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The Ultimate Guide to Migrating the Atlassian Stack to GitLab

Learn how to migrate from Atlassian to GitLab with a step-by-step guide covering Jira, Confluence, Bitbucket, and Bamboo migrations, strategy, tools, and best practices.

Written by

Nicole Mocskonyi

Published on

January 12, 2026

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Atlassian’s End-of-Support (EoS) deadline for Data Center, March 28, 2029, has triggered the biggest tooling shift in the DevOps ecosystem since Atlassian ended Server support in 2024. As enterprises re-evaluate their long-term strategy, GitLab stands out as a unified DevSecOps platform capable of replacing Jira, Confluence, Bitbucket, Bamboo, and dozens of Marketplace apps with a single integrated system.

This comprehensive guide expands on industry insights, Atlassian to GitLab migration methodologies, and practical patterns established through VivaOps’ experience delivering large-scale migrations for global engineering teams.

Whether you're moving a single Jira instance or an entire enterprise-grade Atlassian stack, this guide provides the technical, architectural, and operational depth required to migrate confidently.

Why Are Organisations Moving from Atlassian to GitLab?

Atlassian End-of-Support (EoS) Is Reshaping Tooling Strategy

With Atlassian ending support for Jira Software, Jira Service Management, Confluence, Bamboo, and Crowd on March 28, 2029, organisations can no longer rely on on-premise Atlassian tooling beyond that date.

The EoS decision impacts:

Security posture
Compliance obligations
App ecosystem stability
Budget planning
Technical debt across pipelines and workflows

GitLab emerges as a future-ready alternative thanks to long-term support for self-managed, SaaS, hybrid, and air-gapped deployments.

Toolchain Sprawl and Rising Complexity

An average Atlassian customer running Data Center uses:

4–7 core apps (Jira, Confluence, Bitbucket, Bamboo, Crowd, Access)
10–40 Marketplace apps
3–10 custom scripts or integrations
Multiple hosting & access management layers

This creates:

Higher operational overhead
Consistency issues
Security and compliance risks
Integration failures

GitLab replaces this fragmented ecosystem with a single platform across SCM, CI/CD, security scanning, planning, documentation, and compliance.

Cost, Licensing, and Innovation Pace

Atlassian Cloud app parity is still uneven for many enterprise use cases. Combined with rising licensing costs and approaching EoS, organisations are evaluating modern, consolidated alternatives.

GitLab offers:

Lower long-term TCO
Fewer vendors
Reduced plugin reliance
Consistent innovation cycles
Extensive end-to-end DevSecOps capabilities

The Four Major Migration Paths from Atlassian to GitLab

GitLab replaces major components of the Atlassian stack across planning, source control, CI/CD, and documentation, offering a unified DevSecOps environment. Each Atlassian tool maps to GitLab with varying degrees of data portability and workflow redesign.

1. Jira to GitLab Issues & Epics Migration

Migrating Jira to GitLab involves transforming configuration-heavy Jira environments (projects, workflows, fields, schemes) into GitLab’s streamlined and code-centric planning model.

What Can Be Migrated?

Jira Component	GitLab Equivalent	Notes & Transition Logic
Issues	Issues	Core unit of work. Supports titles, descriptions, labels, assignees, and comments.
Epics	Epics	Group-level feature. GitLab Epics support multi-level parent-child relationships (Sub-epics).
Custom Fields	Labels / Scoped Labels	Requires Rationalization: GitLab uses labels (e.g., `priority::high`) to replace most custom fields.
Sprints	Iterations	Time-boxed periods. GitLab Iterations can be automated to repeat and roll over unfinished work.
Boards	Issue Boards	Kanban/Scrum style. You can create multiple boards per project or group based on labels.
Workflows	Issue States	Jira uses complex transitions; GitLab uses simple `Open` and `Closed` states, driven by labels for progress.
Automations	GitLab Automation	Standard rules handle basic triggers. Complex ScriptRunner logic must be replaced with GitLab Triage or Webhooks.
Permissions	Project/Group Roles	GitLab uses a simplified Role-Based Access Control (Guest, Reporter, Developer, Maintainer, Owner).
Attachments	Attachments	Directly supported within the issue description or comments.
Links & Dependencies	Issue Links	Supports "relates to," "blocks," and "is blocked by."
Audit Logs	Audit Events	Available in Premium/Ultimate. Tracks system-level changes, though depth differs from Jira's audit trail.

Detailed Migration Steps

1. Project Structure Analysis

Identify Jira projects and corresponding GitLab groups/projects.
Consolidate redundant project configurations (common in large Jira instances).

2. Workflow Normalisation

Jira workflows often include:

10-40+ custom statuses
Transition conditions
Validators
Post-functions

GitLab supports a simplified, linear workflow:

Open to In Progress to Closed with customizable states.

Outcome:
Most Jira workflows are redesigned, not replicated, to eliminate unnecessary complexity.

3. Custom Field Rationalisation

Jira instances frequently accumulate unused or redundant fields.
During migration:

Map essential fields to GitLab labels or attributes.
Remove/archive unused fields.

4. Issue Type Mapping

Recommended mappings:

Jira Issue Type	GitLab Equivalent	Migration Logic & Best Practices
Story	Issue	Direct mapping. Use a label like `type::story` to maintain categorization.
Task	Issue	Direct mapping. Differentiate from stories using `type::task` labels.
Bug	Issue bug	GitLab typically uses a red "bug" label. This allows bugs to appear in the same issue board as features.
Epic	Epic	Available in GitLab Premium/Ultimate. Epics live at the Group level and can span multiple projects.
Sub-task	Task / Issue Link	GitLab "Tasks" (within an issue) or related/blocked issues. You can also use "Child Epics" for deeper nesting.

5. Sprint Mapping

Jira Sprint to GitLab Iteration

Both support:

Fixed timebox
Velocity tracking
Sprint reports (partial parity)

6. Content Migration

Descriptions converted to Markdown (GitLab-native).
Attachments preserved.
Comments brought forward were supported by the chosen migration tool.

Typical Redesign Opportunities

Simplify over-engineered workflows.
Replace extensive Jira automations with GitLab rules or pipeline-based automation.
Standardize labels across teams for cross-project reporting consistency.

2. Confluence To GitLab Wiki Migration

Confluence is a full-featured collaborative workspace, whereas GitLab Wiki is a lightweight Markdown-based documentation system embedded within each project.

Therefore, migration emphasises content fidelity over feature parity.

What Can Be Migrated?

Confluence Component	GitLab Equivalent	Notes & Transition Logic
Pages	Wiki Pages (Markdown)	Confluence uses XHTML. Migration requires conversion to Markdown. Complex macros (like Jira filters) must be replaced with GitLab integration snippets.
Page Hierarchy	Wiki Folder Structure	GitLab supports nested directories. A /parent-page/child-page structure replaces the visual sidebar hierarchy of Confluence.
Attachments	File Uploads	Images and PDFs are stored within the Wiki's underlying Git repository. They can be referenced using relative Markdown links.
Templates	Wiki Templates	Confluence blueprints do not migrate. You must manually create Markdown files in the templates/ directory of the Wiki repo.
Spaces	Project Wikis / Groups	A Confluence "Space" usually maps to a GitLab "Project Wiki." For cross-team docs, use a dedicated documentation repository.

Migration Steps

1. Page Export & Transformation

Confluence exports content as:

HTML
XML
PDF

Migration requires converting HTML to Markdown using a verified Markdown transformer.

2. Attachment Handling

Download attachments via Confluence export.
Upload to the GitLab project or store within the wiki directory.

3. Space Restructuring

Confluence spaces to GitLab project wikis.
Teams often consolidate multiple Confluence spaces into fewer GitLab repos.

4. Template Migration

Confluence supports Blueprints + Template Variables.
GitLab Wiki supports Markdown templates without variable fields, therefore:

Templates must be rewritten manually.

Areas That Require Redesign

Macros (e.g., Page Properties, Excerpt, Roadmap)
GitLab does not support Confluence macro functionality.
Marketplace Plugins
No plugins exist for GitLab Wikis; features must be rebuilt using:
- Markdown
- GitLab Pages
- GitLab diagrams
Permissions
Confluence supports page-level permissions; GitLab permissions apply at project or group level only.

3. Bitbucket to GitLab Repository Migration

Bitbucket repositories are Git-native, making migration straightforward because GitLab also uses Git as its underlying version control system.

What Can Be Migrated?

