What is the primary benefit of using 'Pipeline Schedules'?

Using 'Pipeline Schedules' in GitLab provides the primary benefit of enabling automation of tasks at set times. This feature allows teams to define when specific jobs, such as CI/CD pipelines, should be executed without manual intervention. For example, a team might schedule their pipeline to run nightly to build and test their code, ensuring that integration issues are detected early and regularly. This automation helps streamline development workflows, reduces the chances for human error, and ensures that tasks occur consistently and predictably.

Automating tasks at specified intervals can also improve efficiency in a development environment by freeing up developer time, which can then be focused on more value-adding activities. By creating a schedule for regular tasks, such as deployments and testing, teams can maintain a continuous integration and delivery process.

The other options, while related to development processes in some capacity, do not align with the primary purpose of Pipeline Schedules. For instance, real-time editing of code pertains more to collaborative development rather than scheduled automation. Similarly, manual deployment processes typically rely on human input and decision-making, which does not reflect the essence of what Pipeline Schedules offer. Limiting access to project files relates to permissions and security, which is outside the scope of scheduling tasks in a pipeline context.