# GitLab CI/CD Pipeline - Documentation Index

## Quick Navigation

### I want to... → Read this

| Goal | Document | Time |
|------|----------|------|
| **Get started quickly** | [PIPELINE_SETUP.md](../PIPELINE_SETUP.md) | 5 min |
| **Validate pipeline locally** | Run `./scripts/validate_pipeline.sh` | 2 min |
| **See quick commands** | [CI_CD_QUICK_REFERENCE.md](./CI_CD_QUICK_REFERENCE.md) | 3 min |
| **Understand architecture** | [PIPELINE_DIAGRAM.txt](./PIPELINE_DIAGRAM.txt) | 5 min |
| **Read complete guide** | [CI_CD_PIPELINE.md](./CI_CD_PIPELINE.md) | 20 min |
| **See what was delivered** | [CI_CD_DELIVERABLES.md](../CI_CD_DELIVERABLES.md) | 10 min |
| **Understand decisions** | [PIPELINE_SUMMARY.md](./PIPELINE_SUMMARY.md) | 15 min |

## Documentation Overview

### 1. Quick Start
**File**: `../PIPELINE_SETUP.md` (400+ lines)

**Best for**: Getting started, first-time users

**Contents**:
- Quick start instructions
- Pipeline overview with diagrams
- Files created summary
- Running locally
- Viewing results
- Troubleshooting basics

**When to use**:
- First time setting up
- Need overview of what's included
- Want to run pipeline locally

---

### 2. Validation Script
**File**: `../scripts/validate_pipeline.sh` (200 lines)

**Best for**: Testing before pushing to GitLab

**Usage**:
```bash
./scripts/validate_pipeline.sh
```

**What it does**:
- Runs all tests with coverage
- Checks linting (ruff)
- Checks formatting (ruff format)
- Checks type hints (mypy)
- Scans for hardcoded credentials
- Optional: pip-audit, bandit

**When to use**:
- Before every commit
- Debugging pipeline failures
- Simulating CI environment

---

### 3. Quick Reference
**File**: `./CI_CD_QUICK_REFERENCE.md` (400+ lines)

**Best for**: Quick lookups, common commands

**Contents**:
- Quick commands (test, lint, fix)
- Reading test results
- Understanding linting errors
- Security findings guide
- Common scenarios
- Troubleshooting checklist

**When to use**:
- Need a specific command
- Interpreting test results
- Fixing common issues
- Quick troubleshooting

---

### 4. Pipeline Diagram
**File**: `./PIPELINE_DIAGRAM.txt` (400+ lines)

**Best for**: Visual learners, understanding flow

**Contents**:
- ASCII art pipeline diagram
- Stage-by-stage flow
- Job dependencies
- Caching strategy visualization
- Performance metrics
- Success criteria

**When to use**:
- Understanding pipeline architecture
- Explaining to others
- Debugging job dependencies
- Performance analysis

---

### 5. Complete Documentation
**File**: `./CI_CD_PIPELINE.md` (800+ lines)

**Best for**: In-depth understanding, troubleshooting

**Contents**:
- Complete pipeline architecture
- Detailed stage descriptions
- Job-by-job documentation
- Interpreting all results
- Comprehensive troubleshooting
- Performance optimization
- Best practices
- GitLab UI navigation

**When to use**:
- Deep dive into any topic
- Troubleshooting complex issues
- Understanding security scanners
- Performance optimization
- Learning GitLab CI/CD

**Key sections**:
- Stage Details (test, lint, security)
- Interpreting Results (coverage, linting, security)
- Troubleshooting (common issues, solutions)
- Running Locally (exact commands)
- Performance Optimization (tips, tricks)
- Best Practices (developers, reviewers, maintainers)

---

### 6. Pipeline Summary
**File**: `./PIPELINE_SUMMARY.md` (500+ lines)

**Best for**: Understanding decisions, metrics

**Contents**:
- High-level overview
- Key features
- Technology stack
- Architecture decisions
- Before/after comparison
- Performance metrics
- Known limitations
- Future enhancements

**When to use**:
- Understanding why certain decisions were made
- Comparing with other pipelines
- Planning improvements
- Reporting to stakeholders
- Architectural review

**Key sections**:
- Key Features (what's included)
- Pipeline Performance (metrics, benchmarks)
- Technology Stack (tools, versions)
- Architecture Decisions (rationale)
- Comparison (before vs after)
- Metrics & KPIs (quality, security, performance)