Bitbucket Component	GitLab Equivalent	Notes & Strategic Guidance
Git Repos	Git Repos	Full compatibility. Git is universal, so history, tags, and branches migrate with 100% fidelity.
Branch Permissions	Protected Branches	GitLab supports granular protection rules, including restricting who can push, merge, or force-push to specific branches.
Merge Checks	Merge Request Approvals / Rules	Equivalent capabilities. You can require a minimum number of approvals, successful CI pipelines, or resolved threads before merging.
Pull Requests	Merge Requests	Fully supported. The workflow is identical; only the terminology changes from "Pull" to "Merge."
Webhooks	Webhooks	Direct mapping. However, listener URLs on external systems (e.g., Jenkins or Slack) must be updated to the new GitLab triggers.
Pipeline Integrations	CI/CD YAML Config	Bamboo pipelines differ significantly. If using Bitbucket Pipelines (YAML), the logic carries over, but the syntax must be translated to GitLab CI/CD format.

Repository Migration Steps

1. Repository Export

Perform a mirror clone of Bitbucket repos:

git clone --mirror <bitbucket-url>

2. Import to GitLab

Use:

GitLab “Import Project from Repo by URL”
or
git push --mirror <gitlab-url>

3. Permissions Mapping

Bitbucket branch permissions to GitLab protected branches:

Allowed to merge
Allowed to push
Force push disabled
Approval requirements (Premium/Ultimate)

4. Merge Request Mapping

Bitbucket PR metadata (comments, reviewers) is partially migratable depending on tooling.
Git metadata remains fully intact.

5. Webhooks

All webhook endpoints (CI triggers, deployment events) require recreation.

6. Default Branch & Settings

Configure:

Default branch
Merge strategies
Squash rules
Commit sign-off requirements

GitLab SCM Advantages (Verified)

GitLab provides:

Code Owners
Protected branches
Signed commits (GPG or SSH)
Merge request approvals
Suggested reviewers
Server-side hooks (self-managed)

These features streamline governance beyond Bitbucket’s native capabilities.

4. Bamboo to GitLab CI/CD Migration

Bamboo uses a GUI-based pipeline engine, while GitLab uses a YAML-based configuration file, .gitlab-ci.yml, stored inside each repository.

Mapping Bamboo to GitLab CI/CD

Bamboo Component	GitLab CI/CD Equivalent	Notes & Transition Logic
Plan	.gitlab-ci.yml	In GitLab, the entire pipeline is version-controlled within the repository itself rather than configured in a separate UI.
Stages	Stages	Identical conceptual structure. Jobs within a stage run in parallel; stages run sequentially.
Jobs	Jobs	Represent atomic tasks. Unlike Bamboo, GitLab jobs are often defined by the Docker image they run in.
Tasks	Script Steps	Individual commands, shell scripts, or binary executions defined under the script: keyword.
Agents	GitLab Runners	Runners can be shared (instance-wide), group-level, or project-specific. They use "executors" (Docker, Shell, K8s).
Global Variables	CI/CD Variables	Can be defined at the Instance, Group, or Project level. Supports masking and environment scopes.
Artifacts	Artifacts	Similar logic; however, GitLab uses dependencies to control which jobs pull which artifacts.
Deployment Projects	Environments	GitLab tracks deployments via the "Environments" dashboard, providing a history of "who deployed what and when."
Release Gates	Deployment Approvals	Available in GitLab Premium/Ultimate. Requires manual sign-off before a job can proceed to a protected environment.

Pipeline Redesign Process

1. Plan Decomposition

Bamboo Plans to One or more GitLab YAML pipelines:

Identify reusable scripts
Convert tasks into YAML jobs
Extract shell commands into script files when appropriate

2. Stage Mapping

Stages in GitLab follow a linear order:

stages:

- build

- test

- deploy

3. Runner Selection

GitLab supports:

Shell runners
Docker runners
Kubernetes runners
Autoscaling cloud runners

This often unlocks elasticity not available in Bamboo.

4. Variable Mapping

Bamboo global variables to GitLab CI/CD variables:

Masked
Protected
Scoped per environment

5. Deployment Pipeline Recreation

GitLab Environments support:

Review apps
Deployment history
Protected deploys
Rollback rules

6. Approvals & Compliance

GitLab supports:

Deployment approvals
Merge request approvals
Compliance pipelines (Ultimate)

These act as functional equivalents to Bamboo’s gated deployments.

