# GitLab

Git collaboration connecting merge requests and configured CI in one workflow.

ID: gitlab
Language: en
Revision: 1
Translation source revision: 1
Canonical: https://kickoff.jujin.dev/en/catalog/gitlab/

## Why: the goal or problem

An internal leave app lets staff request days off. Its developers must review a balance-rule change alongside automated checks. Keeping discussion and CI in an existing GitLab workflow matters more than adopting another host.

## How: work toward a solution

Open a merge request. Configured CI rules run the balance test on a runner. A failure prompts a fix and another run; a reviewer then considers merging.

## What: the concept

GitLab combines Git hosting, merge requests and CI. Checks need configuration and runner capacity. A merge-request pipeline tests the source branch, not automatically the merged result. Hosted use and self-operation carry different responsibilities.

[Source](https://docs.gitlab.com/ci/pipelines/merge_request_pipelines/)

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# Go further

Optional reading · separate from the overview

## Selection & comparison

Choose this workflow when the team values keeping repository review and configured CI together. GitHub and other hosts also connect checks to reviews. GitLab.com is operated by GitLab; with Self-Managed, your team takes responsibility for the instance. Gitea may fit a smaller self-operated service when its features meet requirements.

## Applications

The leave app’s example test rejects a request exceeding the employee’s balance. The MR shows the failed run and a later passing run after a fix. Passing that test supplies evidence for review, not proof of every leave rule or automatic approval to deploy.

## Implementation & cautions

Define MR event rules in .gitlab-ci.yml and provide an eligible runner. Normal MR pipelines test source-branch content; verify merged-result behavior separately when needed. Compare hosted plan allowances with the cost of operating, upgrading and restoring your own instance. Rehearse migration of issues, CI configuration and access settings as well as Git history.

## Evidence

- [GitLab: Merge request pipelines](https://docs.gitlab.com/ci/pipelines/merge_request_pipelines/) — MR pipelines require matching CI rules and test source-branch content. (Checked: 2026-09-27)
- [GitLab plans](https://docs.gitlab.com/subscriptions/choosing_subscription/) — GitLab.com and Self-Managed have different hosting responsibilities and plan choices. (Checked: 2026-09-27)

