---
stage: Verify
group: Pipeline Authoring
info: To determine the technical writer assigned to the Stage/Group associated with this page, see https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/product/ux/technical-writing/#assignments
type: reference
---

# Optimize GitLab CI/CD configuration files **(FREE)**

You can reduce complexity and duplicated configuration in your GitLab CI/CD configuration
files by using:

- YAML-specific features like [anchors (`&`)](#anchors), aliases (`*`), and map merging (`<<`).
  Read more about the various [YAML features](https://learnxinyminutes.com/docs/yaml/).
- The [`extends` keyword](#use-extends-to-reuse-configuration-sections),
  which is more flexible and readable. You should use `extends` where possible.

## Anchors

YAML has a feature called 'anchors' that you can use to duplicate
content across your document.

Use anchors to duplicate or inherit properties. Use anchors with [hidden jobs](../jobs/index.md#hide-jobs)
to provide templates for your jobs. When there are duplicate keys, the latest included key wins, overriding the other keys.

In certain cases (see [YAML anchors for scripts](#yaml-anchors-for-scripts)), you can use YAML anchors to build arrays with multiple components defined elsewhere. For example:

```yaml
.default_scripts: &default_scripts
  - ./default-script1.sh
  - ./default-script2.sh

job1:
  script:
    - *default_scripts
    - ./job-script.sh
```

You can't use YAML anchors across multiple files when using the [`include`](index.md#include)
keyword. Anchors are only valid in the file they were defined in. To reuse configuration
from different YAML files, use [`!reference` tags](#reference-tags) or the
[`extends` keyword](#use-extends-to-reuse-configuration-sections).

The following example uses anchors and map merging. It creates two jobs,
`test1` and `test2`, that inherit the `.job_template` configuration, each
with their own custom `script` defined:

```yaml
.job_template: &job_configuration  # Hidden yaml configuration that defines an anchor named 'job_configuration'
  image: ruby:2.6
  services:
    - postgres
    - redis

test1:
  <<: *job_configuration           # Add the contents of the 'job_configuration' alias
  script:
    - test1 project

test2:
  <<: *job_configuration           # Add the contents of the 'job_configuration' alias
  script:
    - test2 project
```

`&` sets up the name of the anchor (`job_configuration`), `<<` means "merge the
given hash into the current one," and `*` includes the named anchor
(`job_configuration` again). The [expanded](../pipeline_editor/index.md#view-full-configuration) version of this example is:

```yaml
.job_template:
  image: ruby:2.6
  services:
    - postgres
    - redis

test1:
  image: ruby:2.6
  services:
    - postgres
    - redis
  script:
    - test1 project

test2:
  image: ruby:2.6
  services:
    - postgres
    - redis
  script:
    - test2 project
```

You can use anchors to define two sets of services. For example, `test:postgres`
and `test:mysql` share the `script` defined in `.job_template`, but use different
`services`, defined in `.postgres_services` and `.mysql_services`:

```yaml
.job_template: &job_configuration
  script:
    - test project
  tags:
    - dev

.postgres_services:
  services: &postgres_configuration
    - postgres
    - ruby

.mysql_services:
  services: &mysql_configuration
    - mysql
    - ruby

test:postgres:
  <<: *job_configuration
  services: *postgres_configuration
  tags:
    - postgres

test:mysql:
  <<: *job_configuration
  services: *mysql_configuration
```

The [expanded](../pipeline_editor/index.md#view-full-configuration) version is:

```yaml
.job_template:
  script:
    - test project
  tags:
    - dev

.postgres_services:
  services:
    - postgres
    - ruby

.mysql_services:
  services:
    - mysql
    - ruby

test:postgres:
  script:
    - test project
  services:
    - postgres
    - ruby
  tags:
    - postgres

test:mysql:
  script:
    - test project
  services:
    - mysql
    - ruby
  tags:
    - dev
```

You can see that the hidden jobs are conveniently used as templates, and
`tags: [postgres]` overwrites `tags: [dev]`.

### YAML anchors for scripts

> [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/23005) in GitLab 12.5.

You can use [YAML anchors](#anchors) with [script](index.md#script), [`before_script`](index.md#before_script),
and [`after_script`](index.md#after_script) to use predefined commands in multiple jobs:

```yaml
.some-script-before: &some-script-before
  - echo "Execute this script first"

.some-script: &some-script
  - echo "Execute this script second"
  - echo "Execute this script too"

.some-script-after: &some-script-after
  - echo "Execute this script last"

job1:
  before_script:
    - *some-script-before
  script:
    - *some-script
    - echo "Execute something, for this job only"
  after_script:
    - *some-script-after

job2:
  script:
    - *some-script-before
    - *some-script
    - echo "Execute something else, for this job only"
    - *some-script-after
```

## Use `extends` to reuse configuration sections

You can use the [`extends` keyword](index.md#extends) to reuse configuration in
multiple jobs. It is similar to [YAML anchors](#anchors), but simpler and you can
[use `extends` with `includes`](#use-extends-and-include-together).

