summaryrefslogtreecommitdiff
path: root/doc/ci/yaml/README.md
blob: cd492d167475690b1389be4c0b0319bff0f4e371 (plain)
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
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369
370
371
372
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
380
381
382
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393
394
395
396
397
398
399
400
401
402
403
404
405
406
407
408
409
410
411
412
413
414
415
416
417
418
419
420
421
422
423
424
425
426
427
428
429
430
431
432
433
434
435
436
437
438
439
440
441
442
443
444
445
446
447
448
449
450
451
452
453
454
455
456
457
458
459
460
461
462
463
464
465
466
467
468
469
470
471
472
473
474
475
476
477
478
479
480
481
482
483
484
485
486
487
488
489
490
491
492
493
494
495
496
497
498
499
500
501
502
503
504
505
506
507
508
509
510
511
512
513
514
515
516
517
518
519
520
521
522
523
524
525
526
527
528
529
530
531
532
533
534
535
536
537
538
539
540
541
542
543
544
545
546
547
548
549
550
551
552
553
554
555
556
557
558
559
560
561
562
563
564
565
566
567
568
569
570
571
572
573
574
575
576
577
578
579
580
581
582
583
584
585
586
587
588
589
590
591
592
593
594
595
596
597
598
599
600
601
602
603
604
605
606
607
608
609
610
611
612
613
614
615
616
617
618
619
620
621
622
623
624
625
626
627
628
629
630
631
632
633
634
635
636
637
638
639
640
641
642
643
644
645
646
647
648
649
650
651
652
653
654
655
656
657
658
659
660
661
662
663
664
665
666
667
668
669
670
671
672
673
674
675
676
677
678
679
680
681
682
683
684
685
686
687
688
689
690
691
692
693
694
695
696
697
698
699
700
701
702
703
704
705
706
707
708
709
710
711
712
713
714
715
716
717
718
719
720
721
722
723
724
725
726
727
728
729
730
731
732
733
734
735
736
737
738
739
740
741
742
743
744
745
746
747
748
749
750
751
752
753
754
755
756
757
758
759
760
761
762
763
764
765
766
767
768
769
770
771
772
773
774
775
776
777
778
779
780
781
782
783
784
785
786
787
788
789
790
791
792
793
794
795
796
797
798
799
800
801
802
803
804
805
806
807
808
809
810
811
812
813
814
815
816
817
818
819
820
821
822
823
824
825
826
827
828
829
830
831
832
833
834
835
836
837
838
839
840
841
842
843
844
845
846
847
848
849
850
851
852
853
854
855
856
857
858
859
860
861
862
863
864
865
866
867
868
869
870
871
872
873
874
875
876
877
878
879
880
881
882
883
884
885
886
887
888
889
890
891
892
893
894
895
896
897
898
899
900
901
902
903
904
905
906
907
908
909
910
911
912
913
914
915
916
917
918
919
920
921
922
923
924
925
926
927
928
929
930
931
932
933
934
935
936
937
938
939
940
941
942
943
944
945
946
947
948
949
950
951
952
953
954
955
956
957
958
959
960
961
962
963
964
965
966
967
968
969
970
971
972
973
974
975
976
977
978
979
980
981
982
983
984
985
986
987
988
989
990
991
992
993
994
995
996
997
998
999
1000
1001
1002
1003
1004
1005
1006
1007
1008
1009
1010
1011
1012
1013
1014
1015
1016
1017
1018
1019
1020
1021
1022
1023
1024
1025
1026
1027
1028
1029
1030
1031
1032
1033
1034
1035
1036
1037
1038
1039
1040
1041
1042
1043
1044
1045
1046
1047
1048
1049
1050
1051
1052
1053
1054
1055
1056
1057
1058
1059
1060
1061
1062
1063
1064
1065
1066
1067
1068
1069
1070
1071
1072
1073
1074
1075
1076
1077
1078
1079
1080
1081
1082
1083
1084
1085
1086
1087
1088
1089
1090
1091
1092
1093
1094
1095
1096
1097
1098
1099
1100
1101
1102
1103
1104
1105
1106
1107
1108
1109
1110
1111
1112
1113
1114
1115
1116
1117
1118
1119
1120
1121
1122
1123
1124
1125
1126
1127
1128
1129
1130
1131
1132
1133
1134
1135
1136
1137
1138
1139
1140
1141
1142
1143
1144
1145
1146
1147
1148
1149
1150
1151
1152
1153
1154
1155
1156
1157
1158
1159
1160
1161
1162
1163
1164
1165
1166
1167
1168
1169
1170
1171
1172
1173
1174
1175
1176
1177
1178
1179
1180
1181
1182
1183
1184
1185
1186
1187
1188
1189
1190
1191
1192
1193
1194
1195
1196
1197
1198
1199
1200
1201
1202
1203
1204
1205
1206
1207
1208
1209
1210
1211
1212
1213
1214
1215
1216
1217
1218
1219
1220
1221
1222
1223
1224
1225
1226
1227
1228
1229
1230
1231
1232
1233
1234
1235
1236
1237
1238
1239
1240
1241
1242
1243
1244
1245
1246
1247
1248
1249
1250
1251
1252
1253
1254
1255
1256
1257
1258
1259
1260
1261
1262
1263
1264
1265
1266
1267
1268
1269
1270
1271
1272
1273
1274
1275
1276
1277
1278
1279
1280
1281
1282
1283
1284
1285
1286
1287
1288
1289
1290
1291
1292
1293
1294
1295
1296
1297
1298
1299
1300
1301
1302
1303
1304
1305
1306
1307
1308
1309
1310
1311
1312
1313
1314
1315
1316
1317
1318
1319
1320
1321
1322
1323
1324
1325
1326
1327
1328
1329
1330
1331
1332
1333
1334
1335
1336
1337
1338
1339
1340
1341
1342
1343
1344
1345
1346
1347
1348
1349
1350
1351
1352
# Configuration of your builds with .gitlab-ci.yml

