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Debug & Run Gitlab Pipelines In Your Local Environment

Written by Jorge on July 13, 2020
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Some time ago, we established https://git.cakedc.com/ as our company workflow. Along with it we created automated tools to support a continuous integration environment, with automated deployments based on develop, qa, stage, master branches and some useful tools to run on specific branches. We used jenkins for a long time, then switched to gitlab around version 6 (more than 5 years ago!) and we've been using it since.

Gitlab provides a very powerful way to configure your pipelines and define specific docker images to be used as your runners. So we defined our own runner image and configured it to provide the typical dependencies needed to run static analysis tools, unit tests and other utilities as part of our build process. For example, one typical build file for a simple CakePHP project could be:

# https://hub.docker.com/r/jorgegonzalezcakedc/cakephp-runner

image: jorgegonzalezcakedc/cakephp-runner:yarn

 

before_script:

  # install ssh-agent

  - 'which ssh-agent || ( apt-get update -y && apt-get install openssh-client -y )'

 

  # run ssh-agent

  - eval $(ssh-agent -s)

 

  # add ssh key stored in SSH_PRIVATE_KEY variable to the agent store

  - ssh-add <(echo "$SSH_CI_PRIVATE_KEY")

  - echo "$SSH_CI_PRIVATE_KEY" > /root/.ssh/id_rsa

  - chmod 600 /root/.ssh/id_rsa

 

  # replace git oauth key for composer

  - sed -i "s/__TOKEN__/$GIT_OAUTH_TOKEN/g" ~/.composer/auth.json

 

variables:

  # Configure mysql service (https://hub.docker.com/_/mysql/)

  MYSQL_DATABASE: app_test

  MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: root

 

stages:

  - test

  - deploy

 

test:mysql:

  services:

  - mysql:5.7.22

  script:

  - echo $MYSQL_PORT_3306_TCP_ADDR

  - composer install --verbose --prefer-dist --optimize-autoloader --no-progress --no-interaction

  - ( [ -f vendor/bin/phpunit ] && echo "phpunit already installed";) || composer require phpunit/phpunit

  - mysql -uroot -p$MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD -h $MYSQL_PORT_3306_TCP_ADDR -e 'CREATE DATABASE test_myapp_template;';

  - DATABASE_TEST_TEMPLATE_URL="mysql://root:$MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD@$MYSQL_PORT_3306_TCP_ADDR/test_myapp_template" bin/cake db_test -i

  - DATABASE_TEST_URL="mysql://root:$MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD@$MYSQL_PORT_3306_TCP_ADDR/app_test" DATABASE_TEST_TEMPLATE_URL="mysql://root:$MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD@$MYSQL_PORT_3306_TCP_ADDR/test_myapp_template" QUEUE_DEFAULT_URL='null:///?queue=default&timeout=1' vendor/bin/phpunit --verbose --colors=never

  except:

  - tags

 

deploy_develop:

  stage: deploy

  environment:

    name: develop

    url: https://www.cakedc.com

  script:

    - cd deploy && php deployer.phar deploy develop -vvv

  only:

    - develop

  except:

    - tags

 

In this case, on every push to the "develop" branch, we'll run unit tests of the project, then call the specific deploy script to push the project to our CI environment.

This process is usually smooth and clean,  if it's not,  then you need to debug why the runner is failing at some step.

 

One possible answer to this situation would be to dockerize the project and ensure the local docker version matches 100% the runner being used, so you don't have surprises while running your pipelines.  This process is actually done in some projects to ensure we match specific versions and dependencies. But for legacy projects, it's useful to have something more or less generic that just works™ and does not require the effort to dockerize. In this case, and going back to the topic of the article, how can we debug the issues locally without waiting for the pipelines to run? (Note I'm using Ubuntu 16.04 as my dev environment, and possibly aiming to switch to 20.04 LTS soon…)

  • Install docker in your local machine see https://docs.docker.com/get-docker/ 

  • Ensure docker is up and running sudo service docker start

  • Install the gitlab apt repositories curl -L https://packages.gitlab.com/install/repositories/runner/gitlab-runner/script.deb.sh | sudo bash

  • Install the gitlab-runner package sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y gitlab-runner

  • Go to your local project, where the .gitlab-ci.yml file is located

  • Run your pipeline locally, note you can pass environment variables via --env and you can name the target you want to build, in this case test:mysql gitlab-runner exec docker test:mysql --env SSH_CI_PRIVATE_KEY="`cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa`" --env GIT_OAUTH_TOKEN="XXX"

  • If there's a problem with the pipeline, add a long sleep time in your .gitlab-ci.yml file to keep the pipeline up and running while you connect to it, for example after the like to run your unit tests, add a new line sleep 1337

  • Run your pipeline again, you'll notice it won't stop…

  • Open a new terminal and check the id of the docker instance using docker ps

  • You'll see a list of the active docker container IDs

  • Finally connect to the container using docker exec -it CONTAINER_ID bash

  • If bash is not available in the container, you'll need another way to connect to it (or another container)

 

Once you get access to the container, you can manually execute commands, check permissions, run shells, and debug db and code contents to hunt down the bug you should have already in a unit test…

This method saved me some time trying to understand a specific issue in a pipeline, I hope it'll save some of your time too!