`extends` supports multi-level inheritance. You should avoid using more than three levels,
due to the additional complexity, but you can use as many as eleven. The following example has two levels of inheritance:

```yaml
.tests:
  rules:
    - if: $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE == "push"

.rspec:
  extends: .tests
  script: rake rspec

rspec 1:
  variables:
    RSPEC_SUITE: '1'
  extends: .rspec

rspec 2:
  variables:
    RSPEC_SUITE: '2'
  extends: .rspec

spinach:
  extends: .tests
  script: rake spinach
```

### Exclude a key from `extends`

To exclude a key from the extended content, you must assign it to `null`, for example:

```yaml
.base:
  script: test
  variables:
    VAR1: base var 1

test1:
  extends: .base
  variables:
    VAR1: test1 var 1
    VAR2: test2 var 2

test2:
  extends: .base
  variables:
    VAR2: test2 var 2

test3:
  extends: .base
  variables: {}

test4:
  extends: .base
  variables: null
```

Merged configuration:

```yaml
test1:
  script: test
  variables:
    VAR1: test1 var 1
    VAR2: test2 var 2

test2:
  script: test
  variables:
    VAR1: base var 1
    VAR2: test2 var 2

test3:
  script: test
  variables:
    VAR1: base var 1

test4:
  script: test
  variables: null
```

### Use `extends` and `include` together

To reuse configuration from different configuration files,
combine `extends` and [`include`](index.md#include).

In the following example, a `script` is defined in the `included.yml` file.
Then, in the `.gitlab-ci.yml` file, `extends` refers
to the contents of the `script`:

- `included.yml`:

  ```yaml
  .template:
    script:
      - echo Hello!
  ```

- `.gitlab-ci.yml`:

  ```yaml
  include: included.yml

  useTemplate:
    image: alpine
    extends: .template
  ```

### Merge details

You can use `extends` to merge hashes but not arrays.
The algorithm used for merge is "closest scope wins". When there are
duplicate keys, GitLab performs a reverse deep merge based on the keys.
Keys from the last member always override anything defined on other
levels. For example:

```yaml
.only-important:
  variables:
    URL: "http://my-url.internal"
    IMPORTANT_VAR: "the details"
  rules:
    - if: $CI_COMMIT_BRANCH == $CI_DEFAULT_BRANCH
    - if: $CI_COMMIT_BRANCH == "stable"
  tags:
    - production
  script:
    - echo "Hello world!"

.in-docker:
  variables:
    URL: "http://docker-url.internal"
  tags:
    - docker
  image: alpine

rspec:
  variables:
    GITLAB: "is-awesome"
  extends:
    - .only-important
    - .in-docker
  script:
    - rake rspec
```

The result is this `rspec` job:

```yaml
rspec:
  variables:
    URL: "http://docker-url.internal"
    IMPORTANT_VAR: "the details"
    GITLAB: "is-awesome"
  rules:
    - if: $CI_COMMIT_BRANCH == $CI_DEFAULT_BRANCH
    - if: $CI_COMMIT_BRANCH == "stable"
  tags:
    - docker
  image: alpine
  script:
    - rake rspec
```

In this example:

- The `variables` sections merge, but `URL: "http://docker-url.internal"` overwrites `URL: "http://my-url.internal"`.
- `tags: ['docker']` overwrites `tags: ['production']`.
- `script` does not merge, but `script: ['rake rspec']` overwrites
  `script: ['echo "Hello world!"']`. You can use [YAML anchors](yaml_optimization.md#anchors) to merge arrays.

## `!reference` tags

> - [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/266173) in GitLab 13.9.
> - `rules` keyword support [introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/322992) in GitLab 14.3.

Use the `!reference` custom YAML tag to select keyword configuration from other job
sections and reuse it in the current section. Unlike [YAML anchors](#anchors), you can
use `!reference` tags to reuse configuration from [included](index.md#include) configuration
files as well.

In the following example, a `script` and an `after_script` from two different locations are
reused in the `test` job:

- `setup.yml`:

  ```yaml
  .setup:
    script:
      - echo creating environment
  ```

- `.gitlab-ci.yml`:

  ```yaml
  include:
    - local: setup.yml

  .teardown:
    after_script:
      - echo deleting environment

  test:
    script:
      - !reference [.setup, script]
      - echo running my own command
    after_script:
      - !reference [.teardown, after_script]
  ```

In the following example, `test-vars-1` reuses all the variables in `.vars`, while `test-vars-2`
selects a specific variable and reuses it as a new `MY_VAR` variable.

```yaml
.vars:
  variables:
    URL: "http://my-url.internal"
    IMPORTANT_VAR: "the details"

test-vars-1:
  variables: !reference [.vars, variables]
  script:
    - printenv

test-vars-2:
  variables:
    MY_VAR: !reference [.vars, variables, IMPORTANT_VAR]
  script:
    - printenv
```

### Nest `!reference` tags in `script`, `before_script`, and `after_script`

> [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/merge_requests/74792) in GitLab 14.8.

You can nest `!reference` tags up to 10 levels deep in `script`, `before_script`, and `after_script` sections. Use nested tags to define reusable sections when building more complex scripts. For example:

```yaml
.snippets:
  one:
    - echo "ONE!"
  two:
    - !reference [.snippets, one]
    - echo "TWO!"
  three:
    - !reference [.snippets, two]
    - echo "THREE!"

nested-references:
  script:
    - !reference [.snippets, three]
```

In this example, the `nested-references` job runs all three `echo` commands.

### Configure your IDE to support `!reference` tags

The [pipeline editor](../pipeline_editor/index.md) supports `!reference` tags. However, the schema rules for custom YAML
tags like `!reference` might be treated as invalid by your editor by default.
You can configure some editors to accept `!reference` tags. For example:

- In VS Code, you can set `vscode-yaml` to parse `customTags` in your `settings.json` file:

  ```json
  "yaml.customTags": [
     "!reference sequence"
  ]
  ```

- In Sublime Text, if you are using the `LSP-yaml` package, you can set `customTags` in your `LSP-yaml` user settings:

  ```json
  {
    "settings": {
      "yaml.customTags": ["!reference sequence"]
    }
  }
  ```