Today's Deep-Dive: GitLab

Welcome back everybody to another deep dive today.

We're going to be taking a look at GitLab and for this one,

we're going to have a little help from our friends at safe server.

They know a thing or two about digital transformation and hosting software just

like GitLab. You can check them out at www.safeserver.dde.

Now you might be thinking of GitLab is just that place where you store your code,

but the stuff that we've been looking at suggests that they're aiming for

something way, way bigger. Yeah, a lot bigger. Yeah.

I think 80 times faster bills AI just sprinkled all over the place and a single

platform for like your entire software development process.

That sounds pretty ambitious, right? It is, it is. And you know,

one of the things that's really interesting is how GitLab is positioning themselves.

They're calling themselves the most comprehensive AI powered dev sec ops

platform. So they're really kind of like hammering home that message. Yeah.

And the AI aspect definitely jumps out at you.

It's like they're trying to weave it into like every single part of software

development and even say that it helps them ship secure software faster.

And it's not just them talking, you know,

they were recognized as a leader in Gartner's magic quadrant for both AI code

assistance and DevOps platforms. Yeah.

They have a lot of serious industry accolades,

but let's break this down a little bit.

What does all this really mean for someone who maybe isn't, you know,

knee deep in the software world every single day? Yeah. Right.

So let's start with like the term dev sec ops.

That sounds a little bit like someone just made up a word.

It does sound like a made up word, but actually it's a pretty important concept.

It's basically, you know, you've got your development team,

your security team and your operations team,

and it's bringing all those teams together under one roof.

They're working together through that whole process of building software.

So it's really about breaking down those traditional silos.

So instead of having all these different teams working totally separate from

each other, it's like a more collaborative approach.

Exactly. Yeah, exactly.

And that's where the idea of like a single platform comes and GitLab is

basically saying, Hey, wouldn't it be great if you could manage, you know,

all your code, your testing, security deployment, all that stuff, all in one place.

I mean, I guess that does sound appealing from like a simplicity standpoint,

but like realistically, is that even possible?

Well, that's what we're here to try to explore. GitLab certainly thinks.

So they're touting all these benefits, like, you know, increased automation,

you know, being more productive, tighter security, more flexibility.

And that's all because you're not, you know, constantly switching between,

you know, five, six, seven different tools. Okay. I mean, that makes sense,

but I'm still a little bit stuck on like how bold those claims that they're

making are, especially that 80 times faster build figure.

Like what does that actually look like in practice?

Well, they have some pretty compelling case studies that back up that figure,

you know, like Lockheed Martin, you know, the big aerospace giant,

they reported an 80 times speed increase in their builds and then a 90% reduction

in system maintenance time after they started using GitLab.

80 times faster.

So I'm picturing like a developer goes to grab a cup of coffee and by the time

they come back, their code's all built and ready to go.

Pretty much.

Yeah.

It frees up developers to focus on the more creative and complex parts of their

work instead of getting bogged down in like those tedious tasks.

And it's not even just Speed Iron Mountain, the data storage and management company.

They saw huge cost savings, like $150,000 every year.

And they shaved off like 20 hours from their onboarding time for each project.

Okay.

Now we're talking about like real impact.

This is some serious numbers, but let's be real for a second.

This is all coming straight from, you know, their marketing material.

So it's probably safe to say that they're painting a pretty rosy picture, right?

Yeah, of course.

Every company wants to, you know, highlight their successes.

It's always smart to kind of approach these claims with, you know, a

healthy dose of skepticism.

Those case studies are impressive, but you know, they're just snapshots.

They're not the whole picture.

Right.

Exactly.

So what are some questions that we should be asking to kind of dig a little deeper?

You know, what's lurking beneath the surface here?

Well, for starters, you know, how does GitLab's pricing scale, you know, can

it handle the complexities of like a really large organization with, you

know, thousands of developers?

And then what about the potential for vendor lock-in, you know, where you

become so reliant on one company's platform that switching to something

else is a huge headache.

Well, getting trapped in a tech ecosystem is never ideal, but wouldn't

the benefits of a unified platform outweigh that risk if it actually like

delivers on all of its promises?

Yeah, that's a valid point.

It's all about weighing the pros and cons.

And speaking of weighing things, we haven't even talked about the AI

features that GitLab keeps highlighting.

Is that just a buzzword or is there some real substance there?

Yeah, the AI angle feels like a little bit of a mystery box, you know, what's

actually going on under the hood.

Well, their AI suite is called GitLab Duo, and it's supposed to help developers

through that entire development life cycle.

It's kind of like a co-pilot for your code.

Okay.

So what does that co-pilot actually do?

Like give me some concrete examples.

So imagine you're writing code and all of a sudden GitLab Duo suggests the next

line that you're about to type.

