Install and register GitLab Runner for autoscaling with Docker Machine
- Tier: Free, Premium, Ultimate
- Offering: GitLab.com, GitLab Self-Managed, GitLab Dedicated
The Docker Machine executor was deprecated in GitLab 17.5 and is scheduled for removal in GitLab 20.0 (May 2027). While we continue to support the Docker Machine executor till GitLab 20.0, we do not plan to add new features. We will address only critical bugs that could prevent CI/CD job execution or affect running costs. If you’re using the Docker Machine executor on Amazon Web Services (AWS) EC2, Microsoft Azure Compute, or Google Compute Engine (GCE), you should migrate to the GitLab Runner Autoscaler.
For an overview of the autoscale architecture, take a look at the comprehensive documentation on autoscaling.
Forked version of Docker machine
Docker has deprecated Docker Machine. However,
GitLab maintains a Docker Machine fork
for GitLab Runner users who rely on the Docker Machine executor. This fork is
based on the latest main branch of docker-machine with
some additional patches for the following bugs: