---
stage: Create
group: Source Code
info: "To determine the technical writer assigned to the Stage/Group associated with this page, see https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/engineering/ux/technical-writing/#assignments"
type: reference, api
---

# Project import/export API **(FREE)**

> [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-foss/-/issues/41899) in GitLab 10.6.

See also:

- [Project import/export documentation](../user/project/settings/import_export.md).
- [Project import/export administration Rake tasks](../administration/raketasks/project_import_export.md). **(FREE SELF)**

## Schedule an export

Start a new export.

The endpoint also accepts an `upload` parameter. This parameter is a hash that contains
all the necessary information to upload the exported project to a web server or
to any S3-compatible platform. At the moment we only support binary
data file uploads to the final server.

From GitLab 10.7, the `upload[url]` parameter is required if the `upload` parameter is present.

```plaintext
POST /projects/:id/export
```

| Attribute | Type           | Required | Description                              |
| --------- | -------------- | -------- | ---------------------------------------- |
| `id`      | integer/string | yes      | The ID or [URL-encoded path of the project](README.md#namespaced-path-encoding) owned by the authenticated user |
| `description`      | string | no | Overrides the project description |
| `upload`      | hash | no | Hash that contains the information to upload the exported project to a web server |
| `upload[url]`      | string | yes      | The URL to upload the project |
| `upload[http_method]`      | string | no      | The HTTP method to upload the exported project. Only `PUT` and `POST` methods allowed. Default is `PUT` |

```shell
curl --request POST --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: <your_access_token>" "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/projects/1/export" \
    --data "upload[http_method]=PUT" \
    --data-urlencode "upload[url]=https://example-bucket.s3.eu-west-3.amazonaws.com/backup?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=AKIAIMBJHN2O62W8IELQ%2F20180312%2Feu-west-3%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20180312T110328Z&X-Amz-Expires=900&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Signature=8413facb20ff33a49a147a0b4abcff4c8487cc33ee1f7e450c46e8f695569dbd"
```

```json
{
  "message": "202 Accepted"
}
```

NOTE:
The upload request is sent with `Content-Type: application/gzip` header. Ensure that your pre-signed URL includes this as part of the signature.

## Export status

Get the status of export.

```plaintext
GET /projects/:id/export
```

| Attribute | Type           | Required | Description                              |
| --------- | -------------- | -------- | ---------------------------------------- |
| `id`      | integer/string | yes      | The ID or [URL-encoded path of the project](README.md#namespaced-path-encoding) owned by the authenticated user |

```shell
curl --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: <your_access_token>" "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/projects/1/export"
```

Status can be one of:

- `none`
- `queued`
- `started`
- `finished`
- `regeneration_in_progress`

`queued` state represents the request for export is received, and is currently in the queue to be processed.

The `started` state represents that the export process has started and is currently in progress.
It includes the process of exporting, actions performed on the resultant file such as sending
an email notifying the user to download the file, uploading the exported file to a web server, etc.

`finished` state is after the export process has completed and the user has been notified.

`regeneration_in_progress` is when an export file is available to download, and a request to generate a new export is in process.

`none` is when there are no exports _queued_, _started_, _finished_, or _being regenerated_

`_links` are only present when export has finished.

`created_at` is the project create timestamp, not the export start time.

```json
{
  "id": 1,
  "description": "Itaque perspiciatis minima aspernatur corporis consequatur.",
  "name": "Gitlab Test",
  "name_with_namespace": "Gitlab Org / Gitlab Test",
  "path": "gitlab-test",
  "path_with_namespace": "gitlab-org/gitlab-test",
  "created_at": "2017-08-29T04:36:44.383Z",
  "export_status": "finished",
  "_links": {
    "api_url": "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/projects/1/export/download",
    "web_url": "https://gitlab.example.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-test/download_export",
  }
}
```

## Export download

Download the finished export.

```plaintext
GET /projects/:id/export/download
```

| Attribute | Type           | Required | Description                              |
| --------- | -------------- | -------- | ---------------------------------------- |
| `id`      | integer/string | yes      | The ID or [URL-encoded path of the project](README.md#namespaced-path-encoding) owned by the authenticated user |

```shell
curl --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: <your_access_token>" --remote-header-name --remote-name "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/projects/5/export/download"
```

```shell
ls *export.tar.gz
2017-12-05_22-11-148_namespace_project_export.tar.gz
```

