diff --git a/.gcp-deploy.yml b/.gcp-deploy.yml
deleted file mode 100644
index fa0de3c45a2c3cde08bf946ebb737c7506f32585..0000000000000000000000000000000000000000
--- a/.gcp-deploy.yml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,13 +0,0 @@
-.gcp_deploy: 
-  image: shomika17/gcloud-kubectl-kustomize:latest
-  before_script:
-    - echo "$SERVICE_ACCOUNT_CREDENTIALS" > key.json
-    - gcloud auth activate-service-account --key-file=key.json
-    - gcloud config set project $PROJECT
-    - gcloud config set container/cluster $CLUSTER
-    - gcloud config set compute/zone $ZONE
-    - gcloud container clusters get-credentials $CLUSTER --zone $ZONE
-  script:
-    - cd k8s/$APP/overlays/$OVERLAY/
-    - kustomize edit set image $CI_REGISTRY_IMAGE=$NEW_IMAGE
-    - kustomize build . | kubectl apply -f -
diff --git a/.gcp-k8s-diff.yml b/.gcp-k8s-diff.yml
deleted file mode 100644
index 202e295f6b14efa7a541a708b16e42ede28aa59c..0000000000000000000000000000000000000000
--- a/.gcp-k8s-diff.yml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,15 +0,0 @@
-.gcp_k8s_diff: 
-  image: shomika17/gcloud-kubectl-kustomize:latest
-  before_script:
-    - echo "$SERVICE_ACCOUNT_CREDENTIALS" > key.json
-    - gcloud auth activate-service-account --key-file=key.json
-    - gcloud config set project $PROJECT
-    - gcloud config set container/cluster $CLUSTER
-    - gcloud config set compute/zone $ZONE
-    - gcloud container clusters get-credentials $CLUSTER --zone $ZONE
-  script:
-    - cd k8s/$APP/overlays/$OVERLAY/
-    - kustomize build . | kubectl diff -f - | colordiff || true
-    - echo -e "\e[32mATTEMPTING A DRY RUN TO SEE IF YOUR K8S CONFIG IS VALID\e[0m"
-    - kustomize build . | kubectl apply --dry-run -f - || echo -e "\e[31mWHOOPS! SEEMS YOU HAVE MISCONFIGURED SOMETHING. WHY DON'T YOU FIX IT AND TRY AGAIN?\e[0m"
-    - echo -e "\e[32mSUCCESS! You have a valid k8s config :)\e[0m"
diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..ae0508ca64e8d1e8f8d5c73fd54817e9ee2129a1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+stages: 
+  - test
+
+test:
+  image: alpine
+  stage: test
+  script:
+    - echo $DOCKER_DRIVER
+    - echo "override"
diff --git a/base/docker.yml b/base/docker.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..d4e59b6de2884884b732a436a4bcfbcf704ddcb0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/base/docker.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+variables:
+  IMAGE_COMMIT: $CI_REGISTRY_IMAGE:$CI_COMMIT_SHA
+
+before_script:
+  - which docker && docker login -u $CI_REGISTRY_USER -p $CI_JOB_TOKEN $CI_REGISTRY || true
+
+image: docker:19.03
+
+.docker_build:
+  variables: 
+    DOCKER_BUILD_EXTRA_ARGS: ""
+  script: 
+    - docker build -t $IMAGE_COMMIT $DOCKER_BUILD_EXTRA_ARGS . 