It's like an auto complete, but for programming, it can save you a ton of time

and it can even catch potential errors before they become problems.

And then they also have AI powered security scanning tools that can identify

vulnerabilities early on.

So it's not just about speed.

It's about writing cleaner, more secure code right for the beginning.

That's pretty impressive.

Exactly.

And that's where the real value of AI and DevSecOps comes in.

It's all about intelligent automation, using AI to not just speed things up,

but also to make the software, you know, better and safer.

That makes sense.

But call me old fashioned.

Isn't there a risk of becoming too reliant on AI?

What if it misses something crucial or makes a mistake?

Yeah, you're right to be cautious.

AI is a powerful tool, but it's not a replacement for human expertise.

You know, developers still need to understand how the AI works, you know,

its limitations and how to interpret its results.

It's more a partnership than a takeover.

So it's more about AI augmenting human capabilities, not replacing them entirely.

It's like a safety net for developers, helping them catch things they might've

missed.

Exactly.

It's humans and AI working together to build better software faster and more

securely.

But we shouldn't get carried away with all the hype.

You know, we need to think about the potential downsides of

relying on a platform like GitLab.

Okay.

So let's play devil's advocate for a second.

What are some of those potential pitfalls?

Well, one challenge could be complexity.

You know, GitLab is incredibly feature rich, which can be a little overwhelming,

especially for people who are new to it.

It's having a Swiss army knife with a hundred different blades.

You might not even know where to start.

Yeah.

Too many options can definitely be paralyzing.

And I imagine that steep learning curve could lead to some frustration and

potentially even errors if people aren't properly trained.

Exactly.

And with that much power at your fingertips, there's more room for things to

go wrong if you're not careful.

It's really crucial to have a solid understanding of the platform before you

just dive in head first.

So robust training and support are essential.

You don't want to hand someone like a superpower tool without, you know,

teaching them how to use it safely and effectively.

Absolutely.

And that's another thing to consider the level of support that you need might

depend on your organization's size and budget.

So it's not a one size fits all solution.

Companies really need to carefully assess their needs and resources before they

jump in, but stepping back for a second, GitLab seems to have this grand vision

that goes way beyond just being a code repository.

They want to be like that central hub for everything related to software

development.

Yeah.

And that vision is driving a lot of innovation in the DevSecOps space or pushing

boundaries and forcing other companies to step up their game.

It's a really exciting time to be a software developer.

It sounds like the software development landscape is evolving at like lightning

speed, but let's say a company truly embraces GitLab and they achieve all those

outcomes that GitLab claims.

What kind of impact could that have on their industry or even the wider tech world?

Now, that's a really fascinating question.

Imagine a world where software is developed at an incredible case with minimal

errors

and robust security that's built in from the ground up.

It could completely revolutionize industries from healthcare to finance to

transportation.

We're talking about a potential paradigm shift.

It's almost mind boggling to think about.

It is, it is.

And that's what makes this whole space so captivating.

You know, we're witnessing this convergence of all these really powerful trends.

You know, you have cloud computing, AI automation and a shift toward more

collaborative development practices.

It seems like all the pieces are falling into place for like a major

transformation in how software is built and delivered and GitLab is positioning

itself to be at the forefront of this whole revolution.

It's like we're standing right on the edge of like a whole new era of software

development and GitLab is just, you know, going all in on it.

They are.

And you know, whether or not they reach like all of those ambitious goals,

they're definitely shaking things up and making the whole industry, you know, step

up their game.

So we've covered a lot of ground today.

We've explored all those claims that GitLab is making, dissected all the jargon,

and we've considered both the potential benefits and, you know, all the risks.

Yeah, we've seen how they're trying to be that, you know, one stop shop for

software

development using AI and automation to hopefully streamline that entire process.

But as with any new technology, you know, there are some valid concerns.

You know, the complexity of it, all the reliance on it and the potential downsides

of, you know, putting all your eggs in one basket.

Exactly. It's super important to approach these new advancements, you know, with a

critical eye and really carefully evaluate whether a platform like GitLab is the

right fit, you know, for your specific needs and goals.

Well said. So to our listeners out there, we've given you a little glimpse into the

world of GitLab. And now we want to hear from you.

What are your thoughts? What parts really resonated with you?

Yeah. What questions are still swirling around in your mind?

What aspects of this deep dive really sparked your curiosity?

Head over to our website or, you know, our social media channels and let us know.

We'd love to hear from, you know, all of our fellow deep divers.

And of course, a huge thank you to Safe Server for supporting the deep dive.

If you're looking for experts in digital transformation and hosting, you can find

them at www.safeserver.de.

We'll catch you on the next episode.

We'll catch you on the next episode.