GitLab Delivery - Runway, Service Delivery Platform (#14) · Epics · Runway

GitLab Delivery - Runway, Service Delivery Platform

## Additional Weekly Highlights 2026-01-22 * N/A [Future Service Migrations to Runway](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/team/-/issues/48)  Runway. ## Hours Worked | Epic | Category | DRI | Total Hours | |------|----------|-----|-------------| | [EKS / GKE Runway Feature Parity](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/-/epics/47) | ~"infra-category::Internal Innovation" | @s.abbasi | 60.0  | | [Inbound Tasks & Feature Requests](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/-/epics/46) | ~"infra-category::KTLO" | @s.abbasi | 0.0 | | [Runway for Dedicated](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/-/epics/45) | ~"infra-category::Internal Innovation" | @fforster | 165.0  | ## Project Work ### :hourglass: Work In Progress These epics are currently in progress | **Topic** | **Start Date** | **Target End Date** | **Summary** | |-----------|----------------|---------------------|-------------| | [EKS / GKE Runway Feature Parity](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/-/epics/47) @s.abbasi (+2 participants) ~"group::Runway" | 2026-08-03 | 2026-10-31 | **2026-10-15**: :clock1: **total hours spent this week by all contributors**: 60 :status: **TL;DR**: On track. Managed Valkey on EKS is designed and in build: the Terraform module is in review, provisioner and runwayctl wiring start next. :tada: **achievements**: - **Managed Valkey on EKS, design** ([runway/team#997](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/team/-/work_items/997)): Drafted the technical design and shared [design note](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/team/-/work_items/997#note_4004296852). We are planning to use: ElastiCache for Valkey, node-based replication group with TLS required, Multi-AZ by default in production and single node in staging. The work is split into work items and planned. - **Terraform module repository** ([runway/team#1055](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/team/-/work_items/1055)): Closed. `terraform-modules/aws/elasticache` is created from the common template and registered in infra-mgmt. **The module is generic by design so Runway EKS .com and Runway Dedicated can both use it.** - **ElastiCache for Valkey module** ([runway/team#1056](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/team/-/work_items/1056)): Implementation is in review. The module ([elasticache!5](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/gl-infra/terraform-modules/aws/elasticache/-/merge_requests/5)) covers the replication group, subnet group, security group, KMS key and RBAC user with a write-only password that never lands in state. - **Provisioner IAM permissions** ([runway/team#1057](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/team/-/work_items/1057)): A dedicated `provisioner-terraform-elasticache` policy is merged and applied to both AWS Runway environments ([config-mgmt!15721 (merged)](https://ops.gitlab.net/gitlab-com/gl-infra/config-mgmt/-/merge_requests/15721)). :issue-blocked: **blockers**: - None :arrow_forward: **next**: - Merge the Elasticache module MRs and publish v1 ([runway/team#1056](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/team/-/work_items/1056)). - Implement the Runway Provisioner and runwayctl wiring of the module to the workload's helm-chart ([runway/team#1058](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/team/-/work_items/1058)) and ([runway/team#1059](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/team/-/work_items/1059)). _Copied from https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/-/epics/47#note_4016573878_  **Nested Epics: 1** • https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/-/epics/50+ | | [Inbound Tasks & Feature Requests](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/-/epics/46) @s.abbasi (+7 participants) ~"group::Runway" | 2026-08-10 | 2026-10-30 | **2026-10-15**: :clock1: **total hours spent this week by all contributors**: 0 :status: **TL;DR**: No major update this week. The team is mostly focused on EKS/GKE parity and Runway for Dedicated. :tada: **achievements**: - None this week. :issue-blocked: **blockers**: - None :arrow_forward: **next**: - None planned yet _Copied from https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/-/epics/46#note_4016574025_  **Nested Epics: 2** • https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/-/epics/52+ • https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/-/epics/51+ | | [Runway for Dedicated](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/-/epics/45) @fforster (+3 participants) ~"group::Runway" | 2026-08-10 | 2026-10-30 | **2026-10-15**: The effort to bring Artifact Registry to GitLab Dedicated has made tremendous progress last week. We remain on track, but the timeline does not contain any slack. `runwayctl dedicated deploy` can now validate a module and its target cluster before changing anything, the _Artifact Registry_ object store can be provisioned on Dedicated, and the _Module Catalog_ is ready to publish module versions. Next is creating the secrets plumbing and installing the module's Helm chart. :clock1: **total