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GitLab CI/CD: Introduction & Getting Started

GitLab CI/CD is a built-in continuous integration and delivery system in GitLab, enabling you to automate builds, tests, and deployments directly from your Git repository.

Why Use GitLab CI/CD?

  • Automate testing and deployment with every commit
  • Define pipelines as code in .gitlab-ci.yml
  • Integrate with Docker, Kubernetes, and cloud providers

How GitLab CI/CD Works

  • Pipelines are triggered by changes in your repository
  • Jobs and stages are defined in .gitlab-ci.yml
  • Runners execute jobs on your infrastructure or in the cloud

Quick Start Example

  1. Create a .gitlab-ci.yml in your repo: 
    stages:
  - build
  - test

build-job:
  stage: build
  script:
    - echo "Building..."

test-job:
  stage: test
  script:
    - echo "Running tests..."
  2. Push to GitLab:
  3. The pipeline runs automatically on push
  4. View pipeline status:
  5. Go to your project’s CI/CD > Pipelines page

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