How to Disable Merge Request Pipelines in GitLab
Disabling merge request pipelines in GitLab can be beneficial in specific situations, such as when you need to temporarily halt automated testing or deployments during maintenance or when dealing with resource constraints. This guide provides several methods to achieve this, catering to different needs and scenarios.
Understanding GitLab CI/CD and Merge Request Pipelines
Before diving into the disabling process, it's crucial to understand how GitLab CI/CD and merge request pipelines function. GitLab CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery) automates the build, test, and deployment processes. Merge request pipelines are triggered automatically when a merge request is created, allowing for pre-merge checks and validations.
Methods to Disable Merge Request Pipelines
There are several approaches to disabling merge request pipelines, each offering varying degrees of control and permanence:
1. Modifying the .gitlab-ci.yml file
This is the most common and effective method. By altering your project's .gitlab-ci.yml file, you can control which pipelines run for merge requests. There are a few ways to achieve this within the file:
a) Removing the relevant jobs: The simplest approach is to remove the jobs within the .gitlab-ci.yml file that you want to prevent from running on merge requests. For example, if you have a deploy_to_production job, you can comment it out or delete it.
# deploy_to_production:
# stage: deploy
# script:
# - echo "Deploying to production..."
b) Using only and except keywords: For more granular control, use the only and except keywords within your job definitions. only specifies when a job should run, while except specifies when it should not run.
my_job:
script:
- echo "This job will only run on pushes to the main branch"
only:
- main
another_job:
script:
- echo "This job will NOT run on merge requests"
except:
- merge_requests
c) Using variables: You can utilize GitLab CI/CD variables to dynamically enable or disable jobs. This is particularly helpful for temporary disabling. Create a variable (e.g., DISABLE_PIPELINES) and set its value to true to disable the pipeline or false to enable it. Then use this variable in your .gitlab-ci.yml file with conditional logic:
my_job:
script:
- echo "This job will only run if DISABLE_PIPELINES is false"
only:
- variables["DISABLE_PIPELINES"] == "false"
Remember to commit and push these changes to your repository for them to take effect.
2. Project Settings: Pipeline Settings (Limited Control)
While not offering the fine-grained control of .gitlab-ci.yml, the GitLab project settings allow you to disable all pipelines for the project. This is a blunt instrument and should only be used when absolutely necessary. Navigate to your project's settings, then CI/CD, and find the "Pipeline settings" section. You'll find options related to limiting concurrent pipelines and overall pipeline settings but usually no direct "disable pipelines" toggle.
3. Branch Protection (Indirect Method)
While not directly disabling pipelines, branch protection rules can indirectly prevent merge requests from triggering them. By configuring branch protection to require specific approvals or status checks before merging, you effectively prevent the pipeline from executing until those conditions are met. This is useful for enforcing certain pre-merge actions.
Choosing the Right Method
The optimal method depends on your specific requirements:
- Temporary disabling: Use variables in your
.gitlab-ci.ymlfor temporary control. - Permanent removal of jobs: Modify
.gitlab-ci.ymldirectly to remove or disable specific jobs. - Complete project pipeline halt: (Use with caution) The project settings approach should only be used as a last resort for a complete project shutdown.
- Enforcing pre-merge checks: Utilize branch protection rules to enforce specific approvals and status checks.
Remember to always thoroughly test your changes after modifying your .gitlab-ci.yml file or project settings. Carefully consider the implications of disabling pipelines, as it might affect other processes relying on automated testing and deployment.
