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GitLab

Introduction​

This cheat sheet provides a quick reference for using common GitLab CI/CD pipeline YAML templates and concepts. GitLab CI/CD allows you to define your pipelines using .gitlab-ci.yml files with predefined templates and configurations.

Basic .gitlab-ci.yml Structure​

A typical .gitlab-ci.yml file consists of stages, jobs, and predefined templates:

stages:
  - build
  - test
  - deploy

job_name:
  stage: build
  script:
    - # Define your build commands here

test_job:
  stage: test
  script:
    - # Define your test commands here

deploy_job:
  stage: deploy
  script:
    - # Define your deployment commands here

Predefined Templates and Keywords​

image​

Specify the Docker image to use for a job:

image: ubuntu:latest

before_script and after_script​

Define commands to run before and after all jobs:

before_script:
  - # Commands to run before each job

after_script:
  - # Commands to run after each job

variables​

Set environment variables for a job:

variables:
  VAR_NAME: "value"

script​

Define the commands to run in a job:

script:
  - # Define your commands here

artifacts and cache​

Define job artifacts and caching for improved performance:

artifacts:
  paths:
    - build/
  expire_in: 1 week

cache:
  paths:
    - node_modules/

only and except​

Specify when a job should run based on branches or tags:

only:
  - master

except:
  - tags

rules​

Define custom rules for job execution based on conditions:

rules:
  - if: '$CI_COMMIT_MESSAGE =~ /skip-ci/'
    when: never

allow_failure​

Allow a job to fail without impacting the pipeline status:

job_name:
  script:
    - # Define your commands here
  allow_failure: true

when​

Specify when a job should run (manual or on_success):

job_name:
  script:
    - # Define your commands here
  when: manual

dependencies​

Define job dependencies to control the execution order:

job_name:
  script:
    - # Define your commands here
  dependencies:
    - previous_job

Predefined CI/CD Variables​

GitLab provides several predefined CI/CD variables that you can use in your pipeline:

  • CI_COMMIT_SHA: The SHA1 commit hash of the current commit.
  • CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME: The branch or tag name.
  • CI_JOB_NAME: The name of the current job.
  • CI_PROJECT_NAME: The name of the GitLab project.
  • CI_PIPELINE_ID: The ID of the current pipeline.

Conclusion​

This cheat sheet covers some common GitLab CI/CD pipeline YAML templates and concepts. GitLab provides extensive documentation; refer to the GitLab CI/CD documentation for more in-depth information and advanced usage.