---
stage: Verify
group: Continuous Integration
info: To determine the technical writer assigned to the Stage/Group associated with this page, see https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/engineering/ux/technical-writing/#assignments
comments: false
description: "Learn how to use GitLab CI/CD, the GitLab built-in Continuous Integration, Continuous Deployment, and Continuous Delivery toolset to build, test, and deploy your application."
type: index
---

# GitLab CI/CD **(FREE)**

GitLab CI/CD is a tool built into GitLab for software development
through the [continuous methodologies](introduction/index.md):

- Continuous Integration (CI)
- Continuous Delivery (CD)
- Continuous Deployment (CD)

NOTE:
Out-of-the-box management systems can decrease hours spent on maintaining toolchains by 10% or more.
Watch our ["Mastering continuous software development"](https://about.gitlab.com/webcast/mastering-ci-cd/)
webcast to learn about continuous methods and how the GitLab built-in CI can help you simplify and scale software development.

## Overview

Continuous Integration works by pushing small code chunks to your
application's codebase hosted in a Git repository, and to every
push, run a pipeline of scripts to build, test, and validate the
code changes before merging them into the main branch.

Continuous Delivery and Deployment consist of a step further CI,
deploying your application to production at every
push to the default branch of the repository.

These methodologies allow you to catch bugs and errors early in
the development cycle, ensuring that all the code deployed to
production complies with the code standards you established for
your app.

GitLab can also automatically detect, build, test, deploy, and
monitor your applications by using [Auto DevOps](../topics/autodevops/index.md).

For a complete overview of these methodologies and GitLab CI/CD,
read the [Introduction to CI/CD with GitLab](introduction/index.md).

<div class="video-fallback">
  Video demonstration of GitLab CI/CD: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iXFbchozdY">Demo: CI/CD with GitLab</a>.
</div>
<figure class="video-container">
  <iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1iXFbchozdY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true"> </iframe>
</figure>

## Getting started

GitLab CI/CD is configured by a file called `.gitlab-ci.yml` placed
at the repository's root. This file creates a [pipeline](pipelines/index.md), which runs for changes to the code in the repository. Pipelines consist of one or more stages that run in order and can each contain one or more jobs that run in parallel. These jobs (or scripts) get executed by the [GitLab Runner](https://docs.gitlab.com/runner/) agent.

To get started with GitLab CI/CD, we recommend you read through
the following documents:

- [Get started with GitLab CI/CD](quick_start/index.md).
- [Fundamental pipeline architectures](pipelines/pipeline_architectures.md).
- [GitLab CI/CD basic workflow](introduction/index.md#gitlab-cicd-workflow).
- [Step-by-step guide for writing `.gitlab-ci.yml` for the first time](../user/project/pages/getting_started/pages_from_scratch.md).

If you're migrating from another CI/CD tool, check out our handy references:

- [Migrating from CircleCI](migration/circleci.md)
- [Migrating from Jenkins](migration/jenkins.md)

You can also get started by using one of the
[`.gitlab-ci.yml` templates](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-foss/tree/master/lib/gitlab/ci/templates)
available through the UI. You can use them by creating a new file,
choosing a template that suits your application, and adjusting it
to your needs:

![Use a YAML template](img/add_file_template_11_10.png)

While building your `.gitlab-ci.yml`, you can use the [CI/CD configuration visualization](pipeline_editor/index.md#visualize-ci-configuration) to facilitate your writing experience.

For a broader overview, see the [CI/CD getting started](quick_start/index.md) guide.

After you're familiar with how GitLab CI/CD works, see the
[`.gitlab-ci.yml` full reference](yaml/README.md)
for all the attributes you can set and use.

GitLab CI/CD and [shared runners](runners/README.md#shared-runners) are enabled on GitLab.com and available for all users, limited only by the [pipeline quota](../user/gitlab_com/index.md#shared-runners).