This document describes the usage of `.gitlab-ci.yml`, the file that is used by
GitLab Runner to manage your project's builds.

If you want a quick introduction to GitLab CI, follow our
[quick start guide](../quick_start/README.md).

## .gitlab-ci.yml

From version 7.12, GitLab CI uses a [YAML](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YAML)
file (`.gitlab-ci.yml`) for the project configuration. It is placed in the root
of your repository and contains definitions of how your project should be built.

The YAML file defines a set of jobs with constraints stating when they should
be run. The jobs are defined as top-level elements with a name and always have
to contain at least the `script` clause:

```yaml
job1:
  script: "execute-script-for-job1"

job2:
  script: "execute-script-for-job2"
```

The above example is the simplest possible CI configuration with two separate
jobs, where each of the jobs executes a different command.

Of course a command can execute code directly (`./configure;make;make install`)
or run a script (`test.sh`) in the repository.

Jobs are used to create builds, which are then picked up by
[Runners](../runners/README.md) and executed within the environment of the
Runner. What is important, is that each job is run independently from each
other.

The YAML syntax allows for using more complex job specifications than in the
above example:

```yaml
image: ruby:2.1
services:
  - postgres

before_script:
  - bundle install

after_script:
  - rm secrets

stages:
  - build
  - test
  - deploy

job1:
  stage: build
  script:
    - execute-script-for-job1
  only:
    - master
  tags:
    - docker
```

There are a few reserved `keywords` that **cannot** be used as job names:

| Keyword       | Required | Description |
|---------------|----------|-------------|
| image         | no | Use docker image, covered in [Use Docker](../docker/README.md) |
| services      | no | Use docker services, covered in [Use Docker](../docker/README.md) |
| stages        | no | Define build stages |
| types         | no | Alias for `stages` |
| before_script | no | Define commands that run before each job's script |
| after_script  | no | Define commands that run after each job's script |
| variables     | no | Define build variables |
| cache         | no | Define list of files that should be cached between subsequent runs |

### image and services

This allows to specify a custom Docker image and a list of services that can be
used for time of the build. The configuration of this feature is covered in
[a separate document](../docker/README.md).

### before_script

`before_script` is used to define the command that should be run before all
builds, including deploy builds, but after the restoration of artifacts. This can be an array or a multi-line string.

### after_script

> Introduced in GitLab 8.7 and requires Gitlab Runner v1.2

`after_script` is used to define the command that will be run after for all
builds. This has to be an array or a multi-line string.

### stages

`stages` is used to define build stages that can be used by jobs.
The specification of `stages` allows for having flexible multi stage pipelines.

The ordering of elements in `stages` defines the ordering of builds' execution:

1. Builds of the same stage are run in parallel.
1. Builds of the next stage are run after the jobs from the previous stage
   complete successfully.

Let's consider the following example, which defines 3 stages:

```yaml
stages:
  - build
  - test
  - deploy
```

1. First all jobs of `build` are executed in parallel.
1. If all jobs of `build` succeed, the `test` jobs are executed in parallel.
1. If all jobs of `test` succeed, the `deploy` jobs are executed in parallel.
1. If all jobs of `deploy` succeed, the commit is marked as `success`.
1. If any of the previous jobs fails, the commit is marked as `failed` and no
   jobs of further stage are executed.

There are also two edge cases worth mentioning:

1. If no `stages` are defined in `.gitlab-ci.yml`, then by default the `build`,
   `test` and `deploy` are allowed to be used as job's stage by default.
2. If a job doesn't specify a `stage`, the job is assigned the `test` stage.

### types

Alias for [stages](#stages).

### variables

> Introduced in GitLab Runner v0.5.0.

