Master Your CI/CD Flow: A Step-by-Step Guide to Installing GitLab Runner on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS

Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) are critical components of modern software development practices. GitLab Runner is an application that works with GitLab CI/CD to run jobs in a pipeline. If you're using Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, this guide will walk you through the steps to install GitLab Runner and get your CI/CD pipelines running smoothly.

Prerequisites

• An Ubuntu 20.04 LTS server
• A user with sudo privileges
• GitLab account and a repository with CI/CD configuration

Step 1: Update Your System

Before installing any package, it's a good idea to update your system's package list. Run the following command to do so:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Step 2: Install GitLab Runner

GitLab provides a repository for Ubuntu packages. You can add it and install the GitLab Runner package with these commands:

curl -L https://packages.gitlab.com/install/repositories/runner/gitlab-runner/script.deb.sh | sudo bash
sudo apt install gitlab-runner

Step 3: Register the Runner

After installation, you need to register your Runner with your GitLab instance. You will need the URL of your GitLab instance and a registration token, which you can find in your project's settings under CI/CD.

Run the following command and follow the prompts:

sudo gitlab-runner register

When prompted, enter your GitLab instance URL and the registration token. You will also be asked to enter a description for the Runner, tags (optional), and to select an executor. For most use cases, the "shell" or "docker" executor will be suitable.

Step 4: Start the Runner

The Runner should start automatically after registration. You can verify its status with:

sudo gitlab-runner status

If it's not running, you can start it with:

sudo gitlab-runner start

Step 5: Verify the Runner in GitLab

Your registered Runner should now appear in your project's settings under CI/CD > Runners. Ensure it's listed and that it's status is "active".

Conclusion

You've successfully installed and registered GitLab Runner on your Ubuntu 20.04 LTS server. With the Runner in place, you can now leverage the power of GitLab CI/CD to automate your testing and deployment processes.

Remember to keep your Runner updated and consider using Docker or other virtualization tools to isolate environments and ensure consistency across your CI/CD pipelines.

Happy coding!

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