## Import a file

```plaintext
POST /projects/import
```

| Attribute | Type           | Required | Description                              |
| --------- | -------------- | -------- | ---------------------------------------- |
| `namespace` | integer/string | no | The ID or path of the namespace to import the project to. Defaults to the current user's namespace |
| `name` | string | no | The name of the project to be imported. Defaults to the path of the project if not provided |
| `file` | string | yes | The file to be uploaded |
| `path` | string | yes | Name and path for new project |
| `overwrite` | boolean | no | If there is a project with the same path the import overwrites it. Default to false |
| `override_params` | Hash | no | Supports all fields defined in the [Project API](projects.md) |

The override parameters passed take precedence over all values defined inside the export file.

To upload a file from your file system, use the `--form` argument. This causes
cURL to post data using the header `Content-Type: multipart/form-data`.
The `file=` parameter must point to a file on your file system and be preceded
by `@`. For example:

```shell
curl --request POST --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: <your_access_token>" --form "path=api-project" --form "file=@/path/to/file" "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/projects/import"
```

cURL doesn't support posting a file from a remote server. Importing a project from a remote server can be accomplished through something like the following:

```python
import requests
from io import BytesIO

s3_file = requests.get(presigned_url)

url =  'https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/projects/import'
files = {'file': ('file.tar.gz', BytesIO(s3_file.content))}
data = {
    "path": "example-project",
    "namespace": "example-group"
}
headers = {
    'Private-Token': "<your_access_token>"
}

requests.post(url, headers=headers, data=data, files=files)
```

```json
{
  "id": 1,
  "description": null,
  "name": "api-project",
  "name_with_namespace": "Administrator / api-project",
  "path": "api-project",
  "path_with_namespace": "root/api-project",
  "created_at": "2018-02-13T09:05:58.023Z",
  "import_status": "scheduled",
  "correlation_id": "mezklWso3Za",
  "failed_relations": []
}
```

NOTE:
The maximum import file size can be set by the Administrator, default is `0` (unlimited)..
As an administrator, you can modify the maximum import file size. To do so, use the `max_import_size` option in the [Application settings API](settings.md#change-application-settings) or the [Admin UI](../user/admin_area/settings/account_and_limit_settings.md). Default [modified](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/251106) from 50MB to 0 in GitLab 13.8.

## Import status

Get the status of an import.

```plaintext
GET /projects/:id/import
```

| Attribute | Type           | Required | Description                              |
| --------- | -------------- | -------- | ---------------------------------------- |
| `id`      | integer/string | yes      | The ID or [URL-encoded path of the project](README.md#namespaced-path-encoding) owned by the authenticated user |

```shell
curl --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: <your_access_token>" "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/projects/1/import"
```

Status can be one of:

- `none`
- `scheduled`
- `failed`
- `started`
- `finished`

If the status is `failed`, it includes the import error message under `import_error`.
If the status is `failed`, `started` or `finished`, the `failed_relations` array might
be populated with any occurrences of relations that failed to import either due to
unrecoverable errors or because retries were exhausted (a typical example are query timeouts.)

NOTE:
An element's `id` field in `failed_relations` references the failure record, not the relation.

NOTE:
The `failed_relations` array is currently capped to 100 items.

```json
{
  "id": 1,
  "description": "Itaque perspiciatis minima aspernatur corporis consequatur.",
  "name": "Gitlab Test",
  "name_with_namespace": "Gitlab Org / Gitlab Test",
  "path": "gitlab-test",
  "path_with_namespace": "gitlab-org/gitlab-test",
  "created_at": "2017-08-29T04:36:44.383Z",
  "import_status": "started",
  "correlation_id": "mezklWso3Za",
  "failed_relations": [
    {
      "id": 42,
      "created_at": "2020-04-02T14:48:59.526Z",
      "exception_class": "RuntimeError",
      "exception_message": "A failure occurred",
      "source": "custom error context",
      "relation_name": "merge_requests"
    }
  ]
}
```
