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Building a successful DevOps platform at enterprise scale **should include** understanding pipeline performance, job execution patterns, and quantifiable operational insights — especially for organizations running GitLab self-managed instances.\n\nTo help GitLab customers maximize their platform investments, we developed the GitLab CI/CD Observability solution as part of our Platform Excellence program, which transforms raw pipeline metrics into actionable operational insights.\n\nA leading financial services organization partnered with GitLab's customer success architect to gain visibility into their GitLab self-managed deployment. 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A typical deployment includes:\n*   **Pipeline Overview Dashboard:** A top-level view showing total pipeline runs, success/failure rates over time (as stacked bar or time-series charts), and average pipeline duration trends. Panels use color-coded status indicators (green for success, red for failure, amber for cancelled) so platform teams can spot degradation at a glance.\n*   **Job Performance Dashboard:** Drill-down panels showing individual job duration distributions (histogram), the top 10 slowest jobs by average duration, and job failure heatmaps by project and stage. This is where teams identify specific bottleneck jobs worth optimizing.\n*   **Runner & Infrastructure Dashboard:** Combines Node Exporter host metrics (CPU, memory, disk) with pipeline queue-time data to correlate infrastructure saturation with pipeline wait times. Useful for capacity planning decisions such as scaling runner pools or upgrading instance sizes.\n*   **Deployment Frequency Dashboard:** Tracks deployment count and deployment duration over time per environment, aligned with DORA metrics. Helps engineering leadership assess delivery throughput and environment drift (commits behind main).\n\nEach dashboard is provisioned automatically via Grafana's file-based provisioning, so it deploys consistently across environments. The dashboards can be further customized with Grafana variables to filter by project, ref/branch, or time range.\n\n![Solution architecture](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1777382608/Blog/Imported/blog-building-ci-cd-observability-stack-for-gitlab-self-managed/image1.png)\n\nThe solution requires two exporters:\n*   **Pipeline Exporter:** Collects CI/CD metrics via GitLab API (pipeline duration, job status, deployments)\n*   **Node Exporter:** Collects host-level metrics (CPU, memory, disk) for infrastructure correlation\n\n**Prerequisites:**\n*   GitLab Self-Managed Version 18.1+\n*   **Container orchestration platform:** A Kubernetes cluster (recommended for enterprise deployments) or a container runtime such as Docker/Podman for smaller scale or proof-of-concept environments. The primary deployment guide below targets Kubernetes; a Docker Compose alternative is provided in the appendix for local testing and evaluation\n*   GitLab Personal Access Token (**read_api** scope)\n\n## Kubernetes deployment (recommended)\nFor enterprise environments, deploy each component as a separate Deployment within a dedicated namespace. This approach integrates with existing cluster infrastructure, secrets management, and network policies.