Setting Up GitLab CI/CD on Your VPS

Self-Hosted GitLab Runner

GitLab CI/CD uses runners to execute pipeline jobs. You can host a runner on your own VPS for faster builds and more control.

Install GitLab Runner

curl -L "https://packages.gitlab.com/install/repositories/runner/gitlab-runner/script.deb.sh" | sudo bash
sudo apt install -y gitlab-runner

Register the Runner

sudo gitlab-runner register

You will need:

• GitLab URL (e.g., https://gitlab.com)
• Registration token (from project Settings → CI/CD → Runners)
• Executor type (shell, docker, or docker+machine)

Example .gitlab-ci.yml

stages:
  - test
  - build
  - deploy

test:
  stage: test
  script:
    - npm ci
    - npm test

build:
  stage: build
  script:
    - docker build -t myapp:$CI_COMMIT_SHA .
    - docker push registry.example.com/myapp:$CI_COMMIT_SHA

deploy:
  stage: deploy
  only:
    - main
  script:
    - ssh deploy@production "docker pull registry.example.com/myapp:$CI_COMMIT_SHA"
    - ssh deploy@production "docker-compose up -d"

Docker Executor

The Docker executor runs each job in a fresh container:

[[runners]]
  executor = "docker"
  [runners.docker]
    image = "node:20"
    privileged = false
    volumes = ["/cache"]

Security Tips

• Use the Docker executor for isolation between jobs
• Store secrets in GitLab CI/CD Variables (Settings → CI/CD → Variables)
• Never log sensitive data in CI output
• Restrict runner to specific projects if hosting multiple