What are GitLab CI/CD scheduled pipelines and how do you set them up?

Scheduled pipelines run on a defined timetable (like a cron job) without requiring a code push. They are useful for nightly builds, weekly security scans, database backups, and performance benchmarks.

# In .gitlab-ci.yml - detect schedule trigger:
nightly-test:
  stage: test
  script:
    - run-full-test-suite.sh
  rules:
    - if: $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE == "schedule"   # only runs when scheduled

regular-test:
  stage: test
  script:
    - run-quick-tests.sh
  rules:
    - if: $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE != "schedule"   # skip during scheduled runs

# Variables defined in the schedule are available as CI/CD variables:
nightly-deploy:
  script:
    - echo "Running type: $PIPELINE_TYPE"     # set in schedule config
    - echo "Env: $DEPLOY_ENV"

Setting up a schedule in the UI:

• Go to Build > Pipeline schedules > New schedule
• Enter a cron expression (e.g. 0 2 * * * for 2am daily)
• Select the target branch or tag
• Optionally add custom CI/CD variables for this schedule
• Enable/disable the schedule without deleting it

The $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE predefined variable equals 'schedule' for scheduled pipelines, allowing you to run different jobs for scheduled vs push-triggered pipelines.

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