 

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Goodbye to 2025!

Well bakers… another advent calendar is coming to an end. I hope you enjoyed all of the topics covered each day. We are also closing the year with so much gratitude.    2025 was the 20th year of CakePHP, can you believe it? We had an amazing year with our team, the community and the CakePHP core. It was great connecting with those who attended CakeFest in Madrid, and we hope to have the opportunity to see more of you in 2026.    I cannot let the year end without getting a little sentimental. There is no better way to say it… THANK YOU. Thank you to the team who worked so hard, the core team that keeps pumping out releases, and most of all … thank you to our clients that trust us with their projects. CakeDC is successful because of the strong relationships we build with our network, and we hope to continue working with all of you for many years.    There are a lot of great things still to come in year 21! Could 2026 will be bringing us CakePHP 6?! Considering 21 is the legal drinking age in the US, maybe CakePHP 6 should be beer cake? Delicious. Stay tuned to find out.    Before I go, I am leaving you with something special. A note from Larry!   As we close out this year, I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. Twenty years ago, CakePHP started as a simple idea shared by a few of us who wanted to make building on the web easier and more enjoyable. Seeing how far it has come, and more importantly, seeing how many lives and careers it has impacted, is something I never take for granted. I am deeply grateful for our team, the core contributors, the community, and our clients who continue to believe in what we do. You are the reason CakePHP and CakeDC are still here, still growing, and still relevant after two decades. Here is to what we have built together, and to what is still ahead. Thank you for being part of this journey. Larry

Written by Amanda on December 24, 2025

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Pagination of multiple queries in CakePHP

Pagination of multiple queries in CakePHP

A less typical use case for pagination in an appication is the need to paginate multiples queries. In CakePHP you can achieve this with pagination scopes.

Users list

Lest use as an example a simple users list. // src/Controller/UsersController.php class UsersController extends AppController { protected array $paginate = [ 'limit' => 25, ]; public function index() { // Default model pagination $this->set('users', $this->paginate($this->Users)); } } // templates/Users/index.php <h2><?= __('Users list') ?>/h2> <table> <thead> <tr> <th><?= $this->Paginator->sort('name', __('Name')) ?></th> <th><?= $this->Paginator->sort('email', __('Email')) ?></th> <th><?= $this->Paginator->sort('active', __('Active')) ?></th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <?php foreach ($users as $user): ?> <tr> <td><?= h($user->name) ?></td> <td><?= h($user->email) ?></td> <td><?= $user->active ? 'Yes' : 'No' ?></td> </tr> <?php endforeach; ?> </tbody> </table> <?= $this->Paginator->counter() ?> <?= $this->Paginator->prev('« Previous') ?> <?= $this->Paginator->numbers() ?> <?= $this->Paginator->next('Next »') ?>

Pagination of multiple queries

Now, we want to display two paginated tables, one with the active users and the other with the inactive ones. // src/Controller/UsersController.php class UsersController extends AppController { protected array $paginate = [ 'Users' => [ 'scope' => 'active_users', 'limit' => 25, ], 'InactiveUsers' => [ 'scope' => 'inactive_users', 'limit' => 10, ], ]; public function index() { $activeUsers = $this->paginate( $this->Users->find()->where(['active' => true]), [scope: 'active_users'] ); // Load an additional table object with the custom alias set in the paginate property $inactiveUsersTable = $this->fetchTable('InactiveUsers', [ 'className' => \App\Model\Table\UsersTable::class, 'table' => 'users', 'entityClass' => 'App\Model\Entity\User', ]); $inactiveUsers = $this->paginate( $inactiveUsersTable->find()->where(['active' => false]), [scope: 'inactive_users'] ); $this->set(compact('users', 'inactiveUsers')); } } // templates/Users/index.php <?php // call `setPaginated` first with the results to be displayed next, so the paginator use the correct scope for the links $this->Paginator->setPaginated($users); ?> <h2><?= __('Active Users') ?>/h2> <table> <thead> <tr> <th><?= $this->Paginator->sort('name', __('Name')) ?></th> <th><?= $this->Paginator->sort('email', __('Email')) ?></th> <th><?= $this->Paginator->sort('active', __('Active')) ?></th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <?php foreach ($users as $user): ?> <tr> <td><?= h($user->name) ?></td> <td><?= h($user->email) ?></td> <td><?= $user->active ? 'Yes' : 'No' ?></td> </tr> <?php endforeach; ?> </tbody> </table> <?= $this->Paginator->counter() ?> <?= $this->Paginator->prev('« Previous') ?> <?= $this->Paginator->numbers() ?> <?= $this->Paginator->next('Next »') ?> <?php // call `setPaginated` first with the results to be displayed next, so the paginator use the correct scope for the links $this->Paginator->setPaginated($inactiveUsers); ?> <h2><?= __('Inactive Users') ?>/h2> <table> <thead> <tr> <th><?= $this->Paginator->sort('name', __('Name')) ?></th> <th><?= $this->Paginator->sort('email', __('Email')) ?></th> <th><?= $this->Paginator->sort('active', __('Active')) ?></th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <?php foreach ($inactiveUsers as $inactiveUser): ?> <tr> <td><?= h($inactiveUser->name) ?></td> <td><?= h($inactiveUser->email) ?></td> <td><?= $inactiveUser->active ? 'Yes' : 'No' ?></td> </tr> <?php endforeach; ?> </tbody> </table> <?= $this->Paginator->counter() ?> <?= $this->Paginator->prev('« Previous') ?> <?= $this->Paginator->numbers() ?> <?= $this->Paginator->next('Next »') ?> And with this you have two paginated tables in the same request.

