Commit 65e1b8f2 authored by Evan Read's avatar Evan Read

Merge branch 'docs-environments-review' into 'master'

Docs: Environments Documentation review

See merge request gitlab-org/gitlab-ce!27215
parents 05cad997 da37f5a0
......@@ -16,11 +16,11 @@ For example:
1. Test your code.
1. Deploy your code into a testing or staging environment before you release it to the public.
This helps prevent bugs not only in your software, but in the deployment process as well.
This helps find bugs in your software, and also in the deployment process as well.
GitLab CI/CD is capable of not only testing or building your projects, but also
deploying them in your infrastructure, with the added benefit of giving you a
way to track your deployments. In other words, you can always know what is
way to track your deployments. In other words, you will always know what is
currently being deployed or has been deployed on your servers.
It's important to know that:
......@@ -31,12 +31,12 @@ It's important to know that:
GitLab:
- Provides a full history of your deployments per every environment.
- Provides a full history of your deployments for each environment.
- Keeps track of your deployments, so you always know what is currently being deployed on your
servers.
If you have a deployment service such as [Kubernetes](../user/project/clusters/index.md)
enabled for your project, you can use it to assist with your deployments, and
associated with your project, you can use it to assist with your deployments, and
can even access a [web terminal](#web-terminals) for your environment from within GitLab!
## Configuring environments
......@@ -46,8 +46,8 @@ Configuring environments involves:
1. Understanding how [pipelines](pipelines.md) work.
1. Defining environments in your project's [`.gitlab-ci.yml`](yaml/README.md) file.
The rest of this section illustrates how to configure environments and deployments using an example.
It assumes you have already:
The rest of this section illustrates how to configure environments and deployments using
an example scenario. It assumes you have already:
- Created a [project](../gitlab-basics/create-project.md) in GitLab.
- Set up [a Runner](runners/README.md).
......@@ -94,9 +94,8 @@ We have defined 3 [stages](yaml/README.md#stages):
- `build`
- `deploy`
The jobs assigned to these stages will run in this order. If a job fails, then
the jobs that are assigned to the next stage won't run, rendering the pipeline
as failed.
The jobs assigned to these stages will run in this order. If any job fails, then
the pipeline fails and jobs that are assigned to the next stage won't run.
In our case:
......@@ -104,15 +103,15 @@ In our case:
- Then the `build` job.
- Lastly the `deploy_staging` job.
With this configuration, we ensure that:
With this configuration, we:
- The tests pass.
- Our app is able to be built successfully.
- Check that the tests pass.
- Ensure that our app is able to be built successfully.
- Lastly we deploy to the staging server.
NOTE: **Note:**
The `environment` keyword is just a hint for GitLab that this job actually
deploys to this environment's `name`. It can also have a `url` that is
deploys to the `name` environment. It can also have a `url` that is
exposed in various places within GitLab. Each time a job that
has an environment specified succeeds, a deployment is recorded, storing
the Git SHA and environment name.
......@@ -134,14 +133,13 @@ In summary, with the above `.gitlab-ci.yml` we have achieved the following:
> etc.
> Starting with GitLab 9.3, the environment URL is exposed to the Runner via
> `$CI_ENVIRONMENT_URL`. The URL would be expanded from `.gitlab-ci.yml`, or if
> the URL was not defined there, the external URL from the environment would be
> used.
> `$CI_ENVIRONMENT_URL`. The URL is expanded from `.gitlab-ci.yml`, or if
> the URL was not defined there, the external URL from the environment is used.
### Configuring manual deployments
Converting automatically executed job into jobs requiring to a manual action involves
adding `when: manual` to the job's configuration.
Adding `when: manual` to an automatically executed job's configuration converts it to
a job requiring manual action.
To expand on the [previous example](#defining-environments), the following includes
another job that deploys our app to a production server and is
......@@ -187,7 +185,7 @@ deploy_prod:
The `when: manual` action:
- Exposes a "play" button in GitLab's UI.
- Exposes a "play" button in GitLab's UI for that job.
- Means the `deploy_prod` job will only be triggered when the "play" button is clicked.
You can find the "play" button in the pipelines, environments, deployments, and jobs views.
......@@ -200,8 +198,8 @@ You can find the "play" button in the pipelines, environments, deployments, and
| Deployments | ![Deployments manual action](img/environments_manual_action_deployments.png) |
| Jobs | ![Builds manual action](img/environments_manual_action_jobs.png) |
Clicking on the play button in any view will trigger the `deploy_prod` job, and the deployment will be recorded under a new
environment named `production`.
