GitLab is without doubt one of the main CI/CD and supply management options for contemporary software program supply groups. It offers a complete set of options to plan, construct, and ship your software program initiatives.

Usually, GitLab interacts with using its internet UI or API. Neither of those choices is especially interesting to endpoint-centric builders. Thankfully, GitLab additionally has a CLI that gives direct entry to your points, merge requests, pipelines, and different sources, alongside together with your code and different shell instructions. This text will present you the fundamentals.

What’s glab?

The glab Clement Sam began GitLab CLI as a community-led undertaking. It has since been adopted by GitLab and acquired its first official GitLab-led launch in December 2022. Going ahead, GitLab and the broader neighborhood will proceed to keep up it as an open supply software.

Glab presently helps interactions with the next GitLab options:

• points
• merge requests
• Pipelines
• Releases
• repositories
• tags
• fragments

You may retrieve current information out of your GitLab account, create new gadgets, and carry out actions resembling checking the standing of a pipeline and approving a merge request. It’s doable to authenticate to a number of GitLab cases concurrently, together with GitLab.com and its self-hosted servers.

First steps with Glab

Earlier than you begin utilizing Glab, create a private entry token to your GitLab account that features the api Y write_repository Scopes Glab will use this token to carry out actions in your behalf.

Click on your profile icon on the high proper of the GitLab UI, then select “Entry Tokens” from the menu on the left. Give your token a reputation and choose the api Y write_repository scopes of the listing. Scroll down the web page and click on the “Create Private Entry Token” button. The token worth can be displayed; write it down now, as you will not have the ability to retrieve it sooner or later.

Subsequent you might want to set up Glab. You may obtain prebuilt binaries for Home windows, macOS, and Linux techniques from the undertaking’s GitLab releases web page. Glab can be distributed for a number of common package deal managers on all supported working techniques.

As soon as Glab is put in, you’ll be able to authenticate to your GitLab occasion by working the auth login area. It will launch a sequence of interactive prompts that can help you select between GitLab.com or a self-hosted occasion. After offering the occasion particulars, you’ll enter the non-public entry token you created earlier.

You’ll then be requested to verify the default protocol to make use of for Git operations. You may normally settle for the worth that’s robotically chosen. SSH is most popular, however some environments might require Git over HTTPS. The subsequent message asks if Glab ought to authenticate Git operations utilizing the identical private entry token that you just supplied earlier. That is normally the specified conduct.

Lastly, in case you are utilizing a self-hosted GitLab occasion, you’ll be prompted to decide on between the HTTP and HTTPS protocols to entry the GitLab API. Select HTTPS until you understand that your occasion solely helps HTTP.

On the finish of the sequence, it’s best to obtain a “Logged in” success message.

Register to a different GitLab occasion

You may log in to a different GitLab occasion by repeating the auth login area. Rush auth standing will output an inventory of all of the endpoints you’ve got configured.

Glab utilization

Glab is designed to be run out of your undertaking’s working listing. Begin by cd-ing on a listing that accommodates a Git repository. Glab instructions will now robotically choose the proper GitLab occasion and auth token, based mostly on the undertaking’s default Git distant.

This mannequin permits steady use of initiatives from a number of GitLab cases. You may run git Y glab instructions as you’re employed, just by getting into a undertaking listing. Nevertheless, it’s doable to make use of Glab exterior of a undertaking, by setting the GITLAB_TOKEN Y GITLAB_URI (both GITLAB_HOST) surroundings variables in your shell, then specifying the --repo mark together with your instructions to determine the goal undertaking (in OWNER/REPO Format). This lets you use Glab conveniently inside automated scripts, for instance.

points

Listing the issues in your undertaking with the points listing area:

$ glab points listing
Displaying 3 open points in ilmiont/ardeidae that match your search (Web page 1)

#376  ilmiont/ardeidae#376  Console Enter enable accessing full commonplace enter string    about 1 month in the past  
#374  ilmiont/ardeidae#374  Foundation help development through compound typehints           about 11 months in the past
#373  ilmiont/ardeidae#373  v3.1.0 unit assessments                                           about 11 months in the past

Use the --page flag to modify to the subsequent pages within the consequence set. 20 gadgets are displayed per web page by default; this may be modified with the --per-page flag.

Varied filter flags are supported. The next command will get all closed points tagged P1, that are on the v3.1.0 milestone and have been assigned to it:

$ glab challenge listing --mine --milestone v3.1.0 --label P1 --closed

Rush glab challenge listing --help for all supported flags.

Get detailed details about a particular drawback with challenge view:

$ glab points view 376
open • opened by ilmiont about 1 month in the past
Console Enter enable accessing full commonplace enter string #376

   php://enter                                                                



0 upvotes • 0 downvotes • 0 feedback
Milestone: v3.1.0

To get suggestions for a problem, add the --comments command flag. Feedback can be paginated, just like the challenge listing area.

You may open the net UI web page for an issue in your default browser:

$ glab challenge view 376 --web

Notes (feedback) could be created in opposition to issues with the observe area. The -m markdown specifies the Markdown textual content for the observe:

$ glab challenge observe 376 -m "That is not related"

Shut and reopen issues with the shut Y reopen instructions respectively:

$ glab challenge shut 376
$ glab challenge reopen 376

To create a brand new drawback, run the create command and move the suitable flags:

$ glab challenge create 
    --title "New Subject" 
    --description "Demo challenge" 
    --milestone "v3.1.0"

You’ll be prompted to verify the creation of the difficulty. You may bypass this by setting the -y both --yes flag. Many extra flags are supported to outline all of the properties of the issue. attempt to run glab challenge create --help to discover the choices.

merge requests

The essential merge request interactions are just like the issues. Use the listing Y view Instructions to retrieve particulars of current merge requests. The approve, shutY merge the instructions apply these respective actions to the MR:

$ glab mr merge 100

The merge request instructions settle for an ID or supply department as an argument. You may merge the MR to demo-branch in your foremost department utilizing the next command:

$ glab mr merge demo-branch

You may view the adjustments contained in an MR with the diff area:

$ glab mr diff 100

The coloured diff output can be displayed in your terminal in Git format.

It’s also doable to checkout regionally and change to the supply department of a merge request, with out manually working the Git instructions:

$ glab mr checkout 100

CI pipelines

View the pipeline outcomes to your undertaking by working ci listing:

$ glab ci listing
Displaying 3 pipelines on ilmiont/ardeidae (Web page 1)

(success) • #734  3.1.0-rc42                                                     (about 9 days in the past) 
(success) • #733  grasp                                                         (about 9 days in the past) 
(success) • #732  Dbal-store-allow-upsert                                        (about 9 days in the past)

The view The command offers entry to the job outcomes for the newest pipeline on the default department or on a particular department. A brand new terminal display screen will show the phases within the pipeline:

$ glab ci view
$ glab ci view -b demo-branch

To set off a brand new pipeline run, run the glab run area:

$ glab ci run

You may specify the department to get the pipeline from:

$ glab ci run -b demo-branch

It’s also doable to set CI variables for execution:

$ glab ci run --variables demo-var:demo-val,another-var:another-val

You may entry the logs of a job by working the ci hint command and utilizing the interactive immediate to pick out the goal job. Artifacts are additionally out there: the ci artifact The command downloads the artifacts from the newest pipeline, both for the default department or for a specified one recognized by the -b flag.

Lastly, Glab features a built-in linter for the .gitlab-ci.yml file in your working listing. This lets you conveniently examine the validity of your pipeline, with out copying and pasting the file into the GitLab internet UI.

$ glab ci lint
Getting contents in .gitlab-ci.yml
Validating...
✓ CI yml is Legitimate!

Arbitrary API requests

Glab instructions are wrappers round current GitLab API endpoints. Whereas a number of APIs are natively supported, many extra have but to be carried out as instructions. Calling the API immediately could be tedious as a result of it’s important to present your private entry token by manually setting the request headers.

Glab features a utility command to make arbitrary authenticated requests in opposition to the API. The glab api The command accepts a relative URI to request within the context of your energetic GitLab occasion. The next instance will get the Git tags related to the undertaking with the ID of 1:

$ glab api initiatives/1/repository/tags

The uncooked API response information can be output to your terminal in JSON format.

Set the HTTP technique for the request utilizing the -X both --method flag. You may present the request physique information with the -F both --field flag:

$ glab api initiatives/1/repository/tags -X POST --field tag_name=demo --field ref=foremost

You may embody customized request headers by configuring the -H both --header flag.

Aliase Use

Glab helps customized command aliases so you’ll be able to rapidly entry generally used performance.

Create a brand new alias by working the alias set area:

$ glab alias set points "challenge listing"
- Including alias for points: challenge listing
✓ Added alias.

Now you’ll be able to listing the issues in your undertaking by working glab points:

$ glab points
Displaying 3 open points in ilmiont/ardeidae that match your search (Web page 1)

#376  ilmiont/ardeidae#376  Console Enter enable accessing full commonplace enter string    about 1 month in the past  
#374  ilmiont/ardeidae#374  Foundation help development through compound typehints           about 11 months in the past
#373  ilmiont/ardeidae#373  v3.1.0 unit assessments                                           about 11 months in the past

Listing all of the aliases you’ve got created with alias listing:

$ glab alias listing
ci      pipeline ci
co      mr checkout
points  challenge listing

Delete an alias by working alias delete and passing his title:

$ glab alias delete points

Utilizing Glab to handle DevOps

Glab is the official CLI of GitLab. It permits you to handle the complete DevOps course of out of your endpoint. You may create points, assign duties, overview merge requests, activate CI pipelines, and tag releases, with out having to modify between instruments or be taught the GitLab API. This reduces context switching and makes it straightforward to automate your most typical workflows.

Getting access to GitLab information alongside together with your code and Git operations retains you centered on the duty at hand. The CLI can be quicker to make use of than the net consumer interface, when you’re comfy working in a terminal. It is a priceless third interface to your GitLab occasion, along with the UI and API.

Whereas this text has coated the fundamentals of utilizing Glab for frequent duties, there may be additionally rather more you’ll be able to discover. Test the documentation or strive working glab assist Y glab <COMMAND> --help to discover all out there capabilities.

Now that Glab is absolutely included as a local GitLab undertaking, additional growth is promised to help further workflows and implement neighborhood requests. You may ship suggestions to GitLab by opening a problem within the undertaking’s repository.