1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
|
---
type: reference
---
# Where variables can be used
As it's described in the [CI/CD variables](README.md) docs, you can
define many different variables. Some of them can be used for all GitLab CI/CD
features, but some of them are more or less limited.
This document describes where and how the different types of variables can be used.
## Variables usage
There are two places defined variables can be used. On the:
1. GitLab side, in `.gitlab-ci.yml`.
1. The runner side, in `config.toml`.
### `.gitlab-ci.yml` file
| Definition | Can be expanded? | Expansion place | Description |
|:-------------------------------------------|:-----------------|:-----------------------|:----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| `environment:url` | yes | GitLab | The variable expansion is made by GitLab's [internal variable expansion mechanism](#gitlab-internal-variable-expansion-mechanism).<br/><br/>Supported are all variables defined for a job (project/group variables, variables from `.gitlab-ci.yml`, variables from triggers, variables from pipeline schedules).<br/><br/>Not supported are variables defined in Runner's `config.toml` and variables created in job's `script`. |
| `environment:name` | yes | GitLab | Similar to `environment:url`, but the variables expansion doesn't support the following:<br/><br/>- Variables that are based on the environment's name (`CI_ENVIRONMENT_NAME`, `CI_ENVIRONMENT_SLUG`).<br/>- Any other variables related to environment (currently only `CI_ENVIRONMENT_URL`).<br/>- [Persisted variables](#persisted-variables). |
| `variables` | yes | Runner | The variable expansion is made by GitLab Runner's [internal variable expansion mechanism](#gitlab-runner-internal-variable-expansion-mechanism) |
| `image` | yes | Runner | The variable expansion is made by GitLab Runner's [internal variable expansion mechanism](#gitlab-runner-internal-variable-expansion-mechanism) |
| `services:[]` | yes | Runner | The variable expansion is made by GitLab Runner's [internal variable expansion mechanism](#gitlab-runner-internal-variable-expansion-mechanism) |
| `services:[]:name` | yes | Runner | The variable expansion is made by GitLab Runner's [internal variable expansion mechanism](#gitlab-runner-internal-variable-expansion-mechanism) |
| `cache:key` | yes | Runner | The variable expansion is made by GitLab Runner's [internal variable expansion mechanism](#gitlab-runner-internal-variable-expansion-mechanism) |
| `artifacts:name` | yes | Runner | The variable expansion is made by GitLab Runner's shell environment |
| `script`, `before_script`, `after_script` | yes | Script execution shell | The variable expansion is made by the [execution shell environment](#execution-shell-environment) |
| `only:variables:[]`, `except:variables:[]` | no | n/a | The variable must be in the form of `$variable`. Not supported are the following:<br/><br/>- Variables that are based on the environment's name (`CI_ENVIRONMENT_NAME`, `CI_ENVIRONMENT_SLUG`).<br/>- Any other variables related to environment (currently only `CI_ENVIRONMENT_URL`).<br/>- [Persisted variables](#persisted-variables). |
### `config.toml` file
NOTE: **Note:**
You can read more about `config.toml` in the [Runner's docs](https://docs.gitlab.com/runner/configuration/advanced-configuration.html).
| Definition | Can be expanded? | Description |
|:-------------------------------------|:-----------------|:---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| `runners.environment` | yes | The variable expansion is made by the Runner's [internal variable expansion mechanism](#gitlab-runner-internal-variable-expansion-mechanism) |
| `runners.kubernetes.pod_labels` | yes | The Variable expansion is made by the Runner's [internal variable expansion mechanism](#gitlab-runner-internal-variable-expansion-mechanism) |
| `runners.kubernetes.pod_annotations` | yes | The Variable expansion is made by the Runner's [internal variable expansion mechanism](#gitlab-runner-internal-variable-expansion-mechanism) |
## Expansion mechanisms
There are three expansion mechanisms:
- GitLab
- GitLab Runner
- Execution shell environment
### GitLab internal variable expansion mechanism
The expanded part needs to be in a form of `$variable`, or `${variable}` or `%variable%`.
Each form is handled in the same way, no matter which OS/shell will finally handle the job,
since the expansion is done in GitLab before any Runner will get the job.
### GitLab Runner internal variable expansion mechanism
- Supported: project/group variables, `.gitlab-ci.yml` variables, `config.toml` variables, and
variables from triggers, pipeline schedules, and manual pipelines.
- Not supported: variables defined inside of scripts (e.g., `export MY_VARIABLE="test"`).
The Runner uses Go's `os.Expand()` method for variable expansion. It means that it will handle
only variables defined as `$variable` and `${variable}`. What's also important, is that
the expansion is done only once, so nested variables may or may not work, depending on the
ordering of variables definitions.
### Execution shell environment
This is an expansion that takes place during the `script` execution.
How it works depends on the used shell (bash/sh/cmd/PowerShell). For example, if the job's
`script` contains a line `echo $MY_VARIABLE-${MY_VARIABLE_2}`, it should be properly handled
by bash/sh (leaving empty strings or some values depending whether the variables were
defined or not), but will not work with Windows' cmd/PowerShell, since these shells
are using a different variables syntax.
Supported:
- The `script` may use all available variables that are default for the shell (e.g., `$PATH` which
should be present in all bash/sh shells) and all variables defined by GitLab CI/CD (project/group variables,
`.gitlab-ci.yml` variables, `config.toml` variables, and variables from triggers and pipeline schedules).
- The `script` may also use all variables defined in the lines before. So, for example, if you define
a variable `export MY_VARIABLE="test"`:
- In `before_script`, it will work in the following lines of `before_script` and
all lines of the related `script`.
- In `script`, it will work in the following lines of `script`.
- In `after_script`, it will work in following lines of `after_script`.
In the case of `after_script` scripts, they can:
- Only use variables defined before the script within the same `after_script`
section.
- Not use variables defined in `before_script` and `script`.
These restrictions are because `after_script` scripts are executed in a
[separated shell context](../yaml/README.md#before_script-and-after_script).
## Persisted variables
NOTE: **Note:**
Some of the persisted variables contain tokens and cannot be used by some definitions
due to security reasons.
The following variables are known as "persisted":
- `CI_PIPELINE_ID`
- `CI_JOB_ID`
- `CI_JOB_TOKEN`
- `CI_BUILD_ID`
- `CI_BUILD_TOKEN`
- `CI_REGISTRY_USER`
- `CI_REGISTRY_PASSWORD`
- `CI_REPOSITORY_URL`
- `CI_DEPLOY_USER`
- `CI_DEPLOY_PASSWORD`
They are:
- Supported for definitions where the ["Expansion place"](#gitlab-ciyml-file) is:
- Runner.
- Script execution shell.
- Not supported:
- For definitions where the ["Expansion place"](#gitlab-ciyml-file) is GitLab.
- In the `only` and `except` [variables expressions](README.md#environment-variables-expressions).
## Variables with an environment scope
Variables defined with an environment scope are supported. Given that
there is a variable `$STAGING_SECRET` defined in a scope of
`review/staging/*`, the following job that is using dynamic environments
is going to be created, based on the matching variable expression:
```yaml
my-job:
stage: staging
environment:
name: review/$CI_JOB_STAGE/deploy
script:
- 'deploy staging'
only:
variables:
- $STAGING_SECRET == 'something'
```
|
