GitLab CI/CD is a powerful tool integrated into GitLab that automates the process of software development. It allows developers to build, test, and deploy their code automatically, ensuring a streamlined workflow and reducing the chances of human error. GitLab CI/CD uses pipelines, which are defined in a .gitlab-ci.yml file, to execute jobs in a specified order.
One common issue developers encounter when using GitLab CI/CD is the error message indicating that an SSH key is not found. This typically occurs when a job in the pipeline requires access to a remote server or repository, but the necessary SSH key is not available in the runner environment.
The error message may look something like this:
Host key verification failed.
fatal: Could not read from remote repository.
Please make sure you have the correct access rights
and the repository exists.
The root cause of this issue is usually the absence of the required SSH key in the runner environment. GitLab CI/CD runners need SSH keys to authenticate and interact with remote servers or repositories securely. If the key is missing or incorrectly configured, the job will fail to execute as expected.
SSH keys are a pair of cryptographic keys used to authenticate secure connections. They consist of a private key, which should be kept secret, and a public key, which can be shared. For more information on SSH keys, you can refer to the SSH Academy.
To resolve the SSH key not found issue, follow these steps:
If you do not already have an SSH key pair, you can generate one using the following command:
ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C "[email protected]"
This command will create a new SSH key, using the provided email as a label.
Once you have your SSH key pair, add the public key to your GitLab account:
For detailed instructions, visit the GitLab SSH documentation.
Ensure that the SSH key is available in the runner environment. You can do this by adding the private key as a variable in your GitLab CI/CD settings:
SSH_PRIVATE_KEY and paste your private key as the value.By following these steps, you should be able to resolve the SSH key not found issue in GitLab CI/CD. Ensuring that your SSH keys are correctly configured and available in the runner environment is crucial for seamless integration and deployment processes. For further reading, check out the GitLab CI/CD SSH Keys documentation.
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