Advanced GitLab Training Course

Introduction and Foundations

• Level-setting: Reviewing participants' existing knowledge of Git and GitLab
• Review of key Git concepts: commits, branches, merges, push/pull
• Overview of GitLab editions (Free vs. Premium vs. Ultimate) for government use
• Typical GitLab use cases and organizational benefits for government workflows

Overview of GitLab Features and Architecture

• Walkthrough of the GitLab interface and project structure
• Key features: repository management, pipelines, issue boards
• GitLab CI/CD architecture and runners overview

GitLab Workflow

• Common workflows: GitLab Flow vs. GitFlow for government projects
• Merge requests, approvals, and review cycles
• Branch management and permissions

Organizing Projects with Groups and Namespaces

• Understanding GitLab groups, subgroups, and namespaces in a government context
• Project visibility and group-level permissions for enhanced governance
• Forking strategies and team access management to ensure accountability

Implementing CI/CD in GitLab

• Setting up and registering GitLab Runners for government projects
• Docker and Kubernetes executors for scalable deployment
• Using Docker-in-Docker (DIND): benefits and caveats for secure operations
• Troubleshooting runner issues to maintain reliability
• Writing and structuring gitlab-ci.yml files for efficient pipelines
• Using variables and CI secrets to protect sensitive information
• Creating CI workflows and stages to streamline development processes
• Including templates and reusable pipeline definitions for consistency
• Triggers, schedules, and manual pipeline controls for flexible automation
• Generating releases and tagging strategies for version control

Issue Management and Collaboration

• Creating and linking issues to enhance project tracking
• Custom issue boards and labels for tailored workflows
• Milestones and progress tracking for transparent project management

Using GitLab Markdown

• Formatting issues, merge requests, and wikis for clear communication
• Markdown for documentation and inline visuals to enhance clarity
• Using checklists, code blocks, and tables for detailed documentation

GitLab Pages

• Publishing static websites from GitLab repositories for government projects
• Setting up GitLab Pages with custom domains for official communications
• CI/CD integration with Pages deployments for automated updates

Security and Access Management

• Personal access tokens and project tokens to ensure secure access
• Securing pipeline secrets and variables to protect sensitive data
• Overview of GitLab’s security scanning features for enhanced protection

Troubleshooting and Diagnostics

• Common CI/CD errors and fixes for government workflows
• Runner logs and debugging failed jobs to maintain operational integrity
• Best practices for pipeline reliability in a government context

Summary and Next Steps

• Course recap and Q&A session
• Final review session or evaluation task to reinforce learning
• Feedback and course wrap-up to gather insights
• Resources for continued learning and professional development