# GitLab CI/CD (DevOps)

> .gitlab-ci.yml, stages, jobs, runners, artifacts, cache, environments, deployments, troubleshooting pipelines

- 22 interview questions
- Mid-Level
- [Interview Questions: DevOps](https://sharpskill.dev/en/technologies/devops/interview-questions.md)

## 1. What is the name of the configuration file to define GitLab CI/CD pipelines?

**Answer**

.gitlab-ci.yml file located at the repository root defines all pipelines, stages, jobs and CI/CD configurations. GitLab automatically detects this file and executes pipelines on every push or merge request. The YAML format provides declarative syntax for defining pipeline infrastructure as code.

## 2. What does a 'stage' represent in GitLab CI/CD?

**Answer**

A stage is a logical pipeline phase that groups multiple jobs executed in parallel. Stages run sequentially in the defined order (e.g., build → test → deploy). Jobs within the same stage can run in parallel if multiple runners are available. If a job fails in a stage, the pipeline stops by default.

## 3. What is the main difference between 'artifacts' and 'cache' in GitLab CI?

**Answer**

Artifacts are files generated by a job and passed to subsequent jobs or downloadable (e.g., compiled binaries, test reports). Cache stores dependencies to speed up builds (e.g., node_modules, .m2). Artifacts are guaranteed between jobs, cache is best-effort. Cache uses a key for sharing between pipelines, artifacts are per-pipeline.

## 19 more questions available

- Which keyword controls when a job executes in GitLab CI?
- What is a GitLab Runner?

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## Other DevOps interview topics

- [Version Control & Git](https://sharpskill.dev/en/technologies/devops/interview-questions/version-control-git.md): 20 questions, Junior
- [Linux Fundamentals](https://sharpskill.dev/en/technologies/devops/interview-questions/linux-fundamentals.md): 22 questions, Junior
- [Shell Scripting & Bash](https://sharpskill.dev/en/technologies/devops/interview-questions/shell-scripting-bash.md): 20 questions, Mid-Level
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- [Docker Fundamentals](https://sharpskill.dev/en/technologies/devops/interview-questions/docker-fundamentals.md): 24 questions, Junior
- [CI/CD Fundamentals](https://sharpskill.dev/en/technologies/devops/interview-questions/ci-cd-fundamentals.md): 18 questions, Junior
- [GitHub Actions](https://sharpskill.dev/en/technologies/devops/interview-questions/github-actions.md): 22 questions, Mid-Level
- [Jenkins](https://sharpskill.dev/en/technologies/devops/interview-questions/jenkins.md): 22 questions, Mid-Level
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- [Kubernetes Networking](https://sharpskill.dev/en/technologies/devops/interview-questions/kubernetes-networking.md): 24 questions, Mid-Level
- [Kubernetes Advanced](https://sharpskill.dev/en/technologies/devops/interview-questions/kubernetes-advanced.md): 24 questions, Mid-Level
- [Ingress & API Gateway](https://sharpskill.dev/en/technologies/devops/interview-questions/ingress-api-gateway.md): 20 questions, Mid-Level
- [Terraform Basics](https://sharpskill.dev/en/technologies/devops/interview-questions/terraform-basics.md): 22 questions, Mid-Level
- [Terraform Advanced](https://sharpskill.dev/en/technologies/devops/interview-questions/terraform-advanced.md): 22 questions, Mid-Level
- [Ansible & Configuration Management](https://sharpskill.dev/en/technologies/devops/interview-questions/ansible-configuration.md): 20 questions, Mid-Level
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- [Monitoring & Prometheus](https://sharpskill.dev/en/technologies/devops/interview-questions/monitoring-prometheus.md): 22 questions, Mid-Level
- [Logging & ELK Stack](https://sharpskill.dev/en/technologies/devops/interview-questions/logging-elk.md): 20 questions, Mid-Level
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- [Cloud Identity & Secrets](https://sharpskill.dev/en/technologies/devops/interview-questions/cloud-identity-secrets.md): 22 questions, Mid-Level
- [CI/CD Pipeline Security](https://sharpskill.dev/en/technologies/devops/interview-questions/cicd-pipeline-security.md): 20 questions, Mid-Level
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- [Performance Optimization](https://sharpskill.dev/en/technologies/devops/interview-questions/performance-optimization.md): 22 questions, Senior
- [Cloud Cost Optimization](https://sharpskill.dev/en/technologies/devops/interview-questions/infrastructure-cost.md): 20 questions, Senior
- [SRE Principles](https://sharpskill.dev/en/technologies/devops/interview-questions/sre-principles.md): 24 questions, Senior
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- [Platform Engineering](https://sharpskill.dev/en/technologies/devops/interview-questions/platform-engineering.md): 22 questions, Senior

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