---

### 7. Deliverables Summary
**File**: `../CI_CD_DELIVERABLES.md` (400+ lines)

**Best for**: Project overview, stakeholder communication

**Contents**:
- Executive summary
- All deliverables listed
- Requirements coverage checklist
- Technical highlights
- Files created summary
- Next steps

**When to use**:
- Project completion review
- Stakeholder communication
- Verifying requirements met
- Handoff documentation
- Project retrospective

**Key sections**:
- Deliverables (complete list)
- Requirements Coverage (checklist)
- Technical Highlights (architecture, security, performance)
- Comparison (before vs after)
- Next Steps (what to do now)

---

## Common Workflows

### Workflow 1: First Time Setup
1. Read [PIPELINE_SETUP.md](../PIPELINE_SETUP.md) (5 min)
2. Run `./scripts/validate_pipeline.sh` (2 min)
3. Review results
4. Commit and push

### Workflow 2: Fixing Pipeline Failures
1. Check [CI_CD_QUICK_REFERENCE.md](./CI_CD_QUICK_REFERENCE.md) (3 min)
2. Look up specific error
3. Try suggested fix
4. Run `./scripts/validate_pipeline.sh`
5. If still failing, check [CI_CD_PIPELINE.md](./CI_CD_PIPELINE.md) troubleshooting

### Workflow 3: Understanding Security Findings
1. Check [CI_CD_QUICK_REFERENCE.md](./CI_CD_QUICK_REFERENCE.md) - Security Findings section
2. Identify scanner type (SAST, Secret Detection, etc.)
3. Read detailed explanation in [CI_CD_PIPELINE.md](./CI_CD_PIPELINE.md) - Security Stage
4. Follow remediation steps
5. Re-run pipeline

### Workflow 4: Optimizing Performance
1. Read [PIPELINE_SUMMARY.md](./PIPELINE_SUMMARY.md) - Performance Metrics
2. Check [CI_CD_PIPELINE.md](./CI_CD_PIPELINE.md) - Performance Optimization
3. Identify bottlenecks
4. Apply optimizations
5. Measure improvement

### Workflow 5: Learning the Pipeline
1. Start with [PIPELINE_DIAGRAM.txt](./PIPELINE_DIAGRAM.txt) (visual overview)
2. Read [PIPELINE_SETUP.md](../PIPELINE_SETUP.md) (basics)
3. Try [CI_CD_QUICK_REFERENCE.md](./CI_CD_QUICK_REFERENCE.md) (commands)
4. Deep dive [CI_CD_PIPELINE.md](./CI_CD_PIPELINE.md) (complete guide)
5. Understand decisions [PIPELINE_SUMMARY.md](./PIPELINE_SUMMARY.md) (architecture)

## Documentation by Audience

### For Developers
**Primary docs**:
1. [CI_CD_QUICK_REFERENCE.md](./CI_CD_QUICK_REFERENCE.md) - Daily reference
2. [PIPELINE_SETUP.md](../PIPELINE_SETUP.md) - Getting started
3. `./scripts/validate_pipeline.sh` - Before every commit

**When needed**:
- [CI_CD_PIPELINE.md](./CI_CD_PIPELINE.md) - Troubleshooting

### For Code Reviewers
**Primary docs**:
1. [CI_CD_QUICK_REFERENCE.md](./CI_CD_QUICK_REFERENCE.md) - Interpreting results
2. [CI_CD_PIPELINE.md](./CI_CD_PIPELINE.md) - Understanding reports

**When needed**:
- [PIPELINE_DIAGRAM.txt](./PIPELINE_DIAGRAM.txt) - Understanding flow

### For DevOps/Maintainers
**Primary docs**:
1. [CI_CD_PIPELINE.md](./CI_CD_PIPELINE.md) - Complete reference
2. [PIPELINE_SUMMARY.md](./PIPELINE_SUMMARY.md) - Architecture decisions
3. [CI_CD_DELIVERABLES.md](../CI_CD_DELIVERABLES.md) - What's included

