Installing the GitLab Agent

The GitLab Agent is used to connect a Managed Service for Kubernetes cluster to GitLab. You can deploy the application in a Yandex Managed Service for GitLab instance or in a standalone GitLab instance.

The GitLab Agent enables you to:

• Work with Managed Service for Kubernetes clusters behind NAT.
• Get real-time access to the Managed Service for Kubernetes cluster API.
• Receive information about events in a Managed Service for Kubernetes cluster.
• Activate the cache of Kubernetes objects, which are updated with very low latency.

Getting startedGetting started

1. If you do not have the Yandex Cloud command line interface yet, install and initialize it.

   The folder specified in the CLI profile is used by default. You can specify a different folder using the --folder-name or --folder-id parameter.

2. Make sure that the security groups for the Managed Service for Kubernetes cluster and its node groups are configured correctly. If any rule is missing, add it.

   Warning

   The configuration of security groups determines the performance and availability of the cluster and the services and applications running in it.

3. Prepare for GitLab Agent installation:

   1. Create a Managed Service for GitLab instance or a standalone instance.
   2. Create an agent configuration file in the repository:
      1. Open your GitLab instance and go to your project.
      2. In the main branch, create a new folder named .gitlab/agents/<GitLab_agent_name>.
      3. In the <GitLab_agent_name> folder, create an empty file named config.yaml.
   3. Register the agent in GitLab and get an access token:
      1. Open your GitLab instance and go to your project.
      2. Select Operate on the left-hand panel, and then select Kubernetes clusters from the drop-down menu.
      3. Click Connect a cluster and select the agent name: <GitLab_agent_name>.
      4. Click Register.
      5. GitLab will create a token required to install the application. Store the token in a secure place.

   Note

   For more information about setting up and registering an agent, see the GitLab documentation.

Installation using Yandex Cloud MarketplaceInstallation using Yandex Cloud Marketplace

1. Go to the folder page and select Managed Service for Kubernetes.
2. Click the name of the Managed Service for Kubernetes cluster you need and select the Marketplace tab.
3. Under Application available for installation, select GitLab Agent and click Go to install.
4. Configure the application:
   • Namespace: Select a namespace or create a new one.
   • Application name: Specify the app name, e.g., gitlab-agent.
   • GitLab domain name: Enter the name of your GitLab domain, e.g., gitlab-test.gitlab.yandexcloud.net.
   • Agent access token: Paste the GitLab access token you received earlier into this field.
5. Click Install.
6. Wait for the application status to change to Deployed.
7. Open your GitLab instance and go to Infrastucture → Kubernetes clusters. Make sure the agent status changed to Connected.

Installation using a Helm chartInstallation using a Helm chart

1. Install Helm v3.8.0 or higher.

2. Install kubectl and configure it to work with the created cluster.

3. To install a Helm chart with the GitLab Agent, run the following command:

   helm pull oci://cr.yandex/yc-marketplace/yandex-cloud/gitlab-org/gitlab-agent/chart/gitlab-agent \
     --version 1.16.0-1 \
     --untar && \
   helm upgrade --install \
     --namespace <namespace> \
     --create-namespace \
     --set config.kasAddress='wss://<your_GitLab_domain_name>/-/kubernetes-agent/' \
     --set config.token='<GitLab_access_token>' \
     gitlab-agent ./gitlab-agent/
   

   This command also creates a new namespace required for the application.

   Note

   If you are using a Helm version below 3.8.0, append the export HELM_EXPERIMENTAL_OCI=1 && \ string to the command to enable Open Container Initiative (OCI) support in the Helm client.

4. Make sure the GitLab Agent pod status changed to Running:

   kubectl get pods --namespace gitlab-agent
   

5. Open your GitLab instance and go to Infrastucture → Kubernetes clusters. Make sure the agent status changed to Connected.

Use casesUse cases

• Continuous deployment of containerized applications using GitLab.

See alsoSee also

• GitLab Agent documentation.
• Managed Service for GitLab documentation.