Customer Stories
Boosting Developer
Experience with a
Seamless GitHub Migration
Implementing a multi-phase migration plan focussing on configuration, automation, and enablement
Capabilities:
Industries:
Capabilities:
Industries:
Introduction
A leading global beauty retailer wanted to modernize its developer experience, unify its toolchain, and strengthen collaboration across its engineering teams. When the time came to renew its GitLab licenses, the company decided to move to GitHub Enterprise Cloud to simplify workflows and take advantage of new automation and AI capabilities.
With a tight sixty-day deadline and more than 2,700 repositories to migrate, the company turned to Xebia for expert guidance. Working in partnership, the teams completed the migration in just eight weeks and onboarded six hundred new GitHub users. The project not only avoided costly renewal fees but also delivered a more efficient, automated, and future-ready development platform.
At a Glance
Challenge
Complete a large-scale
migration from GitLab to GitHub within
sixty days while improving developer
experience and avoiding renewal costs
Solution
Xebia’s White Glove migration approach,
including automation scripts, GitHub Actions enablement, and targeted Copilot training
Results
2,700 repositories migrated within eight weeks
600 developers onboarded to GitHub
20+ hours saved through automation andscripting
The Challenge
The client, a household name in global beauty retail, manages thousands of digital assets, applications, and e-commerce systems across more than 2,600 stores in thirty-five countries. With over fifty thousand employees and an expanding digital footprint, maintaining speed and consistency in software delivery had become a strategic priority.
When its GitLab licenses approached renewal, the company saw an opportunity to improve its developer experience and reduce toolchain complexity. The migration had to be completed in less than two months to avoid renewal costs and ensure continuity of critical development pipelines.
This required precision, automation, and an approach that would minimize downtime while supporting a smooth transition for hundreds of developers.
The Solution
Migration Execution
Using a proprietary estimation model, Xebia planned and executed the migration of 2,700 repositories from GitLab to GitHub Enterprise Cloud. Custom scripts were developed to transfer metadata, labels, issues, and historical data accurately and efficiently.
Workflow Optimization
Xebia worked with the client’s DevOps team to replace GitLab CI and Jenkins pipelines with GitHub Actions. Using the GitHub Actions Importer and Issue Ops automation, pipelines were streamlined and future maintenance simplified.
AI-Enabled Developer Training
To ensure developers could make the most of GitHub’s capabilities, Xebia conducted a GitHub Copilot Bootcamp for twenty-eight developers. The course provided practical experience with AI-powered coding and demonstrated how Copilot could accelerate development and improve code quality.
Throughout the project, Xebia used Copilot internally to write migration scripts, saving more than two hours per day of manual work. The time saved was reinvested into automation, including a script that configured webhooks for thousands of repositories in minutes instead of hours.
The Outcome
In just eight weeks, the company’s entire development environment was successfully migrated to GitHub Enterprise Cloud. The transition was seamless, with developers able to continue working in familiar workflows thanks to Xebia’s mirroring strategy, which synchronized commits between GitLab and GitHub during the migration phase.
The results were immediate and measurable. Developer onboarding became faster and simpler, automation reduced repetitive tasks, and the new unified platform laid the foundation for continued innovation with GitHub Actions, GitHub Advanced Security, and Copilot.
The project also demonstrated the power of combining technical precision with human collaboration. Daily stand-ups, continuous feedback, and transparent progress tracking kept both teams aligned from start to finish.
Lessons Learned
- Early collaboration and communication are critical for large-scale migrations.
- Custom automation scripts dramatically reduce manual work and errors.
- Mirroring strategies help maintain developer productivity during transitions.
- Combining migration with enablement training accelerates adoption of new tools.
Looking Ahead
The client is now expanding its use of GitHub Copilot and exploring GitHub Advanced Security features to enhance developer productivity and code quality even further. Xebia continues to support the company in its journey toward complete DevOps modernization, helping it stay at the forefront of digital transformation in the retail industry.
"By taking a White Glove approach, we eliminated complexity and delivered a frictionless migration experience." Xebia Delivery Team
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