diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..63031ff0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+stages:
+  - build
+  - release
+
+variables:
+  GRADLE_USER_HOME: "$CI_PROJECT_DIR/.gradle"
+
+build:
+  stage: build
+  image: gradle:jdk21  # Use the specific Docker image for this job
+  script:
+    - echo "Building with Gradle on Java 21:"
+    - java -version
+    - ./gradlew :daemon-all shadowJar
+  artifacts:
+    paths:
+      - build/libs/
+    expire_in: 7 days
+
+release:
+  stage: release
+  image: alpine:latest  # Use a minimal image for release preparation
+  script:
+    - mkdir -p release
+    - cp build/libs/*.jar release/
+    - echo "Release artifact generated."
+  artifacts:
+    paths:
+      - release/
+    expire_in: 7 days
+  only:
+    - tags