GitLab has released version 17.10, packed with innovative features that strengthen its position as a comprehensive DevOps platform. The update includes over 120 improvements, focusing on AI-powered capabilities and workflow enhancements to boost developer productivity.
AI-Driven Development Takes Center Stage
The headline feature is Duo Code Review, now available in beta. This AI-powered tool represents the next evolution in code review processes, addressing one of the most time-consuming aspects of software development. Duo can identify potential bugs by performing initial reviews on merge requests and suggesting improvements that developers can apply directly from their browsers. This accelerates the development process by enabling iterations and improvements before human reviewers enter the loop.
To start a code review, users add @GitLabDuo as a reviewer to their merge request and can refine feedback by mentioning @GitLabDuo in the comments.
Another significant AI enhancement is Root Cause Analysis, now available on GitLab Duo Self-Hosted. This feature, compatible with Mistral, Anthropic, and OpenAI GPT model families, helps teams troubleshoot failed jobs in CI/CD pipelines faster. The system analyzes failed job logs, determines the root cause, and suggests fixes — all while maintaining data sovereignty for organizations with strict compliance requirements.
Enhanced Metrics and Visualization Tools
For DevOps leaders focused on performance measurement, GitLab 17.10 introduces new visualization capabilities for DevOps performance with DORA metrics. The Projects by DORA metric panel on the Value Streams Dashboard provides a comprehensive view of all projects in a top-level group, broken down by the four DORA metrics. This enables managers to identify high, medium and low-performing projects and make data-driven decisions about resource allocation.
Now in beta, GitLab Query Language (GLQL) views solve the challenge of tracking work in progress across multiple locations. This feature embeds live data queries in Markdown code blocks throughout Wiki pages, epic descriptions, issue comments and merge requests. Teams can maintain context while accessing vital information, improving collaboration without disrupting existing workflows.
According to Mitch Ashley, VP and Practice Lead, DevOps and Application Development, The Futurum Group, “GitLab is the model of an iterative DevOps software delivery process. In release 17.10, GitLab’s platform continues its laser focus on developer productivity and improving CI/CD pipelines. Bringing AI for code reviews and root cause analysis into existing development workflows reduces the friction of adding new AI technologies into the development process.”
Workflow Improvements for Teams
The new issues look, now in beta, offers a unified framework shared with epics and tasks. Key features include a drawer view for quick access, the ability to change item types, start date support, improved ancestry tracking and consolidated development items. These changes create a more seamless experience across different work item types.
The release also introduces description templates for epics, issues, tasks, objectives and key results, helping teams maintain consistency and save time when creating new work items.
Version 17.10 adds the ability to change the severity levels of specific vulnerability occurrences manually for teams managing security vulnerabilities. This flexibility allows security teams to adjust severity based on their organization’s unique security context and risk tolerance rather than relying solely on default scanner assessments.
Enhanced Developer Experience
Several quality-of-life improvements round out the release:
- Bulk editing and snoozing of to-do items
- Authentication to private Pages with access tokens
- Configurable squash settings in branch rules
- Path exclusions for CODEOWNERS
- Docker Hub authentication for the dependency proxy
- A resizable GitLab Duo Chat interface
- Multiple conversation management in GitLab Duo Chat
GitLab 17.10 exemplifies the platform’s commitment to enhancing developer productivity through AI integration while providing powerful tools for measuring and visualizing DevOps performance. The continuous improvements to workflow management and team collaboration features ensure that GitLab remains a leading solution for modern software development teams.
This release offers compelling reasons for organizations looking to improve their development processes and embrace AI-assisted workflows to upgrade or adopt GitLab as their DevOps platform of choice.
