---
type: reference, howto
stage: Release
group: Release
info: To determine the technical writer assigned to the Stage/Group associated with this page, see https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/engineering/ux/technical-writing/#assignments
---

# Create a Pages website by using a CI/CD template **(FREE)**

GitLab provides `.gitlab-ci.yml` templates for the most popular Static Site Generators (SSGs).
You can create your own `.gitlab-ci.yml` file from one of these templates, and run
the CI/CD pipeline to generate a Pages website.

Use a `.gitlab-ci.yml` template when you have an existing project that you want to add a Pages site to.

Your GitLab repository should contain files specific to an SSG, or plain HTML.
After you complete these steps, you may need to do additional
configuration for the Pages site to generate properly.

1. On the left sidebar, select **Project information**.
1. Click **Set up CI/CD**.

   ![setup GitLab CI/CD](../img/setup_ci_v13_1.png)

   If this button is not available, CI/CD is already configured for
   your project. You may want to browse the `.gitlab-ci.yml` files
   [in these projects instead](https://gitlab.com/pages).

1. From the **Apply a template** list, choose a template for the SSG you're using.
   You can also choose plain HTML.

   ![gitlab-ci templates](../img/choose_ci_template_v13_1.png)

   If you don't find a corresponding template, you can view the
   [GitLab Pages group of sample projects](https://gitlab.com/pages).
   These projects contain `.gitlab-ci.yml` files that you can modify for your needs.
   You can also [learn how to write your own `.gitlab-ci.yml` file for GitLab Pages](pages_from_scratch.md).

1. Save and commit the `.gitlab-ci.yml` file.

If everything is configured correctly, the site can take approximately 30 minutes to deploy.

You can watch the pipeline run by navigating to **CI/CD > Pipelines**.
When the pipeline is finished, go to **Settings > Pages** to find the link to
your Pages website.

For every change pushed to your repository, GitLab CI/CD runs a new pipeline
that immediately publishes your changes to the Pages site.
