396 lines
16 KiB
Markdown
396 lines
16 KiB
Markdown
---
|
|
stage: Verify
|
|
group: Runner
|
|
info: To determine the technical writer assigned to the Stage/Group associated with this page, see https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/engineering/ux/technical-writing/#designated-technical-writers
|
|
type: reference
|
|
---
|
|
|
|
# Configuring GitLab Runners
|
|
|
|
In GitLab CI/CD, Runners run the code defined in [`.gitlab-ci.yml`](../yaml/README.md).
|
|
A GitLab Runner is a lightweight, highly-scalable agent that picks up a CI job through
|
|
the coordinator API of GitLab CI/CD, runs the job, and sends the result back to the GitLab instance.
|
|
|
|
Runners are created by an administrator and are visible in the GitLab UI.
|
|
Runners can be specific to certain projects or available to all projects.
|
|
|
|
## Types of Runners
|
|
|
|
There are three types of Runners:
|
|
|
|
- [Shared](#shared-runners) (for all projects)
|
|
- [Group](#group-runners) (for all projects in a group)
|
|
- [Specific](#specific-runners) (for specific projects)
|
|
|
|
If you are running self-managed GitLab, you can create your own Runners.
|
|
|
|
If you are using GitLab.com, you can use the shared Runners provided by GitLab or
|
|
create your own group or specific Runners.
|
|
|
|
### Shared Runners
|
|
|
|
*Shared Runners* are available to every project in a GitLab instance.
|
|
|
|
Use shared Runners when you have multiple jobs with similar requirements. Rather than
|
|
having multiple Runners idling for many projects, you can have a few Runners that handle
|
|
multiple projects.
|
|
|
|
If you are using a self-managed instance of GitLab, your administrator can create
|
|
shared Runners and configure them to use the
|
|
[executor](https://docs.gitlab.com/runner/executors/README.html) you want.
|
|
|
|
If you are using GitLab.com, you can select from a list of
|
|
[shared Runners that GitLab maintains](../../user/gitlab_com/index.md#shared-runners).
|
|
|
|
#### How shared Runners pick jobs
|
|
|
|
Shared Runners process jobs by using a fair usage queue. This queue prevents
|
|
projects from creating hundreds of jobs and using all available
|
|
shared Runner resources.
|
|
|
|
The fair usage queue algorithm assigns jobs based on the projects that have the
|
|
fewest number of jobs already running on shared Runners.
|
|
|
|
**Example 1**
|
|
|
|
If these jobs are in the queue:
|
|
|
|
- Job 1 for Project 1
|
|
- Job 2 for Project 1
|
|
- Job 3 for Project 1
|
|
- Job 4 for Project 2
|
|
- Job 5 for Project 2
|
|
- Job 6 for Project 3
|
|
|
|
The fair usage algorithm assigns jobs in this order:
|
|
|
|
1. Job 1 is chosen first, because it has the lowest job number from projects with no running jobs (that is, all projects).
|
|
1. Job 4 is next, because 4 is now the lowest job number from projects with no running jobs (Project 1 has a job running).
|
|
1. Job 6 is next, because 6 is now the lowest job number from projects with no running jobs (Projects 1 and 2 have jobs running).
|
|
1. Job 2 is next, because, of projects with the lowest number of jobs running (each has 1), it is the lowest job number.
|
|
1. Job 5 is next, because Project 1 now has 2 jobs running and Job 5 is the lowest remaining job number between Projects 2 and 3.
|
|
1. Finally is Job 3... because it's the only job left.
|
|
|
|
---
|
|
|
|
**Example 2**
|
|
|
|
If these jobs are in the queue:
|
|
|
|
- Job 1 for project 1
|
|
- Job 2 for project 1
|
|
- Job 3 for project 1
|
|
- Job 4 for project 2
|
|
- Job 5 for project 2
|
|
- Job 6 for project 3
|
|
|
|
The fair usage algorithm assigns jobs in this order:
|
|
|
|
1. Job 1 is chosen first, because it has the lowest job number from projects with no running jobs (that is, all projects).
|
|
1. We finish job 1.
|
|
1. Job 2 is next, because, having finished Job 1, all projects have 0 jobs running again, and 2 is the lowest available job number.
|
|
1. Job 4 is next, because with Project 1 running a job, 4 is the lowest number from projects running no jobs (Projects 2 and 3).
