Pipeline with Multiple Dependent Jobs

In this guide, we'll explore how to configure a CI pipeline with three distinct stages—build, test, and deploy—and ensure they execute in the correct order while sharing artifacts.

Initial Pipeline Configuration

Here’s a basic GitLab CI configuration defining three jobs:

workflow:
  name: Generate ASCII Artwork

build_job_1:
  stage: build
  before_script:
    - gem install cowsay
    - sleep 30s
  script:
    - cowsay -f dragon "Run for cover, I am a DRAGON....RAWR" >> dragon.txt

test_job_2:
  stage: test
  script:
    - sleep 10s
    - grep -i "dragon" dragon.txt

deploy_job_3:
  stage: deploy
  script:
    - cat dragon.txt
    - echo "deploying ... ..."

Job Breakdown

• build_job_1 installs the cowsay gem, pauses for 30 seconds, then writes ASCII art into dragon.txt.
• test_job_2 pauses for 10 seconds before verifying the file contains the keyword “dragon.”
• deploy_job_3 outputs the contents of dragon.txt and echoes a deploy message.

Observed Failures

Because test_job_2 and deploy_job_3 often start before build_job_1 finishes, they encounter missing files:

$ sleep 10s
grep: dragon.txt: No such file or directory
ERROR: Job failed: exit code 1

$ cat dragon.txt
cat: dragon.txt: No such file or directory
ERROR: Job failed: exit code 1

Meanwhile, build_job_1 succeeds:

$ gem install cowsay
Successfully installed cowsay-3.0.3
1 gem installed
$ sleep 30s
$ cowsay -f dragon "Run for cover, I am a DRAGON....RAWR!" > dragon.txt

Why Jobs Fail

• Each job runs on a separate runner with its own workspace.
• There’s no file sharing by default.
• The execution order is not guaranteed without explicit dependencies.

Next Steps

In the next section, we’ll introduce the needs keyword and artifacts settings to:

1. Ensure build_job_1 completes before test_job_2.
2. Share dragon.txt as an artifact for downstream jobs.
3. Execute deploy_job_3 only after the test stage passes.

References

• GitLab CI/CD pipelines
• GitLab Artifacts