## Concepts

GitLab CI/CD uses a number of concepts to describe and run your build and deploy.

| Concept                                                 | Description                                                                    |
|:--------------------------------------------------------|:-------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| [Pipelines](pipelines/index.md)                         | Structure your CI/CD process through pipelines.                                |
| [CI/CD variables](variables/README.md)                  | Reuse values based on a variable/value key pair.                               |
| [Environments](environments/index.md)                   | Deploy your application to different environments (e.g., staging, production). |
| [Job artifacts](pipelines/job_artifacts.md)             | Output, use, and reuse job artifacts.                                          |
| [Cache dependencies](caching/index.md)                  | Cache your dependencies for a faster execution.                                |
| [GitLab Runner](https://docs.gitlab.com/runner/)        | Configure your own runners to execute your scripts.                            |
| [Pipeline efficiency](pipelines/pipeline_efficiency.md) | Configure your pipelines to run quickly and efficiently.                       |
| [Test cases](test_cases/index.md) | Configure your pipelines to run quickly and efficiently. <!--- this seems to be a duplicate description --->                      |

## Configuration

GitLab CI/CD supports numerous configuration options:

| Configuration                                                                           | Description                                                                               |
|:----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|:------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| [Schedule pipelines](pipelines/schedules.md)                                            | Schedule pipelines to run as often as you need.                                           |
| [Custom path for `.gitlab-ci.yml`](pipelines/settings.md#custom-cicd-configuration-path) | Define a custom path for the CI/CD configuration file.                                   |
| [Git submodules for CI/CD](git_submodules.md)                                           | Configure jobs for using Git submodules.                                                  |
| [SSH keys for CI/CD](ssh_keys/index.md)                                                | Using SSH keys in your CI pipelines.                                                      |
| [Pipeline triggers](triggers/README.md)                                                 | Trigger pipelines through the API.                                                        |
| [Pipelines for Merge Requests](merge_request_pipelines/index.md)                        | Design a pipeline structure for running a pipeline in merge requests.                     |
| [Integrate with Kubernetes clusters](../user/project/clusters/index.md)                 | Connect your project to Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) or an existing Kubernetes cluster. |
| [Optimize GitLab and GitLab Runner for large repositories](large_repositories/index.md) | Recommended strategies for handling large repositories.                                   |
| [`.gitlab-ci.yml` full reference](yaml/README.md)                                       | All the attributes you can use with GitLab CI/CD.                                         |

Note that certain operations can only be performed according to the
[user](../user/permissions.md#gitlab-cicd-permissions) and [job](../user/permissions.md#job-permissions) permissions.

## Feature set

Use the vast GitLab CI/CD to easily configure it for specific purposes.
Its feature set is listed on the table below according to DevOps stages.

| Feature                                                                                         | Description                                                                                                                    |
|:------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|:-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| **Configure**                                                                                   |                                                                                                                                |
| [Auto DevOps](../topics/autodevops/index.md)                                                    | Set up your app's entire lifecycle.                                                                                            |
| [ChatOps](chatops/index.md)                                                                    | Trigger CI jobs from chat, with results sent back to the channel.                                                              |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| **Verify**                                                                                      |                                                                                                                                |
| [Browser Performance Testing](../user/project/merge_requests/browser_performance_testing.md)    | Quickly determine the browser performance impact of pending code changes.                                                      |
| [Load Performance Testing](../user/project/merge_requests/load_performance_testing.md)          | Quickly determine the server performance impact of pending code changes.                                                       |
| [CI services](services/index.md)                                                               | Link Docker containers with your base image.                                                                                   |
| [Code Quality](../user/project/merge_requests/code_quality.md)                                  | Analyze your source code quality.                                                                                              |
| [GitLab CI/CD for external repositories](ci_cd_for_external_repos/index.md) **(PREMIUM)**       | Get the benefits of GitLab CI/CD combined with repositories in GitHub and Bitbucket Cloud.                                     |
| [Interactive Web Terminals](interactive_web_terminal/index.md) **(FREE SELF)**                  | Open an interactive web terminal to debug the running jobs.                                                                    |
| [Unit test reports](unit_test_reports.md)                                                       | Identify script failures directly on merge requests.                                                                           |
| [Using Docker images](docker/using_docker_images.md)                                            | Use GitLab and GitLab Runner with Docker to build and test applications.                                                       |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| **Release**                                                                                     |                                                                                                                                |
| [Auto Deploy](../topics/autodevops/stages.md#auto-deploy)                                       | Deploy your application to a production environment in a Kubernetes cluster.                                                   |
| [Building Docker images](docker/using_docker_build.md)                                          | Maintain Docker-based projects using GitLab CI/CD.                                                                             |
| [Canary Deployments](../user/project/canary_deployments.md)                                     | Ship features to only a portion of your pods and let a percentage of your user base to visit the temporarily deployed feature. |
| [Deploy Boards](../user/project/deploy_boards.md)                                               | Check the current health and status of each CI/CD environment running on Kubernetes.                                           |
| [Feature Flags](../operations/feature_flags.md) **(PREMIUM)**                                   | Deploy your features behind Feature Flags.                                                                                     |
| [GitLab Pages](../user/project/pages/index.md)                                                  | Deploy static websites.                                                                                                        |
| [GitLab Releases](../user/project/releases/index.md)                                            | Add release notes to Git tags.                                                                                                 |
| [Review Apps](review_apps/index.md)                                                             | Configure GitLab CI/CD to preview code changes.                                                                                |
| [Cloud deployment](cloud_deployment/index.md)                                                   | Deploy your application to a main cloud provider.                                                                              |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| **Secure**                                                                                      |                                                                                                                                |
| [Container Scanning](../user/application_security/container_scanning/index.md) **(ULTIMATE)**   | Check your Docker containers for known vulnerabilities.                                                                        |
| [Dependency Scanning](../user/application_security/dependency_scanning/index.md) **(ULTIMATE)** | Analyze your dependencies for known vulnerabilities.                                                                           |
| [License Compliance](../user/compliance/license_compliance/index.md) **(ULTIMATE)**             | Search your project dependencies for their licenses.                                                                           |
| [Security Test reports](../user/application_security/index.md) **(ULTIMATE)**                   | Check for app vulnerabilities.                                                                                                 |

