gitlab-ci-patterns — an agent skill by wshobson

Name: gitlab-ci-patterns
Author: wshobson

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 Comprehensive GitLab CI/CD pipeline patterns for automated testing, building, and deployment. Purpose Create efficient GitLab CI pipelines with proper stage organization, caching, and deployment strategies. When to Use Automate GitLab based CI/CD Implement multi stage pipelines Configure GitLab Runners Deploy to Kubernetes from GitLab Implement GitOps workflows Basic Pipeline Structure Docker Build and Push Multi Environment Deployment Set KUBE CA CERT FILE as a GitLab file variable containing the cluster CA certificate, and provide KUBE TOKEN through a protected, masked CI variable. The file variable contains a path that kubectl uses to verify the API server certificate. Protect both develop and main so the deployment jobs can read the protected token. Terraform Pipeline Security Scanning Caching Strategies Dynamic Child Pipelines Best Practices 1. Use specific image tags (node:20, not node:latest) 2. Cache dependencies appropriately 3. Use artifacts for build outputs 4. Implement manual gates for production 5. Use environments for deployment tracking 6. Enable merge request pipelines 7. Use pipeline schedules for recurring jobs 8. Implement security scanning 9. Use CI/CD variables for secrets 10. Monitor pipeline performance Related Skills github actions templates For GitHub Actions deployment pipeline design For architecture secrets management For secrets handling