Instance-level CI/CD variables API

• Introduced in GitLab 13.0
• It's deployed behind a feature flag, enabled by default.
• It's enabled on GitLab.com.
• It's recommended for production use.
• For GitLab self-managed instances, GitLab administrators can opt to disable it. (CORE ONLY)

List all instance variables

Get the list of all instance-level variables.

GET /admin/ci/variables

curl --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: <your_access_token>" "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/admin/ci/variables"

[
    {
        "key": "TEST_VARIABLE_1",
        "variable_type": "env_var",
        "value": "TEST_1",
        "protected": false,
        "masked": false
    },
    {
        "key": "TEST_VARIABLE_2",
        "variable_type": "env_var",
        "value": "TEST_2",
        "protected": false,
        "masked": false
    }
]

Show instance variable details

Get the details of a specific instance-level variable.

GET /admin/ci/variables/:key

Attribute	Type	required	Description
key	string	yes	The key of a variable

curl --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: <your_access_token>" "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/admin/ci/variables/TEST_VARIABLE_1"

{
    "key": "TEST_VARIABLE_1",
    "variable_type": "env_var",
    "value": "TEST_1",
    "protected": false,
    "masked": false
}

Create instance variable

Create a new instance-level variable.

Since GitLab 13.1, the maximum number of allowed instance-level variables can be changed.

POST /admin/ci/variables

Attribute	Type	required	Description
key	string	yes	The key of a variable. Max 255 characters, only A-Z, a-z, 0-9, and _ are allowed.
value	string	yes	The value of a variable. Around 700 characters allowed.
variable_type	string	no	The type of a variable. Available types are: env_var (default) and file.
protected	boolean	no	Whether the variable is protected.
masked	boolean	no	Whether the variable is masked.

curl --request POST --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: <your_access_token>" "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/admin/ci/variables" --form "key=NEW_VARIABLE" --form "value=new value"

{
    "key": "NEW_VARIABLE",
    "value": "new value",
    "variable_type": "env_var",
    "protected": false,
    "masked": false
}

Update instance variable

Update an instance-level variable.

PUT /admin/ci/variables/:key

Attribute	Type	required	Description
key	string	yes	The key of a variable.
value	string	yes	The value of a variable.
variable_type	string	no	The type of a variable. Available types are: env_var (default) and file.
protected	boolean	no	Whether the variable is protected.
masked	boolean	no	Whether the variable is masked.

curl --request PUT --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: <your_access_token>" "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/admin/ci/variables/NEW_VARIABLE" --form "value=updated value"

{
    "key": "NEW_VARIABLE",
    "value": "updated value",
    "variable_type": "env_var",
    "protected": true,
    "masked": true
}

Remove instance variable

Remove an instance-level variable.

DELETE /admin/ci/variables/:key

Attribute	Type	required	Description
key	string	yes	The key of a variable

curl --request DELETE --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: <your_access_token>" "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/admin/ci/variables/VARIABLE_1"

Enable or disable instance-level CI/CD variables (CORE ONLY)

Instance-level CI/CD variables is under development but ready for production use. It is deployed behind a feature flag that is enabled by default. GitLab administrators with access to the GitLab Rails console can opt to disable it for your instance.

To disable it:

Feature.disable(:ci_instance_level_variables)

To enable it:

Feature.enable(:ci_instance_level_variables)