hours spent this week by all contributors**: 90 :tada: **achievements**: - `dedicated deploy` now checks that the module exists in the _Module Catalog_ and that the tenant cluster is reachable, and fails with a clear error before touching anything, giving the Dedicated team a more complete and realistic action to test against. The kubectl and Helm tooling needed by Runway now ships in the `runwayctl` image (gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/team#1062, gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/team#1063, gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/team#1064, gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/runwayctl!2126). - Object store provisioning for _Artifact Registry_ on Dedicated is driven by the module's catalog entry rather than hard-coded logic (gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/runwayctl!2112, gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/runwayctl!2114, gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/team#1032). - The _Module Catalog_ can publish module versions, including pre-release dry runs, with CI jobs for the Dedicated runtime (gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/team#1043, gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/runwayctl!2084, gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/runwayctl!2104). :arrow_forward: **next**: - Land the External Secrets Operator `SecretStore` creation in `dedicated deploy` (in review), then add the database, Redis, and object store secrets and the Helm chart install (gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/team#1065, gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/team#1011). - Agree with the Dedicated team on which IAM role the secrets operator assumes and who owns namespace creation, and get the Instrumentor action contract moving again (gitlab-com/gl-infra/gitlab-dedicated/instrumentor!8638). - Advance the IAM module install and generalize the provisioner Terraform modules for Dedicated (gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/team#1016, gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/team#1034). _Copied from https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/-/epics/45#note_4016574909_  | ### :soon: Ready Linked epics that are ready to start | **Topic** | |-----------| | [Keep the Lights On (KTLO) - Runway Team](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/-/epics/21) | ### :anchor: Stalled These epics are stalled | **Topic** | **Start Date** | **Target End Date** | **Summary** | |-----------|----------------|---------------------|-------------| | [Cloudflare integration for Runway](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/-/epics/18) @gsgl (+1 participants) ~"group::Runway" | 2025-03-03 | 2025-06-30 | **2025-05-21**: Getting ready to start work on implementation, however focus is on [another epic](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/-/epics/19) so expect little progress. :tada: **achievements**: - Created issues in epic - Created Cloudflare account API token in the Runway account for provisioner - Updated blueprint to reflect current plan :arrow_forward: **next**: - Start work on implementation _Copied from https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/-/epics/18#note_2516340332_  | ### :white_check_mark: Completed Work Items that have been completed <details> | **Topic** | **Started** | **Ended** | **Summary** | |-----------| ------------| ----------| ------------ | | [Deploy Runway on Kubernetes platform Beta](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/-/epics/7) ~"group::Runway" | 2024-08-01 | 2025-04-04 | **2025-04-02**: **Closing Status - Runway GKE Deployment for Satellite Services** **:compass: Original Problem** We need to evolve the Runway platform to allow Satellite Services to be run by self-managed customers, in addition to the instances we operate ourselves for `GitLab.com`. This was the second phase of our four-phase plan following the [Runway for Satellite Services Vision](https://docs.runway.gitlab.com/reference/blueprints/satellite-services-vision/). We previously built a proof-of-concept. This epic focused on properly implementing the ideas developed with the PoC so the process is automated and repeatable. Next we'll onboard our first (internal) customer and productionize the platform, for example adding logging, monitoring, and improve testing. **:construction_site: Changes Made** We successfully completed all exit criteria for this epic: - Created shared Runway GKE clusters - Deployed supporting infrastructure including the "External DNS" controller, "cert-manager" operator, and "External Secrets" operator – this ensures that all resources are managed by automation without manual intervention - Established infrastructure for service owners to generate Helm charts based on the `runway-base` chart - Implemented automated deployment of new versions of generated service Helm charts to the GKE cluster with appropriate GitLab/GKE add-ons - Configured DNS management for public service access - Implemented registry access token export to enable Flux to pull container images - Deployed the example service as a proof of concept, accessible at: https://frontend.example-service-gke.runway.gitlab.net/ **:results-for-customers: Impact** This milestone represents the completion of the "Build a beta version" phase of our [Runway for Satellite Services Vision](https://docs.runway.gitlab.com/reference/blueprints/satellite-services-vision/), which: 1. Provides a provider agnostic Helm chart that can be published to self-managed customers 2. Deploys services to a Kubernetes clusters without human interaction, like the Cloud Run based implementation 3. Provides a working starting point that we can use to :iteration: iterate on **:movie_camera: Demo** * "Production" instance: https://frontend.example-service-gke.runway.gitlab.net/ * [Example deployment pipeline](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/deployments/example-service-gke/-/pipelines/1747948150) * [Runway Helm Chart generation PoC](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGhaH0O3n-k) (video, 39 min) **:tanuki-colored-heart: Thanks** Many thanks to the dedicated team members who contributed to this effort, especially @bmurray2 and @danielryan for their help throughout this phase of the project. *This epic is ready for review. Grand Reviewers, please close this epic upon review during the next Platforms Grand Review.*  | | [Redis for Runway](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/-/epics/4) ~"group::Runway" | 2024-08-14 | 2025-02-07 | **2025-02-05**: **Closing status** **Problem**: Previously, Runway was limited to stateless workloads. The lack of caching capabilities was a critical blocker to platform adoption. **Solution**: The project has delivered a **paved path** for caching capabilities through managed Redis instances. Service owners can self-serve the entire lifecycle for provisioning and connecting workloads to high-availability Redis caching instances. The solution supports both single and multi-region deployments, with built-in best practices for security, cost labeling, and observability. **Impact**: The project has unblocked service adoption, unlocked platform capabilities, and established patterns for future stateful components. First, we've unblocked AI Gateway to begin reducing latency through multi-region Redis instances as they identify application use cases. Second, we've unlocked the option for Redis persistence instances that will be required for CustomersDot migration to Runway. Finally, as first stateful component, we've established architectural patterns and platform user experiences that directly benefit the Postgres on Runway initiative. **Resources**: - Documentation: https://docs.runway.gitlab.com/managed_services/redis/#using-memorystore-redis - Feedback: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/team/-/issues/416 **Next steps**: Based on user feedback, we will continue to iterate going forward. Grand Reviewers, please close this epic. Special thanks to Gonzalo and Sylvester for their valuable contributions! :collaboration: :iteration: :efficiency: _Copied from https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/-/epics/4#note_2331229910_  | | [Set up new Runway Team](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/-/epics/15) ~"group::Runway" | 2024-11-04 | 2024-12-13 | **2024-12-11**: **Final Status Update** :tada: **achievements**: - Runway Handbook Page https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/engineering/infrastructure/team/runway - Runway added to Service Catalog - Team Tracking Epics configured: https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/-/epics/14 - Slack channels and automations configured - Recurring team sync calls are set up :arrow_forward: **next**: - This epic can be closed during the next review! _Copied from https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/-/epics/15#note_2251899716_  | | [Postgres for Runway](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/-/epics/5) ~"group::Runway" | 2024-12-11 | 2025-02-14 | **2025-02-12**: Wrapped up automated testing and documentation. The Runway-managed Cloud SQL is in beta and announced in `#f_runway`. :tada: **achievements**: - Automated tests running daily (https://ops.gitlab.net/gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/cloudsql_backups_validation/runway-db-example-production-us-east1/-/pipelines). - Documentation available at https://runway-docs-4jdf82.runway.gitlab.net/managed_services/cloudsql/ :issue-blocked: **blockers**: - NA :arrow_forward: **next**: - NA **note**: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/team/-/issues/428 is dependent on our user's timeline so I'll move it out of the epic and get it ready to close. We also have a feedback issue: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/team/-/issues/439. This epic can be considered done and ready to close. Thank you @gsgl and @cfeick for your help in delivering this piece of work! :thank_you_spin: _Copied from https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/-/epics/5#note_2343153254_  | | [Runway GKE General Availability Items](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/-/epics/9) ~"group::Runway" | 2025-03-01 | 2026-07-28 | **2026-06-04**:  :clock1: **total hours spent this week by all contributors**: 16 :tada: **achievements**: - Adding `service-monitor` [support](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/runwayctl/-/merge_requests/1721) to