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# Configuration of your jobs 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 jobs.

From version 7.12, GitLab CI uses a 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.

If you want a quick introduction to GitLab CI, follow our quick start guide.

NOTE: Note: If you have a mirrored repository where GitLab pulls from, you may need to enable pipeline triggering in your project's Settings > Repository > Pull from a remote repository > Trigger pipelines for mirror updates.

## Jobs

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

    job1:
      script: "execute-script-for-job1"

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

The above example is the simplest possible CI/CD 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 picked up by Runners and executed within the environment of the Runner. What is important, is that each job is run independently from each other.

Each job must have a unique name, but there are a few reserved `keywords` that cannot be used as job names:

- `image`
- `services`
- `stages`
- `types`
- `before_script`
- `after_script`
- `variables`
- `cache`

A job is defined by a list of parameters that define the job behavior.

Keyword | Required | Description
--- | --- | ---
script | yes | Defines a shell script which is executed by Runner
image | no | Use docker image, covered in Using Docker Images
services | no | Use docker services, covered in Using Docker Images
stage | no | Defines a job stage (default: `test`)
type | no | Alias for `stage`
variables | no | Define job variables on a job level
only | no | Defines a list of git refs for which job is created
except | no | Defines a list of git refs for which job is not created
tags | no | Defines a list of tags which are used to select Runner
allow_failure | no | Allow job to fail. Failed job doesn't contribute to commit status
when | no | Define when to run job. Can be `on_success`, `on_failure`, `always` or `manual`
dependencies | no | Define other jobs that a job depends on so that you can pass artifacts between them
artifacts | no | Define list of job 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 job
after_script | no | Override a set of commands that are executed after job
environment | no | Defines a name of environment to which deployment is done by this job
coverage | no | Define code coverage settings for a given job
retry | no | Define how many times a job can be auto-retried in case of a failure

### `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
2. `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.

## `image` and `services`

This allows to specify a custom Docker image and a list of services that can be used for time of the job. The configuration of this feature is covered in a separate document.

## `before_script` and `after_script`

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

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

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

The `before_script` and the main `script` are concatenated and run in a single context/container. The `after_script` is run separately, so depending on the executor, changes done outside of the working tree might not be visible, e.g. software installed in the `before_script`.

It's possible to overwrite the globally defined `before_script` and `after_script` if you set it per-job:

    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

## `stages`

`stages` is used to define stages that can be used by jobs and is defined globally.

The specification of `stages` allows for having flexible multi stage pipelines. The ordering of elements in `stages` defines the ordering of jobs' execution:

1. Jobs of the same stage are run in parallel.
2. Jobs 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:

    stages:
      - build
      - test
      - deploy

1. First, all jobs of `build` are executed in parallel.
2. If all jobs of `build` succeed, the `test` jobs are executed in parallel.
3. If all jobs of `test` succeed, the `deploy` jobs are executed in parallel.
4. If all jobs of `deploy` succeed, the commit is marked as `passed`.
5. 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 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.

## `stage`

`stage` is defined per-job and relies on `stages` which is defined globally. It allows to group jobs into different stages, and jobs of the same `stage` are executed in `parallel`. For example:

    stages:
      - build
      - test
      - deploy

    job 1:
      stage: build
      script: make build dependencies

    job 2:
      stage: build
      script: make build artifacts

    job 3:
      stage: test
      script: make test

    job 4:
      stage: deploy
      script: make deploy

## `types`

CAUTION: Deprecated: `types` is deprecated, and could be removed in one of the future releases. Use stages instead.

## `script`

`script` is the only required keyword that a job needs. It's a shell script which is executed by the Runner. For example:

    job:
      script: "bundle exec rspec"

This parameter can also contain several commands using an array:

    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: `:`, `{`, `}`, `[`, `]`, `,`, `&`, `*`, `#`, `?`, `|`, `-`, `<`, `>`, `=`, `!`, `%`, `@`, ```.

## `only` and `except` (simplified)

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

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

There are a few rules that apply to the usage of job 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 to specify a repository path to filter jobs for forks.