\n\n### 1. Create namespace and secret\n```bash\nkubectl create namespace gitlab-observability\n\n# Create the GitLab token secret (see Secrets Management section below\n# for enterprise-grade approaches using external secret operators)\nkubectl create secret generic gitlab-token \\\n  --from-literal=token=glpat-xxxxxxxxxxxx \\\n  -n gitlab-observability\n```\n\n\n### 2. Deploy the Pipeline Exporter\n```yaml\n# exporter-deployment.yaml\napiVersion: apps/v1\nkind: Deployment\nmetadata:\n  name: gitlab-ci-pipelines-exporter\n  namespace: gitlab-observability\nspec:\n  replicas: 1\n  selector:\n    matchLabels:\n      app: gitlab-ci-pipelines-exporter\n  template:\n    metadata:\n      labels:\n        app: gitlab-ci-pipelines-exporter\n    spec:\n      containers:\n        - name: exporter\n          image: mvisonneau/gitlab-ci-pipelines-exporter:latest\n          ports:\n            - containerPort: 8080\n          env:\n            - name: GCPE_GITLAB_TOKEN\n              valueFrom:\n                secretKeyRef:\n                  name: gitlab-token\n                  key: token\n            - name: GCPE_CONFIG\n              value: /etc/gcpe/config.yml\n          volumeMounts:\n            - name: config\n              mountPath: /etc/gcpe\n      volumes:\n        - name: config\n          configMap:\n            name: gcpe-config\n---\napiVersion: v1\nkind: Service\nmetadata:\n  name: gitlab-ci-pipelines-exporter\n  namespace: gitlab-observability\nspec:\n  selector:\n    app: gitlab-ci-pipelines-exporter\n  ports:\n    - port: 8080\n      targetPort: 8080\n```\n\n### 3. Deploy Node Exporter (DaemonSet)\n```yaml\n# node-exporter-daemonset.yaml\napiVersion: apps/v1\nkind: DaemonSet\nmetadata:\n  name: node-exporter\n  namespace: gitlab-observability\nspec:\n  selector:\n    matchLabels:\n      app: node-exporter\n  template:\n    metadata:\n      labels:\n        app: node-exporter\n    spec:\n      containers:\n        - name: node-exporter\n          image: prom/node-exporter:latest\n          ports:\n            - containerPort: 9100\n---\napiVersion: v1\nkind: Service\nmetadata:\n  name: node-exporter\n  namespace: gitlab-observability\nspec:\n  selector:\n    app: node-exporter\n  ports:\n    - port: 9100\n      targetPort: 9100\n```\n\n### 4. Deploy Prometheus\n```yaml\n# prometheus-deployment.yaml\napiVersion: apps/v1\nkind: Deployment\nmetadata:\n  name: prometheus\n  namespace: gitlab-observability\nspec:\n  replicas: 1\n  selector:\n    matchLabels:\n      app: prometheus\n  template:\n    metadata:\n      labels:\n        app: prometheus\n    spec:\n      containers:\n        - name: prometheus\n          image: prom/prometheus:latest\n          ports:\n            - containerPort: 9090\n          volumeMounts:\n            - name: config\n              mountPath: /etc/prometheus\n      volumes:\n        - name: config\n          configMap:\n            name: prometheus-config\n---\napiVersion: v1\nkind: Service\nmetadata:\n  name: prometheus\n  namespace: gitlab-observability\nspec:\n  selector:\n    app: prometheus\n  ports:\n    - port: 9090\n      targetPort: 9090\n```\n\n### 5. Deploy Grafana\nThe Grafana deployment below starts with authentication disabled (`GF_AUTH_ANONYMOUS_ENABLED: true`) for initial setup convenience.\n\n**This setting allows anyone with network access to view all dashboards without logging in.** For production deployments, remove this variable or set it to false and configure a proper authentication provider (LDAP, SAML/SSO, or OAuth) to restrict access to authorized users.\n```yaml\n# grafana-deployment.yaml\napiVersion: apps/v1\nkind: Deployment\nmetadata:\n  name: grafana\n  namespace: gitlab-observability\nspec:\n  replicas: 1\n  selector:\n    matchLabels:\n      app: grafana\n  template:\n    metadata:\n      labels:\n        app: grafana\n    spec:\n      containers:\n        - name: grafana\n          image: grafana/grafana:10.0.0\n          ports:\n            - containerPort: 3000\n          env:\n            # REMOVE or set to 'false' for production.\n            # When 'true', any user with network access can\n            # view dashboards without authentication.