GitLab CI allows you to add variables to `.gitlab-ci.yml` that are set in the
build environment. The variables are stored in the Git repository and are meant
to store non-sensitive project configuration, for example:

```yaml
variables:
  DATABASE_URL: "postgres://postgres@postgres/my_database"
```

These variables can be later used in all executed commands and scripts.
The YAML-defined variables are also set to all created service containers,
thus allowing to fine tune them. Variables can be also defined on a
[job level](#job-variables).

Except for the user defined variables, there are also the ones set up by the
Runner itself. One example would be `CI_BUILD_REF_NAME` which has the value of
the branch or tag name for which project is built. Apart from the variables
you can set in `.gitlab-ci.yml`, there are also the so called secret variables
which can be set in GitLab's UI.

[Learn more about variables.][variables]

### cache

> Introduced in GitLab Runner v0.7.0.

`cache` is used to specify a list of files and directories which should be
cached between builds. You can only use paths that are within the project
workspace.

**By default the caching is enabled per-job and per-branch.**

If `cache` is defined outside the scope of the jobs, it means it is set
globally and all jobs will use its definition.

Cache all files in `binaries` and `.config`:

```yaml
rspec:
  script: test
  cache:
    paths:
    - binaries/
    - .config
```

Cache all Git untracked files:

```yaml
rspec:
  script: test
  cache:
    untracked: true
```

Cache all Git untracked files and files in `binaries`:

```yaml
rspec:
  script: test
  cache:
    untracked: true
    paths:
    - binaries/
```

Locally defined cache overwrites globally defined options. This will cache only
`binaries/`:

```yaml
cache:
  paths:
  - my/files

rspec:
  script: test
  cache:
    paths:
    - binaries/
```

The cache is provided on a best-effort basis, so don't expect that the cache
will be always present. For implementation details, please check GitLab Runner.

#### cache:key

> Introduced in GitLab Runner v1.0.0.

The `key` directive allows you to define the affinity of caching
between jobs, allowing to have a single cache for all jobs,
cache per-job, cache per-branch or any other way you deem proper.

This allows you to fine tune caching, allowing you to cache data between
different jobs or even different branches.

The `cache:key` variable can use any of the [predefined variables](../variables/README.md).

---

**Example configurations**

To enable per-job caching:

```yaml
cache:
  key: "$CI_BUILD_NAME"
  untracked: true
```

To enable per-branch caching:

```yaml
cache:
  key: "$CI_BUILD_REF_NAME"
  untracked: true
```

To enable per-job and per-branch caching:

```yaml
cache:
  key: "$CI_BUILD_NAME/$CI_BUILD_REF_NAME"
  untracked: true
```

To enable per-branch and per-stage caching:

```yaml
cache:
  key: "$CI_BUILD_STAGE/$CI_BUILD_REF_NAME"
  untracked: true
```

If you use **Windows Batch** to run your shell scripts you need to replace
`$` with `%`:

```yaml
cache:
  key: "%CI_BUILD_STAGE%/%CI_BUILD_REF_NAME%"
  untracked: true
```

## Jobs

`.gitlab-ci.yml` allows you to specify an unlimited number of jobs. Each job
must have a unique name, which is not one of the Keywords mentioned above.
A job is defined by a list of parameters that define the build behavior.

```yaml
job_name:
  script:
    - rake spec
    - coverage
  stage: test
  only:
    - master
  except:
    - develop
  tags:
    - ruby
    - postgres
  allow_failure: true
```

| Keyword       | Required | Description |
|---------------|----------|-------------|
| script        | yes | Defines a shell script which is executed by Runner |
| image         | no | Use docker image, covered in [Using Docker Images](../docker/using_docker_images.md#define-image-and-services-from-gitlab-ciyml) |
| services      | no | Use docker services, covered in [Using Docker Images](../docker/using_docker_images.md#define-image-and-services-from-gitlab-ciyml) |
| stage         | no | Defines a build stage (default: `test`) |
| type          | no | Alias for `stage` |
| variables     | no | Define build variables on a job level |
| only          | no | Defines a list of git refs for which build is created |
| except        | no | Defines a list of git refs for which build is not created |
| tags          | no | Defines a list of tags which are used to select Runner |
| allow_failure | no | Allow build to fail. Failed build doesn't contribute to commit status |
| when          | no | Define when to run build. Can be `on_success`, `on_failure`, `always` or `manual` |
| dependencies  | no | Define other builds that a build depends on so that you can pass artifacts between them|
| artifacts     | no | Define list of build artifacts |
| cache         | no | Define list of files that should be cached between subsequent runs |
| before_script | no | Override a set of commands that are executed before build |
| after_script  | no | Override a set of commands that are executed after build |
| environment   | no | Defines a name of environment to which deployment is done by this build |
| coverage      | no | Define code coverage settings for a given job |

### script

`script` is a shell script which is executed by the Runner. For example:

```yaml
job:
  script: "bundle exec rspec"
```

This parameter can also contain several commands using an array:

```yaml
job:
  script:
    - uname -a
    - bundle exec rspec
```

Sometimes, `script` commands will need to be wrapped in single or double quotes. For example, commands that contain a colon (`:`) need to be wrapped in quotes so that the YAML parser knows to interpret the whole thing as a string rather than a "key: value" pair. Be careful when using special characters (`:`, `{`, `}`, `[`, `]`, `,`, `&`, `*`, `#`, `?`, `|`, `-`, `<`, `>`, `=`, `!`, `%`, `@`, `` ` ``).

