How GitLab transforms embedded systems testing cycles

This post introduces 'managed lifecycle environments' for virtual testing in embedded systems. These environments are tied to merge requests, persist throughout feature development, and are automatically cleaned up upon merge. This approach aims to solve the challenges of environment sprawl and escalating costs associated with traditional pipeline lifecycle environments (re-created for every CI/CD run) and long-lived environments (persistent but leading to sprawl and config rot). The key benefits highlighted are persistent environments without rebuilding, automatic cleanup, and a single source of truth for build results and environment metadata within the MR.