Clicking on the play button in any view will trigger the `deploy_prod` job, and the
deployment will be recorded as a new environment named `production`.
NOTE: **Note:**
If your environment's name is `production` (all lowercase),
......@@ -209,14 +207,13 @@ it will get recorded in [Cycle Analytics](../user/project/cycle_analytics.md).
### Configuring dynamic environments
Other environments are good for deploying to stable environments like staging or production.
Regular environments are good when deploying to "stable" environments like staging or production.
However, what about environments for branches other than `master`? Dynamic environments can be used to achieve these.
Dynamic environments make it possible to create environments on the fly by
However, for environments for branches other than `master`, dynamic environments
can be used. Dynamic environments make it possible to create environments on the fly by
declaring their names dynamically in `.gitlab-ci.yml`.
Dynamic environments form the basis of [Review apps](review_apps/index.md).
Dynamic environments are a fundamental part of [Review apps](review_apps/index.md).
#### Allowed variables
......@@ -237,10 +234,10 @@ For more information, see [Where variables can be used](variables/where_variable
#### Example configuration
GitLab Runner exposes various [environment variables](variables/README.md) when a job runs and so
GitLab Runner exposes various [environment variables](variables/README.md) when a job runs, so
you can use them as environment names.
In the following example, a job will deploy to all branches except `master`:
In the following example, the job will deploy to all branches except `master`:
```yaml
deploy_review:
......@@ -261,28 +258,33 @@ In this example:
- The job's name is `deploy_review` and it runs on the `deploy` stage.
- We set the `environment` with the `environment:name` as `review/$CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME`.
Since the [environment name](yaml/README.md#environmentname) can contain slashes (`/`), we can
use this pattern to distinguish between dynamic environments and the regular ones.
- We tell the job to run [`only`](yaml/README.md#onlyexcept-basic) on branches [`except`](yaml/README.md#onlyexcept-basic) `master`.
use this pattern to distinguish between dynamic and regular environments.
- We tell the job to run [`only`](yaml/README.md#onlyexcept-basic) on branches,
[`except`](yaml/README.md#onlyexcept-basic) `master`.
For the value of:
- `environment:name`, the first part is `review`, followed by a `/` and then `$CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME`,
which takes the value of the branch name.
- `environment:url`, since `$CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME` itself may also contain `/`, or other characters that
would be invalid in a domain name or URL, we use `$CI_ENVIRONMENT_SLUG` so that the environment can get a specific and distinct URL for each branch.
which receives the value of the branch name.
- `environment:url`, we want a specific and distinct URL for each branch. `$CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME`
may contain a `/` or other characters that would be invalid in a domain name or URL,
so we use `$CI_ENVIRONMENT_SLUG` to get a "clean" or "safe" URL.
For example, given a `$CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME` of `100-Do-The-Thing`, the URL will be something
like `https://100-do-the-4f99a2.example.com`. Again, the way you set up
the web server to serve these requests is based on your setup.
You could also use `$CI_COMMIT_REF_SLUG` in `environment:url`. For example, `https://$CI_COMMIT_REF_SLUG.example.com`.
We have used `$CI_ENVIRONMENT_SLUG` here because it is guaranteed to be unique. If you're using a workflow like
[GitLab Flow](../workflow/gitlab_flow.md), collisions are unlikely and you may prefer environment names to be more closely based on the branch name. The example
above would give you an URL like `https://100-do-the-thing.example.com`.
We have used `$CI_ENVIRONMENT_SLUG` here because it is guaranteed to be unique. If
you're using a workflow like [GitLab Flow](../workflow/gitlab_flow.md), collisions
are unlikely and you may prefer environment names to be more closely based on the
branch name. In that case, you could use `$CI_COMMIT_REF_SLUG` in `environment:url` in
the example above: `https://$CI_COMMIT_REF_SLUG.example.com`, which would give a URL
of `https://100-do-the-thing.example.com`.
NOTE: **Note:**
You are not bound to use the same prefix or only slashes in the dynamic
environments' names (`/`). However, this will enable the [grouping similar environments](#grouping-similar-environments) feature.
You are not required to use the same prefix or only slashes (`/`) in the dynamic environments'
names. However, using this format will enable the [grouping similar environments](#grouping-similar-environments)
feature.
### Complete example
......@@ -292,7 +294,7 @@ The configuration in this section provides a full development workflow where you
- Built.
- Deployed as a Review App.
- Deployed to a staging server once the merge request is merged.
