gitlab-org--gitlab-foss/doc/ci/README.md

---
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."
---

# GitLab Continuous Integration (GitLab CI/CD)

![Pipeline graph](img/cicd_pipeline_infograph.png)

The benefits of Continuous Integration are huge when automation plays an
integral part of your workflow. GitLab comes with built-in Continuous
Integration, Continuous Deployment, and Continuous Delivery support
to build, test, and deploy your application.

Here's some info we've gathered to get you started.

## Getting started

The first steps towards your GitLab CI/CD journey.

- [Getting started with GitLab CI/CD](quick_start/README.md): understand how GitLab CI/CD works.
- [GitLab CI/CD configuration file: `.gitlab-ci.yml`](yaml/README.md) - Learn all about the ins and outs of `.gitlab-ci.yml`.
- [Pipelines and jobs](pipelines.md): configure your GitLab CI/CD pipelines to build, test, and deploy your application.
- Runners: The [GitLab Runner](https://docs.gitlab.com/runner/) is responsible by running the jobs in your CI/CD pipeline. On GitLab.com, Shared Runners are enabled by default, so
you don't need to set up anything to start to use them with GitLab CI/CD.

### Introduction to GitLab CI/CD

- Article (2016-08-05): [Continuous Integration, Delivery, and Deployment with GitLab - Intro to CI/CD](https://about.gitlab.com/2016/08/05/continuous-integration-delivery-and-deployment-with-gitlab/)
- Article (2015-12-14): [Getting started with GitLab and GitLab CI - Intro to CI](https://about.gitlab.com/2015/12/14/getting-started-with-gitlab-and-gitlab-ci/)
- Article (2017-07-13): [Making CI Easier with GitLab](https://about.gitlab.com/2017/07/13/making-ci-easier-with-gitlab/)
- Article (2017-05-22): [Fast and Natural Continuous Integration with GitLab CI](https://about.gitlab.com/2017/05/22/fast-and-natural-continuous-integration-with-gitlab-ci/)
- **Videos:**
  - Demo (Streamed live on Jul 17, 2017): [GitLab CI/CD Deep Dive](https://youtu.be/pBe4t1CD8Fc?t=195)
  - Demo (March, 2017): [How to get started using CI/CD with GitLab](https://about.gitlab.com/2017/03/13/ci-cd-demo/)
  - Webcast (April, 2016): [Getting started with CI in GitLab](https://about.gitlab.com/2016/04/20/webcast-recording-and-slides-introduction-to-ci-in-gitlab/)
- **Third-party videos:**
  - [Intégration continue avec GitLab (September, 2016)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URcMBXjIr24&t=13s)
  - [GitLab CI for Minecraft Plugins (July, 2016)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4pcI9F8yf8)

### Why GitLab CI/CD?

  - Article (2016-10-17): [Why We Chose GitLab CI for our CI/CD Solution](https://about.gitlab.com/2016/10/17/gitlab-ci-oohlala/)
  - Article (2016-07-22): [Building our web-app on GitLab CI: 5 reasons why Captain Train migrated from Jenkins to GitLab CI](https://about.gitlab.com/2016/07/22/building-our-web-app-on-gitlab-ci/)

## Exploring GitLab CI/CD

- [CI/CD Variables](variables/README.md) - Learn how to use variables defined in
  your `.gitlab-ci.yml` or the ones defined in your project's settings
  - [Where variables can be used](variables/where_variables_can_be_used.md) - A
    deeper look on where and how the CI/CD variables can be used
- **The permissions model** - Learn about the access levels a user can have for
  performing certain CI actions
  - [User permissions](../user/permissions.md#gitlab-ci)
  - [Job permissions](../user/permissions.md#job-permissions)
- [Configure a Runner, the application that runs your jobs](runners/README.md)
- Article (2016-03-01): [Setting up GitLab Runner For Continuous Integration](https://about.gitlab.com/2016/03/01/gitlab-runner-with-docker/)
- Article (2016-07-29): [GitLab CI: Run jobs sequentially, in parallel, or build a custom pipeline](https://about.gitlab.com/2016/07/29/the-basics-of-gitlab-ci/)
- Article (2016-08-26): [GitLab CI: Deployment & environments](https://about.gitlab.com/2016/08/26/ci-deployment-and-environments/)
- Article (2016-05-23): [Introduction to GitLab Container Registry](https://about.gitlab.com/2016/05/23/gitlab-container-registry/)

## Advanced use

Once you get familiar with the basics of GitLab CI/CD, it's time to dive in and
learn how to leverage its potential even more.