In addition, `only` and `except` allow the use of special keywords:

Value | Description
--- | ---
`branches` | When a branch is pushed.
`tags` | When a tag is pushed.
`api` | When pipeline has been triggered by a second pipelines API (not triggers API).
`external` | When using CI services other than GitLab.
`pipelines` | For multi-project triggers, created using the API with `CI_JOB_TOKEN`.
`pushes` | Pipeline is triggered by a `git push` by the user.
`schedules` | For scheduled pipelines.
`triggers` | For pipelines created using a trigger token.
`web` | For pipelines created using Run pipeline button in GitLab UI (under your project's Pipelines).

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

    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 or a Pipeline Schedule:

    job:
      # use special keywords
      only:
        - tags
        - triggers
        - schedules

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

    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.

## `only` and `except` (complex)

> `refs` and `kubernetes` policies introduced in GitLab 10.0

> `variables` policy introduced in 10.7

CAUTION: Warning: This an alpha feature, and it it subject to change at any time without prior notice!

Since GitLab 10.0 it is possible to define a more elaborate only/except job policy configuration.

GitLab now supports both, simple and complex strategies, so it is possible to use an array and a hash configuration scheme.

Three keys are now available: `refs`, `kubernetes` and `variables`. Refs strategy equals to simplified only/except configuration, whereas kubernetes strategy accepts only `active` keyword.

`variables` keyword is used to define variables expressions. In other words you can use predefined variables / project / group or environment-scoped variables to define an expression GitLab is going to evaluate in order to decide whether a job should be created or not.

See the example below. Job is going to be created only when pipeline has been scheduled or runs for a `master` branch, and only if kubernetes service is active in the project.

    job:
      only:
        refs:
          - master
          - schedules
        kubernetes: active

Examples of using variables expressions:

    deploy:
      script: cap staging deploy
      only:
        refs:
          - branches
        variables:
          - $RELEASE == "staging"
          - $STAGING

Another use case is exluding jobs depending on a commit message (added in 11.0):

    end-to-end:
      script: rake test:end-to-end
      except:
        variables:
          - $CI_COMMIT_MESSAGE =~ /skip-end-to-end-tests/

Learn more about variables expressions on a separate page.

## `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 jobs with Runners that have the specified tags assigned to them:

    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 job to fail without impacting the rest of the CI suite. Failed jobs don't contribute to the commit status.

When enabled and the job 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 job page. This is to be used by jobs 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`:

    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 job only when all jobs from prior stages succeed. This is the default.
2. `on_failure` - execute job only when at least one job from prior stages fails.
3. `always` - execute job regardless of the status of jobs from prior stages.
4. `manual` - execute job manually (added in GitLab 8.10). Read about manual actions below.

For example:

    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 jobs
      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.

### `when:manual`

> Notes:

- Introduced in GitLab 8.10.
- Blocking manual actions were introduced in GitLab 9.0.
- Protected actions were introduced in GitLab 9.2.

Manual actions are a special type of job that are not executed automatically, they need to be explicitly started by a user. An example usage of manual actions would be a deployment to a production environment. Manual actions can be started from the pipeline, job, environment, and deployment views. Read more at the environments documentation.

Manual actions can be either optional or blocking. Blocking manual actions will block the execution of the pipeline at the stage this action is defined in. It's possible to resume execution of the pipeline when someone executes a blocking manual action by clicking a play button.

When a pipeline is blocked, it will not be merged if Merge When Pipeline Succeeds is set. Blocked pipelines also do have a special status, called manual. Manual actions are non-blocking by default. If you want to make manual action blocking, it is necessary to add `allow_failure: false` to the job's definition in `.gitlab-ci.yml`.

Optional manual actions have `allow_failure: true` set by default and their Statuses do not contribute to the overall pipeline status. So, if a manual action fails, the pipeline will eventually succeed.

Manual actions are considered to be write actions, so permissions for protected branches are used when user wants to trigger an action. In other words, in order to trigger a manual action assigned to a branch that the pipeline is running for, user needs to have ability to merge to this branch.

