438 lines
16 KiB
Markdown
438 lines
16 KiB
Markdown
---
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type: reference
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---
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# Creating and using CI/CD pipelines
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> Introduced in GitLab 8.8.
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NOTE: **Tip:**
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Watch our
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["Mastering continuous software development"](https://about.gitlab.com/webcast/mastering-ci-cd/)
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webcast to see a comprehensive demo of GitLab CI/CD pipeline.
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## Introduction
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Pipelines are the top-level component of continuous integration, delivery, and deployment.
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Pipelines comprise:
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- Jobs that define what to run. For example, code compilation or test runs.
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- Stages that define when and how to run. For example, that tests run only after code compilation.
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Multiple jobs in the same stage are executed by [Runners](runners/README.md) in parallel, if there are enough concurrent [Runners](runners/README.md).
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If all the jobs in a stage:
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- Succeed, the pipeline moves on to the next stage.
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- Fail, the next stage is not (usually) executed and the pipeline ends early.
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NOTE: **Note:**
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If you have a [mirrored repository that GitLab pulls from](../workflow/repository_mirroring.md#pulling-from-a-remote-repository-starter),
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you may need to enable pipeline triggering in your project's
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**Settings > Repository > Pull from a remote repository > Trigger pipelines for mirror updates**.
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### Simple pipeline example
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As an example, imagine a pipeline consisting of four stages, executed in the following order:
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- `build`, with a job called `compile`.
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- `test`, with two jobs called `test` and `test2`.
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- `staging`, with a job called `deploy-to-stage`.
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- `production`, with a job called `deploy-to-prod`.
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## Visualizing pipelines
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> [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-foss/merge_requests/5742) in GitLab 8.11.
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Pipelines can be complex structures with many sequential and parallel jobs.
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To make it easier to understand the flow of a pipeline, GitLab has pipeline graphs for viewing pipelines
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and their statuses.
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Pipeline graphs can be displayed in two different ways, depending on the page you
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access the graph from.
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NOTE: **Note:**
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GitLab capitalizes the stages' names when shown in the pipeline graphs (below).
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### Regular pipeline graphs
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Regular pipeline graphs show the names of the jobs of each stage. Regular pipeline graphs can
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be found when you are on a [single pipeline page](#accessing-pipelines). For example:
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![Pipelines example](img/pipelines.png)
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### Pipeline mini graphs
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Pipeline mini graphs take less space and can tell you at a
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quick glance if all jobs passed or something failed. The pipeline mini graph can
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be found when you navigate to:
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- The pipelines index page.
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- A single commit page.
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- A merge request page.
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Pipeline mini graphs allow you to see all related jobs for a single commit and the net result
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of each stage of your pipeline. This allows you to quickly see what failed and
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fix it.
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Stages in pipeline mini graphs are collapsible. Hover your mouse over them and click to expand their jobs.
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| Mini graph | Mini graph expanded |
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|:-------------------------------------------------------------|:---------------------------------------------------------------|
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| ![Pipelines mini graph](img/pipelines_mini_graph_simple.png) | ![Pipelines mini graph extended](img/pipelines_mini_graph.png) |
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### Job ordering in pipeline graphs
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Job ordering depends on the type of pipeline graph. For [regular pipeline graphs](#regular-pipeline-graphs), jobs are sorted by name.
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For [pipeline mini graphs](#pipeline-mini-graphs) ([introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-foss/merge_requests/9760)
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in GitLab 9.0), jobs are sorted by severity and then by name.
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The order of severity is:
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- failed
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- warning
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- pending
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- running
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- manual
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- scheduled
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- canceled
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- success
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- skipped
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- created
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For example:
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![Pipeline mini graph sorting](img/pipelines_mini_graph_sorting.png)
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### How pipeline duration is calculated
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Total running time for a given pipeline excludes retries and pending
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(queued) time.
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Each job is represented as a `Period`, which consists of:
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- `Period#first` (when the job started).
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- `Period#last` (when the job finished).
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A simple example is:
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- A (1, 3)
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- B (2, 4)
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- C (6, 7)
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In the example:
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- A begins at 1 and ends at 3.
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- B begins at 2 and ends at 4.
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- C begins at 6 and ends at 7.
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Visually, it can be viewed as:
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```text
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0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
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AAAAAAA
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BBBBBBB
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CCCC
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```
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The union of A, B, and C is (1, 4) and (6, 7). Therefore, the total running time is:
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```text
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(4 - 1) + (7 - 6) => 4
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```
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### Expanding and collapsing job log sections
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> [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-foss/issues/14664) in GitLab
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> 12.0.
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Job logs are divided into sections that can be collapsed or expanded.
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In the following example:
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- Two sections are expanded and can be collapsed.
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- One section is collapsed and can be expanded.
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![Collapsible sections](img/collapsible_log.png)
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## Configuring pipelines
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Pipelines, and their component jobs and stages, are defined in the [`.gitlab-ci.yml`](yaml/README.md) file for each project.
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In particular:
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- Jobs are the [basic configuration](yaml/README.html#introduction) component.
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- Stages are defined using the [`stages`](yaml/README.html#stages) keyword.
