What feature does GitLab offer for managing multiple projects?

GitLab offers groups as a feature specifically designed for organizing multiple projects and managing their related permissions. This allows users to create a hierarchical structure where projects can be contained within groups, making it easier to manage access rights, visibility, and collaboration across different projects.

By using groups, teams can ensure that members have the appropriate permissions, such as read, write, or admin access, based on their role within the team or organization. This is particularly useful in larger organizations where projects may encompass a range of teams with varying access needs. It helps streamline project management by consolidating related projects under a common umbrella, which is not something that repositories, branches, or issues are specifically designed for.

Repositories are needed for version control and storage of the project code but do not provide the organizational structure that groups do. Branches allow for version control within a single project and help manage changes, but they don't support organizing multiple projects. Issues are focused on task management and tracking progress within projects but do not facilitate the organizational aspect of managing multiple projects across different teams or departments.