The gitlab command is a Ruby wrapper for the GitLab API. It provides various subcommands, such as gitlab ctl, which have their own usage documentation. This command allows users to interact with GitLab repositories and perform tasks such as creating projects, retrieving commit information, managing CI pipelines, and starting CI jobs.

Use case 1: Create a new project

Code:

gitlab create_project project_name

Motivation:

Creating a new project is an essential step when starting a new software development project on GitLab. By using the gitlab create_project command, users can automate the project creation process and avoid manually setting up projects in the GitLab web interface.

Explanation:

• create_project: This argument specifies that we want to create a new project.
• project_name: This argument should be replaced with the desired name for the new project.

Example output:

Project 'my_project' successfully created.

Use case 2: Get info about a specific commit

Code:

gitlab commit project_name commit_hash

Motivation:

When troubleshooting issues or reviewing code changes, it can be helpful to retrieve detailed information about a specific commit. The gitlab commit command allows users to retrieve commit information without having to navigate to the GitLab web interface or clone the entire repository.

Explanation:

• commit: This argument specifies that we want to retrieve information about a specific commit.
• project_name: This argument should be replaced with the name of the project where the commit is located.
• commit_hash: This argument should be replaced with the hash of the commit we want to retrieve information about.

Example output:

Author: John Doe
Commit Hash: abc123
Message: Fix bug XYZ

Use case 3: Get info about jobs in a CI pipeline

Code:

gitlab pipeline_jobs project_name pipeline_id

Motivation:

When managing CI pipelines, it’s important to have visibility into the jobs that are part of a specific pipeline. The gitlab pipeline_jobs command allows users to quickly retrieve information about the jobs in a pipeline, such as their status and duration, facilitating the monitoring and troubleshooting of CI pipelines.

Explanation:

• pipeline_jobs: This argument specifies that we want to retrieve information about jobs in a CI pipeline.
• project_name: This argument should be replaced with the name of the project which contains the pipeline.
• pipeline_id: This argument should be replaced with the ID of the pipeline we want to retrieve information about.

Example output:

Job 1:
Status: succeeded
Duration: 5 minutes

Job 2:
Status: failed
Duration: 10 minutes

Use case 4: Start a specific CI job

Code:

gitlab job_play project_name job_id

Motivation:

Manually triggering CI jobs can be useful, especially in scenarios where automated builds or deployments are not suitable or desirable. The gitlab job_play command allows users to start specific CI jobs from the command line, enabling more control over the CI process.

Explanation:

• job_play: This argument specifies that we want to start a specific CI job.
• project_name: This argument should be replaced with the name of the project which contains the CI job.
• job_id: This argument should be replaced with the ID of the CI job we want to start.

Example output:

Job 'build' successfully started.

Conclusion:

The gitlab command provides a convenient way to interact with GitLab repositories and perform various tasks from the command line. Whether it’s creating projects, retrieving commit information, managing CI pipelines, or starting CI jobs, the gitlab command enhances productivity and automation in GitLab workflows.