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DevOps / GitLab CI Basics Interview Questions

What is the 'GIT_STRATEGY' variable in GitLab CI and what are the options?

The GIT_STRATEGY variable controls how GitLab CI fetches your repository's code at the start of each job. Choosing the right strategy balances freshness of code against job startup speed.

GIT_STRATEGY options
ValueBehaviourSpeedUse case
fetch (default)Fetches only new commits; reuses existing cloneFastMost jobs
cloneFull fresh clone every timeSlowWhen clean state is required
noneSkips Git entirely; no repo codeFastestJobs that don't need repo code (deploy from artifact)
# Set globally for all jobs:
variables:
  GIT_STRATEGY: fetch          # default - fast incremental fetch

# Override for a specific job:
clean-build:
  variables:
    GIT_STRATEGY: clone        # ensure completely fresh checkout
  script:
    - make clean && make build

# Skip checkout for deploy-only jobs:
deploy-from-artifact:
  variables:
    GIT_STRATEGY: none         # no git checkout needed
  script:
    - echo "Using artifact from build job..."
    - ls dist/                 # artifact already downloaded
    - ./deploy.sh

# Related: control submodule fetching
variables:
  GIT_SUBMODULE_STRATEGY: normal  # clone/fetch submodules too

GIT_DEPTH: the related variable GIT_DEPTH controls shallow clone depth. Setting GIT_DEPTH: "1" fetches only the latest commit (no history), which is significantly faster for large repositories. Setting it to 0 disables shallow cloning and fetches full history.

What does GIT_STRATEGY: none do in a GitLab CI job?
Which GIT_STRATEGY setting ensures a completely fresh repository clone for every job run?

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