Convert GitHub Actions workflows to GitLab CI .gitlab-ci.yml in your browser. Translates jobs, runners, matrix builds, caching, artifacts, and 50+ common Actions. Side-by-side diff, audit log, no upload.
Converting a GitHub Actions workflow to GitLab CI is mostly a matter of vocabulary, not semantics. Both platforms model jobs that run on a runner, depend on other jobs, and produce artifacts — but the keys, the expression syntax, and the way reusable steps are packaged are all different. The most surprising mismatches are around job dependencies (GitHub uses `needs:` while GitLab uses `needs:` *and* `stages:`), caching (an action vs. a job-level block), and Actions themselves (GitHub's `actions/*` ecosystem has no GitLab analog beyond shell commands).
The converter on this page parses your workflow into a canonical pipeline representation, then re-emits it as GitLab CI YAML. Every transformation is annotated with a confidence level so you know exactly what to verify. Common Actions like `actions/checkout`, `actions/setup-node`, `actions/cache`, and `actions/upload-artifact` are translated into native GitLab equivalents (auto-checkout, before_script installs, job-level cache and artifacts blocks). Less common Actions are translated into the equivalent shell commands, with the original reference preserved as a comment.
| Concept | GitHub Actions | GitLab CI |
|---|---|---|
| Top-level workflow | name: CI on: push: | workflow: rules: - if: $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE == "push" |
| Branch filter | on: push: branches: [main] | rules: - if: $CI_COMMIT_BRANCH == "main" |
| Matrix | strategy: matrix: node: [18, 20, 22] | parallel: matrix: - NODE: ["18", "20", "22"] |
| Runner image | runs-on: ubuntu-latest | image: ubuntu:22.04 |
| Job dependency | needs: [build] | needs: [build] stage: deploy |
| Cache | - uses: actions/cache@v4 with: key: ... path: node_modules | cache: key: ... paths: [node_modules/] |
| Artifact | - uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4 with: path: dist | artifacts: paths: [dist] |
| Secret reference | ${{ secrets.TOKEN }} | $TOKEN |
| Conditional | if: github.ref_name == 'main' | rules: - if: $CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME == "main" |
GitLab checks out automatically
There is no equivalent of `actions/checkout` — the runner clones the repository before the first script line. Drop the checkout step entirely.
Stages are mandatory for ordering
GitLab uses both `stages:` and `needs:`. The converter assigns each job a stage based on its dependencies; keep the auto-generated `stages:` list at the top.
Cache is job-level, not a step
The converter hoists every `actions/cache` invocation into a top-of-job `cache:` block. The original step becomes a comment, which you can safely remove.
Secrets are environment variables
GitHub `${{ secrets.NAME }}` becomes plain `$NAME` in GitLab. Recreate every secret as a CI/CD variable in Settings → CI/CD → Variables.
Reusable workflows have no equivalent
GitLab uses `include:` and `extends:` for reuse, with different semantics. The converter flags reusable-workflow calls for manual review.
A simple test job becomes a single GitLab job with the equivalent image and script.
name: CI
on:
push:
branches: [main]
jobs:
test:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v4
- uses: actions/setup-node@v4
with:
node-version: 20
- run: npm ci
- run: npm teststages:
- stage-0
test:
stage: stage-0
image: node:20
script:
- npm ci
- npm testGitHub's `docker/build-push-action` becomes a buildx command. The login and setup actions become explicit shell steps.
name: Build
on:
push:
branches: [main]
jobs:
build:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v4
- uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@v3
- uses: docker/login-action@v3
with:
username: ${{ secrets.DOCKERHUB_USERNAME }}
password: ${{ secrets.DOCKERHUB_TOKEN }}
- uses: docker/build-push-action@v5
with:
push: true
tags: myorg/myapp:lateststages:
- stage-0
build:
stage: stage-0
image: docker:24
services:
- docker:24-dind
script:
- docker buildx create --use --name builder
- echo "$DOCKERHUB_TOKEN" | docker login -u "$DOCKERHUB_USERNAME" --password-stdin
- docker buildx build --tag myorg/myapp:latest --push .Reusable workflow invocations (`uses: org/repo/.github/workflows/foo.yml@ref`) are flagged as manual-review. GitLab's `include:` system works differently — you typically need to flatten reusable workflows into the parent or convert them to GitLab job templates with `extends:`.
Composite actions are also flagged for review. The recommended pattern on GitLab is a job template (a hidden `.template-job:`) referenced via `extends:`. The converter does not currently auto-flatten composites — paste the action's steps inline if you need a quick conversion.
The converter sets the runner image to a sensible default (ubuntu:22.04 for `ubuntu-latest`). Override the `image:` to match your existing GitHub runner toolchain — node:20, python:3.11, etc.
There is no direct equivalent. The converter emits a TODO with a pointer to use the `gh` CLI or the @octokit/rest SDK. You will need to rewrite the JS by hand.
Every detected `secrets.*` reference is added to the audit report as a checklist of secrets to recreate as GitLab CI/CD variables. The converter never sends secret names anywhere; the checklist is generated locally.
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