> ## 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.
# Configuring AutoDevOps
> Automate the CI/CD pipeline for your Node.js Solar System application using GitLab Auto DevOps for end-to-end detection, building, testing, and deployment.
Automate the CI/CD pipeline for your Node.js Solar System application with **GitLab Auto DevOps**. Since this repository contains only source code—no Dockerfile, Kubernetes manifests, or `.gitlab-ci.yml`—Auto DevOps will detect, build, test, and deploy your app end to end.
## 1. Importing the Project
1. In GitLab, click **+ New project** → **Import project** → **Repo by URL**.
2. Paste your repository URL.
3. Under **Select namespace**, pick **demos**. Set **Project name** to `solar-system-auto-devops`, choose **Public**, then click **Create project**.
After import, you'll see your project without a Dockerfile, Kubernetes manifests, or `.gitlab-ci.yml`.
## 2. Reviewing Auto DevOps Documentation
GitLab’s [Auto DevOps docs](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/topics/autodevops/) cover its features, stages, and integration points.
### 2.1 Requirements
To build and test, no Kubernetes is needed. For automated deployment you must have:
* Kubernetes cluster (v1.12+)
* Wildcard DNS (e.g., `nip.io`)
* GitLab Agent or cluster integration
### 2.2 Deployment Strategies
Auto DevOps supports:
| Strategy | Description |
| ----------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------- |
| Continuous Deployment to Production | Deploy every successful pipeline to production |
| Continuous Deployment with Canary | Gradual traffic shift for safer rollouts |
| Manual Promotion | Requires explicit approval before production release |
We’ll use **Continuous Deployment to Production**.
## 3. Enabling Auto DevOps
1. Go to **Settings > CI/CD > Auto DevOps**.
2. Toggle **Enable Auto DevOps** on.
You'll choose the deployment strategy after configuring your cluster.
## 4. Connecting a Kubernetes Cluster
1. Navigate to **Operate > Kubernetes clusters**.
2. Click **Connect cluster** → **Create GitLab Agent**.
3. Name it `auto-devops-agent` and click **Register**.
4. Install the agent via Helm:
```bash theme={null}
helm repo add gitlab https://charts.gitlab.io
helm repo update
helm upgrade --install auto-devops-agent gitlab/gitlab-agent \
--namespace gitlab-agent-auto-devops-agent \
--create-namespace \
--set image.tag=v16.9.0-rc2 \
--set config.token=glagent-rthdvds1zyCnME14AM8tdE5HVzy7iZJ9Avr~Bg_epySyxtbw \
--set config.kasAddress=wss://kas.gitlab.com
```
5. Confirm the namespace and pods:
```bash theme={null}
kubectl get namespaces | grep gitlab-agent-auto-devops-agent
kubectl get pods -n gitlab-agent-auto-devops-agent
```
Once connected, your cluster appears in GitLab.
## 5. Configuring the Agent
Add the configuration at `.gitlab/agents/auto-devops-agent/config.yaml`:
```yaml theme={null}
user_access:
access_as:
agent: {}
projects:
- id: demos-group/solar-system-auto-devops
ci_access:
projects:
- id: demos-group/solar-system-auto-devops
```
Commit to `main`. GitLab will apply these permissions automatically.
## 6. Defining Environments
We’ll target two namespaces: **staging** and **production**.
1. **Staging**
* Go to **Environments > New environment**.
* Name: `staging`
* Kubernetes agent: `auto-devops-agent`
* Namespace: **All namespaces**
* Click **Save**.
2. **Production**
* Create the namespace:
```bash theme={null}
kubectl create namespace production
```
* In **Environments > New environment**:
* Name: `production`
* Agent: `auto-devops-agent`
* Namespace: `production`
* Click **Save**.
After setup, the **Kubernetes** overview lists your workloads:
## 7. Setting CI/CD Variables
Retrieve your Ingress load balancer IP:
```bash theme={null}
kubectl -n ingress-nginx get svc ingress-nginx-controller \
-o json | jq -r '.status.loadBalancer.ingress[0].ip'
```
In **Settings > CI/CD > Variables**, add:
| Variable | Value | Environment |
| --------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------- | ----------- |
| KUBE\_INGRESS\_BASE\_DOMAIN | `.nip.io` | all |
| KUBE\_CONTEXT | `demos-group/solar-system-auto-devops:auto-devops-agent` | all |
| KUBE\_NAMESPACE | `staging` | staging |
| KUBE\_NAMESPACE | `production` | production |
| PRODUCTION\_REPLICAS | `10` | production |
Variable names are case-sensitive. Double-check the values before running your pipeline.
Refer to the [Auto DevOps CI/CD variables documentation](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/variables/predefined_variables.html) for more options.
## 8. Selecting Deployment Strategy
Back in **Settings > CI/CD > Auto DevOps**, choose **Continuous Deployment to Production** and click **Save**. A new pipeline will start automatically.
Go to **CI/CD > Pipelines** to track progress:
Test feature branches before merging into `main` to avoid production issues.
***
* [GitLab Auto DevOps Documentation](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/topics/autodevops/)
* [GitLab CI/CD Variables](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/variables/predefined_variables.html)
* [Kubernetes Basics](https://kubernetes.io/docs/concepts/overview/what-is-kubernetes/)
* [Helm Charts for GitLab Agent](https://docs.gitlab.com/charts/)