+    - docker push $IMAGE_COMMIT
+
+.docker_release:
+  variables: 
+    NEW_IMAGE: NEW_IMAGE
+  script:
+    - docker pull $IMAGE_COMMIT
+    - docker tag $IMAGE_COMMIT $NEW_IMAGE
+    - docker push $NEW_IMAGE
diff --git a/.gcp-k8s-auth.yml b/base/gcp-k8s-auth.yml
similarity index 61%
rename from .gcp-k8s-auth.yml
rename to base/gcp-k8s-auth.yml
index f6c4dacf0d8b564b9672ef8b1bd2be79545310f7..43386e9a7b870c9d6baef19ac431023ef210e28b 100644
--- a/.gcp-k8s-auth.yml
+++ b/base/gcp-k8s-auth.yml
@@ -1,3 +1,9 @@
+# [[ AUTH ]] - authenticates against a GCP cluster 
+# - ZONE - GCP cluster zone (e.g. us-east1-b)
+# - PROJECT - GCP project ID
+# - CLUSTER - name of the cluster to authenticate to 
+# - SERVICE_ACCOUNT_CREDENTIALS - JSON credentials for the service account
+
 .gcp_k8s_auth: 
   image: shomika17/gcloud-kubectl-kustomize:latest
   before_script:
diff --git a/mixins/deploy/gcp-k8s-deploy.yml b/mixins/deploy/gcp-k8s-deploy.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..0e2c966085542a9aa91bd197e41a5667bd9bd0ac
--- /dev/null
+++ b/mixins/deploy/gcp-k8s-deploy.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+include:
+  - local: '/base/gcp-k8s-auth.yml'
+
+
+# ------------------------------ DEPLOY ---------------------------------------
+# This CI template consists of two parts: 
+#   - Auth
+#   - Deploy 
+
+# [[ AUTH ]] - authenticates against a GCP cluster 
+# - ZONE - GCP cluster zone (e.g. us-east1-b)
+# - PROJECT - GCP project ID
+# - CLUSTER - name of the cluster to authenticate to 
+# - SERVICE_ACCOUNT_CREDENTIALS - JSON credentials for the service account
+
+# [[ DEPLOY ]] - deploys from path `k8s/$APP/overlays/$OVERLAY`
+# - APP - app to deploy
+# - OLD_IMAGE - specify this only if you want the image changed; default value is $CI_REGISTRY_IMAGE (will change the image each time the job is run)
+# - NEW_IMAGE - image:tag you want the OLD_IMAGE replaced with. Defaults to $CI_REGISTRY_IMAGE:$CI_COMMIT_SHA in the template 
+# - OVERLAY - overlay you want the deploy
+
+.gcp_k8s_deploy: 
+  extends: .gcp_k8s_auth
+  stage: deploy
+  variables: 
+    APP: APP_TO_DEPLOY
+    OVERLAY: OVERLAY_TO_DEPLOY
+    OLD_IMAGE: $CI_REGISTRY_IMAGE
+    NEW_IMAGE: $CI_REGISTRY_IMAGE:$CI_COMMIT_SHA
+  script:
+    - cd k8s/$APP/overlays/$OVERLAY/
+    - kustomize edit set image $OLD_IMAGE=$NEW_IMAGE
+    - kustomize build . | kubectl apply -f -
+  allow_failure: false
diff --git a/mixins/release/docker-release.yml b/mixins/release/docker-release.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..a015703d50ead7ac312a223e56d492a52aedf8a5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/mixins/release/docker-release.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+include:
+  - local: '/base/docker.yml'
+
+.release_tag:
+  extends: .docker_release
+  stage: release
+  variables:
+    NEW_IMAGE: $CI_REGISTRY_IMAGE:$CI_COMMIT_TAG
+  only:
+    - tags
+
+.release_latest:
+  extends: .docker_release
+  stage: release
+  variables:
+    NEW_IMAGE: $CI_REGISTRY_IMAGE:latest
+  except:
+    - tags
+  only:
+    - master
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/mixins/test/gcp-k8s-diff.yml b/mixins/test/gcp-k8s-diff.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..4f151ab030572f79c090809f331a554a8a498667
--- /dev/null
+++ b/mixins/test/gcp-k8s-diff.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+
+include:
+  - local: '/base/gcp-k8s-auth.yml'
+
+# This CI template consists of two parts: 
+#   - Auth
+#   - K8s test
+
+# [[ AUTH ]] - authenticates against a GCP cluster 
+# - ZONE - GCP cluster zone (e.g. us-east1-b)
+# - PROJECT - GCP project ID
+# - CLUSTER - name of the cluster to authenticate to 
+# - SERVICE_ACCOUNT_CREDENTIALS - JSON credentials for the service account
+
+# [[ K8S TEST ]] - tests k8s coniguration in path `k8s/$APP/overlays/$OVERLAY`
+# - APP - app which should have its k8s config tested
+# - OVERLAY - overlay you want the deploy
+
+.gcp_k8s_diff: 
+  extends: .gcp_k8s_auth
+  variables:
+    APP: APP_TO_TEST
+    OVERLAY: OVERLAY_TO_TEST
+  script:
+    - cd k8s/$APP/overlays/$OVERLAY/
+    - |
+      echo -e "\e[32m-------------------------------------------\e[0m"
+      echo -e "\e[32mATTEMPTING A DRY RUN TO SEE IF YOUR K8S CONFIG IS VALID\e[0m"
+      kustomize build . | kubectl apply --dry-run -f - || echo -e "\e[31mWHOOPS! SEEMS YOU HAVE MISCONFIGURED SOMETHING. WHY DON'T YOU FIX IT AND TRY AGAIN?\e[0m" || false
+      echo -e "\e[32mSUCCESS! You have a valid k8s config :)\e[0m"
+      echo -e "\e[32m-------------------------------------------\e[0m"
+      echo -e "\e[32m---------RUNNING DIFF ON YOUR CONFIG...----------\e[0m"      
+      echo -e "\e[32m-------------------------------------------\e[0m"
+    - kustomize build . | kubectl diff -f - | colordiff || true
+