Runway Base Chart, helping users to configure metrics endpoint path, interval and time outs, enabling users to onboard on Runway with their specific metrics configuration. :issue-blocked: **blockers**: - None :arrow_forward: **next**: - Restart focus on Runway Canary deployments [runwayctl changes](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/runwayctl/-/merge_requests/1599). _Copied from https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/-/epics/9#note_3419391527_  **Nested Epics: 2** • https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/-/epics/24+ • https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/-/epics/33+ | | [Add AWS as a Deployment Target for Runway](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/-/epics/19) ~"group::Runway" | 2025-05-12 | 2025-11-07 | **2025-11-05**: 🎉 Final Status Update - Epic Complete **The Original Challenge** GitLab Duo with Amazon Q, available through the AWS Marketplace, had a critical compliance requirement: all infrastructure supporting AWS Marketplace purchases needed to be hosted within AWS by August 1st, 2025. However, AI Gateway—the essential service powering GitLab Duo features—was only available on GCP. This created both a compliance gap and introduced latency as AWS traffic routed through GCP and back to Amazon Q. :iteration: **What We Built** The team successfully delivered a complete AWS deployment capability for Runway, including: - **Core Infrastructure**: Fully functional EKS clusters with VPC networking, GitLab Kubernetes Agent (KAS) integration, and comprehensive secrets management via AWS Secrets Manager synced from Vault - **Deployment Pipeline**: New `runway-eks` Helm chart with External Secrets Operator, cert-manager for TLS, external-DNS for Route53 management, and CI/CD pipeline with Kyverno schema validation - **Observability Stack**: Centralized logging via OpenTelemetry → PubSub → ClickHouse, metrics shipping to Mimir, and CloudWatch integration for operational visibility - **Production Services**: AI Gateway and GLGO successfully deployed to EKS in both staging and production, with Cloudflare Cloud Connector configured for secure routing :results: **The Impact** 🚀 **Mission Accomplished**: AI Gateway is now running in production on AWS, serving GitLab Duo with Amazon Q customers with **significantly reduced latency** and **full AWS Marketplace compliance**. ✅ **Qualification Testing**: All critical user flows verified including Code Suggestions, Duo Chat, and Amazon Q backend integration across both Web IDE and VS Code. 🔧 **Infrastructure Foundation**: The AWS EKS platform is production-ready and can support additional Runway services beyond AI Gateway. 📊 **Operational Excellence**: Full observability ensures the team can monitor, debug, and maintain services with the same confidence as GCP deployments. **Looking Forward** Post-production monitoring and any refinements will be tracked in future epics. The foundation is solid, the services are live, and customers are successfully using GitLab Duo features through AWS-hosted infrastructure. **Grand Reviewers** (@fzimmer, @marin): This epic has achieved all its objectives and can now be closed. Thank you for your support throughout this project! 🙏 :collaboration: **Team Recognition** Massive kudos to the entire Runway team for executing this complex, multi-phase project on an aggressive timeline. Special shoutout to @danielryan, @fforster, @gsgl, @jomartin1, @jtoto-gtl, @s.abbasi, and @swainaina for the exceptional technical execution. Huge thanks to @mlapierre for leading the comprehensive qualification testing effort, with excellent support from @wortschi, @bwilkerson13, @amyphillips, @panand3, and @sgoldstein. This was truly a cross-team effort! :newtanuki: | | [Launch Artifact Registry on Runway with Fairway in GKE](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/-/epics/44) ~"group::Runway" | 2026-08-03 | 2026-09-18 | | </details> ### :x: Cancelled Epics that were cancelled <details> | **Topic** | **Ended** | **Summary** | |-----------| ----------| ------------ | | [Onboard AI Gateway to Runway on Kubernetes](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/-/epics/8) | 2025-03-31 | | </details> ### :rotating_light: Epics that need attention These linked epics are not in the correct state or missing a workflow label <details> | **Topic** | **Links** | **Reason** | |-----------|-----------|-------------| | [Runway for Self-Managed](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/-/epics/25) @fforster (+1) group::Runway | Epic has ~"workflow-infra::Done" but is opened | | [Artifact Registry for Dedicated BETA](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/-/epics/48) @fforster @rmakram (+0) group::Runway | Epic has ~"workflow-infra::Cancelled" but is opened | | [Draft: Update GitLab.com VMs to Cinc 16](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-com/gl-infra/-/epics/1830) @cmcfarland (+0) group::Runway | Epic has ~"workflow-infra::Triage" but is closed | | [Runway on EKS: Post-Release work](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-com/gl-infra/platform/runway/-/epics/28) (+0) | Labeling problem, epic has no workflow label | </details>

epic

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