User passwords

If you use a password to sign in to GitLab, a strong password is very important. A weak or guessable password makes it easier for unauthorized people to sign in to your account.

Some organizations require you to meet certain requirements when choosing a password.

Improve the security of your account with two-factor authentication.

Password requirements

Password requirements apply when you:

• Choose a password during registration.
• Reset your password.
• Change your password.
• Have an administrator create or update your account.

By default, GitLab enforces the following requirements:

• Minimum password length: 8 characters.
• Maximum password length: 128 characters.
• Must not match a list of 4,500+ known, breached passwords.
• Must not contain part of your name, username, or email address.
• Must not contain a predictable word (for example, gitlab or devops).

On GitLab Self-Managed and GitLab Dedicated, administrators can modify password complexity requirements.

Compromised password detection

GitLab can notify you if your GitLab.com credentials are compromised as part of a data breach on another service or platform. GitLab credentials are encrypted and GitLab itself does not have direct access to them.

When a compromised credential is detected, GitLab displays a security banner and sends an email alert that includes instructions on how to change your password and strengthen your account security.

Compromised password detection is unavailable when authenticating with an external provider, or if your account is already locked.

Choose your password

You can choose a password when you create a user account.

Passwords for externally authenticated accounts

If your account was created with an external authentication and authorization provider, GitLab automatically generates a random password to maintain data consistency.

This password has the following properties:

• 128 characters in length
• Generated using the Devise gem’s friendly_token method
• Unique and secure

You don’t need to know or use this password.

Change your password

You can change your password. The new password must meet the password requirements.

To change your password:

1. In the upper-right corner, select your avatar.
2. Select Edit profile.
3. On the left sidebar, select Password.
4. In the Current password text box, enter your current password.
5. In the New password and Password confirmation text box, enter your new password.
6. Select Save password.

Reset your password

If you forget your password, you can submit a request to reset your password.

To reset your password:

1. Go to the GitLab sign-in page.
   • On GitLab.com, this is available at https://gitlab.com/users/sign_in.
   • On GitLab Self-Managed and GitLab Dedicated, use your domain. For example, gitlab.example.com/users/sign_in.
2. Select Forgot your password?.
3. Enter your email.
4. Select Reset password.

You are redirected to the sign-in page. If the provided email is verified and associated with an existing account, GitLab sends a password reset email.

Credential storage

GitLab stores user passwords in a hashed format, not as plain text. To hash passwords, GitLab uses the Devise authentication library.

Password hashes use these security measures:

• Hashing algorithm:
  • Bcrypt: Used by default.
  • PBKDF2+SHA512: Used when FIPS mode is enabled.
• Stretching: Passwords are stretched to protect against brute-force attacks. The stretching factor depends on the hashing algorithm:
  • Bcrypt: 10
  • PBKDF2+SHA512: 20,000
• Salting: A random cryptographic salt is generated for each password to protect against pre-computed hash and dictionary attacks. Each password has a unique salt.

OAuth access tokens are also stored in the database in PBKDF2+SHA512 format and stretched 20,000 times.