|
|
1. We finish job 4.
|
|
1. Job 5 is next, because having finished Job 4, Project 2 has no jobs running again.
|
|
1. Job 6 is next, because Project 3 is the only project left with no running jobs.
|
|
1. Lastly we choose Job 3... because, again, it's the only job left.
|
|
|
|
#### Enable a shared Runner
|
|
|
|
By default, all projects can use shared Runners, and they are enabled by default.
|
|
|
|
However, you can enable or disable shared Runners for individual projects.
|
|
|
|
To enable or disable a shared Runner:
|
|
|
|
1. Go to the project's **{settings}** **Settings > CI/CD** and expand the **Runners** section.
|
|
1. Click **Allow shared Runners** or **Disable shared Runners**.
|
|
|
|
### Group Runners
|
|
|
|
Use *Group Runners* when you want all projects in a group
|
|
to have access to a set of Runners.
|
|
|
|
Group Runners process jobs by using a first in, first out ([FIFO](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIFO_(computing_and_electronics))) queue.
|
|
|
|
#### Create a group Runner
|
|
|
|
You can create a group Runner for your self-managed GitLab instance or for GitLab.com.
|
|
You must have [Owner permissions](../../user/permissions.md#group-members-permissions) for the group.
|
|
|
|
To create a group Runner:
|
|
|
|
1. [Install Runner](https://docs.gitlab.com/runner/install/).
|
|
1. Go to the group you want to make the Runner work for.
|
|
1. Go to **{settings}** **Settings > CI/CD** and expand the **Runners** section.
|
|
1. Note the URL and token.
|
|
1. [Register the Runner](https://docs.gitlab.com/runner/register/).
|
|
|
|
#### Pause or remove a group Runner
|
|
|
|
You can pause or remove a group Runner.
|
|
You must have [Owner permissions](../../user/permissions.md#group-members-permissions) for the group.
|
|
|
|
1. Go to the group you want to remove or pause the Runner for.
|
|
1. Go to **{settings}** **Settings > CI/CD** and expand the **Runners** section.
|
|
1. Click **Pause** or **Remove Runner**.
|
|
1. On the confirmation dialog, click **OK**.
|
|
|
|
### Specific Runners
|
|
|
|
Use *Specific Runners* when you want to use Runners for specific projects. For example,
|
|
when you have:
|
|
|
|
- Jobs with specific requirements, like a deploy job that requires credentials.
|
|
- Projects with a lot of CI activity that can benefit from being separate from other Runners.
|
|
|
|
You can set up a specific Runner to be used by multiple projects. Specific Runners
|
|
must be enabled for each project explicitly.
|
|
|
|
Specific Runners process jobs by using a first in, first out ([FIFO](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIFO_(computing_and_electronics))) queue.
|
|
|
|
NOTE: **Note:**
|
|
Specific Runners do not get shared with forked projects automatically.
|
|
A fork *does* copy the CI / CD settings of the cloned repository.
|
|
|
|
#### Create a specific Runner
|
|
|
|
You can create a specific Runner for your self-managed GitLab instance or for GitLab.com.
|
|
You must have [Owner permissions](../../user/permissions.md#project-members-permissions) for the project.
|
|
|
|
To create a specific Runner:
|
|
|
|
1. [Install Runner](https://docs.gitlab.com/runner/install/).
|
|
1. Go to the project's **{settings}** **Settings > CI/CD** and expand the **Runners** section.
|
|
1. Note the URL and token.
|
|
1. [Register the Runner](https://docs.gitlab.com/runner/register/).
|
|
|
|
#### Enable a specific Runner for a specific project
|
|
|
|
A specific Runner is available in the project it was created for. An administrator can
|
|
enable a specific Runner to apply to additional projects.
|
|
|
|
- You must have Owner permissions for the project.
|
|
- The specific Runner must not be [locked](#prevent-a-specific-runner-from-being-enabled-for-other-projects).
|
|
|
|
To enable or disable a specific Runner for a project:
|
|
|
|
1. Go to the project's **{settings}** **Settings > CI/CD** and expand the **Runners** section.
|
|
1. Click **Enable for this project** or **Disable for this project**.
|
|
|
|
#### Prevent a specific Runner from being enabled for other projects
|
|
|
|
You can configure a specific Runner so it is "locked" and cannot be enabled for other projects.
|
|
This setting can be enabled when you first [register a Runner](https://docs.gitlab.com/runner/register/),
|
|
but can also be changed later.
