gitlab-ci-patterns

name	gitlab-ci-patterns
description	Build GitLab CI/CD pipelines with multi-stage workflows, caching, and distributed runners for scalable automation. Use when implementing GitLab CI/CD, optimizing pipeline performance, or setting up automated testing and deployment.

GitLab CI Patterns

Practical GitLab CI/CD patterns for reliable builds, tests, and deployments.

Purpose

Provide ready-to-use pipeline layouts, caching recipes, and deployment workflows.

When to Use

• Setting up or refactoring GitLab CI pipelines
• Adding caching and artifacts
• Building container images in CI
• Deploying to Kubernetes
• Managing multi-environment promotion

Basic Pipeline Structure

stages:
  - build
  - test
  - deploy

variables:
  DOCKER_DRIVER: overlay2
  DOCKER_TLS_CERTDIR: "/certs"

build:
  stage: build
  image: node:20
  script:
    - npm ci
    - npm run build
  artifacts:
    paths:
      - dist/
    expire_in: 1 hour
  cache:
    key: ${CI_COMMIT_REF_SLUG}
    paths:
      - node_modules/

test:
  stage: test
  image: node:20
  script:
    - npm ci
    - npm run lint
    - npm test
  coverage: '/Lines\s*:\s*(\d+\.\d+)%/'
  artifacts:
    reports:
      coverage_report:
        coverage_format: cobertura
        path: coverage/cobertura-coverage.xml

deploy:
  stage: deploy
  image: bitnami/kubectl:latest
  script:
    - kubectl apply -f k8s/
    - kubectl rollout status deployment/my-app
  only:
    - main
  environment:
    name: production
    url: https://app.example.com

Docker Build and Push

build-docker:
  stage: build
  image: docker:24
  services:
    - docker:24-dind
  before_script:
    - docker login -u $CI_REGISTRY_USER -p $CI_REGISTRY_PASSWORD $CI_REGISTRY
  script:
    - docker build -t $CI_REGISTRY_IMAGE:$CI_COMMIT_SHA .
    - docker build -t $CI_REGISTRY_IMAGE:latest .
    - docker push $CI_REGISTRY_IMAGE:$CI_COMMIT_SHA
    - docker push $CI_REGISTRY_IMAGE:latest
  only:
    - main
    - tags

Multi-Environment Deployment

.deploy_template: &deploy_template
  image: bitnami/kubectl:latest
  before_script:
    - kubectl config set-cluster k8s --server="$KUBE_URL" --insecure-skip-tls-verify=true
    - kubectl config set-credentials admin --token="$KUBE_TOKEN"
    - kubectl config set-context default --cluster=k8s --user=admin
    - kubectl config use-context default

deploy:staging:
  <<: *deploy_template
  stage: deploy
  script:
    - kubectl apply -f k8s/ -n staging
    - kubectl rollout status deployment/my-app -n staging
  environment:
    name: staging
    url: https://staging.example.com
  only:
    - develop

deploy:production:
  <<: *deploy_template
  stage: deploy
  script:
    - kubectl apply -f k8s/ -n production
    - kubectl rollout status deployment/my-app -n production
  environment:
    name: production
    url: https://app.example.com
  when: manual
  only:
    - main

Terraform Pipeline

stages:
  - validate
  - plan
  - apply

variables:
  TF_ROOT: ${CI_PROJECT_DIR}/terraform
  TF_VERSION: "1.6.0"

before_script:
  - cd ${TF_ROOT}
  - terraform --version

validate:
  stage: validate
  image: hashicorp/terraform:${TF_VERSION}
  script:
    - terraform init -backend=false
    - terraform validate
    - terraform fmt -check

plan:
  stage: plan
  image: hashicorp/terraform:${TF_VERSION}
  script:
    - terraform init
    - terraform plan -out=tfplan
  artifacts:
    paths:
      - ${TF_ROOT}/tfplan
    expire_in: 1 day

apply:
  stage: apply
  image: hashicorp/terraform:${TF_VERSION}
  script:
    - terraform init
    - terraform apply -auto-approve tfplan
  dependencies:
    - plan
  when: manual
  only:
    - main

Security Scanning

include:
  - template: Security/SAST.gitlab-ci.yml
  - template: Security/Dependency-Scanning.gitlab-ci.yml
  - template: Security/Container-Scanning.gitlab-ci.yml

trivy-scan:
  stage: test
  image: aquasec/trivy:latest
  script:
    - trivy image --exit-code 1 --severity HIGH,CRITICAL $CI_REGISTRY_IMAGE:$CI_COMMIT_SHA
  allow_failure: true

Caching Strategies

# Cache node_modules
build:
  cache:
    key: ${CI_COMMIT_REF_SLUG}
    paths:
      - node_modules/
    policy: pull-push

# Global cache
cache:
  key: ${CI_COMMIT_REF_SLUG}
  paths:
    - .cache/
    - vendor/

# Separate cache per job
job1:
  cache:
    key: job1-cache
    paths:
      - build/

job2:
  cache:
    key: job2-cache
    paths:
      - dist/

Dynamic Child Pipelines

generate-pipeline:
  stage: build
  script:
    - python generate_pipeline.py > child-pipeline.yml
  artifacts:
    paths:
      - child-pipeline.yml

trigger-child:
  stage: deploy
  trigger:
    include:
      - artifact: child-pipeline.yml
        job: generate-pipeline
    strategy: depend

Best Practices

1. Pin images (node:20, not node:latest).
2. Cache dependencies with stable keys.
3. Persist build outputs via artifacts.
4. Gate production with manual approval.
5. Track deployments using environments.
6. Run MR pipelines for fast feedback.
7. Schedule jobs for recurring checks.
8. Enable security scans on default branch.
9. Store secrets in CI/CD variables.
10. Measure duration and optimize hotspots.