- Finally, manually deployed to the production server.
- Finally, able to be manually deployed to the production server.
The following combines the previous configuration examples, including:
......@@ -348,8 +350,8 @@ deploy_prod:
- master
```
A more realistic example would include copying files to a location where a
webserver (for example, NGINX) could then read and serve.
A more realistic example would also include copying files to a location where a
webserver (for example, NGINX) could then acess and serve them.
The example below will copy the `public` directory to `/srv/nginx/$CI_COMMIT_REF_SLUG/public`:
......@@ -366,32 +368,33 @@ review_app:
This example requires that NGINX and GitLab Runner are set up on the server this job will run on.
NOTE: **Note:**
See the [limitations](#limitations) section for some edge cases regarding naming of your branches and Review Apps.
See the [limitations](#limitations) section for some edge cases regarding the naming of
your branches and Review Apps.
The complete example provides the following workflow for developers:
The complete example provides the following workflow to developers:
- Create a branch locally.
- Make changes and commit them
- Make changes and commit them.
- Push the branch to GitLab.
- Create a merge request.
Behind the scenes, GitLab runner will:
Behind the scenes, GitLab Runner will:
- Pick up the changes and start running the jobs.
- Run the jobs sequentially as defined in `stages`:
- First, run the tests.
- If the tests succeed, build the app.
- If the build succeeds, the app will be is deployed to an environment with a name specific to the
- If the build succeeds, the app is deployed to an environment with a name specific to the
branch.
So now, every branch:
- Gets its own environment.
- Is deployed to its own location, with the added benefit of:
- Is deployed to its own unique location, with the added benefit of:
- Having a [history of deployments](#viewing-deployment-history).
- Being able to [rollback changes](#retrying-and-rolling-back) if needed.
For more information on using the URL, see [Using the environment URL](#using-the-environment-url).
For more information, see [Using the environment URL](#using-the-environment-url).
### Protected environments
......@@ -401,11 +404,12 @@ For more information, see [Protected environments](environments/protected_enviro
## Working with environments
Having configured environments, GitLab provides many features to work with them. These are documented below.
Once environments are configured, GitLab provides many features for working with them,
as documented below.
### Viewing environments and deployments
A list of environments and deployment statuses is available on project's **Operations > Environments** page.
A list of environments and deployment statuses is available on each project's **Operations > Environments** page.
For example:
......@@ -416,11 +420,11 @@ This example shows:
- The environment's name with a link to its deployments.
- The last deployment ID number and who performed it.
- The job ID of the last deployment with its respective job name.
- The commit information of the last deployment such as who committed, to what
- The commit information of the last deployment, such as who committed it, to what
branch, and the Git SHA of the commit.
- The exact time the last deployment was performed.
- A button that takes you to the URL that you have defined under the
`environment` keyword in `.gitlab-ci.yml`.
- A button that takes you to the URL that you defined under the `environment` keyword
in `.gitlab-ci.yml`.
- A button that re-deploys the latest deployment, meaning it runs the job
defined by the environment name for that specific commit.
......@@ -432,8 +436,8 @@ deployments, but an environment can have multiple deployments.
> - While you can create environments manually in the web interface, we recommend
> that you define your environments in `.gitlab-ci.yml` first. They will
> be automatically created for you after the first deploy.
> - The environments page can only be viewed by Reporters and above. For more
> information on the permissions, see the [permissions documentation](../user/permissions.md).
> - The environments page can only be viewed by users with [Reporter permission](../user/permissions.md#project-members-permissions)
> and above. For more information on permissions, see the [permissions documentation](../user/permissions.md).
> - Only deploys that happen after your `.gitlab-ci.yml` is properly configured
> will show up in the **Environment** and **Last deployment** lists.
......@@ -442,7 +446,7 @@ deployments, but an environment can have multiple deployments.
GitLab keeps track of your deployments, so you:
- Always know what is currently being deployed on your servers.
- Can have the full history of your deployments per every environment.
- Can have the full history of your deployments for every environment.
Clicking on an environment shows the history of its deployments. Here's an example **Environments** page
with multiple deployments:
......@@ -460,9 +464,9 @@ To retry or rollback a deployment:
1. Navigate to **Operations > Environments**.
1. Click on the environment.
1. On the page that lists the deployment history for the environment, click the:
- **Rollback** button against a previously successful deployment, to roll back to that deployment.
- **Retry** button against the last deployment, to retry that deployment.
1. In the deployment history list for the environment, click the:
- **Retry** button next to the last deployment, to retry that deployment.