## `environment`

Notes:

- Introduced in GitLab 8.9.
- You can read more about environments and find more examples in the documentation about environments.

`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`

Notes:

- Introduced in GitLab 8.11.
- 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 `name` parameter can use any of the defined CI variables, including predefined, secure variables and `.gitlab-ci.yml` `variables`. You however cannot use variables defined under `script`.

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`

Notes:

- Introduced in GitLab 8.11.
- 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`.
- The `url` parameter can use any of the defined CI variables, including predefined, secure variables and `.gitlab-ci.yml` `variables`. You however cannot use variables defined under `script`.

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 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 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:

    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 via GitLab's web interface in order to run.

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

- `when` - reference
- `environment:name`
- `environment:action`
- `stage` should be the same as the `review_app` in order for the environment to stop automatically when the branch is deleted

### Dynamic environments

Notes:

- Introduced in GitLab 8.12 and GitLab Runner 1.6.
- The `$CI_ENVIRONMENT_SLUG` was introduced in GitLab 8.15.
- The `name` and `url` parameters can use any of the defined CI variables, including predefined, secure variables and `.gitlab-ci.yml` `variables`. You however cannot use variables defined under `script`.

For example:

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

The `deploy as review app` job will be marked as deployment to dynamically create the `review/$CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME` environment, where `$CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME` is an environment variable 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.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/.

## `cache`

Notes:

- Introduced in GitLab Runner v0.7.0.
- `cache` can be set globally and per-job.
- From GitLab 9.0, caching is enabled and shared between pipelines and jobs by default.
- From GitLab 9.2, caches are restored before artifacts.

TIP: Learn more: Read how caching works and find out some good practices in the caching dependencies documentation.

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

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

### `cache:paths`

Use the `paths` directive to choose which files or directories will be cached. Wildcards can be used as well.

Cache all files in `binaries` that end in `.apk` and the `.config` file:

    rspec:
      script: test
      cache:
        paths:
          - binaries/*.apk
          - .config

Locally defined cache overrides globally defined options. The following `rspec` job will cache only `binaries/`:

    cache:
      paths:
        - my/files

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

Note that since cache is shared between jobs, if you're using different paths for different jobs, you should also set a different cache:key otherwise cache content can be overwritten.

### `cache:key`

> Introduced in GitLab Runner v1.0.0.

Since the cache is shared between jobs, if you're using different paths for different jobs, you should also set a different `cache:key` otherwise cache content can be overwritten.

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 that fits your workflow. This way, you can 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, and the default key, if not set, is just literal `default` which means everything is shared between each pipelines and jobs by default, starting from GitLab 9.0.

NOTE: Note: The `cache:key` variable cannot contain the `/` character, or the equivalent URI-encoded `%2F`; a value made only of dots (`.`, `%2E`) is also forbidden.

For example, to enable per-branch caching:

    cache:
      key: "$CI_COMMIT_REF_SLUG"
      paths:
        - binaries/

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

    cache:
      key: "%CI_COMMIT_REF_SLUG%"
      paths:
        - binaries/

### `cache:untracked`

Set `untracked: true` to cache all files that are untracked in your Git repository:

    rspec:
      script: test
      cache:
        untracked: true

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

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

### `cache:policy`

> Introduced in GitLab 9.4.

The default behaviour of a caching job is to download the files at the start of execution, and to re-upload them at the end. This allows any changes made by the job to be persisted for future runs, and is known as the `pull-push` cache policy.

If you know the job doesn't alter the cached files, you can skip the upload step by setting `policy: pull` in the job specification. Typically, this would be twinned with an ordinary cache job at an earlier stage to ensure the cache is updated from time to time:

    stages:
      - setup
      - test

    prepare:
      stage: setup
      cache:
        key: gems
        paths:
          - vendor/bundle
      script:
        - bundle install --deployment

    rspec:
      stage: test
      cache:
        key: gems
        paths:
          - vendor/bundle
        policy: pull
      script:
        - bundle exec rspec ...