### stage

`stage` allows to group build into different stages. Builds of the same `stage`
are executed in `parallel`. For more info about the use of `stage` please check
[stages](#stages).

### only and except

`only` and `except` are two parameters that set a refs policy to limit when
jobs are built:

1. `only` defines the names of branches and tags for which the job will be
    built.
2. `except` defines the names of branches and tags for which the job will
    **not** be built.

There are a few rules that apply to the usage of refs policy:

* `only` and `except` are inclusive. If both `only` and `except` are defined
   in a job specification, the ref is filtered by `only` and `except`.
* `only` and `except` allow the use of regular expressions.
* `only` and `except` allow the use of special keywords: `branches`, `tags`, and `triggers`.
* `only` and `except` allow to specify a repository path to filter jobs for
   forks.

In the example below, `job` will run only for refs that start with `issue-`,
whereas all branches will be skipped.

```yaml
job:
  # use regexp
  only:
    - /^issue-.*$/
  # use special keyword
  except:
    - branches
```

In this example, `job` will run only for refs that are tagged, or if a build is explicitly requested
via an API trigger.

```yaml
job:
  # use special keywords
  only:
    - tags
    - triggers
```

The repository path can be used to have jobs executed only for the parent
repository and not forks:

```yaml
job:
  only:
    - branches@gitlab-org/gitlab-ce
  except:
    - master@gitlab-org/gitlab-ce
```

The above example will run `job` for all branches on `gitlab-org/gitlab-ce`,
except master.

### job variables

It is possible to define build variables using a `variables` keyword on a job
level. It works basically the same way as its [global-level equivalent](#variables)
but allows you to define job-specific build variables.

When the `variables` keyword is used on a job level, it overrides global YAML
build variables and predefined variables. To turn off global defined variables
in your job, define an empty array:

```yaml
job_name:
  variables: []
```

Build variables priority is defined in the
[variables documentation][variables].

### tags

`tags` is used to select specific Runners from the list of all Runners that are
allowed to run this project.

During the registration of a Runner, you can specify the Runner's tags, for
example `ruby`, `postgres`, `development`.

`tags` allow you to run builds with Runners that have the specified tags
assigned to them:

```yaml
job:
  tags:
    - ruby
    - postgres
```

The specification above, will make sure that `job` is built by a Runner that
has both `ruby` AND `postgres` tags defined.

### allow_failure

`allow_failure` is used when you want to allow a build to fail without impacting
the rest of the CI suite. Failed builds don't contribute to the commit status.

When enabled and the build fails, the pipeline will be successful/green for all
intents and purposes, but a "CI build passed with warnings" message  will be
displayed on the merge request or commit or build page. This is to be used by
builds that are allowed to fail, but where failure indicates some other (manual)
steps should be taken elsewhere.

In the example below, `job1` and `job2` will run in parallel, but if `job1`
fails, it will not stop the next stage from running, since it's marked with
`allow_failure: true`:

```yaml
job1:
  stage: test
  script:
  - execute_script_that_will_fail
  allow_failure: true

job2:
  stage: test
  script:
  - execute_script_that_will_succeed

job3:
  stage: deploy
  script:
  - deploy_to_staging
```

### when

`when` is used to implement jobs that are run in case of failure or despite the
failure.

`when` can be set to one of the following values:

1. `on_success` - execute build only when all builds from prior stages
    succeed. This is the default.
1. `on_failure` - execute build only when at least one build from prior stages
    fails.
1. `always` - execute build regardless of the status of builds from prior stages.
1. `manual` - execute build manually (added in GitLab 8.10). Read about
    [manual actions](#manual-actions) below.

For example:

```yaml
stages:
- build
- cleanup_build
- test
- deploy
- cleanup

build_job:
  stage: build
  script:
  - make build

cleanup_build_job:
  stage: cleanup_build
  script:
  - cleanup build when failed
  when: on_failure

test_job:
  stage: test
  script:
  - make test

deploy_job:
  stage: deploy
  script:
  - make deploy
  when: manual

cleanup_job:
  stage: cleanup
  script:
  - cleanup after builds
  when: always
```

The above script will:

1. Execute `cleanup_build_job` only when `build_job` fails.
2. Always execute `cleanup_job` as the last step in pipeline regardless of
   success or failure.
3. Allow you to manually execute `deploy_job` from GitLab's UI.

#### Manual actions

> Introduced in GitLab 8.10.

Manual actions are a special type of job that are not executed automatically;
they need to be explicitly started by a user. Manual actions can be started
from pipeline, build, environment, and deployment views. You can execute the
same manual action multiple times.

