GitLab CI (Continuous Integration) is a key feature of GitLab that automates the testing, building, and deployment of code. With GitLab CI, developers can integrate their code changes regularly, ensuring that the codebase remains functional as new code is added. Here’s a quick breakdown of how GitLab CI works:
.gitlab-ci.yml: This is the configuration file where you define the CI/CD pipelines. Each time you push code to GitLab, this file is used to execute the pipeline steps.
build, test, and deploy.Runners: GitLab Runners are processes that run your CI/CD jobs. These can be shared or specific to your project or group. They can run in different environments like Docker, Kubernetes, or even on virtual machines.
Pipelines: A series of stages and jobs. When you push new code, a pipeline is triggered, and the jobs are executed as defined in .gitlab-ci.yml.
In the .gitlab-ci.yml file, you might have something like this:
stages:
- build
- test
- deploy
build-job:
stage: build
script:
- echo "Building the project"
- make build
test-job:
stage: test
script:
- echo "Running tests"
- make test
deploy-job:
stage: deploy
script:
- echo "Deploying the project"
- make deploy
only:
- main
development, staging, production).