GitLab CI/CD Pipelines

Overview

GitLab CI/CD automates build, test, security checks, and deployments using .gitlab-ci.yml pipeline definitions.

Pipeline Structure

• Stages define execution order
• Jobs run scripts in runners
• Rules control when jobs execute
• Artifacts share outputs between stages

flowchart TD
    A[Build] --> B[Test]
    B --> C[Security Scan]
    C --> D[Deploy]

Practical Example

stages: [build, test, deploy]

build:
  stage: build
  script:
    - npm ci
    - npm run build

test:
  stage: test
  script:
    - npm test

deploy:
  stage: deploy
  script:
    - ./scripts/deploy.sh
  rules:
    - if: '$CI_COMMIT_BRANCH == "main"'

Production Example

Teams commonly use protected environments and manual approvals for production jobs while keeping lower environments fully automated.

Common Pitfalls

• Uncached dependencies causing slow pipelines
• No separation between verification and deployment jobs
• Hardcoded secrets in pipeline scripts

Key Takeaways

• GitLab CI/CD supports full lifecycle automation.
• Stage separation improves pipeline clarity and control.
• Protected environments and secret management are required for safe releases.