What is the main purpose of a GitLab issue?

The primary purpose of a GitLab issue is to facilitate team discussions and the planning of work. Issues serve as a way for team members to track tasks, report bugs, propose new features, and engage in discussions related to a particular topic or project component. They provide a structured way to communicate about work that needs to be done, enabling teams to collaborate effectively and prioritize tasks in alignment with project goals.

In contrast, the other options do not capture the essence of what an issue is designed for. Storing source code pertains to repositories, which are separate from issues; managing multiple projects is more about governance and organization rather than the specific features of issues; and setting up CI/CD pipelines relates to the deployment and integration processes in software development, which do not overlap with the core function of issues. Thus, issues are fundamentally about communication, planning, and tracking progress within the development workflow.