# Gerrit

## Supported Gerrit versions

Renovate supports all Gerrit 3.x versions.

Support for Gerrit is currently _experimental_, meaning that it _might_ still have some undiscovered bugs or design limitations, and that we _might_ need to change functionality in a non-backwards compatible manner in a non-major release.

Renovate stores its metadata in the _commit message footer_.

## Authentication

<figure markdown>
  ![Gerrit HTTP access token](../../../assets/images/gerrit-http-password.png){ loading=lazy }
  <figcaption>First, create a HTTP access token for the Renovate account.</figcaption>
</figure>

Let Renovate use your HTTP access token by doing _one_ of the following:

- Set your HTTP access token as a `password` in your `config.js` file, or
- Set your HTTP access token as an environment variable `RENOVATE_PASSWORD`, or
- Set your HTTP access token when you run Renovate in the CLI with `--password=`

The Gerrit user account must be allowed to assign the Code-Review label with "+2" to their own changes for "automerge" to work.

You must set `platform=gerrit` in your Renovate config file.

## Renovate PR/Branch-Model with Gerrit and needed permissions

If you use the "Code-Review" label and want to get `automerge` working then you must set `autoApprove=true` in your Renovate config.
Renovate will now add the _Code-Review_ label with the value "+2" to each of its "pull requests" (Gerrit-Change).

!!! note
  The Renovate user account must have permission to give +2 for the Code-Review label.

The Renovate option `automergeType: "branch"` makes no sense for Gerrit, because there are no branches used to create pull requests.
It works similar to the default option `"pr"`.

## Optional features

You can use the `statusCheckNames` configuration to map any of the available branch checks (like `minimumReleaseAge`, `mergeConfidence`, and so on) to a Gerrit label.

For example, if you want to use the [Merge Confidence](../../../merge-confidence.md) feature and map the result of the Merge Confidence check to your Gerrit label "Renovate-Merge-Confidence" you can configure:

```json
{
  "statusCheckNames": {
    "mergeConfidence": "Renovate-Merge-Confidence"
  }
}
```

Also, labels in `renovate.json` will be mapped to hashtags in Gerrit. Example:

```json
{
  "packageRules": [
    {
      "matchDepTypes": ["devDependencies"],
      "labels": ["renovate:devDependencies"]
    }
  ]
}
```

## Server version dependent features

We use the Gerrit [Get Version REST API](https://gerrit-review.googlesource.com/Documentation/rest-api-config.html#get-version) to fetch the server version.
You can use the experimental feature flag [`RENOVATE_X_PLATFORM_VERSION`](../../../self-hosted-experimental.md#renovate_x_platform_version) to set a specific server version.
By setting the server version yourself, you save an API call that fetches the server version.

- Use `hasfooter:Renovate-Branch` search operator instead of `message:"Renovate-Branch: "` for finding changes on Gerrit `v3.6.0` or later
- Use `subject:` search operator instead of `message:` for PR title search on Gerrit `v3.8.0` or later.

## Unsupported platform features/concepts

- Creating issues (not a Gerrit concept)
- Dependency Dashboard (needs issues first)