- **Rollback** button next to a previously successful deployment, to roll back to that deployment.
NOTE: **Note:**
The defined deployment process in the job's `script` determines whether the rollback succeeds or not.
......@@ -470,9 +474,7 @@ The defined deployment process in the job's `script` determines whether the roll
### Using the environment URL
The [environment URL](yaml/README.md#environmenturl) is exposed in a few
places within GitLab.
These are:
places within GitLab:
- In a merge request widget as a link:
![Environment URL in merge request](img/environments_mr_review_app.png)
......@@ -493,27 +495,28 @@ For example:
#### Going from source files to public pages
With GitLab's [Route Maps](review_apps/index.md#route-maps) you can go directly
from source files to public pages on the environment set for Review Apps.
from source files to public pages in the environment set for Review Apps.
### Stopping an environment
Stopping an environment:
- Moves it from the list of **Available** environments to the list of **Stopped** environments on the [**Environments** page](#viewing-environments-and-deployments).
- Moves it from the list of **Available** environments to the list of **Stopped**
environments on the [**Environments** page](#viewing-environments-and-deployments).
- Executes an [`on_stop` action](yaml/README.md#environmenton_stop), if defined.
This is often used when multiple developers are working on a project at the same time,
each of them pushing to their own branches, causing many dynamic environments to be created.
NOTE: **Note:**
Starting with GitLab 8.14, dynamic environments will be stopped automatically
Starting with GitLab 8.14, dynamic environments are stopped automatically
when their associated branch is deleted.
#### Automatically stopping an environment
Environments can be stopped automatically using special configuration.
Consider the following example where the `deploy_review` calls the `stop_review`
Consider the following example where the `deploy_review` job calls `stop_review`
to clean up and stop the environment:
```yaml
......@@ -542,14 +545,14 @@ stop_review:
action: stop
```
Setting the [`GIT_STRATEGY`](yaml/README.md#git-strategy) to `none` is necessary on the
`stop_review` job so that the [GitLab Runner](https://docs.gitlab.com/runner/) won't try to check out the code
after the branch is deleted.
Setting the [`GIT_STRATEGY`](yaml/README.md#git-strategy) to `none` is necessary in the
`stop_review` job so that the [GitLab Runner](https://docs.gitlab.com/runner/) won't
try to check out the code after the branch is deleted.
When you have an environment that has a stop action defined (typically when
the environment describes a Review App), GitLab will automatically trigger a
stop action when the associated branch is deleted. The `stop_review` job must
be in the same `stage` as the `deploy_review` one in order for the environment
be in the same `stage` as the `deploy_review` job in order for the environment
to automatically stop.
You can read more in the [`.gitlab-ci.yml` reference](yaml/README.md#environmenton_stop).
......@@ -562,8 +565,8 @@ As documented in [Configuring dynamic environments](#configuring-dynamic-environ
prepend environment name with a word, followed by a `/`, and finally the branch
name, which is automatically defined by the `CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME` variable.
In short, environments that are named like `type/foo` are presented under a
group named `type`.
In short, environments that are named like `type/foo` are all presented under the same
group, named `type`.
In our [minimal example](#example-configuration), we named the environments `review/$CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME`
where `$CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME` is the branch name. Here is a snippet of the example:
......@@ -588,13 +591,14 @@ exist, you should see something like:
>
> - For the monitoring dashboard to appear, you need to:
> - Enable the [Prometheus integration](../user/project/integrations/prometheus.md).
> - Configure Prometheus to collect at least one [supported metric](../user/project/integrations/prometheus_library/index.md)
> - Configure Prometheus to collect at least one [supported metric](../user/project/integrations/prometheus_library/index.md).
> - With GitLab 9.2, all deployments to an environment are shown directly on the monitoring dashboard.
If you have enabled [Prometheus for monitoring system and response metrics](../user/project/integrations/prometheus.md), you can monitor the performance behavior of your app running in each environment.
If you have enabled [Prometheus for monitoring system and response metrics](../user/project/integrations/prometheus.md),
you can monitor the behavior of your app running in each environment.
Once configured, GitLab will attempt to retrieve [supported performance metrics](../user/project/integrations/prometheus_library/index.md) for any
environment that has had a successful deployment. If monitoring data was
Once configured, GitLab will attempt to retrieve [supported performance metrics](../user/project/integrations/prometheus_library/index.md)
for any environment that has had a successful deployment. If monitoring data was
successfully retrieved, a **Monitoring** button will appear for each environment.
