Running GitLab Runner on Kubernetes

Running GitLab Runner on Kubernetes is an efficient way to leverage the scalability and flexibility of Kubernetes while managing your CI/CD pipelines. Here's a guide to help you set up GitLab Runner on a Kubernetes cluster.

Prerequisites

• Kubernetes Cluster: Ensure you have a running Kubernetes cluster. You can use managed Kubernetes services like GKE, EKS, or AKS, or set up your own using tools like Minikube.
• kubectl: Kubernetes command-line tool to interact with your cluster.
• Helm: Package manager for Kubernetes.
• GitLab Account: Access to your GitLab instance (either self-hosted or GitLab.com).

Installation Steps

Step 1: Clone the Repo

The following repo contains the values.yaml. We will use this file to provide custom values to the Helm chart.

Step 2: Install Helm

If you haven't installed Helm, you can do so by following the official installation guide here.

Step 3: Add GitLab Helm Repository

Add the GitLab repository to Helm:

helm repo add gitlab https://charts.gitlab.io/
helm repo update

Step 4: Create a Namespace for GitLab Runner

It's a good practice to create a separate namespace for GitLab Runner:

kubectl create namespace gitlab-runner

Step 5: Create a GitLab Runner Instance on GitLab

To register a new GitLab Runner, follow these steps:

For GitLab.com:

1. Go to your project or group in GitLab.
2. Navigate to Settings > CI / CD.
3. Expand the Runners section.
4. Click on Register an instance runner/New group runner.
5. Enter the Tags and other details. Leave the fields blank to use the default.
6. Copy the registration token provided.

For Self-hosted GitLab:

1. Log in to your GitLab instance.
2. Go to the desired project or group.
3. Navigate to Settings > CI / CD.
4. Expand the Runners section.
5. Click on Register a Runner.
6. Enter the Tags and other details. Leave the fields blank to use the default.
7. Copy the registration token provided.

Note - The code should begin with "glrt-"

Step 6: Update the values.yaml

Update Tags and the service account name in the values.yaml file.

Step 7: Install GitLab Runner using Helm

You can install the GitLab Runner Helm chart with the following command:

helm install --namespace gitlab-runner gitlab-runner -f values.yaml gitlab/gitlab-runner

Replace values.yaml with your custom configuration file. Refer to this documentation for more details.

Conclusion

Running GitLab Runner on Kubernetes provides a scalable and flexible CI/CD environment that can handle large workloads efficiently. By using Helm, you can easily manage the deployment and configuration of GitLab Runner, ensuring that your pipelines run smoothly.