This helps to speed up job execution and reduce load on the cache server, especially when you have a large number of cache-using jobs executing in parallel.

Additionally, if you have a job that unconditionally recreates the cache without reference to its previous contents, you can use `policy: push` in that job to skip the download step.

## `artifacts`

Notes:

- Introduced in GitLab Runner v0.7.0 for non-Windows platforms.
- Windows support was added in GitLab Runner v.1.0.0.
- From GitLab 9.2, caches are restored before artifacts.
- Not all executors are supported.
- Job artifacts are only collected for successful jobs by default.

`artifacts` is used to specify a list of files and directories which should be attached to the job after success.

The artifacts will be sent to GitLab after the job finishes successfully and will be available for download in the GitLab UI.

Read more about artifacts.

### `artifacts:paths`

You can only use paths that are within the project workspace. To pass artifacts between different jobs, see dependencies.

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

    artifacts:
      paths:
        - binaries/
        - .config

To disable artifact passing, define the job with empty dependencies:

    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):

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

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

### `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. The default name is `artifacts`, which becomes `artifacts.zip` when downloaded.

NOTE: Note: If your branch-name contains forward slashes (e.g. `feature/my-feature`) it is advised to use `$CI_COMMIT_REF_SLUG` instead of `$CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME` for proper naming of the artifact.

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

    job:
      artifacts:
        name: "$CI_JOB_NAME"
        paths:
          - binaries/

To create an archive with a name of the current branch or tag including only the binaries directory:

    job:
       artifacts:
         name: "$CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME"
        paths:
          - binaries/

To create an archive with a name of the current job and the current branch or tag including only the binaries directory:

    job:
      artifacts:
        name: "$CI_JOB_NAME-$CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME"
        paths:
          - binaries/

To create an archive with a name of the current stage and branch name:

    job:
      artifacts:
        name: "$CI_JOB_STAGE-$CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME"
        paths:
          - binaries/

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

    job:
      artifacts:
        name: "%CI_JOB_STAGE%-%CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME%"
        paths:
          - binaries/

If you use Windows PowerShell to run your shell scripts you need to replace `$` with `$env:`:

    job:
      artifacts:
        name: "$env:CI_JOB_STAGE-$env:CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME"
        paths:
          - binaries/

### `artifacts:untracked`

`artifacts:untracked` is used to add all Git untracked files as artifacts (along to the paths defined in `artifacts:paths`).

NOTE: Note: To exclude the folders/files which should not be a part of `untracked` just add them to `.gitignore`.

Send all Git untracked files:

    artifacts:
      untracked: true

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

    artifacts:
      untracked: true
      paths:
        - binaries/

### `artifacts:when`

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

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

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

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

To upload artifacts only when job fails:

    job:
      artifacts:
        when: on_failure

### `artifacts:expire_in`

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

`expire_in` allows you to specify how long artifacts should live before they expire and therefore deleted, counting from the time they are uploaded and stored on GitLab. If the expiry time is not defined, it defaults to the instance wide setting (30 days by default, forever on GitLab.com).

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

After their expiry, artifacts are deleted hourly by default (via a cron job), and are not accessible anymore.

The value of `expire_in` is an elapsed time. Examples of parsable 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'

To expire artifacts 1 week after being uploaded:

    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` and allows you to define the artifacts to pass between different jobs.

Note that `artifacts` from all previous stages are passed by default.

To use this feature, define `dependencies` in context of the job and pass a list of all previous jobs from which the artifacts should be downloaded. You can only define jobs from stages that are executed before the current one. An error will be shown if you define jobs from the current stage or next ones. Defining an empty array will skip downloading any artifacts for that job. The status of the previous job is not considered when using `dependencies`, so if it failed or it is a manual job that was not run, no error occurs.

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 jobs because of the stage precedence:

    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

### When a dependent job will fail

> Introduced in GitLab 10.3.

If the artifacts of the job that is set as a dependency have been expired or erased, then the dependent job will fail.

