Comparison
Stella Ops vs GitLab CI/CD
GitLab provides integrated CI/CD pipelines.
Stella Ops adds reachability analysis, policy gates, and audit-ready Decision Capsules.
GitLab CI/CD
- • Integrated DevOps platform
- • Cloud or self-managed options
- • Built-in container registry
- • Basic security scanning (Ultimate tier)
- • Pipeline-based deployment
Stella Ops Suite
- • Release orchestration control plane
- • 100% self-hosted, air-gap ready
- • Works with any registry
- • Reachability-aware scanning (all tiers)
- • Evidence-gated promotions
Feature Comparison
| Capability | GitLab | Stella Ops |
|---|---|---|
| Build automation | Yes | Integrates with CI |
| Deployment pipelines | Yes | Yes |
| Environment management | Yes | Yes (promotion graphs) |
| Container scanning | Ultimate tier only | All tiers |
| Reachability analysis | No | Yes (hybrid 3-layer) |
SBOMSoftware Bill of Materials - a complete list of all packages and dependencies in your software SBOM generation | Ultimate tier | All tiers |
| Decision Capsules | No | Yes |
| Deterministic replay | No | Yes |
| Air-gap deployment | Partial (self-managed) | Full (Offline Kit) |
| Non-K8s focus | Secondary | Primary |
The Security Gap
GitLab's security scanning (Ultimate tier) tells you a CVE exists. Stella Ops tells you if it's actually exploitable in your code.
$ stella scan myapp:latest
✓ 487 CVEs found in dependencies
✓ 475 NOT REACHABLE (filtered out)
! 12 REACHABLE (evaluated against policy)
Policy verdict: PASS
Evidence exported: decision-capsule-2025-01-15.jsonFocus on 12 actual risks instead of triaging 487 theoretical vulnerabilities.
Deployment Capabilities
GitLab deploys via pipeline scripts. Stella provides structured release orchestration for non-Kubernetes targets:
Deployment Targets
- → Docker Compose deployments
- → Docker Swarm clusters
- → AWS ECS / Fargate
- → HashiCorp Nomad
- → Scripted deployments (.NET 10)
Infrastructure Integration
- → SSH/WinRM agentless deployment
- → HashiCorp Vault for secrets
- → HashiCorp Consul for service registry
- → Environment promotions (Dev→Stage→Prod)
- → Approval workflows
GitLab security features require Ultimate tier (~$99/user/month)
Stella Ops includes all security features at every tier — starting free
When to Use Which
GitLab CI/CD alone if...
- • Kubernetes is your deployment target
- • GitLab Ultimate tier is already in use
- • Basic scanning without reachability is OK
- • Audit evidence isn't required
Add Stella Ops if...
- • You need reachability analysis
- • Non-Kubernetes is your primary target
- • Auditors need Decision Capsules
- • Air-gap deployment is required
- • You want security at all tiers
Methodology: This comparison is based on publicly available documentation, release notes, and hands-on evaluation as of January 2026. Features and capabilities change over time. We encourage you to verify current capabilities with each vendor's official documentation.
Stella Ops is committed to accurate, fair comparisons. If you believe any information is outdated or incorrect, please contact hello@stella-ops.org.
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