\n            - name: GF_AUTH_ANONYMOUS_ENABLED\n              value: 'true'\n          volumeMounts:\n            - name: dashboards-provider\n              mountPath: /etc/grafana/provisioning/dashboards\n            - name: datasources\n              mountPath: /etc/grafana/provisioning/datasources\n            - name: dashboards\n              mountPath: /var/lib/grafana/dashboards\n      volumes:\n        - name: dashboards-provider\n          configMap:\n            name: grafana-dashboards-provider\n        - name: datasources\n          configMap:\n            name: grafana-datasources\n        - name: dashboards\n          configMap:\n            name: grafana-dashboards\n---\napiVersion: v1\nkind: Service\nmetadata:\n  name: grafana\n  namespace: gitlab-observability\nspec:\n  selector:\n    app: grafana\n  ports:\n    - port: 3000\n      targetPort: 3000\n```\n\n### 6. Set network policy\nRestrict inter-pod traffic to only the required communication paths:\n```yaml\n# network-policy.yaml\napiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1\nkind: NetworkPolicy\nmetadata:\n  name: observability-policy\n  namespace: gitlab-observability\nspec:\n  podSelector: {}\n  policyTypes:\n    - Ingress\n  ingress:\n    # Prometheus scrapes exporter and node-exporter\n    - from:\n        - podSelector:\n            matchLabels:\n              app: prometheus\n      ports:\n        - port: 8080\n        - port: 9100\n    # Grafana queries Prometheus\n    - from:\n        - podSelector:\n            matchLabels:\n              app: grafana\n      ports:\n        - port: 9090\n```\n\n### 7. Validate\n```bash\nkubectl get pods -n gitlab-observability\nkubectl port-forward svc/grafana 3000:3000 -n gitlab-observability\ncurl http://localhost:3000/api/health\n```\n\n## Configuration reference\n### Exporter configuration\n```yaml\n# gitlab-ci-pipelines-exporter.yml (ConfigMap: gcpe-config)\nlog:\n  level: info\ngitlab:\n  url: https://gitlab.your-domain.com\n  maximum_requests_per_second: 10\nproject_defaults:\n  pull:\n    pipeline:\n      jobs:\n        enabled: true\nwildcards:\n  - owner:\n      name: your-group-name\n      kind: group\n    archived: false\n```\n\n### Prometheus configuration\n```yaml\n# prometheus.yml (ConfigMap: prometheus-config)\nglobal:\n  scrape_interval: 15s\nscrape_configs:\n  - job_name: 'gitlab-ci-pipelines-exporter'\n    static_configs:\n      - targets: ['gitlab-ci-pipelines-exporter:8080']\n  - job_name: 'node-exporter'\n    static_configs:\n      - targets: ['node-exporter:9100']\n```\n\n### Grafana data sources\n```yaml\n# datasources.yml (ConfigMap: grafana-datasources)\napiVersion: 1\ndatasources:\n  - name: Prometheus\n    type: prometheus\n    access: proxy\n    url: http://prometheus:9090\n    isDefault: true\n# dashboards.yml (ConfigMap: grafana-dashboards-provider)\napiVersion: 1\nproviders:\n  - name: 'default'\n    folder: 'GitLab CI/CD'\n    type: file\n    options:\n      path: /var/lib/grafana/dashboards\n```\n\n## Key metrics\n### Pipeline Exporter metrics\n| Metric | Description |\n| :---- | :---- |\n| `gitlab_ci_pipeline_duration_seconds` | Pipeline execution time |\n| `gitlab_ci_pipeline_status` | Pipeline success/failure by project |\n| `gitlab_ci_pipeline_job_duration_seconds` | Individual job execution time |\n| `gitlab_ci_pipeline_job_status` | Job success/failure status |\n| `gitlab_ci_pipeline_job_artifact_size_bytes` | Artifact storage consumption |\n| `gitlab_ci_pipeline_coverage` | Code coverage percentage |\n| `gitlab_ci_environment_deployment_count` | Deployment frequency |\n| `gitlab_ci_environment_deployment_duration_seconds` | Deployment execution time |\n| `gitlab_ci_environment_behind_commits_count` | Environment drift from main |\n\n### Node Exporter metrics\n| Metric | Description |\n| :---- | :---- |\n| `node_cpu_seconds_total` | CPU utilization |\n| `node_memory_MemAvailable_bytes` | Available memory |\n| `node_filesystem_avail_bytes` | Disk space available |\n| `node_load1` | 1-minute load average |\n\n## Troubleshooting\n### Air-gapped Grafana plugin installation\nFor