An example usage of manual actions is deployment to production.

Read more at the [environments documentation][env-manual].

### environment

> Introduced in GitLab 8.9.

> You can read more about environments and find more examples in the
[documentation about environments][environment].

`environment` is used to define that a job deploys to a specific environment.
If `environment` is specified and no environment under that name exists, a new
one will be created automatically.

In its simplest form, the `environment` keyword can be defined like:

```
deploy to production:
  stage: deploy
  script: git push production HEAD:master
  environment:
    name: production
```

In the above example, the `deploy to production` job will be marked as doing a
deployment to the `production` environment.

#### environment:name

> Introduced in GitLab 8.11.

>**Note:**
Before GitLab 8.11, the name of an environment could be defined as a string like
`environment: production`. The recommended way now is to define it under the
`name` keyword.

The `environment` name can contain:

- letters
- digits
- spaces
- `-`
- `_`
- `/`
- `$`
- `{`
- `}`

Common names are `qa`, `staging`, and `production`, but you can use whatever
name works with your workflow.

Instead of defining the name of the environment right after the `environment`
keyword, it is also possible to define it as a separate value. For that, use
the `name` keyword under `environment`:

```
deploy to production:
  stage: deploy
  script: git push production HEAD:master
  environment:
    name: production
```

#### environment:url

> Introduced in GitLab 8.11.

>**Note:**
Before GitLab 8.11, the URL could be added only in GitLab's UI. The
recommended way now is to define it in `.gitlab-ci.yml`.

This is an optional value that when set, it exposes buttons in various places
in GitLab which when clicked take you to the defined URL.

In the example below, if the job finishes successfully, it will create buttons
in the merge requests and in the environments/deployments pages which will point
to `https://prod.example.com`.

```
deploy to production:
  stage: deploy
  script: git push production HEAD:master
  environment:
    name: production
    url: https://prod.example.com
```

#### environment:on_stop

>
**Notes:**
- [Introduced][ce-6669] in GitLab 8.13.
- Starting with GitLab 8.14, when you have an environment that has a stop action
  defined, GitLab will automatically trigger a stop action when the associated
  branch is deleted.

Closing (stoping) environments can be achieved with the `on_stop` keyword defined under
`environment`. It declares a different job that runs in order to close
the environment.

Read the `environment:action` section for an example.

#### environment:action

> [Introduced][ce-6669] in GitLab 8.13.

The `action` keyword is to be used in conjunction with `on_stop` and is defined
in the job that is called to close the environment.

Take for instance:

```yaml
review_app:
  stage: deploy
  script: make deploy-app
  environment:
    name: review
    on_stop: stop_review_app

stop_review_app:
  stage: deploy
  script: make delete-app
  when: manual
  environment:
    name: review
    action: stop
```

In the above example we set up the `review_app` job to deploy to the `review`
environment, and we also defined a new `stop_review_app` job under `on_stop`.
Once the `review_app` job is successfully finished, it will trigger the
`stop_review_app` job based on what is defined under `when`. In this case we
set it up to `manual` so it will need a [manual action](#manual-actions) via
GitLab's web interface in order to run.

The `stop_review_app` job is **required** to have the following keywords defined:

- `when` - [reference](#when)
- `environment:name`
- `environment:action`

#### dynamic environments

> [Introduced][ce-6323] in GitLab 8.12 and GitLab Runner 1.6.
  `$CI_ENVIRONMENT_SLUG` was [introduced][ce-7983] in GitLab 8.15

`environment` can also represent a configuration hash with `name` and `url`.
These parameters can use any of the defined [CI variables](#variables)
(including predefined, secure variables and `.gitlab-ci.yml` variables).

For example:

```
deploy as review app:
  stage: deploy
  script: make deploy
  environment:
    name: review/$CI_BUILD_REF_NAME
    url: https://$CI_ENVIRONMENT_SLUG.example.com/
```

The `deploy as review app` job will be marked as deployment to dynamically
create the `review/$CI_BUILD_REF_NAME` environment, where `$CI_BUILD_REF_NAME`
is an [environment variable][variables] set by the Runner. The
`$CI_ENVIRONMENT_SLUG` variable is based on the environment name, but suitable
for inclusion in URLs. In this case, if the `deploy as review app` job was run
in a branch named `pow`, this environment would be accessible with an URL like
`https://review-pow-aaaaaa.example.com/`.

This of course implies that the underlying server which hosts the application
is properly configured.

The common use case is to create dynamic environments for branches and use them
as Review Apps. You can see a simple example using Review Apps at
https://gitlab.com/gitlab-examples/review-apps-nginx/.

### artifacts

>**Notes:**
>
> - Introduced in GitLab Runner v0.7.0 for non-Windows platforms.
> - Windows support was added in GitLab Runner v.1.0.0.
> - Currently not all executors are supported.
> - Build artifacts are only collected for successful builds by default.