![Environment Detail with Metrics](img/deployments_view.png)
......@@ -604,8 +608,8 @@ Clicking on the **Monitoring** button will display a new page showing up to the
after initial deployment.
All deployments to an environment are shown directly on the monitoring dashboard,
which allows easy correlation between any changes in performance and a new
version of the app, all without leaving GitLab.
which allows easy correlation between any changes in performance and new
versions of the app, all without leaving GitLab.
![Monitoring dashboard](img/environments_monitoring.png)
......@@ -617,8 +621,8 @@ If you deploy to your environments with the help of a deployment service (for ex
the [Kubernetes integration](../user/project/clusters/index.md)), GitLab can open
a terminal session to your environment.
This is a powerful feature that allows you to debug issues without leaving the comfort of your web browser. To
enable it, just follow the instructions given in the service integration
This is a powerful feature that allows you to debug issues without leaving the comfort
of your web browser. To enable it, just follow the instructions given in the service integration
documentation.
Once enabled, your environments will gain a "terminal" button:
......@@ -663,8 +667,9 @@ fetch = +refs/environments/*:refs/remotes/origin/environments/*
### Scoping environments with specs **[PREMIUM]**
Some GitLab [Enterprise Edition](https://about.gitlab.com/pricing/) features can behave differently for each
environment. For example, you can [create a secret variable to be injected only into a production environment](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/variables/#limiting-environment-scopes-of-environment-variables-premium).
Some GitLab [Enterprise Edition](https://about.gitlab.com/pricing/) features can
behave differently for each environment. For example, you can
[create a secret variable to be injected only into a production environment](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/variables/README.md#limiting-environment-scopes-of-environment-variables-premium).
In most cases, these features use the _environment specs_ mechanism, which offers
an efficient way to implement scoping within each environment group.
......@@ -696,9 +701,8 @@ In this case, `review/feature-1` spec takes precedence over `review/*` and `*` s
## Limitations
You are limited to use only the [CI predefined variables](variables/README.md) in the
`environment: name`. If you try to re-use variables defined inside `script`
as part of the environment name, it will not work.
In the `environment: name`, you are limited to only the [predefined environment variables](variables/predefined_variables.md).
Re-using variables defined inside `script` as part of the environment name will not work.
## Further reading
......@@ -707,3 +711,4 @@ Below are some links you may find interesting:
- [The `.gitlab-ci.yml` definition of environments](yaml/README.md#environment)
- [A blog post on Deployments & Environments](https://about.gitlab.com/2016/08/26/ci-deployment-and-environments/)
- [Review Apps - Use dynamic environments to deploy your code for every branch](review_apps/index.md)
- [Deploy Boards for your applications running on Kubernetes](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/deploy_boards.html) **[PREMIUM]**
......@@ -9,8 +9,8 @@
- Some of them are just for testing.
- Others are for production.
Because deploy jobs can be raised by different users with different roles, it is important that
specific environments are "protected" to avoid unauthorized people affecting them.
Since deploy jobs can be raised by different users with different roles, it is important that
specific environments are "protected" to prevent unauthorized people from affecting them.
By default, a protected environment does one thing: it ensures that only people
with the right privileges can deploy to it, thus keeping it safe.
......@@ -28,13 +28,13 @@ To protect an environment:
1. Navigate to your project's **Settings > CI/CD**.
1. Expand the **Protected Environments** section.
1. From the **Environment** dropdown menu, select the environment you want to protect.
1. In the **Allowed to Deploy** dropdown menu, select the role, users, or groups you want to have deploy access.
There are some considerations to have in mind:
1. In the **Allowed to Deploy** dropdown menu, select the role, users, or groups you
want to give deploy access to. Keep in mind that:
- There are two roles to choose from:
- **Maintainers**: will allow access to all maintainers in the project.
- **Developers**: will allow access to all maintainers and all developers in the project.
- You can only select groups that are associated with the project.
- Only users that have at least Developer permission level will appear on
- You can only select groups that are already associated with the project.
- Only users that have at least Developer permission level will appear in
the **Allowed to Deploy** dropdown menu.
1. Click the **Protect** button.
......@@ -44,5 +44,6 @@ The protected environment will now appear in the list of protected environments.
Maintainers can:
- Update existing protected environments at any time by changing the access on **Allowed to deploy** dropdown menu.
- Unprotect a protected environment by clicking the **Unprotect** button of the environment to unprotect.
- Update existing protected environments at any time by changing the access in the
**Allowed to Deploy** dropdown menu.
- Unprotect a protected environment by clicking the **Unprotect** button for that environment.
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