Alauda DevOps Connectors Docs

Using GitLab CLI (glab) with GitLab Connector

This guide demonstrates how to use the GitLab CLI (glab) with the GitLab Connector to perform advanced GitLab operations without manually configuring credentials.

TOC

Overview

The GitLab CLI (glab) is an official command-line tool for GitLab that allows you to interact with GitLab API to manage merge requests, issues, pipelines, and more. The GitLab Connector provides automatic configuration for glab, making it easy to use in containerized environments without manually handling credentials.

Requirements for GitLab Servers and GitLab CLI (glab)

Please refer to the Requirements for GitLab Servers and GitLab CLI (glab) for more details.

Prerequisites

  • A GitLab Connector configured with a Private Access Token that has api scope
  • Basic understanding of GitLab CLI commands
  • kubectl access to your Kubernetes cluster

What You'll Learn

  • How to mount GitLab CLI configuration using the connector
  • How to use glab commands for common GitLab operations
  • How to combine Git and glab operations in the same Pod

Step 1: Create a GitLab Connector

First, ensure you have a GitLab Connector with appropriate permissions:

cat <<EOF | kubectl apply -f -
apiVersion: v1
kind: Secret
metadata:
  name: gitlab-secret
  namespace: gitlab-connector-demo
type: connectors.cpaas.io/gitlab-pat-auth
stringData:
  token: glpat-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx  # Token must have 'api' scope
---
apiVersion: connectors.alauda.io/v1alpha1
kind: Connector
metadata:
  name: gitlab-connector
  namespace: gitlab-connector-demo
spec:
  connectorClassName: gitlab
  address: https://gitlab.com
  auth:
    name: patAuth
    secretRef:
      name: gitlab-secret
EOF

Replacements:

  • glpat-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx: Replace with your actual GitLab Private Access Token (must have api scope)
  • https://gitlab.com: Replace with your GitLab server address (use https://gitlab.com for GitLab.com or your self-hosted GitLab URL)

Verify that the connector is in "Ready" status:

kubectl get connector gitlab-connector -n gitlab-connector-demo

Step 2: Use glab for API Operations

Create a Pod that uses glab to interact with GitLab API:

cat <<EOF | kubectl apply -f -
apiVersion: v1
kind: Pod
metadata:
  name: glab-api-demo
  namespace: gitlab-connector-demo
spec:
  restartPolicy: Never
  containers:
  - name: gitlab-cli
    image: gitlab/glab:v1.74.0
    command:
    - "sh"
    - "-c"
    - |
      set -ex
      
      # Setup glab configuration
      mkdir -p ~/.config/glab-cli
      cp /opt/gitlab/config.yml ~/.config/glab-cli/
      chmod 600 ~/.config/glab-cli/config.yml
      
      # List projects
      echo "Listing projects..."
      glab api projects
      
      # Get current user info
      echo "Getting user info..."
      glab api user
      
      echo "glab api operations completed"
    volumeMounts:
    - name: gitlab-config
      mountPath: /opt/gitlab
  volumes:
  - name: gitlab-config
    csi:
      driver: connectors-csi
      readOnly: true
      volumeAttributes:
        connector.name: "gitlab-connector"
        configuration.names: "gitlabconfig"
EOF

Check the logs:

kubectl logs -f glab-api-demo -n gitlab-connector-demo

You should see output showing the list of projects and user information.

Step 3: Clone Repositories with glab

Use glab to clone repositories:

cat <<EOF | kubectl apply -f -
apiVersion: v1
kind: Pod
metadata:
  name: glab-clone-demo
  namespace: gitlab-connector-demo
spec:
  restartPolicy: Never
  containers:
  - name: gitlab-cli
    image: gitlab/glab:v1.74.0
    command:
    - "sh"
    - "-c"
    - |
      set -ex
      
      # Setup glab and git configuration
      mkdir -p ~/.config/glab-cli
      cp /opt/gitlab/config.yml ~/.config/glab-cli/
      chmod 600 ~/.config/glab-cli/config.yml
      
      cp /opt/gitlab/.gitconfig ~/
      chmod 644 ~/.gitconfig
      
      # Clone repository using glab
      glab repo clone <your-group>/<your-repo> /tmp/repo
      echo "Repository cloned successfully"
      
      # List repository contents
      ls -la /tmp/repo
    volumeMounts:
    - name: gitlab-config
      mountPath: /opt/gitlab
  volumes:
  - name: gitlab-config
    csi:
      driver: connectors-csi
      readOnly: true
      volumeAttributes:
        connector.name: "gitlab-connector"
        configuration.names: "gitlabconfig,gitconfig"
EOF

Replacements:

  • <your-group>/<your-repo>: Replace with your actual GitLab repository path (e.g., gitlab-org/gitlab)

Important: When cloning repositories with glab, you must mount both gitlabconfig and gitconfig configurations.

Check the logs:

kubectl logs -f glab-clone-demo -n gitlab-connector-demo

you will see the output of the repository cloned successfully:

+ glab repo clone <your-group>/<your-repo> /tmp/repo
Cloning into '/tmp/repo'...
remote: Enumerating objects: 123, done.
remote: Counting objects: 100% (123/123), done.
remote: Compressing objects: 100% (89/89), done.
remote: Total 123 (delta 34), reused 123 (delta 34), pack-reused 0
Receiving objects: 100% (123/123), 45.67 KiB | 1.23 MiB/s, done.
Resolving deltas: 100% (34/34), done.
+ echo 'Repository cloned successfully'
Repository cloned successfully

Step 4: Manage Merge Requests

Use glab to work with merge requests:

cat <<EOF | kubectl apply -f -
apiVersion: v1
kind: Pod
metadata:
  name: glab-mr-demo
  namespace: gitlab-connector-demo
spec:
  restartPolicy: Never
  containers:
  - name: gitlab-cli
    image: gitlab/glab:v1.74.0
    command:
    - "sh"
    - "-c"
    - |
      set -ex
      
      # Setup configurations
      mkdir -p ~/.config/glab-cli
      cp /opt/gitlab/config.yml ~/.config/glab-cli/
      chmod 600 ~/.config/glab-cli/config.yml
      
      cp /opt/gitlab/.gitconfig ~/
      chmod 644 ~/.gitconfig
      
      # Clone repository
      glab repo clone <your-group>/<your-repo> /tmp/repo
      cd /tmp/repo
      
      # List merge requests
      echo "Listing merge requests..."
      glab mr list
      
      # View a specific merge request
      echo "Viewing merge request #1..."
      glab mr view <mr-number>
    volumeMounts:
    - name: gitlab-config
      mountPath: /opt/gitlab
  volumes:
  - name: gitlab-config
    csi:
      driver: connectors-csi
      readOnly: true
      volumeAttributes:
        connector.name: "gitlab-connector"
        configuration.names: "gitlabconfig,gitconfig"
EOF

Replacements:

  • <your-group>/<your-repo>: Replace with your actual GitLab repository path (e.g., gitlab-org/gitlab)
  • <mr-number>: Replace with the merge request number you want to view or close (e.g., 1, 42)

Important: When using glab commands that interact with a repository (like glab mr list in a repository directory), you must mount both gitlabconfig and gitconfig configurations.

Check the logs:

kubectl logs -f glab-mr-demo -n gitlab-connector-demo

you will see the output of the merge request list and the merge request details:

+ glab mr list
Listing merge requests...
Showing 8 open merge requests on <your-group>/<your-repo>. (Page 1)

!8     <your-group>/<your-repo>!14    change at: 1764221453   (master) ← (dev-1764221453)
...

Viewing merge request #1...
+ echo 'Viewing merge request #1...'
+ glab mr view 8
title:  Feat/support build xiaokk
state:  open
author: kkxiao
labels:
assignees:
reviewers:
comments:       0
number: 8
url:    https://<your-gitlab-server>/<your-group>/<your-repo>/-/merge_requests/8
--

Next Steps