GitLab CI/CD configuration is split between repository pipeline files and runner-side executor settings.
- Pipeline definition:
.gitlab-ci.yml in each repository
- Runner configuration:
/etc/gitlab-runner/config.toml
- Stages/jobs/rules and pipeline triggers in
.gitlab-ci.yml
- Job image/executor definitions
- Cache/artifact retention policies
- Runner tags, concurrency, and protected-runner scope
- Environment deployment gates and approvals
- Pipeline changes are applied on next push/merge
- Runner config changes require runner restart:
sudo systemctl restart gitlab-runner
- Run a test pipeline in a branch
- Verify runner picks up jobs with expected tags
- Confirm artifacts and cache behavior