NOTE: Note: You can ask your administrator to flip this switch and bring back the old behavior.

## `coverage`

> Introduced in GitLab 8.17.

`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:

    job1:
      script: rspec
      coverage: '/Code coverage: \d+\.\d+/'

## `retry`

> Introduced in GitLab 9.5.

`retry` allows you to configure how many times a job is going to be retried in case of a failure.

When a job fails, and has `retry` configured it is going to be processed again up to the amount of times specified by the `retry` keyword.

If `retry` is set to 2, and a job succeeds in a second run (first retry), it won't be retried again. `retry` value has to be a positive integer, equal or larger than 0, but lower or equal to 2 (two retries maximum, three runs in total).

A simple example:

    test:
      script: rspec
      retry: 2

## `variables`

> Introduced in GitLab Runner v0.5.0.

NOTE: Note: Integers (as well as strings) are legal both for variable's name and value. Floats are not legal and cannot be used.

GitLab CI/CD allows you to define variables inside `.gitlab-ci.yml` that are then passed in the job environment. They can be set globally and per-job. When the `variables` keyword is used on a job level, it overrides the global YAML variables and predefined ones.

They are stored in the Git repository and are meant to store non-sensitive project configuration, for example:

    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.

To turn off global defined variables in a specific job, define an empty hash:

    job_name:
      variables: {}

Except for the user defined variables, there are also the ones set up by the Runner itself. One example would be `CI_COMMIT_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 Variables which can be set in GitLab's UI.

Learn more about variables and their priority.

### 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 globally or per-job in the `variables` section. 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. You can set them globally or per-job in the `variables` section.

There are three possible 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 documentation.

### Git checkout

> Introduced in GitLab Runner 9.3

The `GIT_CHECKOUT` variable can be used when the `GIT_STRATEGY` is set to either `clone` or `fetch` to specify whether a `git checkout` should be run. If not specified, it defaults to true. You can set them globally or per-job in the `variables` section.

If set to `false`, the Runner will:

- when doing `fetch` - update the repository and leave working copy on the current revision,
- when doing `clone` - clone the repository and leave working copy on the default branch.

Having this setting set to `true` will mean that for both `clone` and `fetch` strategies the Runner will checkout the working copy to a revision related to the CI pipeline:

    variables:
      GIT_STRATEGY: clone
      GIT_CHECKOUT: "false"
    script:
      - git checkout master
      - git merge $CI_BUILD_REF_NAME

### Job stages attempts

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

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

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

The default is one single attempt.

Example:

    variables:
      GET_SOURCES_ATTEMPTS: 3

You can set them globally or per-job in the `variables` section.

### 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 jobs or retry jobs, 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 jobs in the queue, or you are retrying an old job, 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 job logs. You should then reconsider changing `GIT_DEPTH` to a higher value.

Jobs 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"

You can set it globally or per-job in the `variables` section.

## 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.

### Hidden keys (jobs)

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

If you want to temporarily 'disable' a job, rather than commenting out all the lines where the job is defined:

    #hidden_job:
    #  script:
    #    - run test

you can instead start its name with a dot (`.`) and it will not be processed by GitLab CI. In the following example, `.hidden_job` will be ignored:

    .hidden_job:
      script:
        - run test

Use this feature to ignore jobs, or use the special YAML features and transform the hidden keys into templates.

### Anchors

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

YAML has a handy feature called 'anchors', which lets 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 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:

    .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:

    .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:

    .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:

    .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.

## Skipping jobs

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

## Validate the .gitlab-ci.yml

Each instance of GitLab CI has an embedded debug tool called Lint, which validates the content of your `.gitlab-ci.yml` files. You can find the Lint under the page `ci/lint` of your project namespace (e.g, `http://gitlab-example.com/gitlab-org/project-123/-/ci/lint`)

## Using reserved keywords

If you get validation error when using specific values (e.g., `true` or `false`), try to quote them, or change them to a different form (e.g., `/bin/true`).

## Examples

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