- [Environments and deployments](environments.md): Separate your jobs into
  environments and use them for different purposes like testing, building and
  deploying
- [Job artifacts](../user/project/pipelines/job_artifacts.md)
- [Caching dependencies](caching/index.md)
- [Git submodules](git_submodules.md) - How to run your CI jobs when Git
  submodules are involved
- [Use SSH keys in your build environment](ssh_keys/README.md)
- [Trigger pipelines through the GitLab API](triggers/README.md)
- [Trigger pipelines on a schedule](../user/project/pipelines/schedules.md)
- [Kubernetes clusters](../user/project/clusters/index.md) - Integrate one or
  more Kubernetes clusters to your project
- [Interactive web terminal](interactive_web_terminal/index.md) - Open an interactive
  web terminal to debug the running jobs

## GitLab CI/CD for Docker

Leverage the power of Docker to run your CI pipelines.

- [Use Docker images with GitLab Runner](docker/using_docker_images.md)
- [Use CI to build Docker images](docker/using_docker_build.md)
- [CI services (linked Docker containers)](services/README.md)
- Article (2016-03-01): [Setting up GitLab Runner For Continuous Integration](https://about.gitlab.com/2016/03/01/gitlab-runner-with-docker/)

## Review Apps

- [Review Apps documentation](review_apps/index.md)
- Article (2016-11-22): [Introducing Review Apps](https://about.gitlab.com/2016/11/22/introducing-review-apps/)
- [Example project that shows how to use Review Apps](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-examples/review-apps-nginx/)

## Auto DevOps

- [Auto DevOps](../topics/autodevops/index.md): Auto DevOps automatically detects, builds, tests, deploys, and monitors your applications.

## GitLab CI for GitLab Pages

See the documentation on [GitLab Pages](../user/project/pages/index.md).

## Examples

Check the [GitLab CI/CD examples](examples/README.md) for a collection of tutorials and guides on setting up your CI/CD pipeline for various programming languages, frameworks,
and operating systems.

## Integrations

- Article (2016-06-09): [Continuous Delivery with GitLab and Convox](https://about.gitlab.com/2016/06/09/continuous-delivery-with-gitlab-and-convox/)
- Article (2016-05-05): [Getting Started with GitLab and Shippable Continuous Integration](https://about.gitlab.com/2016/05/05/getting-started-gitlab-and-shippable/)
- Article (2016-04-19): [GitLab Partners with DigitalOcean to make Continuous Integration faster, safer, and more affordable](https://about.gitlab.com/2016/04/19/gitlab-partners-with-digitalocean-to-make-continuous-integration-faster-safer-and-more-affordable/)

## Special configuration (GitLab admin)

As a GitLab administrator, you can change the default behavior of GitLab CI/CD in
your whole GitLab instance as well as in each project.

- [Continuous Integration admin settings](../administration/index.md#continuous-integration-settings)
- **Project specific:**
  - [Pipelines settings](../user/project/pipelines/settings.md)
  - [Learn how to enable or disable GitLab CI](enable_or_disable_ci.md)
- **Affecting the whole GitLab instance:**
  - [Continuous Integration admin settings](../user/admin_area/settings/continuous_integration.md)

## Breaking changes

- [CI variables renaming for GitLab 9.0](variables/README.md#9-0-renaming) Read about the
  deprecated CI variables and what you should use for GitLab 9.0+.
- [New CI job permissions model](../user/project/new_ci_build_permissions_model.md)
  Read about what changed in GitLab 8.12 and how that affects your jobs.
  There's a new way to access your Git submodules and LFS objects in jobs.