How to create configuration files that contain colons in YAML?

It should work if you wrap the whole line within quotes like this:

- 'echo "foo: $VAR" > site.yml'

Gitlab's CI lint marks it as correct syntax.

See here for more info.

Single quotes around the whole line, as depicted by @Jawad, works:

- 'echo "foo: $VAR" > site.yml'

But if your command contains other single quotes, I find it easiest to use the pipe Block Scaler Style: |

- |
  echo "I want to echo the key"
  echo 'foo: $VAR' > site.yml

More documentation on Block Scaler Styles can be found here: http://www.yaml.org/spec/1.2/spec.html#id2760844

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