Setting Up GitLab on Ubuntu with HAProxy and Using HTTPS for Development – Complete Guide - Onsys Technologies

Setting Up GitLab on Ubuntu with HAProxy and Using HTTPS for Development – Complete Guide

In modern software engineering, having a centralized, secure, and scalable code repository is critical. This guide walks through a real-world implementation of a self-hosted GitLab platform deployed on an Ubuntu VM, integrated with HAProxy for SSL termination, and configured for developer access via HTTPS.

This article also includes real troubleshooting scenarios and essential Git commands every developer should know.

🧱 Architecture Overview

Developers → HTTPS → HAProxy → GitLab (Ubuntu VM)

Key Components:

HAProxy → Handles SSL (HTTPS termination)
GitLab → Runs internally over HTTP
Developers → Access repositories securely via HTTPS

⚙️ Step 1: Install GitLab on Ubuntu

Prepare the server:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt install -y curl openssh-server ca-certificates tzdata perl

Install GitLab:

curl https://packages.gitlab.com/install/repositories/gitlab/gitlab-ce/script.deb.sh | sudo bash
sudo EXTERNAL_URL="http://your-domain" apt install gitlab-ce -y

🔧 Step 2: Configure GitLab Behind HAProxy

Edit configuration:

sudo nano /etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb

Update:

external_url "http://your-domain"nginx['listen_port'] = 80
nginx['listen_https'] = falsenginx['proxy_set_headers'] = {
  "X-Forwarded-Proto" => "https",
  "X-Forwarded-Ssl" => "on"
}

Apply changes:

sudo gitlab-ctl reconfigure

🌐 Step 3: Configure HAProxy

Example configuration:

frontend https_front
    bind *:443 ssl crt /path/to/certificate.pem
    mode http
    default_backend gitlab_backendbackend gitlab_backend
    mode http
    option forwardfor
    http-request set-header X-Forwarded-Proto https
    http-request set-header X-Forwarded-Ssl on
    server gitlab1 <private-ip>:80 check

👥 Step 4: Setup Users and Projects

Inside GitLab Community Edition:

Create users
Create a project
Assign roles:
- Developer
- Maintainer

💡 Best Practice: Use Groups instead of assigning users per project.

🔐 Step 5: Use HTTPS Instead of SSH

Clone repository:

git clone https://your-domain/group/project.git

📤 Step 6: Push Code from Windows (or any developer machine)

Initialize repository:

git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"
git branch -M main

Add remote:

git remote add origin https://your-domain/group/project.git

Push:

git push -u origin main

⚠️ Troubleshooting (Real Issues & Fixes)

❌ Error: `src refspec main does not match any`

Cause:

No commits exist yet.

Fix:

git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"

❌ Error: `remote origin already exists`

Fix:

git remote set-url origin https://your-domain/group/project.git

❌ Error: `non-fast-forward / fetch first`

Cause:

Remote repo already contains files.

Fix:

git pull origin main --allow-unrelated-histories

❌ Merge Conflict (e.g., README.md)

Example:

CONFLICT (add/add): Merge conflict in README.md

Fix:

Open file
Remove markers:

<<<<<<< HEAD
=======
>>>>>>> ...

Save and run:

git add README.md
git commit -m "Resolve merge conflict"
git push

❌ Authentication Issues (HTTPS)

Solution:

Use Personal Access Token (PAT) instead of password:

Username → GitLab username
Password → PAT

❌ SSH Key Not Working

Cause:

Key not added to GitLab
SSH agent not running

Fix:

Use HTTPS instead OR properly configure SSH keys.

❌ Git Push Rejected

Cause:

Local branch behind remote

Fix:

git pull origin main
git push

🧰 Useful Git Commands (Cheat Sheet)

🔍 Check status

git status

🔗 View remote

git remote -v

➕ Add files

git add .

💾 Commit changes

git commit -m "message"

📤 Push code

git push

📥 Pull latest changes

git pull origin main

🔄 Change remote URL

git remote set-url origin <new-url>

🌿 Create new branch

git checkout -b feature-branch

🔀 Merge branch

git merge branch-name

⚠️ Force push (use carefully)

git push --force

🔎 View commit history

git log --oneline

🧠 Key Lessons Learned

✅ HTTPS simplifies onboarding

No SSH key setup required for developers

✅ Always expect initial merge conflicts

Especially when GitLab auto-generates README

✅ Git error messages are helpful

They guide you to the solution

✅ HAProxy provides clean SSL architecture

Decouples SSL from GitLab

🚀 Final Thoughts

Setting up a self-hosted GitLab with HAProxy and HTTPS access provides:

Secure developer access
Scalable architecture
Flexibility for enterprise environments

With proper setup, your team can:

Push code securely
Collaborate efficiently
Extend into CI/CD pipelines

📌 Next Steps

To take this further:

Setup GitLab CI/CD pipelines
Integrate with Azure DevOps / Kubernetes
Enable SSO (Entra ID)
Configure automated backups

Setting Up GitLab on Ubuntu with HAProxy and Using HTTPS for Development – Complete Guide