Advanced GitLab Training Course

Introduction and Foundations

• Level-setting: assessing participants' existing knowledge of Git and GitLab
• Review of core Git concepts: commits, branches, merges, push/pull
• Overview of GitLab editions (Free vs. Premium vs. Ultimate)
• Typical GitLab use cases and organizational benefits

Overview of GitLab Features and Architecture

• Walkthrough of the GitLab interface and project structure
• Key features: repository management, pipelines, issue boards
• Overview of GitLab CI/CD architecture and runners

GitLab Workflow

• Common workflows: GitLab Flow vs. GitFlow
• Merge requests, approvals, and review cycles
• Branch management and permissions

Organizing Projects with Groups and Namespaces

• Understanding GitLab groups, subgroups, and namespaces
• Project visibility and group-level permissions
• Forking strategies and team access management

Implementing CI/CD in GitLab

• Setting up and registering GitLab Runners
• Docker and Kubernetes executors
• Using Docker-in-Docker (DIND): benefits and caveats
• Troubleshooting runner issues
• Writing and structuring gitlab-ci.yml
• Using variables and CI secrets
• Creating CI workflows and stages
• Including templates and reusable pipeline definitions
• Triggers, schedules, and manual pipeline controls
• Generating releases and tagging strategies

Issue Management and Collaboration

• Creating and linking issues
• Custom issue boards and labels
• Milestones and progress tracking

Using GitLab Markdown

• Formatting issues, merge requests, and wikis
• Markdown for documentation and inline visuals
• Using checklists, code blocks, and tables

GitLab Pages

• Publishing static websites from GitLab repositories
• Setting up GitLab Pages with custom domains
• CI/CD integration with Pages deployments

Security and Access Management

• Personal access tokens and project tokens
• Securing pipeline secrets and variables
• Overview of GitLab’s security scanning features

Troubleshooting and Diagnostics

• Common CI/CD errors and fixes
• Runner logs and debugging failed jobs
• Best practices for pipeline reliability

Summary and Next Steps

• Course recap and Q&A
• Final review session or evaluation task
• Feedback and course wrap-up
• Resources for continued learning