|
|
|
|
To lock or unlock a Runner:
|
|
|
|
1. Go to the project's **{settings}** **Settings > CI/CD** and expand the **Runners** section.
|
|
1. Find the Runner you want to lock or unlock. Make sure it's enabled.
|
|
1. Click the pencil button.
|
|
1. Check the **Lock to current projects** option.
|
|
1. Click **Save changes**.
|
|
|
|
## Manually clear the Runner cache
|
|
|
|
Read [clearing the cache](../caching/index.md#clearing-the-cache).
|
|
|
|
## Set maximum job timeout for a Runner
|
|
|
|
For each Runner, you can specify a *maximum job timeout*. This timeout,
|
|
if smaller than the [project defined timeout](../pipelines/settings.md#timeout), takes precedence.
|
|
|
|
This feature can be used to prevent your shared Runner from being overwhelmed
|
|
by a project that has jobs with a long timeout (for example, one week).
|
|
|
|
When not configured, Runners will not override the project timeout.
|
|
|
|
How this feature works:
|
|
|
|
**Example 1 - Runner timeout bigger than project timeout**
|
|
|
|
1. You set the _maximum job timeout_ for a Runner to 24 hours
|
|
1. You set the _CI/CD Timeout_ for a project to **2 hours**
|
|
1. You start a job
|
|
1. The job, if running longer, will be timed out after **2 hours**
|
|
|
|
**Example 2 - Runner timeout not configured**
|
|
|
|
1. You remove the _maximum job timeout_ configuration from a Runner
|
|
1. You set the _CI/CD Timeout_ for a project to **2 hours**
|
|
1. You start a job
|
|
1. The job, if running longer, will be timed out after **2 hours**
|
|
|
|
**Example 3 - Runner timeout smaller than project timeout**
|
|
|
|
1. You set the _maximum job timeout_ for a Runner to **30 minutes**
|
|
1. You set the _CI/CD Timeout_ for a project to 2 hours
|
|
1. You start a job
|
|
1. The job, if running longer, will be timed out after **30 minutes**
|
|
|
|
## Be careful with sensitive information
|
|
|
|
With some [Runner Executors](https://docs.gitlab.com/runner/executors/README.html),
|
|
if you can run a job on the Runner, you can get full access to the file system,
|
|
and thus any code it runs as well as the token of the Runner. With shared Runners, this means that anyone
|
|
that runs jobs on the Runner, can access anyone else's code that runs on the
|
|
Runner.
|
|
|
|
In addition, because you can get access to the Runner token, it is possible
|
|
to create a clone of a Runner and submit false jobs, for example.
|
|
|
|
The above is easily avoided by restricting the usage of shared Runners
|
|
on large public GitLab instances, controlling access to your GitLab instance,
|
|
and using more secure [Runner Executors](https://docs.gitlab.com/runner/executors/README.html).
|
|
|
|
### Prevent Runners from revealing sensitive information
|
|
|
|
> [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-foss/-/merge_requests/13194) in GitLab 10.0.
|
|
|
|
You can protect Runners so they don't reveal sensitive information.
|
|
When a Runner is protected, the Runner picks jobs created on
|
|
[protected branches](../../user/project/protected_branches.md) or [protected tags](../../user/project/protected_tags.md) only,
|
|
and ignores other jobs.
|
|
|
|
To protect or unprotect a Runner:
|
|
|
|
1. Go to the project's **{settings}** **Settings > CI/CD** and expand the **Runners** section.
|
|
1. Find the Runner you want to protect or unprotect. Make sure it's enabled.
|
|
1. Click the pencil button.
|
|
1. Check the **Protected** option.
|
|
1. Click **Save changes**.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
### Forks
|
|
|
|
Whenever a project is forked, it copies the settings of the jobs that relate
|
|
to it. This means that if you have shared Runners set up for a project and
|
|
someone forks that project, the shared Runners will also serve jobs of this
|
|
project.
|
|
|
|
### Attack vectors in Runners
|
|
|
|
Mentioned briefly earlier, but the following things of Runners can be exploited.
|
|
We're always looking for contributions that can mitigate these
|
|
[Security Considerations](https://docs.gitlab.com/runner/security/).
|
|
|
|
### Reset the Runner registration token for a project
|
|
|
|
If you think that a registration token for a project was revealed, you should
|
|
reset it. A token can be used to register another Runner for the project. That new Runner
|
|
may then be used to obtain the values of secret variables or to clone project code.
|
|
|
|
To reset the token:
|
|
|
|
1. Go to the project's **{settings}** **Settings > CI/CD**.
|
|
1. Expand the **General pipelines settings** section.
|
|
1. Find the **Runner token** form field and click the **Reveal value** button.
|
|
1. Delete the value and save the form.
|
|
1. After the page is refreshed, expand the **Runners settings** section
|
|
and check the registration token - it should be changed.
