> ## 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.

# Template and Types of Includes

> Learn to streamline GitLab CI/CD pipelines with reusable templates and includes to reduce YAML duplication and enhance project consistency.

In this lesson, you’ll discover how to streamline your GitLab CI/CD pipelines using reusable templates and various include types. By the end, you’ll be able to eliminate repetitive YAML, enforce consistency across projects, and leverage GitLab’s built-in templates and external includes.

## The Challenge of Repetitive CI YAML

When you define similar jobs (e.g., unit tests, code coverage) across multiple repositories, you often end up duplicating large blocks of configuration:

```yaml theme={null}
# .gitlab-ci.yml
unit_testing:
  image: node:17-alpine3.14
  services:
    - name: siddharth67/mongo-db:non-prod
  cache:
    policy: pull-push
    key:
      files:
        - package.json
      paths:
        - node_modules
  before_script:
    - npm install
  script:
    - npm test

code_coverage:
  image: node:17-alpine3.14
  services:
    - name: siddharth67/mongo-db:non-prod
  cache:
    policy: pull-push
    key:
      files:
        - package.json
      paths:
        - node_modules
  before_script:
    - npm install
  script:
    - npm run coverage
  rules:
    - if: '$CI_COMMIT_BRANCH == "main"'
      when: manual
```

Maintaining these blocks manually is error-prone and time-consuming. Templates and includes help you define once and reuse everywhere.

## GitLab CI/CD Templates

GitLab provides two primary template categories:

* **Pipeline Templates**\
  Full end-to-end CI/CD workflows for common project types (Node.js, Ruby on Rails, etc.).
* **Job Templates**\
  Standalone jobs for tasks like security scans, linting, or Docker builds.

By including a template, you inherit predefined stages and jobs, then override or extend only what’s unique to your project.

<Callout icon="lightbulb" color="#1CB2FE">
  Built-in templates live in the [`gitlab-org/gitlab` repository][gitlab-templates]. You can also publish your own templates in a dedicated project.
</Callout>

### Example: Reusing a Node.js Pipeline Template

Team A and Team B share a common Node.js template but customize deployment targets:

* **Team A**
  * Registry: Docker Hub
  * Deployment: AWS EKS
* **Team B**
  * Registry: Google Container Registry
  * Deployment: GKE

Both pipelines run the same stages—unit testing, code coverage, build & push, deploy—but inject different variables, credentials, and `script` overrides.

<Frame>
  ![The image is a flowchart showing CI/CD pipelines for two projects, "Project A/Repo A" and "Project B/Repo B," both using a "NodeJS Template" for processes like unit testing, code coverage, building/pushing to Docker Hub, and deploying to EKS.](https://kodekloud.com/kk-media/image/upload/v1752877412/notes-assets/images/GitLab-CICD-Architecting-Deploying-and-Optimizing-Pipelines-Template-and-Types-of-Includes/ci-cd-pipelines-flowchart-nodejs.jpg)
</Frame>

## Key Takeaways

* Reusable templates accelerate onboarding and ensure best practices.
* Modular design lets teams opt into only the stages they require.
* Customization points (variables, `before_script`, `after_script`) handle project-specific needs.

## Types of Includes

GitLab CI/CD supports four include sources:

| Include Type | Description                                   | YAML Example                                                                                      |
| ------------ | --------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| local        | Files in the same repo/branch                 | `- local: 'jobs/.after-script.yml'`                                                               |
| remote       | YAML from an external URL                     | `- remote: 'https://example.com/ci/.before-script.yml'`                                           |
| project      | Files in another project on the same instance | `- project: 'my-group/avengers-project'`<br />`  ref: main`<br />`  file: '/jobs/.gitlab-ci.yml'` |
| template     | GitLab’s built-in CI templates                | `- template: 'Code-Quality.gitlab-ci.yml'`                                                        |

<Callout icon="triangle-alert" color="#FF6B6B">
  When using `local` includes, the default branch is `HEAD`. Specify `ref` if you need a different branch or tag.
</Callout>

### Conditional Includes

You can apply includes only under specific conditions using `rules`:

```yaml theme={null}
include:
  - template: 'Code-Quality.gitlab-ci.yml'
    rules:
      - if: '$CI_COMMIT_BRANCH =~ /^feature\//'
        when: always
```

This ensures that the Code-Quality template is only included for feature branches.

## References

* [GitLab CI/CD Includes Documentation][includes-docs]
* [GitLab CI/CD Templates Overview][templates-docs]

[gitlab-templates]: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/tree/master/lib/gitlab/ci/templates

[includes-docs]: https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/yaml/includes.html

[templates-docs]: https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/yaml/#using-built-in-ci-templates

<CardGroup>
  <Card title="Watch Video" icon="video" cta="Learn more" href="https://learn.kodekloud.com/user/courses/gitlab-ci-cd-architecting-deploying-and-optimizing-pipelines/module/1573bc2e-563a-424a-a558-2081416601b3/lesson/55d8534e-2819-4856-8d32-b5c5fb513fd6" />
</CardGroup>