GitLab Account Setup

Setting up a GitLab account takes less than five minutes. This topic walks you through registration, profile configuration, and SSH key setup so you can start working with repositories right away.

Step 1 — Create Your Account

Go to gitlab.com and click Register now. Fill in your name, username, email, and password. GitLab sends a confirmation email. Click the link in that email to activate your account.

  gitlab.com
  ┌─────────────────────────────┐
  │  Name:     [John Doe      ] │
  │  Username: [johndoe       ] │
  │  Email:    [j@email.com   ] │
  │  Password: [••••••••••••  ] │
  │                             │
  │       [ Register ]          │
  └─────────────────────────────┘
         ↓
  Check your inbox → Click confirmation link → Account active

Step 2 — Complete Your Profile

After logging in, click your avatar in the top-right corner and choose Edit profile. Add a profile photo, a short bio, your timezone, and your preferred programming language. A complete profile helps teammates recognize you quickly.

Fields Worth Filling In

Step 3 — Set Up Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

2FA adds a second lock to your account. Even if someone steals your password, they cannot log in without the second code from your phone.

  Normal Login                  Login with 2FA
  ─────────────                 ──────────────
  Enter password → Access       Enter password
                                     ↓
                                Enter 6-digit code from app
                                     ↓
                                     Access

Go to Preferences → Account → Two-factor Authentication. Install an authenticator app like Google Authenticator on your phone, scan the QR code GitLab shows, and enter the six-digit code to confirm setup.

Step 4 — Add an SSH Key

SSH keys let your computer talk to GitLab securely without typing your password every time you push or pull code. Think of an SSH key as a digital ID card — your computer presents it automatically.

How SSH Keys Work

  Your Computer                           GitLab
  ┌───────────────┐                     ┌─────────────────┐
  │ Private Key   │  ─── handshake ──▶  | Public Key      │
  │ (stays local) │  ◀─ verified ───    |(stored here)    │
  └───────────────┘                     └─────────────────┘
  
  Private key = your door key (never share it)
  Public key  = the lock on GitLab (safe to share)

Generate an SSH Key on Your Computer

Open your terminal and run:

  ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your@email.com"

Press Enter three times to accept the default file location and skip the passphrase. Two files appear in your .ssh folder:

• id_ed25519 — your private key (never share this)
• id_ed25519.pub — your public key (copy this to GitLab)

Add the Public Key to GitLab

Run cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub and copy the output. In GitLab, go to Preferences → SSH Keys, paste the key, give it a title like "My Laptop", and click Add key.

Test the Connection

  ssh -T git@gitlab.com
  
  Expected response:
  Welcome to GitLab, @johndoe!

Step 5 — Configure Git on Your Computer

Git needs to know your name and email so that every commit you make is stamped with your identity. Run these two commands once:

  git config --global user.name "John Doe"
  git config --global user.email "john@email.com"

Step 6 — Explore Notification Settings

GitLab can email you every time someone mentions you, closes an issue, or merges your code. Go to Preferences → Notifications and choose the level that suits you.

Your Account Is Ready

You now have a secure, fully configured GitLab account. Your SSH key handles authentication silently in the background. Every commit you push carries your name and email automatically. You are ready to create your first project.