Case Study: Cloud Native Computing Foundation achieves unified cross-project, cross-cloud CI/CD with GitLab

How Cloud Native Computing Foundation eliminates the complexity of managing multiple projects across many cloud providers

The Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF), the Linux Foundation’s largest open source foundation stewarding projects like Kubernetes and Prometheus, needed to integrate and continuously test dozens of independent projects across multiple cloud providers without forcing individual project teams to change their workflows. To address this cross-project, cross-cloud complexity, CNCF adopted GitLab’s unified CI/CD platform — using GitLab’s built-in container registry, artifact store, git integration, and pipeline-triggering capabilities.

Using simple per-repo YAML configs together with GitLab’s multi-project pipeline graphs and triggers, GitLab enabled CNCF to run continuous interoperability tests for every commit, store artifacts and Docker images per commit, visualize upstream/downstream dependencies, and pin environment-specific variables for reproducible deployments. The outcome was a flexible, easy-to-use unified CI/CD system that improved collaboration across projects and teams, delivered cross-cloud interoperability and a public dashboard of results, and let CNCF prototype and extend functionality quickly (including a custom EE when required), all powered by GitLab.

Cloud Native Computing Foundation

Chris McClimans

Cross-Cloud CI Project Co-Founder