How to Use the Command 'glab pipeline' (with examples)

The glab pipeline command is a powerful tool that allows developers and CI/CD engineers to interact seamlessly with GitLab CI/CD pipelines from the command line. This command streamlines the process of listing, viewing, and running pipelines associated with GitLab repositories, thus enhancing productivity and enabling more efficient DevOps practices. More information about the command and its functionalities can be found in the official documentation at glab.readthedocs.io .

Use case 1: View a Running Pipeline on the Current Branch

Code:

glab pipeline status

Motivation:

When working on a project, it’s crucial to monitor the status of your CI/CD pipelines to ensure that your changes integrate smoothly into the main codebase. Running the glab pipeline status command without specifying any branch will provide information about the pipeline associated with the current branch you are checked out on. This is particularly useful for developers who quickly want to verify the status without navigating through the GitLab web interface.

Explanation:

• glab: This specifies that we are using the GitLab CLI tool.
• pipeline: Indicates that we are working with the pipelines.
• status: This argument is used to fetch and display the status of the pipeline currently running on the branch you are on.

Example Output:

ID    STATUS     REF        CREATED_AT
12345 running   feature-x  2023-10-11T10:00:00Z

In this output, you see the pipeline ID, its status, the branch name (REF), and the creation date and time of the pipeline.

Use case 2: View a Running Pipeline on a Specific Branch

Code:

glab pipeline status --branch branch_name

Motivation:

Sometimes developers need to check the status of pipelines running on branches other than the one they currently have checked out. This might be necessary when collaborating on features with multiple team members or when monitoring release branches. By specifying a branch, a developer can gather insights into the progress and results of pipelines on that specific branch without having to switch branches locally.

Explanation:

• glab: Utilizes the GitLab command line interface.
• pipeline: Refers to operations concerning pipelines.
• status: Fetches the current status.
• --branch branch_name: This flag allows you to specify a branch other than the one you’re currently on, replacing branch_name with the actual name of the branch.

Example Output:

ID    STATUS     REF       CREATED_AT
67890 passed    develop   2023-10-12T14:00:00Z

This output reveals the ID of the pipeline, its successful completion status, the branch it was run on, and the creation timestamp.

Use case 3: Get the List of Pipelines

Code:

glab pipeline list

Motivation:

Understanding the history of your GitLab CI/CD pipelines is invaluable for tracking progress, diagnosing failures, and analyzing trends in build times or success rates. By listing all pipelines, developers and operations teams can easily review past pipeline executions, which may help in debugging or analyzing the performance of different branches over time.

Explanation:

• glab: Commands are executed via the GitLab CLI tool.
• pipeline: Focuses on interactions with pipelines.
• list: This argument retrieves a list of all pipelines associated with the repository.

Example Output:

ID    STATUS     REF         CREATED_AT
12345 running   feature-x   2023-10-11T10:00:00Z
67890 passed    develop     2023-10-12T14:00:00Z
23456 failed    hotfix-1.2  2023-10-13T09:30:00Z

Here, multiple pipelines are listed with varying statuses (running, passed, failed), along with their respective branches and creation dates.

Use case 4: Run a Manual Pipeline on the Current Branch

Code:

glab pipeline run

Motivation:

Manual triggering of pipelines is often necessary when a developer has made changes and wants to test those changes immediately, without waiting for an automatic schedule or event trigger. This is particularly useful for testing fixes or adjustments before merging them into a more stable branch, offering a controlled environment to validate code behaviour.

Explanation:

• glab: Represents using the GitLab CLI tool.
• pipeline: Refers to pipeline interaction.
• run: This command initiates a new pipeline build manually for the current branch.

Example Output:

Pipeline 34567 has been successfully created and is now running on branch feature-x.

The output confirms that a new pipeline has been created and is currently running on the specified branch.

Use case 5: Run a Manual Pipeline on a Specific Branch

Code:

glab pipeline run --branch branch_name

Motivation:

Running a pipeline on a specific branch allows teams to test and validate features in isolation from the main development line. This is especially important in multi-branch workflows where different features or fixes are developed and tested in parallel. It ensures that specific changes can be built and tested without affecting other ongoing development activities.

Explanation:

• glab: Uses GitLab’s CLI.
• pipeline: Focused on pipeline tasks.
• run: To manually trigger a pipeline.
• --branch branch_name: Specifies the exact branch where the pipeline should be run, using branch_name as the branch identifier.

Example Output:

Pipeline 45678 has been successfully created and is now running on branch bugfix-321.

The output indicates that a pipeline was initiated manually on the specified branch, ensuring its changes are validated through the CI/CD process.

Conclusion:

The glab pipeline command provides a robust and efficient way to interact with GitLab CI/CD pipelines directly from the command line. By using a variety of features, developers can view current pipeline statuses, interact with pipelines across branches, and manually trigger builds as needed. This enhances workflow efficiency and allows for rapid responses to changing codebases, ultimately contributing to a more seamless development and deployment process.