offline environments, install plugins manually. Example for Kubernetes:\n```bash\n# Copy plugin zip into the Grafana pod\nkubectl cp grafana-polystat-panel-2.1.16.zip \\\n  gitlab-observability/grafana-\u003Cpod-id>:/tmp/\n# Extract plugin\nkubectl exec -it -n gitlab-observability deploy/grafana -- \\\n  sh -c \"unzip /tmp/grafana-polystat-panel-2.1.16.zip -d /var/lib/grafana/plugins/\"\n# Restart Grafana pod\nkubectl rollout restart deployment/grafana -n gitlab-observability\n# Verify installation\nkubectl exec -it -n gitlab-observability deploy/grafana -- \\\n  ls -al /var/lib/grafana/plugins/\n```\n\n## Enterprise considerations\nFor regulated industries, ensure:\n*   **Token security:** Store GitLab Personal Access Tokens in a dedicated secrets manager rather than hardcoded in ConfigMaps. Enforce token rotation policies and limit scope to **read\\_api** only.\n*   **Network segmentation:** Deploy behind a reverse proxy with TLS termination. In Kubernetes, use an Ingress controller with automated certificate provisioning.\n*   **Authentication:** Configure Grafana with your organization's identity provider (SAML, LDAP, or OAuth/OIDC) to enforce role-based access control on dashboards.\n\n## Why GitLab?\nGitLab's API-first design enables custom observability solutions that complement native capabilities like Value Stream Analytics and DORA metrics. The open architecture allows organizations to integrate proven open-source tooling — like the gitlab-ci-pipelines-exporter — directly with their existing enterprise infrastructure, without disrupting established workflows.\n\nAs your observability maturity grows, GitLab's built-in Observability capabilities provide a natural next step — offering deeper, integrated visibility without additional tooling. Learn more about what's available natively in the platform for [GitLab Observability](https://docs.gitlab.com/operations/observability/observability/).\n",[89,700,701],"product","tutorial",{},"/en-us/blog/how-to-build-ci-cd-observability-at-scale",{"config":705,"title":692,"description":693},{"noIndex":10},"en-us/blog/how-to-build-ci-cd-observability-at-scale",[530,700,701],"ZtwJ_4mJtvO7VkXhQkxWne4957xzBZj8H2THtv69ntE",[710,719,729,738,746,755,764,773,782],{"content":711,"config":717},{"title":712,"heroImage":713,"category":9,"description":714,"authors":715},"Automating container image migration from Amazon ECR to GitLab","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1749663129/Blog/Hero%20Images/blog-image-template-1800x945__28_.png","When platform teams move their CI/CD to GitLab, migrating container images shouldn't be the bottleneck. Follow this step-by-step guide to automate the pipeline migration process.",[716],"Tim Rizzi",{"externalUrl":-1,"slug":718},"automating-container-image-migration-from-amazon-ecr-to-gitlab",{"content":720,"config":727},{"title":721,"heroImage":722,"category":9,"description":723,"authors":724},"Deploy a NodeJS Express app with GitLab's Cloud Run integration","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1750097892/Blog/Hero%20Images/Blog/Hero%20Images/speedlights_speedlights.png_1750097891963.png","This tutorial will show you how to use NodeJS and Express to deploy an application to Google Cloud. This step-by-step guide will have you up and running in less than 10 minutes with the Cloud Run integration.",[725,726],"Sarah Matthies","Noah Ing",{"externalUrl":-1,"slug":728},"deploy-a-nodejs-express-app-with-gitlabs-cloud-run-integration",{"content":730,"config":736},{"title":731,"heroImage":732,"category":9,"description":733,"authors":734},"How to deploy a PHP app using GitLab's Cloud Run integration","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1750098264/Blog/Hero%20Images/Blog/Hero%20Images/AdobeStock_519147119_2RafH61mqosMZv8HGAlsUj_1750098264407.jpg","Are you using PHP and want an easy way to