Every software development team must find the right balance between quick delivery cycles and proper security, compliance, and quality. Fragmented toolchains, manual testing, and inconsistent coding standards all slow innovation and increase risk. To solve this, GitLab and AWS have partnered to deliver an AI-powered developer experience that redefines secure software delivery. GitLab Duo with Amazon Q is a seamless integration that combines the most comprehensive DevSecOps platform with the most capable AI agent ecosystem. Together, they empower teams to build, test, and deploy software faster and more securely, all within a single, cloud-ready environment. Let’s dive into the benefits of this integration.
GitLab Duo + Amazon Q: A Unified AI-Powered DevSecOps Experience
GitLab Duo with Amazon Q is available with a GitLab Self-Managed Ultimate subscription. This integration bridges the gap between development, security, and operations by embedding Amazon Q Developer AI agents directly into GitLab’s workflows. It unifies every stage of the software development lifecycle within a single secure platform hosted on AWS.
What’s Included
- GitLab Ultimate (Self-Managed) with Duo features powered by Amazon Q Developer
- Amazon Q Developer AI agents embedded directly in GitLab workflows
- Amazon Q Developer Pro access for advanced capabilities and autonomous task handling
How It Works
Developers interact naturally with Amazon Q inside GitLab through simple commands such as /q dev, /q review, and /q transform. These autonomous AI agents:
- Read and write code, run tests, and deploy builds.
- Generate merge requests automatically from issues.
- Perform code reviews with in-line recommendations and fixes.
- Manage multi-file changes using project context and permissions.
The result is a seamless, agentic developer experience where repetitive or complex coding tasks are automated. This allows engineers to focus on higher-value innovation.
The Benefits GitLab Duo + Amazon Q Delivers
Streamlined Development
Plan, develop, and ship features faster by transforming ideas into merge requests. Amazon Q analyzes requirements and creates fully functional code proposals directly in GitLab, reducing manual setup and context switching.
Modernized Codebases
Accelerate modernization projects such as Java 8/11 to Java 17 upgrades in minutes instead of weeks. Amazon Q generates migration plans, creates merge requests with updated code, and provides detailed traceability reports for audit readiness.
Quality and Security Built-In
GitLab Duo with Amazon Q automatically performs AI-driven code reviews, identifying security issues, inefficiencies, and best-practice deviations. With one command, developers can remediate vulnerabilities using AI-generated fixes within the GitLab UI or IDE.
Enterprise-Grade Security and Compliance
Because it’s built on AWS, the solution includes end-to-end data protection, auditability, and AI guardrails. These ensure compliance without slowing development velocity. Data remains fully controlled by the customer, encrypted at rest and in transit, and never used to train external models.
Autonomous Agents for Every Step
Agents work autonomously, creating merge requests, updating issues, and executing CI/CD pipelines with project-scoped permissions and real-time feedback loops. This creates a continuous, secure, and self-improving development environment.
Use Cases for GitLab Duo + Amazon Q
- Idea to Merge Request: Automatically turn requirements into ready-to-review code via /q dev.
- Quality Assurance Enhancement: Generate context-aware unit tests that align with your existing testing patterns.
- Code Review Optimization: AI-driven reviews identify performance, quality, and security issues, and generate immediate fixes.
- Java Application Modernization: Upgrade from Java 8 or 11 to Java 17 automatically, with complete traceability and minimal human intervention.
- AI-Powered Security: Detect and remediate vulnerabilities directly within GitLab using contextual insights and auto-generated merge requests.
- Root Cause Analysis: Quickly diagnose pipeline or build failures with AI-assisted insights and recommended resolutions.
Getting started with GitLab Duo and Amazon Q
Getting started with GitLab Duo and Amazon Q is simple:
- Upgrade to GitLab Ultimate (Self-Managed) on AWS.
- Enable GitLab Duo with Amazon Q through the GitLab Admin console.
- Invoke Amazon Q commands (/q dev, /q review, /q transform) directly in issues, comments, or merge requests to begin automating tasks.
- Experiment with key workflows:
- Create features from issues.
- Modernize Java applications.
- Generate and fix code directly from merge requests.
- Scale your deployment securely with AWS’s built-in compliance, monitoring, and guardrails.
Teams can begin immediately leveraging AI agents for accelerated development, enhanced security, and seamless collaboration across hybrid or enterprise environments.
Accelerate Software Delivery
GitLab Duo with Amazon Q represents the next evolution of secure, intelligent DevSecOps. This integration provides teams with an end-to-end solution that automates coding, testing, reviewing, and deploying without compromising compliance or control. As an AWS and GitLab Partner, SPK and Associates ensures your teams ship secure software faster. Partner with SPK to unleash the full potential of GitLab Duo + Amazon Q today. Not sure if this is right for you? SPK also offers an AI Launchpad service to help determine the right path forward.
