gitlab-to-gitea

Go-based tool for migrating GitLab repositories, users, groups, issues and related data to Gitea instances.

More-or-less a port of gitlab-to-gitea from python to Go because fixing python appears to be a thing I just can't get my mind around, but rewriting it? I'm actually OK at that.

Also includes:

• cmd/forkfix, for fixing fork relationships between migrated repositories by manipulating the gitea sql database
• cmd/unmigrate to delete everything from a gitea instance except for the admin users
• cmd/mirror to set up a mirror from github to gitea
• cmd/orgfix to establish an organization's repositories as the "parent fork" by manipulating the gitea sql database
• cmd/namefix to discover repositories that have identical initial commit hashes but different names
• cmd/johnconnor which is a super-dangerous script for eliminating spam accounts from gitlab instances.

Core Functionality

• Migrates users, groups, and their relationships from GitLab to Gitea
• Transfers repositories with labels, milestones, issues, and comments
• Preserves user relationships (collaborators) and SSH keys
• Supports resumable migrations through state tracking
• Handles username normalization and entity mapping between platforms

Go Implementation Improvements

• Modular package structure instead of monolithic script
• Configuration via environment variables rather than hardcoded values
• Added utility tools (forkfix, unmigrate, johnconnor, mirror, orgfix, namefix)
• Database connectivity for commit action imports
• Improved error handling with recovery mechanisms
• Separation of API client code from migration logic

Installation

1. Ensure Go 1.24+ is installed
2. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/go-i2p/gitlab-to-gitea.git
   cd gitlab-to-gitea

3. Install dependencies:

   go mod download

4. Build the executable:

   go build -o gitlab-to-gitea ./cmd/migrate/

Configuration

1. Copy the example environment file:

   cp _env.example .env

2. Edit .env with your GitLab and Gitea details:

   GITLAB_URL=https://your-gitlab-instance.com
   GITLAB_TOKEN=your-gitlab-token
   GITEA_URL=https://your-gitea-instance.com
   GITEA_TOKEN=your-gitea-token
   

Usage

Execute the migration tool after configuration:

./gitlab-to-gitea

The tool will:

1. Connect to both GitLab and Gitea instances
2. Migrate users and groups first
3. Migrate projects with all associated data
4. Track progress in migration_state.json (resumable if interrupted)

Key Dependencies

• github.com/xanzy/go-gitlab: GitLab API client
• github.com/joho/godotenv: Environment variable handling
• github.com/go-sql-driver/mysql: Optional database connectivity for action import
• github.com/mattn/go-sqlite3: forkfix sqlite handling

Optional Features

For commit action import to Gitea's activity timeline:

1. Configure database details in .env
2. Generate a commit log file
3. Use the database import functionality in the gitea package

License

MIT License