[mqus]

include:component is usually what you want now, you can version your components (Semver), add a nice readme and it is somewhat integrated in the gitlab UI. Not sure about the other include: ones, but you can also define inputs for component and use them at arbitrary places like template variables.

Since the integration is done statically, it means gitlab can provide you a view of the pipeline script _after_ all components were included, but without actually running it.

We are using this and it is so nice to set up. I have a lot of gripes with other gitlab features (e.g. environments, esp. protected ones and their package registry) but this is one they nailed so far.

[never_inline]

Doesn't include:component still require all your shell script to be written inside YAML? or is there a way to move the logic to a, for instance, .sh file and call it from YAML?

[mdaniel]

I realize this may be splitting hairs, but pedantically there's nothing in GitLab CI's model that requires shell; it is, as best I can tell, 100% docker image based. The most common setup is to use "script:" (or its "before_script:" and "after_script:" friends) but if you wanted to write your pipeline job in brainfuck, you could have your job be { image: example.com/brainfuckery:1, script: "" } and no shell required[1]

1: although TIL that the "script:" field itself is actually required in GLCI https://docs.gitlab.com/ci/yaml/#script