|
|
|
|
From now on the old token is no longer valid and will not register
|
|
any new Runners to the project. If you are using any tools to provision and
|
|
register new Runners, the tokens used in those tools should be updated to reflect the
|
|
value of the new token.
|
|
|
|
## Determine the IP address of a Runner
|
|
|
|
> [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-foss/-/merge_requests/17286) in GitLab 10.6.
|
|
|
|
It may be useful to know the IP address of a Runner so you can troubleshoot
|
|
issues with that Runner. GitLab stores and displays the IP address by viewing
|
|
the source of the HTTP requests it makes to GitLab when polling for jobs. The
|
|
IP address is always kept up to date so if the Runner IP changes it will be
|
|
automatically updated in GitLab.
|
|
|
|
The IP address for shared Runners and specific Runners can be found in
|
|
different places.
|
|
|
|
### Determine the IP address of a shared Runner
|
|
|
|
To view the IP address of a shared Runner you must have admin access to
|
|
the GitLab instance. To determine this:
|
|
|
|
1. Visit **{admin}** **Admin Area > Overview > Runners**.
|
|
1. Look for the Runner in the table and you should see a column for **IP Address**.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
### Determine the IP address of a specific Runner
|
|
|
|
To can find the IP address of a Runner for a specific project,
|
|
you must have Owner [permissions](../../user/permissions.md#project-members-permissions) for the project.
|
|
|
|
1. Go to the project's **{settings}** **Settings > CI/CD** and expand the **Runners** section.
|
|
1. On the details page you should see a row for **IP Address**.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
## Use tags to limit the number of jobs using the Runner
|
|
|
|
You must set up a Runner to be able to run all the different types of jobs
|
|
that it may encounter on the projects it's shared over. This would be
|
|
problematic for large amounts of projects, if it weren't for tags.
|
|
|
|
By tagging a Runner for the types of jobs it can handle, you can make sure
|
|
shared Runners will [only run the jobs they are equipped to run](../yaml/README.md#tags).
|
|
|
|
For instance, at GitLab we have Runners tagged with `rails` if they contain
|
|
the appropriate dependencies to run Rails test suites.
|
|
|
|
When you [register a Runner](https://docs.gitlab.com/runner/register/), its default behavior is to **only pick**
|
|
[tagged jobs](../yaml/README.md#tags).
|
|
To change this, you must have Owner [permissions](../../user/permissions.md#project-members-permissions) for the project.
|
|
|
|
To make a Runner pick untagged jobs:
|
|
|
|
1. Go to the project's **{settings}** **Settings > CI/CD** and expand the **Runners** section.
|
|
1. Find the Runner you want to pick untagged jobs and make sure it's enabled.
|
|
1. Click the pencil button.
|
|
1. Check the **Run untagged jobs** option.
|
|
1. Click the **Save changes** button for the changes to take effect.
|
|
|
|
NOTE: **Note:**
|
|
The Runner tags list can not be empty when it's not allowed to pick untagged jobs.
|
|
|
|
Below are some example scenarios of different variations.
|
|
|
|
### Runner runs only tagged jobs
|
|
|
|
The following examples illustrate the potential impact of the Runner being set
|
|
to run only tagged jobs.
|
|
|
|
Example 1:
|
|
|
|
1. The Runner is configured to run only tagged jobs and has the `docker` tag.
|
|
1. A job that has a `hello` tag is executed and stuck.
|
|
|
|
Example 2:
|
|
|
|
1. The Runner is configured to run only tagged jobs and has the `docker` tag.
|
|
1. A job that has a `docker` tag is executed and run.
|
|
|
|
Example 3:
|
|
|
|
1. The Runner is configured to run only tagged jobs and has the `docker` tag.
|
|
1. A job that has no tags defined is executed and stuck.
|
|
|
|
### Runner is allowed to run untagged jobs
|
|
|
|
The following examples illustrate the potential impact of the Runner being set
|
|
to run tagged and untagged jobs.
|
|
|
|
Example 1:
|
|
|
|
1. The Runner is configured to run untagged jobs and has the `docker` tag.
|
|
1. A job that has no tags defined is executed and run.
|
|
1. A second job that has a `docker` tag defined is executed and run.
|
|
|
|
Example 2:
|
|
|
|
1. The Runner is configured to run untagged jobs and has no tags defined.
|
|
1. A job that has no tags defined is executed and run.
|
|
1. A second job that has a `docker` tag defined is stuck.
|