Outcome: Cleaner, More Modular, Future-Ready Pipelines

GitLab pipelines typically become:

More transparent
Version-controlled
Easier to debug
More scalable
Modular using templates and includes

Migration Complexity Overview

Migration Area	Overall Complexity	What Makes It Complex	Key Considerations & Notes
Jira to GitLab Issues & Epics	Medium–High	Jira environments often contain thousands of custom fields, workflows, automations, and ScriptRunner logic.	Requires workflow mapping, field rationalization, and replacement of automations. Hierarchy (epics) maps well, but advanced roadmapping may need redesign.
Confluence to GitLab Wiki	Medium	Macros, embedded scripts, and certain app-based functionality cannot be carried over directly.	Standard pages migrate cleanly to Markdown. Spaces to repo folders. Template recreation required. Good opportunity to declutter and reorganize documentation.
Bitbucket to GitLab SCM	Low	Git is native to both systems; migration is highly predictable.	Merge checks, protections, integrations, and webhooks must be recreated. Most inventories migrate cleanly with minimal redesign.
Bamboo to GitLab CI/CD	Medium–High	Bamboo plans often contain years of layered tasks, custom scripts, and agent dependencies.	Requires pipeline modernization, YAML conversion, runner strategy, and environment mapping. Usually the highest ROI area after redesign.

How VivaOps Helps You Migrate from Atlassian to GitLab

Migrating from Jira, Confluence, Bitbucket, and Bamboo into a unified GitLab platform requires deep knowledge of both ecosystems, careful planning, and a proven methodology. VivaOps brings specialised migration expertise, enterprise governance experience, and real-world execution patterns that reduce risk and accelerate time to value.

End-to-End Migration Expertise Across the Entire Atlassian Stack

VivaOps supports migrations across:

Jira Software to GitLab Issues, Epics, Boards
Confluence to GitLab Wikis / Documentation repositories
Bitbucket to GitLab Source Code Management
Bamboo to GitLab CI/CD

Unlike general-purpose consultancies, VivaOps specialises specifically in GitLab's DevSecOps transformations and toolchain consolidations.

What this means for your organisation:

Accurate, predictable migration timelines
Minimal operational disruption
Aligned workflows across engineering, security, and IT
Reduced licensing and infrastructure overhead
Faster adoption of modern DevSecOps practices

Proven 4-Phase Migration Methodology

VivaOps uses a repeatable, scalable migration framework refined through large-scale enterprise engagements.

Phase 1: Discovery & Assessment

Complete analysis of Jira, Confluence, Bitbucket, Bamboo
Workflow & pipeline mapping
Identification of blockers (macros, custom scripts, plugins)
Rationalisation recommendations to reduce technical debt

Phase 2: Architecture & Migration Planning

GitLab architecture design (SaaS, self-managed, or hybrid)
Runner design & CI/CD modernization roadmap
Documentation restructuring plan
Data, security & compliance strategy

Phase 3: Pilot Migration

Migration of sample Jira projects, Confluence spaces, repos, and pipelines
Validation of workflows, permissions, audit logs
Sandbox testing & redesign decisions

Phase 4: Full Cutover & Adoption Enablement

Final sync & production cutover
SSO, RBAC, compliance & governance rollout
CI/CD hardening & optimisation
Training for product, engineering, DevOps, and security teams

Conclusion: Move with Confidence, Not Urgency

Atlassian’s 2029 Data Center end-of-support deadline is forcing organisations to make decisions that will shape their engineering efficiency, security posture, and operational costs for years to come.

GitLab provides a modern, consolidated DevSecOps platform capable of replacing Jira, Confluence, Bitbucket, Bamboo, and dozens of Marketplace apps with a single, integrated system.

Whether your organisation needs:

a full Atlassian to GitLab migration,
a hybrid transformation,
or a long-term DevSecOps modernization roadmap,

The key is to begin early and with clarity.

VivaOps helps teams assess their environment, build the right architecture, migrate safely, and unlock the full value of GitLab’s unified platform, without disruption or uncertainty.

If you’d like to explore your migration strategy, compare tooling paths, or validate the safest GitLab migration approach, the VivaOps team is ready to help.

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