Why Migrate to Another Git Platform and How to Import Projects to GitLab.com

Why Migrate to Another Git Platform?

Today I received a notification from JihuLab (the Chinese SaaS GitLab) that the free trial period for the basic plan will be reduced to 90 days, after which accounts that are not upgraded to a paid plan will be disabled. Users can either upgrade or migrate their data to a self‑hosted JihuLab instance. The change takes effect on 2 January 2024.

The official statement (see https://gitlab.cn/blog/2023/11/29/saas-adjustment/) explains that the company is shifting resources to better serve enterprise customers, and therefore free SaaS users will have a limited usage period. Existing users registered before the adjustment can continue using the SaaS for another 90 days from 2 January 2024. New users registering after the adjustment receive a 90‑day free period from the day of registration. After the 90‑day period, accounts that are not upgraded will be disabled, but data will be retained for three years before permanent deletion. During the disabled period, data can be migrated by contacting [email protected].

Importing Projects to GitLab.com

I have several test projects on gitlab.cn (JihuLab). After receiving the notice, I decided to migrate them to another Git platform. Below are the steps I followed to move the projects to gitlab.com.

Step 1: Create a personal access token in JihuLab

Step 2: In GitLab.com, choose “Import project group” and configure the connection

Step 3: Select the project groups to migrate

Step 4: Import in progress

Step 5: Import completed

Step 6: Result – projects imported as sub‑groups

Step 7: Quick verification – project integrity and issue history are intact

After completing these steps, the projects are fully migrated and available at the new GitLab.com address: https://gitlab.com/cidevops.