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For all available configuration options, see the [GitLab CI/CD Pipeline Configuration Reference](yaml/README.md).
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### Settings and schedules
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In addition to configuring jobs through `.gitlab-ci.yml`, additional configuration options are available
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through the GitLab UI:
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- Pipeline settings for each project. For more information, see [Pipeline settings](../user/project/pipelines/settings.md).
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- Schedules for pipelines. For more information, see [Pipeline schedules](../user/project/pipelines/schedules.md).
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### Grouping jobs
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> [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-foss/merge_requests/6242) in GitLab 8.12.
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If you have many similar jobs, your [pipeline graph](#visualizing-pipelines) becomes long and hard
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to read.
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For that reason, similar jobs can automatically be grouped together.
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If the job names are formatted in certain ways, they will be collapsed into
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a single group in regular pipeline graphs (not the mini graphs).
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You'll know when a pipeline has grouped jobs if you don't see the retry or
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cancel button inside them. Hovering over them will show the number of grouped
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jobs. Click to expand them.
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![Grouped pipelines](img/pipelines_grouped.png)
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#### Configuring grouping
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In the pipeline [configuration file](yaml/README.md), job names must include two numbers separated with one of
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the following (you can even use them interchangeably):
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- A space.
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- A slash (`/`).
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- A colon (`:`).
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NOTE: **Note:**
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More specifically, it uses [this](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/blob/2f3dc314f42dbd79813e6251792853bc231e69dd/app/models/commit_status.rb#L99) regular expression: `\d+[\s:\/\\]+\d+\s*`.
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#### How grouping works
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The jobs will be ordered by comparing those two numbers from left to right. You
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usually want the first to be the index and the second the total.
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For example, the following jobs will be grouped under a job named `test`:
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- `test 0 3`
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- `test 1 3`
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- `test 2 3`
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The following jobs will be grouped under a job named `test ruby`:
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- `test 1:2 ruby`
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- `test 2:2 ruby`
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The following jobs will be grouped under a job named `test ruby` as well:
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- `1/3 test ruby`
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- `2/3 test ruby`
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- `3/3 test ruby`
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### Pipelines for merge requests
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GitLab supports configuring pipelines that run only for merge requests. For more information, see
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[Pipelines for merge requests](merge_request_pipelines/index.md).
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### Badges
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Pipeline status and test coverage report badges are available and configurable for each project.
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For information on adding pipeline badges to projects, see [Pipeline badges](../user/project/pipelines/settings.md#pipeline-badges).
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## Multi-project pipelines **(PREMIUM)**
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Pipelines for different projects can be combined and visualized together.
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For more information, see [Multi-project pipelines](multi_project_pipelines.md).
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## Working with pipelines
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In general, pipelines are executed automatically and require no intervention once created.
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However, there are instances where you'll need to interact with pipelines. These are documented below.
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### Manually executing pipelines
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Pipelines can be manually executed, with predefined or manually-specified [variables](variables/README.md).
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You might do this if the results of a pipeline (for example, a code build) is required outside the normal
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operation of the pipeline.
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To execute a pipeline manually:
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1. Navigate to your project's **CI/CD > Pipelines**.
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1. Click on the **Run Pipeline** button.
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1. On the **Run Pipeline** page:
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1. Select the branch to run the pipeline for in the **Create for** field.
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1. Enter any [environment variables](variables/README.md) required for the pipeline run.
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1. Click the **Create pipeline** button.
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The pipeline will execute the jobs as configured.
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### Accessing pipelines
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You can find the current and historical pipeline runs under your project's
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**CI/CD > Pipelines** page. Clicking on a pipeline will show the jobs that were run for
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that pipeline.
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![Pipelines index page](img/pipelines_index.png)
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You can also access pipelines for a merge request by navigating to its **Pipelines** tab.
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### Accessing individual jobs
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When you access a pipeline, you can see the related jobs for that pipeline.
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Clicking on an individual job will show you its job log, and allow you to:
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- Cancel the job.
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- Retry the job.
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- Erase the job log.
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### Seeing the failure reason for jobs
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> [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-foss/merge_requests/17782) in GitLab 10.7.
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When a pipeline fails or is allowed to fail, there are several places where you
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can quickly check the reason it failed:
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- In the pipeline graph, on the pipeline detail view.
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- In the pipeline widgets, in the merge requests and commit pages.
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- In the job views, in the global and detailed views of a job.
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In each place, if you hover over the failed job you can see the reason it failed.
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![Pipeline detail](img/job_failure_reason.png)
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From [GitLab 10.8](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-foss/merge_requests/17814),
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you can also see the reason it failed on the Job detail page.
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### Manual actions from pipeline graphs
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> [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-foss/merge_requests/7931) in GitLab 8.15.
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Manual actions, configured using the [`when:manual`](yaml/README.md#whenmanual) parameter,
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allow you to require manual interaction before moving forward in the pipeline.
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You can do this straight from the pipeline graph. Just click on the play button
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to execute that particular job.
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For example, your pipeline start automatically, but require manual action to
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[deploy to production](environments.md#configuring-manual-deployments). In the example below, the `production`
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stage has a job with a manual action.
