> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://notes.kodekloud.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Create and Run a Basic Pipeline
> Learn to set up a simple CI/CD pipeline on GitLab, covering group creation, project initialization, configuration, and pipeline execution.
In this guide, you’ll learn how to set up a simple CI/CD pipeline on GitLab. We’ll walk through:
1. Creating a **GitLab Group**
2. Initializing a **GitLab Project**
3. Configuring your **.gitlab-ci.yml** file
4. Reviewing pipeline execution
By the end, you’ll have a working pipeline that builds, tests, and deploys automatically.
## 1. Create a GitLab Group
First, organize your demos under a top-level group called `demos-group`:
1. Go to **Groups → Create group**.
2. Set **Group name** to `demos-group`.\
The **Group URL** will be `gitlab.com/demos-group`.
3. Choose **Visibility Level**: **Public**.
4. Click **Create group**.
Once created, you’ll see the group dashboard:
Group names should avoid special characters (e.g., periods) if you plan to integrate with SCIM or other identity providers.
## 2. Create a New Project
Inside `demos-group`, create a project named `hello-world`:
1. Click **New project → Create blank project**.
2. Enter **Project name**: `hello-world`\
The **Project URL** becomes `gitlab.com/demos-group/hello-world`.
3. Set **Visibility**: **Public**.
4. Check **Initialize repository with a README**.
5. Click **Create project**.
Your project page will display the README and initial instructions:
If you already have local code, push it with:
```bash theme={null}
git remote add origin https://gitlab.com/demos-group/hello-world.git
git branch -M main
git push -uf origin main
```
## 3. Set Up CI/CD Pipeline
Click **CI/CD → Pipelines → Setup CI/CD** (or **Configure pipeline**) to open the editor. You’ll see a list of templates and an empty `.gitlab-ci.yml` file:
Browse available templates:
If you leave the file empty, GitLab shows an error:
### Define a Minimal Pipeline
Add the following to `.gitlab-ci.yml` at the repository root:
```yaml theme={null}
stages:
- build
- test
- deploy
first_job:
stage: build
script:
- echo "This is our first GitLab CI Job"
- ls
- cat README.md
```
Commit directly to `main`. This push triggers a pipeline run automatically.
### Pipeline Stages Overview
| Stage | Purpose |
| ------ | ------------------------------------------- |
| build | Compile or prepare artifacts |
| test | Run unit tests and code validation |
| deploy | Deploy to staging or production environment |
## 4. Inspect the Repository and Pipeline
Back in **Code → Files**, confirm `README.md` and `.gitlab-ci.yml` are present:
Then navigate to **CI/CD → Pipelines**. You’ll see your new pipeline with a **Passed** status once it finishes:
Click the pipeline ID to drill into stages and jobs. Selecting **first\_job** reveals the full log:
### Sample Job Output
```bash theme={null}
$ echo "This is our first GitLab CI Job"
This is our first GitLab CI Job
$ ls
README.md
$ cat README.md
## Hello World
## Getting started
To make it easy for you to get started with GitLab...
```
GitLab Shared Runners automatically provision a Docker container, fetch your code, run the `script` commands, then clean up after success.
## Next Steps
In the following lessons, we’ll explore:
* Advanced pipeline configurations
* Caching and artifacts
* Parallel and dynamic child pipelines
## Links and References
* [GitLab CI/CD Documentation](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/)
* [Using GitLab Shared Runners](https://docs.gitlab.com/runner/)
* [GitLab `.gitlab-ci.yml` Reference](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/yaml/)