The Problem: Invisible Work
If you work in enterprise software development, there's a good chance a significant portion of your coding happens on GitLab rather than GitHub. Many companies choose GitLab for its self-hosting capabilities, integrated CI/CD, and enterprise features. The result? Your GitHub profile tells only half your story.
This creates a real problem for developers:
- •Job seekers appear less active than they actually are. Recruiters scanning GitHub profiles see sparse contribution graphs despite daily coding at work.
- •Open source contributors who also work professionally can't demonstrate the full breadth of their experience. Your weekend open source work shows up, but your weekday enterprise contributions don't.
- •Freelancers and consultants working with clients on GitLab have no way to showcase that work to potential clients who check their GitHub profiles.
- •Developers building their brand struggle to present a complete picture of their coding activity and consistency.
Why This Matters More Than You Think
Your GitHub contribution graph has become an informal resume in the tech industry. Right or wrong, many recruiters and hiring managers glance at contribution graphs as a quick proxy for coding activity. A sparse graph raises questions, while an active graph signals engagement.
When half or more of your work happens on GitLab, your GitHub graph systematically underrepresents your activity. You might be shipping production code daily, but your GitHub profile suggests you only code on weekends.
This isn't just about vanity metrics. It's about accurate representation of your work and skills to anyone who might want to collaborate with you, hire you, or learn from you.
Understanding the Technical Challenge
GitHub and GitLab use similar but distinct contribution tracking systems. Both count commits, pull/merge requests, issues, and code reviews, but they're completely siloed. There's no native way to combine this data.
Some developers have tried workarounds:
- •Mirroring repositories: Pushing the same commits to both platforms. This is tedious, error-prone, and often not possible with private company code.
- •Manual documentation: Listing your GitLab activity in your README. This works but isn't visual and can't be verified.
- •Third-party calendar services: Some services try to aggregate contribution data, but most don't generate embeddable visualizations.
The GitBlend Solution
GitBlend solves this problem by providing combined contribution graphs that pull data from both GitHub and GitLab. The result is a single, unified visualization of your coding activity across platforms.
How GitBlend Works
The technical flow is straightforward:
Privacy Considerations
GitBlend only accesses public contribution data. It doesn't see your private repositories, code content, or commit messages. The contribution calendar data it accesses is the same data visible on your public profile pages.
For GitLab users concerned about exposing their username: you can use GitBlend's token-based authentication to keep your GitLab username private while still displaying the contribution data.
Complete Setup Guide
Step 1: Create Your GitBlend Account
Start by visiting gitblend.com and signing in with your GitHub account. The OAuth flow grants GitBlend permission to read your public profile and contribution data. No write access is requested.
After authentication, you'll land on your dashboard where you can configure your profile and generate embed codes.
Step 2: Connect Your GitLab Account
In your GitBlend dashboard, you'll see options to add your GitLab username. Enter the username exactly as it appears on GitLab (case-sensitive for some configurations).
GitBlend will verify it can access your public contribution data. If your GitLab profile or contribution calendar is private, you'll need to adjust your GitLab privacy settings to make this data accessible.
Step 3: Preview Your Combined Graph
Once both accounts are connected, GitBlend generates a preview of your combined contribution graph. Take a moment to verify:
- •Both platforms' contributions are appearing
- •The data looks accurate compared to your individual profiles
- •The theme and styling match your preferences
Step 4: Choose Your Theme
GitBlend offers numerous themes to match your profile aesthetic. Each theme adjusts colors for the background, grid, and contribution intensity levels:
Standard Themes- •github: Matches GitHub's native contribution graph colors
- •gitlab: Uses GitLab's purple contribution graph palette
- •light: Clean light background with subtle contribution colors
- •dark: Dark background optimized for dark mode profiles
- •dracula: Popular dark theme with purple and pink accents
- •nord: Arctic, bluish color palette
- •synthwave: Retro 80s inspired with vibrant colors
- •tokyo: Tokyo Night theme colors
- •monokai: Classic code editor color scheme
Step 5: Add to Your GitHub Profile README
Copy the embed code from your dashboard. It will look something like this:
Paste this into your GitHub profile README (the README.md file in a repository named after your username). The image will render automatically, showing your combined contributions.
Step 6: Add Context (Optional)
Consider adding a brief note explaining the graph:
## My Coding Activity
This graph shows my combined contributions across GitHub and GitLab:
I work with GitLab at my day job and contribute to open source on GitHub.This context helps viewers understand what they're seeing and why you're using a combined graph.
Advanced Configuration
Theme Customization
Append the theme parameter to your URL:
You can also customize the background color independently:
Responsive Display
For better mobile display, consider wrapping the image in a centered div:
<div align="center">
</div>Dark Mode Compatibility
If your README should support both light and dark modes, use the HTML picture element with media queries:
<picture>
<source media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)" srcset="https://gitblend.com/api/contributions/combined?github=user&gitlab=user&token=token&theme=dark">
<source media="(prefers-color-scheme: light)" srcset="https://gitblend.com/api/contributions/combined?github=user&gitlab=user&token=token&theme=light">
<img alt="My Contributions" src="https://gitblend.com/api/contributions/combined?github=user&gitlab=user&token=token&theme=github">
</picture>Use Cases and Benefits
For Enterprise Developers
If you work at a company using GitLab, you're likely pushing code daily that never appears on your GitHub profile. Combined graphs solve this by showing your complete coding activity. This is particularly valuable when:
- •Interviewing for new positions where GitHub profiles are reviewed
- •Building a professional presence in the developer community
- •Demonstrating consistent coding habits to potential clients or collaborators
For Open Source Contributors
Many developers contribute to open source on GitHub while working professionally on GitLab. A combined graph shows that you're not just a weekend coder—you're engaged in software development full-time.
For Students and Bootcamp Graduates
If your curriculum used GitLab for assignments and group projects, that work is invisible to employers checking GitHub. Combined graphs let you showcase your academic coding activity alongside any personal GitHub projects.
For Freelancers and Consultants
Client work often happens on the client's preferred platform. If you've worked with GitLab-using clients, that experience can now be visualized alongside your personal GitHub activity.
Common Questions
What if I only have a GitHub account?GitBlend works perfectly for GitHub-only users. You can use it to display just your GitHub contributions with custom themes not available on GitHub's native graph.
Is my code exposed?No. GitBlend only accesses the same contribution calendar data visible on your public profile. It never sees repository contents, commit messages, or any private information.
How often does the graph update?Contribution data is cached briefly (typically a few hours) to ensure fast loading. New contributions will appear after the cache refreshes.
Can I use this for GitLab-only activity?Yes, GitBlend supports GitLab-only graphs if you prefer not to include your GitHub activity.
What about Bitbucket or other platforms?Currently, GitBlend supports GitHub and GitLab. Support for additional platforms may be added in the future.
Troubleshooting
Graph not loading: Verify your usernames are correct and that your contribution calendars are publicly visible on both platforms. Missing recent contributions: Due to caching, very recent contributions may take a few hours to appear. Token errors: If you see token-related errors, regenerate your token from the GitBlend dashboard.Next Steps
- •Create a GitHub profile that stands out - Build a complete profile featuring your combined graph
- •Understanding contribution graphs - Learn what contribution data means
- •Customize graph colors and themes - Match your graph to your aesthetic