`artifacts` is used to specify a list of files and directories which should be
attached to the build after success. You can only use paths that are within the
project workspace. To pass artifacts between different builds, see [dependencies](#dependencies).

Below are some examples.

Send all files in `binaries` and `.config`:

```yaml
artifacts:
  paths:
  - binaries/
  - .config
```

Send all Git untracked files:

```yaml
artifacts:
  untracked: true
```

Send all Git untracked files and files in `binaries`:

```yaml
artifacts:
  untracked: true
  paths:
  - binaries/
```

To disable artifact passing, define the job with empty [dependencies](#dependencies):

```yaml
job:
  stage: build
  script: make build
  dependencies: []
```

You may want to create artifacts only for tagged releases to avoid filling the
build server storage with temporary build artifacts.

Create artifacts only for tags (`default-job` will not create artifacts):

```yaml
default-job:
  script:
    - mvn test -U
  except:
    - tags

release-job:
  script:
    - mvn package -U
  artifacts:
    paths:
    - target/*.war
  only:
    - tags
```

The artifacts will be sent to GitLab after a successful build and will
be available for download in the GitLab UI.

#### artifacts:name

> Introduced in GitLab 8.6 and GitLab Runner v1.1.0.

The `name` directive allows you to define the name of the created artifacts
archive. That way, you can have a unique name for every archive which could be
useful when you'd like to download the archive from GitLab. The `artifacts:name`
variable can make use of any of the [predefined variables](../variables/README.md).
The default name is `artifacts`, which becomes `artifacts.zip` when downloaded.

---

**Example configurations**

To create an archive with a name of the current build:

```yaml
job:
  artifacts:
    name: "$CI_BUILD_NAME"
```

To create an archive with a name of the current branch or tag including only
the files that are untracked by Git:

```yaml
job:
   artifacts:
     name: "$CI_BUILD_REF_NAME"
     untracked: true
```

To create an archive with a name of the current build and the current branch or
tag including only the files that are untracked by Git:

```yaml
job:
  artifacts:
    name: "${CI_BUILD_NAME}_${CI_BUILD_REF_NAME}"
    untracked: true
```

To create an archive with a name of the current [stage](#stages) and branch name:

```yaml
job:
  artifacts:
    name: "${CI_BUILD_STAGE}_${CI_BUILD_REF_NAME}"
    untracked: true
```

---

If you use **Windows Batch** to run your shell scripts you need to replace
`$` with `%`:

```yaml
job:
  artifacts:
    name: "%CI_BUILD_STAGE%_%CI_BUILD_REF_NAME%"
    untracked: true
```

#### artifacts:when

> Introduced in GitLab 8.9 and GitLab Runner v1.3.0.

`artifacts:when` is used to upload artifacts on build failure or despite the
failure.

`artifacts:when` can be set to one of the following values:

1. `on_success` - upload artifacts only when the build succeeds. This is the default.
1. `on_failure` - upload artifacts only when the build fails.
1. `always` - upload artifacts regardless of the build status.

---

**Example configurations**

To upload artifacts only when build fails.

```yaml
job:
  artifacts:
    when: on_failure
```

#### artifacts:expire_in

> Introduced in GitLab 8.9 and GitLab Runner v1.3.0.

`artifacts:expire_in` is used to delete uploaded artifacts after the specified
time. By default, artifacts are stored on GitLab forever. `expire_in` allows you
to specify how long artifacts should live before they expire, counting from the
time they are uploaded and stored on GitLab.

You can use the **Keep** button on the build page to override expiration and
keep artifacts forever.

After expiry, artifacts are actually deleted hourly by default (via a cron job),
but they are not accessible after expiry.

The value of `expire_in` is an elapsed time. Examples of parseable values:
- '3 mins 4 sec'
- '2 hrs 20 min'
- '2h20min'
- '6 mos 1 day'
- '47 yrs 6 mos and 4d'
- '3 weeks and 2 days'

---

**Example configurations**

To expire artifacts 1 week after being uploaded:

```yaml
job:
  artifacts:
    expire_in: 1 week
```

### dependencies

> Introduced in GitLab 8.6 and GitLab Runner v1.1.1.

This feature should be used in conjunction with [`artifacts`](#artifacts) and
allows you to define the artifacts to pass between different builds.

Note that `artifacts` from all previous [stages](#stages) are passed by default.

To use this feature, define `dependencies` in context of the job and pass
a list of all previous builds from which the artifacts should be downloaded.
You can only define builds from stages that are executed before the current one.
An error will be shown if you define builds from the current stage or next ones.
Defining an empty array will skip downloading any artifacts for that job.

---

In the following example, we define two jobs with artifacts, `build:osx` and
`build:linux`. When the `test:osx` is executed, the artifacts from `build:osx`
will be downloaded and extracted in the context of the build. The same happens
for `test:linux` and artifacts from `build:linux`.

