What is the.gitlab-ci.yml file and where must it be placed?

The .gitlab-ci.yml file is the pipeline configuration file for GitLab CI/CD. It uses YAML syntax to define stages, jobs, scripts, rules, and all other pipeline behaviour. GitLab automatically detects and runs the pipeline whenever this file is present and a triggering event occurs.

Key facts:

• Must be placed at the root of the repository by default
• The filename is case-sensitive - it must be exactly .gitlab-ci.yml
• You can configure a different path/filename in Settings > CI/CD > General pipelines > CI/CD configuration file
• It is a regular file tracked by Git, so all changes are version-controlled and can be reviewed in merge requests

# Minimal .gitlab-ci.yml
stages:
  - build
  - test
  - deploy

build-job:
  stage: build
  script:
    - echo "Compiling the code..."
    - echo "Compile complete."

test-job:
  stage: test
  script:
    - echo "Running tests..."

deploy-job:
  stage: deploy
  script:
    - echo "Deploying to production..."

The CI Lint tool (available in the GitLab UI under CI/CD > Pipelines > CI Lint) validates your .gitlab-ci.yml syntax before you commit, helping you catch configuration errors early.

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