GitLab Pages, Packages & Interview Questions

GitLab Pages

Deploy static websites directly from a GitLab project using CI/CD. Free for all plans on gitlab.com.

# .gitlab-ci.yml for a static site (e.g., Hugo, Jekyll, plain HTML)
pages:
  stage: deploy
  script:
    - apt-get install -y hugo
    - hugo --minify
  artifacts:
    paths:
      - public     # must be named "public"
  rules:
    - if: '$CI_COMMIT_BRANCH == "main"'

• Published at: https://<namespace>.gitlab.io/<project> (or custom domain)

• Custom domain: Settings → Pages → Add domain + DNS CNAME

• HTTPS: auto-provisioned via Let's Encrypt

• Access control: restrict Pages to authenticated GitLab members (Ultimate)

• Redirect rules: _redirects file (Netlify-compatible format)

Package Registry

GitLab Package Registry supports npm, PyPI, Maven, Go modules, Composer, Conan, Helm charts, and more — all hosted inside your project or group.

# Publish npm package to GitLab registry
# .npmrc
@mygroup:registry=https://gitlab.com/api/v4/packages/npm/
//gitlab.com/api/v4/packages/npm/:_authToken=${CI_JOB_TOKEN}

# Publish in CI
npm publish --registry https://gitlab.com/api/v4/projects/${CI_PROJECT_ID}/packages/npm/

# Publish PyPI package
pip install twine
twine upload --repository-url ${CI_API_V4_URL}/projects/${CI_PROJECT_ID}/packages/pypi dist/*

GitLab CLI (glab)

# Install: brew install glab
glab auth login

# Repos
glab repo clone group/project
glab repo create

# MRs
glab mr create
glab mr list --state=opened
glab mr checkout 42
glab mr approve 42
glab mr merge 42 --squash

# Issues
glab issue create --title "..." --label bug
glab issue list
glab issue close 42

# Pipelines
glab pipeline list
glab pipeline status
glab pipeline retry 99
glab ci view       # TUI pipeline viewer

GitLab vs GitHub — Key Differences

• CI/CD: GitLab CI is built-in and more configurable; GitHub Actions requires YAML workflows but has larger marketplace

• Merge Requests vs Pull Requests: functionally identical, different name

• Self-managed: GitLab has a robust CE/EE self-hosted option; GitHub has GitHub Enterprise Server

• Security: GitLab bundles SAST, DAST, dependency scanning at Ultimate; GitHub Advanced Security is add-on

• Pipelines: GitLab has DAG pipelines (needs:), parent-child, merge trains natively; GitHub Actions has matrix but no native DAG

• Package registry: both have one; GitLab supports more package formats natively

• Project management: GitLab has epics, roadmaps, iterations built in; GitHub has Projects (kanban) + Milestones

Interview Questions

• What is a merge train and when would you use one? — Queue of MRs tested together before merging, prevents broken builds on main

• How do you prevent a secret from leaking in CI logs? — Use masked CI variables; never echo secrets; use file-type variables for certs

• Difference between cache and artifacts in GitLab CI? — Cache speeds up jobs (node_modules); Artifacts pass files between jobs or download after pipeline

• How would you implement branch-based environment deployments? — Dynamic environments with review apps, stop action on MR close

• What is a protected branch vs protected environment? — Branch: controls who can push/merge; Environment: controls who can deploy there

• How do you handle database migrations in GitLab CI? — Separate migration job in deploy stage, run before main app deploy, rollback strategy

• What is the difference between only/except and rules? — rules is more flexible, supports complex conditions (if/when/changes/exists); only/except is older and simpler

• How would you structure a monorepo CI pipeline? — parent-child pipelines with trigger: include, use changes: to only run affected child pipelines