## Examples

Find example project code and tutorials for using GitLab CI/CD with a variety of app frameworks, languages, and platforms
on the [CI Examples](examples/README.md) page.

## Administration **(FREE SELF)**

As a GitLab administrator, you can change the default behavior
of GitLab CI/CD for:

- An [entire GitLab instance](../user/admin_area/settings/continuous_integration.md).
- Specific projects, using [pipelines settings](pipelines/settings.md).

See also:

- [How to enable or disable GitLab CI/CD](enable_or_disable_ci.md).
- Other [CI administration settings](../administration/index.md#continuous-integration-settings).

## References

### Why GitLab CI/CD?

Learn more about:

- [Why you might chose GitLab CI/CD](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/2016/10/17/gitlab-ci-oohlala/).
- [Reasons you might migrate from another platform](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/2016/07/22/building-our-web-app-on-gitlab-ci/).
- [5 Teams that made the switch to GitLab CI/CD](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/2019/04/25/5-teams-that-made-the-switch-to-gitlab-ci-cd/)

See also the [Why CI/CD?](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1OGgk2Tcxbpl7DJaIOzCX4Vqg3dlwfELC3u2jEeCBbDk) presentation.

### Breaking changes

As GitLab CI/CD has evolved, certain breaking changes have
been necessary. These are:

#### 13.0

- [Remove Backported `os.Expand`](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-runner/-/issues/4915).
- [Remove Fedora 29 package support](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-runner/-/issues/16158).
- [Remove macOS 32-bit support](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-runner/-/issues/25466).
- [Removed `debug/jobs/list?v=1` endpoint](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-runner/-/issues/6361).
- [Remove support for array of strings when defining services for Docker executor](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-runner/-/issues/4922).
- [Remove `--docker-services` flag on register command](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-runner/-/issues/6404).
- [Remove legacy build directory caching](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-runner/-/issues/4180).
- [Remove `FF_USE_LEGACY_VOLUMES_MOUNTING_ORDER` feature flag](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-runner/-/issues/6581).
- [Remove support for Windows Server 1803](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-runner/-/issues/6553).

#### 12.0

- [Use `refspec` to clone/fetch Git repository](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-runner/-/issues/4069).
- [Old cache configuration](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-runner/-/issues/4070).
- [Old metrics server configuration](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-runner/-/issues/4072).
- [Remove `FF_K8S_USE_ENTRYPOINT_OVER_COMMAND`](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-runner/-/issues/4073).
- [Remove Linux distributions that reach EOL](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-runner/-/merge_requests/1130).
- [Update command line API for helper images](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-runner/-/issues/4013).
- [Remove old `git clean` flow](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-runner/-/issues/4175).

#### 11.0

- No breaking changes.

#### 10.0

- No breaking changes.
