Git fundamentals:** Students begin by visualizing concepts using open-source tools to master Git concepts.\n\n* **Full CI/CD implementation:** Students use GitLab CI for rigorous **Test-Driven Development (TDD)** in their software projects. They learn to build, test, and perform quality assurance using unit and integration testing pipelines—core competency made seamless by the integrated platform.\n\n* **DevSecOps for research and documentation:** The university teaches students that DevSecOps principles are vital for all collaborative work. Inspired by earlier work in Delft, students manage and produce critical research documentation (PDFs from Markdown files) using GitLab, incorporating quality checks like linters and spell checks directly in the CI pipeline. This ensures high-quality, reproducible research output.\n\n* **Future-proofing security skills:** The GitLab Ultimate platform immediately positions the institution to incorporate advanced DevSecOps features like SAST and DAST scanning as their research and development code projects grow, ensuring students are prepared for industry security standards.\n\n## Accelerating open source contributions with GitLab Duo\n\nAccess to the full GitLab platform, including our AI capabilities, has empowered students to make impactful contributions to the wider open source community faster than ever before.\n\nTwo Master's students recently completed direct contributions to the GitLab product, adding the **ORCID identifier** into user profiles. Working on GitLab.com, they leveraged **GitLab Duo's AI chat and code suggestions** to navigate the codebase efficiently.\n\n***\"This would not have been possible without GitLab Duo,\" Daniel Le Berre notes. \"The AI features helped students, who might have lacked deep codebase knowledge, deliver meaningful contributions in just two weeks.\"***\n\nThis demonstrates how providing students with cutting-edge tools **accelerates their learning and impact**, allowing them to translate classroom knowledge into real-world contributions immediately.\n\n## Empowering open research and institutional control\n\nThe stability of the self-managed instance at Artois University is key to its success. This model guarantees **institutional control and stability** — a critical factor for long-term research preservation.\n\nThe institution's expertise in this area was recently highlighted in a major 2024 study led by CRIL, titled: \"[Higher Education and Research Forges in France - Definition, uses, limitations encountered and needs analysis](https://hal.science/hal-04208924v4)\" ([Project on GitLab](https://gitlab.in2p3.fr/coso-college-codes-sources-et-logiciels/forges-esr-en)). The research found that the vast majority of public forges in French Higher Education and Research relied on **GitLab**. This finding underscores the consensus among academic leaders that self-hosted solutions are essential for **data control and longevity**, especially when compared to relying on external, commercial forges.\n\n## Unlock GitLab Ultimate for your institution today\n\nThe success story of **Artois University's CRIL** proves the transformative power of the GitLab for Education program. By providing **free access to GitLab Ultimate**, we enable large-scale institutions to:\n\n1.  **Deliver a modern, integrated DevSecOps curriculum.**\n\n2.  **Support advanced, collaborative research projects with Ultimate planning features.**\n\n3.  **Empower students to make AI-assisted open source contributions.**\n\n4.  **Maintain institutional control and data longevity.**\n\nIf your academic institution is ready to equip its students and researchers with the complete DevSecOps platform and its most advanced features, we invite you to join the program.\n\nThe program provides **free access to GitLab Ultimate** for qualifying instructional and non-commercial research use cases.\n\n**Apply now [online](https://about.gitlab.com/solutions/education/join/).**\n",{"slug":738,"featured":24,"template":13},"artois-university-elevates-curriculum-with-gitlab-ultimate-for-education",{"promotions":740},[741,755,766],{"id":742,"categories":743,"header":745,"text":746,"button":747,"image":752},"ai-modernization",[744],"ai-ml","Is AI achieving its promise at scale?","Quiz will take 5 minutes or less",{"text":748,"config":749},"Get your AI maturity score",{"href":750,"dataGaName":751,"dataGaLocation":237},"/assessments/ai-modernization-assessment/","modernization assessment",{"config":753},{"src":754},"https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1772138786/qix0m7kwnd8x2fh1zq49.png",{"id":756,"categories":757,"header":758,"text":746,"button":759,"image":763},"devops-modernization",[711,553],"Are you just managing tools or shipping innovation?",{"text":760,"config":761},"Get your DevOps maturity score",{"href":762,"dataGaName":751,"dataGaLocation":237},"/assessments/devops-modernization-assessment/",{"config":764},{"src":765},"https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1772138785/eg818fmakweyuznttgid.png",{"id":767,"categories":768,"header":770,"text":746,"button":771,"image":775},"security-modernization",[769],"security","Are you trading speed for security?",{"text":772,"config":773},"Get your security maturity score",{"href":774,"dataGaName":751,"dataGaLocation":237},"/assessments/security-modernization-assessment/",{"config":776},{"src":777},"https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1772138786/p4pbqd9nnjejg5ds6mdk.png",{"header":779,"blurb":780,"button":781,"secondaryButton":786},"Start building faster today","See what your team can do with the intelligent orchestration platform for DevSecOps.\n",{"text":782,"config":783},"Get your free trial",{"href":784,"dataGaName":44,"dataGaLocation":785},"https://gitlab.com/-/trial_registrations/new?glm_content=default-saas-trial&glm_source=about.gitlab.com/","feature",{"text":489,"config":787},{"href":48,"dataGaName":49,"dataGaLocation":785},1773350808389]