The job `deploy` will download artifacts from all previous builds because of
the [stage](#stages) precedence:

```yaml
build:osx:
  stage: build
  script: make build:osx
  artifacts:
    paths:
    - binaries/

build:linux:
  stage: build
  script: make build:linux
  artifacts:
    paths:
    - binaries/

test:osx:
  stage: test
  script: make test:osx
  dependencies:
  - build:osx

test:linux:
  stage: test
  script: make test:linux
  dependencies:
  - build:linux

deploy:
  stage: deploy
  script: make deploy
```

### before_script and after_script

It's possible to overwrite globally defined `before_script` and `after_script`:

```yaml
before_script:
- global before script

job:
  before_script:
  - execute this instead of global before script
  script:
  - my command
  after_script:
  - execute this after my script
```

### coverage

`coverage` allows you to configure how code coverage will be extracted from the
job output.

Regular expressions are the only valid kind of value expected here. So, using
surrounding `/` is mandatory in order to consistently and explicitly represent
a regular expression string. You must escape special characters if you want to
match them literally.

A simple example:

```yaml
job1:
  coverage: /Code coverage: \d+\.\d+/
```

## Git Strategy

> Introduced in GitLab 8.9 as an experimental feature.  May change or be removed
  completely in future releases. `GIT_STRATEGY=none` requires GitLab Runner
  v1.7+.

You can set the `GIT_STRATEGY` used for getting recent application code, either
in the global [`variables`](#variables) section or the [`variables`](#job-variables)
section for individual jobs. If left unspecified, the default from project
settings will be used.

There are three possible values: `clone`, `fetch`, and `none`.

`clone` is the slowest option. It clones the repository from scratch for every
job, ensuring that the project workspace is always pristine.

```
variables:
  GIT_STRATEGY: clone
```

`fetch` is faster as it re-uses the project workspace (falling back to `clone`
if it doesn't exist). `git clean` is used to undo any changes made by the last
job, and `git fetch` is used to retrieve commits made since the last job ran.

```
variables:
  GIT_STRATEGY: fetch
```

`none` also re-uses the project workspace, but skips all Git operations
(including GitLab Runner's pre-clone script, if present). It is mostly useful
for jobs that operate exclusively on artifacts (e.g., `deploy`). Git repository
data may be present, but it is certain to be out of date, so you should only
rely on files brought into the project workspace from cache or artifacts.

```
variables:
  GIT_STRATEGY: none
```

## Git Submodule Strategy

> Requires GitLab Runner v1.10+.

The `GIT_SUBMODULE_STRATEGY` variable is used to control if / how Git
submodules are included when fetching the code before a build. Like
`GIT_STRATEGY`, it can be set in either the global [`variables`](#variables)
section or the [`variables`](#job-variables) section for individual jobs.

There are three posible values: `none`, `normal`, and `recursive`:

- `none` means that submodules will not be included when fetching the project
  code. This is the default, which matches the pre-v1.10 behavior.

- `normal` means that only the top-level submodules will be included. It is
  equivalent to:
    ```
    $ git submodule sync
    $ git submodule update --init
    ```

- `recursive` means that all submodules (including submodules of submodules)
  will be included. It is equivalent to:
    ```
    $ git submodule sync --recursive
    $ git submodule update --init --recursive
    ```

Note that for this feature to work correctly, the submodules must be configured
(in `.gitmodules`) with either:
- the HTTP(S) URL of a publicly-accessible repository, or
- a relative path to another repository on the same GitLab server. See the
  [Git submodules](../git_submodules.md) documentation.


## Build stages attempts

> Introduced in GitLab, it requires GitLab Runner v1.9+.

You can set the number for attempts the running build will try to execute each
of the following stages:

| Variable                | Description |
|-------------------------|-------------|
| **GET_SOURCES_ATTEMPTS** | Number of attempts to fetch sources running a build |
| **ARTIFACT_DOWNLOAD_ATTEMPTS** | Number of attempts to download artifacts running a build |
| **RESTORE_CACHE_ATTEMPTS** | Number of attempts to restore the cache running a build |

The default is one single attempt.

Example:

```
variables:
  GET_SOURCES_ATTEMPTS: "3"
```

You can set them in the global [`variables`](#variables) section or the [`variables`](#job-variables)
section for individual jobs.

## Shallow cloning

> Introduced in GitLab 8.9 as an experimental feature. May change in future
releases or be removed completely.

You can specify the depth of fetching and cloning using `GIT_DEPTH`. This allows
shallow cloning of the repository which can significantly speed up cloning for
repositories with a large number of commits or old, large binaries. The value is
passed to `git fetch` and `git clone`.

>**Note:**
If you use a depth of 1 and have a queue of builds or retry
builds, jobs may fail.

Since Git fetching and cloning is based on a ref, such as a branch name, runners
can't clone a specific commit SHA. If there are multiple builds in the queue, or
you are retrying an old build, the commit to be tested needs to be within the
git history that is cloned. Setting too small a value for `GIT_DEPTH` can make
it impossible to run these old commits. You will see `unresolved reference` in
build logs. You should then reconsider changing `GIT_DEPTH` to a higher value.

