Getting started with GitLab and GitLab CI

What this post added

This post introduces the fundamental concepts of Continuous Integration (CI) and Continuous Delivery (CD) in the context of modern agile software development. It explains how GitLab CI is integrated directly into GitLab, eliminating the need for separate applications. The post details the role of the `.gitlab-ci.yml` file for defining build processes and introduces GitLab Runner as the component responsible for executing these builds. Key features of GitLab Runner, such as its open-source nature, cross-platform compatibility, and support for various execution environments (Docker, SSH), are highlighted. Future planned features like passing CI build artifacts between stages, a GitLab container registry, and GitLab Deploy are also mentioned.