> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://notes.kodekloud.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Create GitLab Account > Learn to set up and navigate your GitLab SaaS account, covering sign-in methods, namespaces, projects, CI/CD usage quotas, and compute usage calculation. In this lesson, you’ll learn how to set up and navigate your GitLab SaaS account—no self-hosted installation required. We’ll cover sign-in methods, namespaces, projects, CI/CD usage quotas, and how compute usage is calculated. ## 1. Sign In to GitLab Begin by visiting the GitLab login page. You can authenticate with your email and password or leverage single sign-on providers: ![The image shows a GitLab login page where a user can sign in with a username or email and password, or use alternative sign-in options like Google, GitHub, Bitbucket, or Salesforce.](https://kodekloud.com/kk-media/image/upload/v1752877300/notes-assets/images/GitLab-CICD-Architecting-Deploying-and-Optimizing-Pipelines-Create-GitLab-Account/gitlab-login-page-signin-options.jpg) Available sign-in options include: * Email and password * Google * GitHub * Bitbucket * Salesforce In this tutorial, we’ll continue with an existing trial account. ## 2. Your Dashboard and Namespaces After logging in, GitLab displays all your projects grouped by namespace: ![The image shows a GitLab dashboard with a list of personal projects and an option to start a free trial of GitLab.com Ultimate.](https://kodekloud.com/kk-media/image/upload/v1752877302/notes-assets/images/GitLab-CICD-Architecting-Deploying-and-Optimizing-Pipelines-Create-GitLab-Account/gitlab-dashboard-personal-projects.jpg) By default, GitLab creates two namespace types: | Namespace Type | Description | | ------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Personal namespace | Named after your username and contains only projects you own | | Group namespace | A folder for related projects that share permissions, settings, and members | ## 3. Understanding GitLab Projects A **project** in GitLab is equivalent to a repository on other platforms. Within each project, you can: * Host your code and assets * Track issues, boards, and merge requests * Collaborate on code reviews * Build, test, and deploy with integrated CI/CD pipelines Projects in GitLab combine repository management, issue tracking, and CI/CD in one place—no extra setup required. This guide will later show you how to configure CI/CD pipelines, review environment dashboards, and explore security insights. ## 4. Viewing Usage Quotas To monitor your CI/CD consumption, go to **Edit Profile > Usage Quotas**: ![The image shows a GitLab user interface displaying "Usage Quotas" for pipelines, with a graph of compute usage and options for filtering charts by year.](https://kodekloud.com/kk-media/image/upload/v1752877303/notes-assets/images/GitLab-CICD-Architecting-Deploying-and-Optimizing-Pipelines-Create-GitLab-Account/gitlab-usage-quotas-pipelines-chart.jpg) GitLab trial accounts include 400 compute units per month. Compute units measure the time your jobs run on GitLab’s shared runners. > Compute usage = job duration × cost factor For full details on compute quotas and billing, see the official documentation: ![The image shows a GitLab documentation page about "Compute quota," detailing how administrators can manage the time projects use for running jobs. It includes navigation links on the left and a table of contents on the right.](https://kodekloud.com/kk-media/image/upload/v1752877304/notes-assets/images/GitLab-CICD-Architecting-Deploying-and-Optimizing-Pipelines-Create-GitLab-Account/gitlab-compute-quota-documentation.jpg) ## 5. How Compute Usage Is Calculated GitLab multiplies each job’s runtime by a cost factor that depends on: * Project visibility (public, internal, private, open source) * Runner type and size (Linux, Windows, macOS, GPU-enabled, etc.) ![The image shows a GitLab documentation page explaining how compute usage is calculated, including details on job duration and cost factors. The page includes a sidebar with navigation links related to compute quota and usage.](https://kodekloud.com/kk-media/image/upload/v1752877306/notes-assets/images/GitLab-CICD-Architecting-Deploying-and-Optimizing-Pipelines-Create-GitLab-Account/gitlab-compute-usage-documentation.jpg) Different VM types incur varying cost factors. Review the example table in GitLab’s docs: ![The image shows a GitLab documentation page detailing additional costs for GitLab SaaS, with a table listing different Linux OS runner types, machine sizes, and their associated cost factors.](https://kodekloud.com/kk-media/image/upload/v1752877306/notes-assets/images/GitLab-CICD-Architecting-Deploying-and-Optimizing-Pipelines-Create-GitLab-Account/gitlab-saas-costs-documentation.jpg) Exceeding your monthly compute quota may incur additional charges. Monitor usage regularly and consider adding more runners or optimizing job durations. ## 6. Next Steps You’re all set to explore deeper GitLab CI/CD features: * Configure custom runners and tags * Define advanced pipeline stages and triggers * Use environment and operations dashboards * Integrate security and compliance scans *** ## Links and References * [GitLab CI/CD Usage Quotas](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/usage_quotas.html#compute-quota) * [GitLab SaaS Pricing](https://about.gitlab.com/pricing/) * [Kubernetes Basics](https://kubernetes.io/docs/concepts/overview/what-is-kubernetes/) * [Docker Hub](https://hub.docker.com/)