Builds that rely on `git describe` may not work correctly when `GIT_DEPTH` is
set since only part of the git history is present.

To fetch or clone only the last 3 commits:
```
variables:
  GIT_DEPTH: "3"
```

## Hidden keys

> Introduced in GitLab 8.6 and GitLab Runner v1.1.1.

Keys that start with a dot (`.`) will be not processed by GitLab CI. You can
use this feature to ignore jobs, or use the
[special YAML features](#special-yaml-features) and transform the hidden keys
into templates.

In the following example, `.key_name` will be ignored:

```yaml
.key_name:
  script:
    - rake spec
```

Hidden keys can be hashes like normal CI jobs, but you are also allowed to use
different types of structures to leverage special YAML features.

## Special YAML features

It's possible to use special YAML features like anchors (`&`), aliases (`*`)
and map merging (`<<`), which will allow you to greatly reduce the complexity
of `.gitlab-ci.yml`.

Read more about the various [YAML features](https://learnxinyminutes.com/docs/yaml/).

### Anchors

> Introduced in GitLab 8.6 and GitLab Runner v1.1.1.

YAML also has a handy feature called 'anchors', which let you easily duplicate
content across your document. Anchors can be used to duplicate/inherit
properties, and is a perfect example to be used with [hidden keys](#hidden-keys)
to provide templates for your jobs.

The following example uses anchors and map merging. It will create two jobs,
`test1` and `test2`, that will inherit the parameters of `.job_template`, each
having their own custom `script` defined:

```yaml
.job_template: &job_definition  # Hidden key that defines an anchor named 'job_definition'
  image: ruby:2.1
  services:
    - postgres
    - redis

test1:
  <<: *job_definition           # Merge the contents of the 'job_definition' alias
  script:
    - test1 project

test2:
  <<: *job_definition           # Merge the contents of the 'job_definition' alias
  script:
    - test2 project
```

`&` sets up the name of the anchor (`job_definition`), `<<` means "merge the
given hash into the current one", and `*` includes the named anchor
(`job_definition` again). The expanded version looks like this:

```yaml
.job_template:
  image: ruby:2.1
  services:
    - postgres
    - redis

test1:
  image: ruby:2.1
  services:
    - postgres
    - redis
  script:
    - test1 project

test2:
  image: ruby:2.1
  services:
    - postgres
    - redis
  script:
    - test2 project
```

Let's see another one example. This time we will use anchors to define two sets
of services. This will create two jobs, `test:postgres` and `test:mysql`, that
will share the `script` directive defined in `.job_template`, and the `services`
directive defined in `.postgres_services` and `.mysql_services` respectively:

```yaml
.job_template: &job_definition
  script:
    - test project

.postgres_services:
  services: &postgres_definition
    - postgres
    - ruby

.mysql_services:
  services: &mysql_definition
    - mysql
    - ruby

test:postgres:
  <<: *job_definition
  services: *postgres_definition

test:mysql:
  <<: *job_definition
  services: *mysql_definition
```

The expanded version looks like this:

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

.postgres_services:
  services:
    - postgres
    - ruby

.mysql_services:
  services:
    - mysql
    - ruby

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

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

You can see that the hidden keys are conveniently used as templates.

## Triggers

Triggers can be used to force a rebuild of a specific branch, tag or commit,
with an API call.

[Read more in the triggers documentation.](../triggers/README.md)

### pages

`pages` is a special job that is used to upload static content to GitLab that
can be used to serve your website. It has a special syntax, so the two
requirements below must be met:

1. Any static content must be placed under a `public/` directory
1. `artifacts` with a path to the `public/` directory must be defined

The example below simply moves all files from the root of the project to the
`public/` directory. The `.public` workaround is so `cp` doesn't also copy
`public/` to itself in an infinite loop:

```
pages:
  stage: deploy
  script:
  - mkdir .public
  - cp -r * .public
  - mv .public public
  artifacts:
    paths:
    - public
  only:
  - master
```

Read more on [GitLab Pages user documentation](../../pages/README.md).

## Validate the .gitlab-ci.yml

Each instance of GitLab CI has an embedded debug tool called Lint.
You can find the link under `/ci/lint` of your gitlab instance.

## Skipping builds

If your commit message contains `[ci skip]` or `[skip ci]`, using any
capitalization, the commit will be created but the builds will be skipped.

## Examples

Visit the [examples README][examples] to see a list of examples using GitLab
CI with various languages.

[env-manual]: ../environments.md#manually-deploying-to-environments
[examples]: ../examples/README.md
[ce-6323]: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/merge_requests/6323
[environment]: ../environments.md
[ce-6669]: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/merge_requests/6669
[variables]: ../variables/README.md
[ce-7983]: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/merge_requests/7983