Compare JFrog VS. GitLab

Platform

Hybrid
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Multi-Cloud
Guaranteed 99.9% Uptime SLA
Multi-Site Replication & Federation
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Partial
Fine-Grained Role-Based Access Control
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DevOps

Supported Technologies
32 Repository Types
11 Repository Types
Docker Hub and Maven Central only
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Docker Hub only
Efficient Storage Management & Deduplication
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Build Info - SBOM Creation At Build Time
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Release-First Lifecycle Management
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Partial
Advanced CI/CD Pipeline Automation
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Cryptographically Signed Pipelines
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Accelerated Deployments and Concurrent Downloads
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Manage ML Models Alongside Packages & Artifacts
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DevSecOps

Overall Maturity
Enterprise-grade
Expert Security Research Team
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First Line of Defense for Allowing Only Policy-Compliant OSS Packages into your Software Supply Chain
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Seamless performance and developer experience
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Software Composition Analysis (SCA)
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Partial
Continuous Security Monitoring
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Quick Impact Analysis With Traceability
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Partial
Continuous Security Monitoring
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Quick Impact Analysis With Traceability
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IDE Integration
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Issue Tracker Integration
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Integration Into Git Repositories
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Comprehensive Container Image Scanning
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Partial
Single Pane Of Glass For Binary Security
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Efficient, Locally-Run 1st Party Code Scanning (SAST)
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Partial
Naive analysis & no IDE integration
Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST)
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Infrastructure As Code (IaC) Scanning
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Exposed Secrets Detection
Yes
Within container images - finished product
Yes
Within source code
Detection Of Insecure Use Of Libraries And Services
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Remediation Prioritization With Contextual Analysis
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API Security
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Operational Risk Analysis
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Block Harmful AI Components
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OSS Package Catalog
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Runtime Security - Software Integrity and Lineage from Code to Cloud
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IoT

Update, Control, Monitor And Secure Remote Linux & IoT Devices As First Class Citizens Of DevOps
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Device-level Software Security
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Remote Control and Remote Commands
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GitLab Compared to JFrog for Software Supply Chain Management

Looking for a GitLab alternative or complementary solution? GitLab is a great solution for source control management and CI. When it comes to securely managing the lifecycle of software artifacts at scale across the entire software development lifecycle, most organizations that are concerned with software supply chain trust will not be able to solely rely on GitLab. A true supply chain management solution must focus on the asset that will run in production - the software binary.
See how to integrate GitLab CI with JFrog for best results.

GitLab DevSecOps Platform vs JFrog DevSecOps Platform

The JFrog Platform, with JFrog Artifactory at its core, is focused on managing the flow of software artifacts and the metadata relationships between them, and serves as a single system of record for the entire organization’s software inventory. Key capabilities of the Platform include proxying and caching 3rd party packages for consistent, reliable access even across remote locations, as well as enterprise grade support for over 30 package types, multi-site support, continuous security monitoring focused both on source code and binaries, prioritization of long lists of vulnerabilities, actionable policies, and a guaranteed uptime SLA in the cloud that you can rely on.

Managing Binaries with GitLab

GitLab’s focus is the source code repository, so it isn’t purpose-built to manage and cache binary files at enterprise scale. However, the increasingly large volumes and complexity of packages within organizations’ software development ecosystems require a more systematic and automated approach to the management of software artifacts. The JFrog Platform was built to track and store package workflow, approval, and usage metadata; and provide shared visibility with a structure that defines how, who, and where packages can be used.

Scaling with GitLab vs JFrog

Unlike JFrog Artifactory, GitLab’s support for packages at scale is limited, forcing them to implement mechanisms such as rate limiting. These mechanisms will most likely break automation processes – the way packages are primarily used at scale. GitLab’s lack of expertise in package management and their focus on source code led them to implement their package solution with the Git user as the consumer in mind, rather than as a service for the CI process.

GitLab Security vs JFrog Security

It’s no surprise that the vast majority of GitLab’s users are focused around source code management and CI/CD capabilities. The GitLab Package Registry and DevSecOps capabilities are less adopted because they are not mature enough for many enterprises. GitLab themselves admit that most parts of their platform aren’t mature (GitLab Maturity).

FAQ

What’s the best GitLab alternative?

GitLab has many strengths, but many enterprises begin looking for alternatives to GitLab - like JFrog Artifactory or the JFrog Platform - when they need to scale, utilize multi-cloud functionality, or incorporate enterprise-grade security into the software supply chain management processes.

Is GitLab better than Artifactory?

GitLab has great source control and CI solutions that are heavily utilized. But most companies are looking for a DevOps single source of record like JFrog Artifactory. Compared to GitLab, most companies will enjoy Artifactory’s 30+ native package type support, high availability, scale and more - including integration with advanced security tools GitLab can’t offer.

Who competes with GitLab?

GitLab competitors include JFrog, Microsoft, GitHub and more.