Link pipelines via merge commit

Description

When I merge a merge request, it usually kicks off a new pipeline to then deploy that change. As the developer or PM watching the MR, I want to be able to follow along with that second pipeline. Unfortunately, they're completely independent pipelines today, and until the pipeline actually deploys the change, nothing changes on the MR. When it does finally deploy, you'll see the Deploy to production on about.gitlab.com message in the MR widget.

What if we treated these two pipelines as connected, similar to how we're handling cross-project pipelines? e.g. Show the two pipelines as one long pipeline, joined this time by a merge commit (or FF merge action) rather than a cross-project link? Would be valuable in the pipeline detail page, but even more valuable in the mini graph that appears in the MR widget.

Proposal

Similar to:

But with merge icons instead of play icons in between Upstream and Downstream pipelines.

Also:

The arrows could actually stay, I think.

Links / references

• Earlier proposal with similar goals: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues/17013
• Related proposal that will help as well: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues/25140
• Link between project pipeline views: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ee/issues/2121

Documentation blurb

(Write the start of the documentation of this feature here, include:

1. Why should someone use it; what's the underlying problem.
2. What is the solution.
3. How does someone use this

During implementation, this can then be copied and used as a starter for the documentation.)

/cc @bikebilly

/cc @dimitrieh

This implies an underlying model where the merge commit actually connects the pipeline data structures. It implies adding something like a type to the connection as well so we can differentiate cross-project vs merge commit triggers.

mentioned in issue #33932 (closed)

mentioned in issue #25140 (moved)

@bikebilly Note that @dimitrieh and I had a separate conversation about the MR page, and came up with an idea where we associate pipelines to a MR the same way we associate deployments to a MR. i.e. if the pipeline is the first pipeline for that ref that includes the SHA of the MR, then it's a related pipeline. This way, a MR would show two pipelines, one for the topic branch and one for the merged branch (after merge). If we go this direction, we couldn't need to explicitly link the two pipelines, as the current issue proposes. I'm honestly not sure which is a better approach, but I am sure that we should do something in this area.

moved to gitlab#10238

Hey!

GitLab is moving all development for both GitLab Community Edition and Enterprise Edition into a single codebase. The current gitlab-ce repository will become a read-only mirror, without any proprietary code. All development is moved to the current gitlab-ee repository, which we will rename to just gitlab in the coming weeks. As part of this migration, issues will be moved to the current gitlab-ee project.

If you have any questions about all of this, please ask them in our dedicated FAQ issue.

https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ee/issues/13855

You can also find more information here:

• https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ee/issues/13304
• https://about.gitlab.com/2019/08/23/a-single-codebase-for-gitlab-community-and-enterprise-edition/

Frequently Asked Questions

For an up to date list of questions and answers, please take a look at https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ee/issues/13855

What will we do with the repository names?

https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ee/ will become https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab, and https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce will become https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-foss.

Why rename gitlab-ce to gitlab-foss?

Using "gitlab" and "gitlab-ce" would be confusing, so we decided to rename gitlab-ce to gitlab-foss to make the purpose of this FOSS repository more clear

I created a merge requests for CE, and this got closed. What do I need to do?

You will need to create a merge request at https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ee/. This link will eventually redirect to https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab.

How does the licensing work in this new setup?

Everything in the ee/ directory is proprietary. Everything else is free and open source software. If your merge request does not change anything in the ee/ directory, the process of contributing changes is the same as when using the gitlab-ce repository.

Will you accept merge requests on the gitlab-ce/gitlab-foss project after it has been renamed?

No. Merge requests submitted to this project will be closed automatically.

Will I still be able to view old issues and merge requests in gitlab-ce/gitlab-foss?

Yes.

How will this affect users of GitLab CE using Omnibus?

No changes will be necessary, as the packages built remain the same.

How will this affect users of GitLab CE that build from source?

Once the project has been renamed, you will need to change your Git remotes to use this new URL. GitLab will take care of redirecting Git operations so there is no hard deadline, but we recommend doing this as soon as the projects have been renamed.

Where can I see a timeline of the remaining steps?

https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ee/issues/13304

Will community contributions submitted to the new "gitlab" repository be available in the new gitlab-foss repository?

Yes, these changes will be synced to gitlab-foss automatically, several times per day.

locked this issue