**When needed**:
- [PIPELINE_DIAGRAM.txt](./PIPELINE_DIAGRAM.txt) - Architecture review

### For Project Managers/Stakeholders
**Primary docs**:
1. [CI_CD_DELIVERABLES.md](../CI_CD_DELIVERABLES.md) - Executive summary
2. [PIPELINE_SUMMARY.md](./PIPELINE_SUMMARY.md) - Metrics, benefits

**When needed**:
- [PIPELINE_SETUP.md](../PIPELINE_SETUP.md) - Quick overview

### For Security Auditors
**Primary docs**:
1. [CI_CD_PIPELINE.md](./CI_CD_PIPELINE.md) - Security Stage section
2. [PIPELINE_SUMMARY.md](./PIPELINE_SUMMARY.md) - Security Posture section
3. [CI_CD_DELIVERABLES.md](../CI_CD_DELIVERABLES.md) - Security Coverage

**When needed**:
- `.gitlab-ci.yml` - Security scanner configuration

## Quick Answers

### How do I run the pipeline locally?
```bash
./scripts/validate_pipeline.sh
```
See: [PIPELINE_SETUP.md - Running Locally](../PIPELINE_SETUP.md#running-locally)

### Why did my pipeline fail?
1. Check [CI_CD_QUICK_REFERENCE.md - Common Scenarios](./CI_CD_QUICK_REFERENCE.md#common-scenarios)
2. Look up error in [CI_CD_PIPELINE.md - Troubleshooting](./CI_CD_PIPELINE.md#troubleshooting)

### How do I fix linting errors?
```bash
uv tool run ruff check --fix .
uv tool run ruff format .
```
See: [CI_CD_QUICK_REFERENCE.md - Fix Common Issues](./CI_CD_QUICK_REFERENCE.md#fix-common-issues)

### What do the security findings mean?
See: [CI_CD_PIPELINE.md - Security Results](./CI_CD_PIPELINE.md#security-results)

### How do I interpret coverage reports?
See: [CI_CD_PIPELINE.md - Test Results](./CI_CD_PIPELINE.md#test-results)

### How fast should the pipeline run?
- **Warm cache**: 30-60 seconds
- **Cold cache**: 2-3 minutes

See: [PIPELINE_SUMMARY.md - Performance Metrics](./PIPELINE_SUMMARY.md#performance-metrics)

### What scanners are running?
**6 total**: SAST, Secret Detection, Dependency Scanning, Credentials, pip-audit, Bandit

See: [PIPELINE_SUMMARY.md - Security Coverage](./PIPELINE_SUMMARY.md#security-coverage)

### Can I skip security scans?
**No** - Security is always enabled. Some scanners allow failure (informational only).

See: [CI_CD_PIPELINE.md - Security Stage](./CI_CD_PIPELINE.md#stage-3-security)

## File Locations

```
npm_mcp/
├── .gitlab-ci.yml                    # Pipeline configuration
├── .bandit                           # Bandit scanner config
├── PIPELINE_SETUP.md                 # Quick start guide
├── CI_CD_DELIVERABLES.md             # Deliverables summary
├── scripts/
│   └── validate_pipeline.sh          # Local validation
└── docs/
    ├── CI_CD_INDEX.md                # This file
    ├── CI_CD_PIPELINE.md             # Complete documentation
    ├── CI_CD_QUICK_REFERENCE.md      # Quick reference
    ├── PIPELINE_SUMMARY.md           # High-level summary
    └── PIPELINE_DIAGRAM.txt          # Visual diagram
```

## External Resources

- **GitLab CI/CD**: https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/
- **uv Package Manager**: https://docs.astral.sh/uv/
- **Ruff Linter**: https://docs.astral.sh/ruff/
- **pytest**: https://docs.pytest.org/
- **MyPy**: https://mypy.readthedocs.io/
- **Bandit**: https://bandit.readthedocs.io/
- **pip-audit**: https://pypi.org/project/pip-audit/
- **GitLab Security**: https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/application_security/

## Still Have Questions?

1. **Search the docs**: Use Ctrl+F in any document
2. **Check troubleshooting**: [CI_CD_PIPELINE.md - Troubleshooting](./CI_CD_PIPELINE.md#troubleshooting)
3. **Run validation**: `./scripts/validate_pipeline.sh`
4. **Create issue**: Include pipeline URL and error message

---

**Last Updated**: 2025-11-01
**Total Documentation**: 3200+ lines
**Status**: Production Ready

**Happy reading!** 📚
