Issue Importing via API

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1

I’m trying to move a repo from one organization to another for an established code base. The code was moved no problem, but as we all know moving the Issues is way more of a hassle than it should be. The CSV export only gives limited fields which causes tremendous history loss. I was able to use the API and perform a GET “…/api/v4/issues” to pull down a much better version into a JSON file.

However, there doesn’t seem to be a way to use the API to perform a PUT or a POST to upload this json file into the new repo. Has anyone figured this out yet? TIA

2

It’s not quite clear whether you’re trying to move a repo between different GitLab instances, or the versions involved, but here are some pointers:

Within the same GitLab instance you can:

  • Transfer an entire project to another namespace (Docs | API docs)
  • Directly move issues between projects (API docs)

Between different instances, including gitlab.com <> self-managed, you can:

  • Migrate groups and projects by direct transfer (Docs | API docs)
    • You probably want to be on v15.10+ to use this, YMMV - check the version history on the linked pages, migrating projects is officially still in beta
  • Otherwise using file export should be an option (Docs | API docs)

You can find a similar summary of the different options on this page.

If you really want to / have to import based on the JSON that you pulled down, then you’ll have to iterate over the entries and use the new issue endpoint.

3

Thanks this is very helpful!
It’s between different GitLab instances, neither are on gitlab.com. Both are docker images running on different AWS servers.

Unfortunately, I don’t have permissions to run the export on the original side. So I’ve had to clone the repo locally then push it to the new instance.