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![Pipelines example](img/pipelines.png)
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### Specifying variables when running manual jobs
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> [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-foss/merge_requests/30485) in GitLab 12.2.
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When running manual jobs you can supply additional job specific variables.
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You can do this from the job page of the manual job you want to run with
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additional variables.
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This is useful when you want to alter the execution of a job by using
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environment variables.
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![Manual job variables](img/manual_job_variables.png)
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### Delay a job in a pipeline graph
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> [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-foss/merge_requests/21767) in GitLab 11.4.
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When you do not want to run a job immediately, you can use the [`when:delayed`](yaml/README.md#whendelayed) parameter to
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delay a job's execution for a certain period.
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This is especially useful for timed incremental rollout where new code is rolled out gradually.
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For example, if you start rolling out new code and:
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- Users do not experience trouble, GitLab can automatically complete the deployment from 0% to 100%.
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- Users experience trouble with the new code, you can stop the timed incremental rollout by canceling the pipeline
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and [rolling](environments.md#retrying-and-rolling-back) back to the last stable version.
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![Pipelines example](img/pipeline_incremental_rollout.png)
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### Using the API
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GitLab provides API endpoints to:
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- Perform basic functions. For more information, see [Pipelines API](../api/pipelines.md).
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- Maintain pipeline schedules. For more information, see [Pipeline schedules API](../api/pipeline_schedules.md).
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- Trigger pipeline runs. For more information, see:
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- [Triggering pipelines through the API](triggers/README.md).
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- [Pipeline triggers API](../api/pipeline_triggers.md).
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### Start multiple manual actions in a stage
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> [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-foss/merge_requests/27188) in GitLab 11.11.
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Multiple manual actions in a single stage can be started at the same time using the "Play all manual" button.
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Once the user clicks this button, each individual manual action will be triggered and refreshed
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to an updated status.
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This functionality is only available:
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- For users with at least Developer access.
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- If the the stage contains [manual actions](#manual-actions-from-pipeline-graphs).
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## Most Recent Pipeline
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> [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-foss/issues/50499) in GitLab 12.3.
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There's a link to the latest pipeline for the last commit of a given branch at `/project/pipelines/[branch]/latest`. Also, `/project/pipelines/latest` will redirect you to the latest pipeline for the last commit on the project's default branch.
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## Security on protected branches
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A strict security model is enforced when pipelines are executed on
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[protected branches](../user/project/protected_branches.md).
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The following actions are allowed on protected branches only if the user is
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[allowed to merge or push](../user/project/protected_branches.md#using-the-allowed-to-merge-and-allowed-to-push-settings)
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on that specific branch:
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- Run manual pipelines (using the [Web UI](#manually-executing-pipelines) or pipelines API).
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- Run scheduled pipelines.
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- Run pipelines using triggers.
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- Trigger manual actions on existing pipelines.
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- Retry or cancel existing jobs (using the Web UI or pipelines API).
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**Variables** marked as **protected** are accessible only to jobs that
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run on protected branches, preventing untrusted users getting unintended access to
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sensitive information like deployment credentials and tokens.
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**Runners** marked as **protected** can run jobs only on protected
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branches, avoiding untrusted code to be executed on the protected runner and
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preserving deployment keys and other credentials from being unintentionally
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accessed. In order to ensure that jobs intended to be executed on protected
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runners will not use regular runners, they must be tagged accordingly.
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## Persistent pipeline refs
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> [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/merge_requests/17043) in GitLab 12.4.
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Previously, you'd have encountered unexpected pipeline failures when you force-pushed
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a branch to its remote repository. To illustrate the problem, suppose you've had the current workflow:
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1. A user creates a feature branch named `example` and pushes it to a remote repository.
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1. A new pipeline starts running on the `example` branch.
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1. A user rebases the `example` branch on the latest `master` branch and force-pushes it to its remote repository.
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1. A new pipeline starts running on the `example` branch again, however,
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the previous pipeline (2) fails because of `fatal: reference is not a tree:` error.
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This is because the previous pipeline cannot find a checkout-SHA (which associated with the pipeline record)
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from the `example` branch that the commit history has already been overwritten by the force-push.
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Similarly, [Pipelines for merged results](merge_request_pipelines/pipelines_for_merged_results/index.md)
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might have failed intermittently due to [the same reason](merge_request_pipelines/pipelines_for_merged_results/index.md#intermittently-pipelines-fail-by-fatal-reference-is-not-a-tree-error).
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As of GitLab 12.4, we've improved this behavior by persisting pipeline refs exclusively.
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To illustrate its life cycle:
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1. A pipeline is created on a feature branch named `example`.
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1. A persistent pipeline ref is created at `refs/pipelines/<pipeline-id>`,
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which retains the checkout-SHA of the associated pipeline record.
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This persistent ref stays intact during the pipeline execution,
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even if the commit history of the `example` branch has been overwritten by force-push.
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1. GitLab Runner fetches the persistent pipeline ref and gets source code from the checkout-SHA.
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1. When the pipeline finished, its persistent ref is cleaned up in a background process.
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