Gitlab 13.11 : With Kubernetes Agent and Pipeline Compliance
Tags: devops, kubernetes, gitlab
Published: 2021-04-24 12:26:03

Our customers are scaling their DevOps practices and with growth comes the need for even greater efficiencies and automated controls. The <a href="https://about.gitlab.com/releases/2021/04/22/gitlab-13-11-released/#gitlab-kubernetes-agent-available-on-gitlabcom">GitLab Kubernetes Agent</a> is now available on GitLab.com to help you benefit from fast, pull-based deployments to your cluster, while GitLab.com manages the necessary server-side components of the Agent.

<a href="https://about.gitlab.com/releases/2021/04/22/gitlab-13-11-released/#compliance-pipeline-configurations">Compliant Pipeline Configurations</a> let you define enforceable pipelines that will run for any project assigned a corresponding compliance framework, even <a href="https://about.gitlab.com/releases/2021/04/22/gitlab-13-11-released/#create-custom-compliance-framework-labels">custom ones</a>. 

We also have a host of features to improve pipeline efficiency and measurement, to provide On-call Scheduling, and even more security enhancements. These are just a few of the 50+ significant new features and improvements in this release.

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<h1><i>Controls to help you grow safely and efficiently</i></h1>

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Controls can keep your automation on track as you grow and scale while simplifying compliance efforts. The <a href="https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/clusters/agent/">GitLab Kubernetes Agent</a> is core to GitLab's Kubernetes integrations and is <a href="https://about.gitlab.com/releases/2021/04/22/gitlab-13-11-released/#gitlab-kubernetes-agent-available-on-gitlabcom">now available on GitLab.com</a>. The Agent-based integration supports pull-based deployments which are preferred by security and quickly becoming a popular method for Kubernetes deployment practices. 

The agent also supports Network Security policy integration and alerts which enables fine-tuned RBAC controls within your clusters. <a href="https://about.gitlab.com/releases/2021/04/22/gitlab-13-11-released/#compliance-pipeline-configurations">Compliant Pipeline Configurations</a> let you enforce a higher degree of separation of duties and reduce your business risks by defining enforceable pipelines that will run for any project assigned a corresponding compliance framework. 

At the same time, <a href="https://about.gitlab.com/releases/2021/04/22/gitlab-13-11-released/#create-custom-compliance-framework-labels">Custom Compliance Framework Labels</a> allow you to use your own requirements beyond the usual ones like PCI, HIPPA and such. The new <a href="https://about.gitlab.com/releases/2021/04/22/gitlab-13-11-released/#re-authenticate-for-gitlab-administration-with-admin-mode">Admin Mode</a> increases security and control of your GitLab instance by requiring admin users to reverify their credentials before running administrative commands. Audit reports are easier now too with a new <a href="https://about.gitlab.com/releases/2021/04/22/gitlab-13-11-released/#export-a-user-access-report">export</a> feature in your self-managed GitLab instance to see, all in one place, what groups, subgroups, and projects users have access to.

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<h1><i>Speedier pipelines</i></h1>
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“Speedy, reliable pipelines” is one of our <a href="https://about.gitlab.com/direction/ops/#speedy-reliable-pipelines">core product themes</a>, and we’ve delivered on that promise this month with a host of pipeline improvements.

The <a href="https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/pipeline_editor/">Pipeline Editor</a> helps you get to work even faster and stay more productive once you begin. The new <a href="https://about.gitlab.com/releases/2021/04/22/gitlab-13-11-released/#create-initial-configuration-file-from-the-pipeline-editor">Empty State</a> enhancement will allow new users to begin working with the pipeline editor on a new, blank pipeline file without having to create a config file first. 

The ability to configure <a href="https://about.gitlab.com/releases/2021/04/22/gitlab-13-11-released/#use-multiple-caches-in-the-same-job">multiple cache keys</a> in a single job will help you increase your pipeline performance and you can measure these improvements from the CI/CD dashboard, where a <a href="https://about.gitlab.com/releases/2021/04/22/gitlab-13-11-released/#track-dora-4-lead-time-for-changes-metric">new DORA 4 graph</a> will show lead time for changes via time for code to be committed and deployed to production. 

As a related note, metrics on <a href="https://about.gitlab.com/releases/2021/04/22/gitlab-13-11-released/#devops-adoption-metrics-available-at-the-group-level">DevOps Adoption</a> are now available at the group level allowing users to understand how GitLab's DevOps capabilities are being adopted.

<h1><i>Securing your software supply chain</i></h1>

Security pros will be happy to see the addition of the <a href="https://about.gitlab.com/releases/2021/04/22/gitlab-13-11-released/#gitlab--semgrep-upgrading-sast-for-the-future">Semgrep flexible rule syntax</a> to extend and modify custom detection rules, a popular request from GitLab SAST customers. We've also added support for <a href="https://about.gitlab.com/releases/2021/04/22/gitlab-13-11-released/#support-for-custom-ca-certs-when-using-the-release-cli">custom certificates</a> and <a href="https://about.gitlab.com/releases/2021/04/22/gitlab-13-11-released/#ssh-key-expiration-email-notification">email alerts for key expirations</a>. 

You can now improve your security posture by enforcing <a href="https://about.gitlab.com/releases/2021/04/22/gitlab-13-11-released/#saml-enforcement-for-git-activity">SAML for Git activity</a>. The new <a href="https://about.gitlab.com/releases/2021/04/22/gitlab-13-11-released/#on-call-schedule-management">On-call Schedule Management</a> routes alerts received in GitLab to the on-call engineer in the schedule for that project. 

This will be particularly helpful as we mature our <a href="https://about.gitlab.com/direction/protect/#alert-dashboard-vision">security alerts in the future</a>, providing a valuable incident management capability with end-to-end visibility across the entire DevOps process.

Read on for more features, performance enhancements and changes! To preview what's coming in next month’s release, check out our <a href="https://about.gitlab.com/direction/kickoff/">Upcoming Releases page and our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mTdhCuh9-I">13.12 release kickoff video</a>.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Sh5bghbAjY&feature=emb_imp_woyt">Don't forget to check this link for a quick demo!</a>



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