GitLab CI Runners as Enablers for Learning
Gërguri, Fatlum (2025)
2025
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025100625591
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025100625591
Tiivistelmä
This study was conducted for Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, and the report presents the implementation and documentation of shared GitLab CI Runners to support CI/CD pipeline automation across multiple projects. The project addressed the need for an efficient and scalable infrastructure that optimizes resource utilization and enhances development workflow efficiency.
The implementation involved deploying GitLab CI Runners on virtual machines provisioned through Metropolia’s VMware eCloud platform. The purpose was to process the installation, registration, and configuration of the runners, ensuring seamless integration with Metropolia’s existing version control system. Additionally, the project focused on optimizing the performance of CI/CD pipelines by leveraging Docker as the primary platform for executing pipeline stages, including installation, testing, building, and deployment.
The thesis presents a comprehensive theoretical overview of CI/CD principles, emphasizing their role in modern DevOps practices. It examines automation tools for monitoring, configuration management, and infrastructure as code (IaC), along with
the importance of automation in DevOps. Furthermore, it highlights Docker for containerized pipeline execution and explores security best practices, including LDAP authentication and network restrictions, to ensure controlled access to the GitLab Runner within Metropolia’s VMware eCloud environment.
A key aspect of the project and thesis is comprehensive documentation that serves as a detailed guide for setting up and maintaining GitLab CI runners in an optimal way. The documentation package, combined with research findings, forms a significant deliverable of the project. The study demonstrates how GitLab CI can benefit any organization by optimizing resource allocation and enhancing software development processes.
The implementation involved deploying GitLab CI Runners on virtual machines provisioned through Metropolia’s VMware eCloud platform. The purpose was to process the installation, registration, and configuration of the runners, ensuring seamless integration with Metropolia’s existing version control system. Additionally, the project focused on optimizing the performance of CI/CD pipelines by leveraging Docker as the primary platform for executing pipeline stages, including installation, testing, building, and deployment.
The thesis presents a comprehensive theoretical overview of CI/CD principles, emphasizing their role in modern DevOps practices. It examines automation tools for monitoring, configuration management, and infrastructure as code (IaC), along with
the importance of automation in DevOps. Furthermore, it highlights Docker for containerized pipeline execution and explores security best practices, including LDAP authentication and network restrictions, to ensure controlled access to the GitLab Runner within Metropolia’s VMware eCloud environment.
A key aspect of the project and thesis is comprehensive documentation that serves as a detailed guide for setting up and maintaining GitLab CI runners in an optimal way. The documentation package, combined with research findings, forms a significant deliverable of the project. The study demonstrates how GitLab CI can benefit any organization by optimizing resource allocation and enhancing software development processes.