GitLab CI basics - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

💻 Command Output

intermediate

What is the output of this GitLab CI pipeline status command?

You run the command gitlab-runner status on a machine where GitLab Runner is installed and registered. What output do you expect if the runner is active and connected?

Git

gitlab-runner status

A GitLab Runner: paused

B

Runtime platform: linux/amd64

GitLab Runner: stopped

C Error: command not found

D

Runtime platform: linux/amd64

GitLab Runner: running

💡 Hint

Think about what the status command shows when the runner is working.

The gitlab-runner status command shows the runner's platform and whether it is running or stopped. If active, it says 'GitLab Runner: running'.

❓ Configuration

intermediate

Which .gitlab-ci.yml snippet correctly defines a job that runs only on the master branch?

You want a job named deploy to run only when commits are pushed to the master branch. Which snippet achieves this?

A

deploy:
  script:
    - echo Deploying...
  only:
    - master

B

deploy:
  script:
    - echo Deploying...
  rules:
    - if: '$CI_COMMIT_BRANCH == "develop"'

C

deploy:
  script:
    - echo Deploying...
  except:
    - master

D

deploy:
  script:
    - echo Deploying...
  when: manual

💡 Hint

Look for the keyword that specifies branches to include.

The only keyword restricts the job to run only on specified branches. Here, only: - master means the job runs only on the master branch.

🔀 Workflow

advanced

What is the correct order of stages in this GitLab CI pipeline configuration?

Given this snippet, what is the order in which jobs run?

stages:
  - build
  - test
  - deploy

build_job:
  stage: build
  script: echo Building

test_job:
  stage: test
  script: echo Testing

deploy_job:
  stage: deploy
  script: echo Deploying

A 1,2,3

B 3,2,1

C 2,1,3

D 1,3,2

💡 Hint

Jobs run in the order of stages defined at the top.

Stages define the order: build first, then test, then deploy. Jobs in the same stage run in parallel.

❓ Troubleshoot

advanced

Why does this GitLab CI job fail with 'script not found' error?

This job fails with an error saying the script is not found:

job1:
  script:
    - ./deploy.sh

The deploy.sh file exists in the repository root. What is the most likely cause?

A The <code>script</code> keyword is misspelled in the YAML file.

B GitLab CI does not support running shell scripts.

C The <code>deploy.sh</code> file is not executable or missing execute permission.

D The job name <code>job1</code> is invalid.

💡 Hint

Check file permissions for scripts in CI jobs.

If the script file lacks execute permission, the runner cannot run it, causing a 'script not found' error.

✅ Best Practice

expert

Which GitLab CI configuration snippet correctly caches dependencies to speed up pipeline runs?

You want to cache the node_modules folder between pipeline runs to avoid reinstalling packages every time. Which snippet correctly configures caching?

A

cache:
  paths:
    - node_modules/

B

cache:
  key: "node_modules"
  paths:
    - node_modules/

C

cache:
  paths:
    - node_modules
  when: always

D

cache:
  paths:
    - node_modules
  policy: push

💡 Hint

Caching often requires a key to identify cache versions.

Defining a cache key ensures the cache is stored and restored properly. Without a key, caching may not work as expected.