deploy your application to Google Cloud? Follow this guide to deploy your app with Google Cloud Run in under 10 minutes.",[735,726],"Christian Nnachi",{"externalUrl":-1,"slug":737},"how-to-deploy-a-php-app-using-gitlabs-cloud-run-integration",{"content":739,"config":744},{"title":740,"heroImage":741,"category":9,"description":742,"authors":743},"Provision group runners with Google Cloud Platform and GitLab CI","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1750098300/Blog/Hero%20Images/Blog/Hero%20Images/AdobeStock_623844718_4E5Fx1Q0DHikigzCsQWhOG_1750098300048.jpg","This tutorial will teach you how to set up a new group runner on GitLab.com using Google Cloud Platform in less than 10 minutes.",[725,726],{"externalUrl":-1,"slug":745},"provision-group-runners-with-google-cloud-platform-and-gitlab-ci",{"content":747,"config":753},{"title":748,"heroImage":749,"category":9,"description":750,"authors":751},"Tutorial: How to set up your first GitLab CI/CD component","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1750098410/Blog/Hero%20Images/Blog/Hero%20Images/blog-image-template-1800x945%20%2826%29_3lH4gZFVIGCndksN6Rlg85_1750098409928.png","Use Python scripts in your GitLab CI/CD pipelines to improve usability. In this step-by-step guide, you'll learn how to get started building your own CI/CD component.",[752,726],"Sophia Manicor",{"externalUrl":-1,"slug":754},"tutorial-how-to-set-up-your-first-gitlab-ci-cd-component",{"content":756,"config":762},{"title":757,"heroImage":758,"category":9,"description":759,"authors":760},"Fast Python Flask server deployment with GitLab + Google Cloud","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1750098427/Blog/Hero%20Images/Blog/Hero%20Images/blog-image-template-1800x945_fJKX41PJHKCfSOWw4xQxm_1750098427691.png","This tutorial shows how to use GitLab’s Google Cloud integration to deploy a Python Flask server in less than 10 minutes, helping developers become more independent and efficient.",[726,761],"Jerez Solis",{"externalUrl":-1,"slug":763},"fast-python-flask-server-deployment-with-gitlab-google-cloud",{"content":765,"config":771},{"title":766,"heroImage":767,"category":9,"description":768,"authors":769},"Guide to REST API","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1750098516/Blog/Hero%20Images/Blog/Hero%20Images/blog-image-template-1800x945_2N8JxZDeeDLlzrsJ4boteB_1750098516673.png","Learn what REST API is, how it works, and what its benefit is in software development. Also find out the underlying principles of this important technology.",[770],"GitLab",{"externalUrl":-1,"slug":772},"guide-to-rest-api",{"content":774,"config":780},{"title":775,"heroImage":776,"category":9,"description":777,"authors":778},"How we designed the GitLab Reference Architectures","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1750098651/Blog/Hero%20Images/Blog/Hero%20Images/blog-image-template-1800x945%20%282%29_52vS9ne2Hu3TElOeHep0AF_1750098651525.png","Take a look back with us as we dive into our Reference Architectures design journey to help users easily deploy GitLab at scale. Learn our goals, process, and what's happened in the five years since.",[779],"Grant Young",{"externalUrl":-1,"slug":781},"how-we-designed-the-gitlab-reference-architectures",{"content":783,"config":789},{"title":784,"heroImage":785,"category":9,"description":786,"authors":787},"Using child pipelines to continuously deploy to five environments","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1750097012/Blog/Hero%20Images/Blog/Hero%20Images/AdobeStock_397632156_3Ldy1urjMStQCl4qnOBvE0_1750097011626.jpg","Learn how to manage continuous deployment to multiple environments, including temporary, on-the-fly sandboxes, with a minimalist GitLab workflow.",[788],"Olivier Dupré",{"externalUrl":-1,"slug":790},"using-child-pipelines-to-continuously-deploy-to-five-environments",1777404604005]