Written by Rperez on December 23, 2025

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Clean DI in CakePHP 5.3: Say Goodbye to fetchTable()

This article is part of the CakeDC Advent Calendar 2025 (December 23rd, 2025)

Introduction: The Death of the "Hidden" Dependency

For years, accessing data in CakePHP meant "grabbing" it from the global state. Whether using TableRegistry::getTableLocator()->get() or the LocatorAwareTrait’s $this->fetchTable(), your classes reached out to a locator to find what they needed. While convenient, this created hidden dependencies. A class constructor might look empty, despite the class being secretly reliant on multiple database tables. This made unit testing cumbersome, forcing you to stub the global TableLocator just to inject a mock. CakePHP 5.3 changes the game with Inversion of Control. With the framework currently in its Release Candidate (RC) stage and a stable release expected soon, now is the perfect time to explore these architectural improvements. By using the new TableContainer as a delegate for your PSR-11 container, tables can now be automatically injected directly into your constructors. This shift to explicit dependencies makes your code cleaner, fully type-hinted, and ready for modern testing standards. The Old Way (Hidden Dependency): public function execute() { $users = $this->fetchTable('Users'); // Where did this come from? } The 5.3 Way (Explicit Dependency): public function __construct(protected UsersTable $users) {} public function execute() { $this->users->find(); // Explicit and testable. }

Enabling the Delegate

Open src/Application.php and update the services() method by delegating table resolution to the TableContainer. // src/Application.php use Cake\ORM\TableContainer; public function services(ContainerInterface $container): void { // Register the TableContainer as a delegate $container->delegate(new TableContainer()); }

How it works under the hood

When you type-hint a class ending in Table (e.g., UsersTable), the main PSR-11 container doesn't initially know how to instantiate it. Because you've registered a delegate, it passes the request to the TableContainer, which then:
  1. Validates: It verifies the class name and ensures it is a subclass of \Cake\ORM\Table.
  2. Locates: It uses the TableLocator to fetch the correct instance (handling all the usual CakePHP ORM configuration behind the scenes).
  3. Resolves: It returns the fully configured Table object back to the main container to be injected.
Note: The naming convention is strict. The TableContainer specifically looks for the Table suffix. If you have a custom class that extends the base Table class but is named UsersRepository, the delegate will skip it, and the container will fail to resolve the dependency.

Practical Example: Cleaner Services

Now, your domain services no longer need to know about the LocatorAwareTrait. They simply ask for what they need. namespace App\Service; use App\Model\Table\UsersTable; class UserManagerService { // No more TableRegistry::get() or $this->fetchTable() public function __construct( protected UsersTable $users ) {} public function activateUser(int $id): void { $user = $this->users->get($id); // ... logic } } Next, open src/Application.php and update the services() method by delegating table resolution to the TableContainer. // src/Application.php use App\Model\Table\UsersTable; use App\Service\UserManagerService; use Cake\ORM\TableContainer; public function services(ContainerInterface $container): void { // Register the TableContainer as a delegate $container->delegate(new TableContainer()); // Register your service with the table as constructor argument $container ->add(UserManagerService::class) ->addArgument(UsersTable::class); }

Why this is a game changer for Testing

Because the table is injected via the constructor, you can now swap it for a mock effortlessly in your test suite without touching the global state of the application. $mockUsers = $this->createMock(UsersTable::class); $service = new UserManagerService($mockUsers); // Pure injection!

Conclusion: Small Change, Big Impact

At first glance, adding a single line to your Application::services() method might seem like a minor update. However, TableContainer represents a significant shift in how we approach CakePHP architecture. By delegating table resolution to the container, we gain:
  • True Type-Safety: Your IDE and static analysis tools now recognize the exact Table class being used. This is a massive win for PHPStan users—no more "Call to an undefined method" errors or messy @var docblock workarounds just to prove to your CI that a method exists.
  • Zero-Effort Mocking: Testing a service no longer requires manipulating the global TableRegistry state. Simply pass a mock object into the constructor and move on.
  • Standardization: Your CakePHP code now aligns with modern PHP practices found in any PSR-compliant ecosystem, making your application more maintainable and easier for new developers to understand.
If you plan to upgrade to CakePHP 5.3 upon its release, this is one of the easiest wins for your codebase. It’s time to stop fetching your tables and start receiving them. This article is part of the CakeDC Advent Calendar 2025 (December 23rd, 2025)

Written by Arusinowski on December 23, 2025

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