Jenkins is a well-known and effective open-source automation server that assists businesses in automating the software delivery process. Its main use is to implement continuous integration (CI) and continuous delivery (CD) pipelines, but it can do much more. In this guide, we’ll overview what is Jenkins, its features, and how to install it. Let’s get started!
What Is Jenkins?
- Jenkins is an automation server that is available as open source, helping organizations automate software delivery. It can be used to implement a continuous integration (CI) and continuous delivery (CD) pipeline.
- Jenkins is implemented in Java and can be used to monitor executions of repetitive tasks, like building a software project or running the jobs by cron.
- Jenkins can be installed on-premises or used as a cloud-based solution. In addition, there are many plugins available that extend the functionality of Jenkins.
What Is The CICD Pipeline In Jenkins?
- A CICD pipeline is a process that automates the tasks involved in the software development lifecycle, from development, testing the software for any flaws or bugs, to deployment and monitoring the same after the release happens. Jenkins is a well known open-source tool that helps teams automate this process. Jenkins has an ability to run builds in parallel on multiple nodes, which can dramatically speed up the process.
- Additionally, Jenkins can be configured to automatically trigger builds when changes are made to the codebase, which makes it easy to maintain the software and keeping it up-to-date. While many other tools provide similar functionality, Jenkins is a widely used tool that helps teams deliver software quickly and reliably.
Why Use Jenkins?
There are many aspects why you would want to use Jenkins. A few key reasons include:
1. It is open-source, so it is free to use.
2. It is highly configurable and extensible, with hundreds of plugins available.
3. It has excellent documentation.
4. It integrates well with other tools and systems.
5. Ease of setting it up on any platform and use.
What Is The Jenkins Core Terminology?
In Jenkins, a “job” is a group of one or more build steps executed in order, each step potentially generating new artifacts. Jobs can be chained together in a linear sequence or organized into arbitrarily complex workflows. A given job will generally produce the same output every time it is run, although some jobs are configured to “poll SCM”, which means they will run periodically and check for changes in source control.
- Artifacts are the files generated by a building job. Other jobs can be used in downstream pipelines or archived for later retrieval.
- A “build” is a specific instance of a job running to completion. The term can also refer to the process of running a job, as in “trigger a build”.
- “SCM” stands for “source control management”. Jenkins can poll various SCM systems for changes and trigger builds automatically when changes are detected.
- A “node” is a machine that Jenkins can deploy jobs to. This could be a physical machine, a virtual machine, or even a cloud instance.
- A “pipeline” is a group of jobs chained together in an automated workflow. Pipelines can be triggered manually or automatically and run on a schedule.
- “Jenkinsfile” is a text file that defines a Jenkins pipeline. It is typically checked into source control and a project’s code.
How To Install Jenkins?
Jenkins can be installed on-premises or used as a cloud-based solution. In addition, many plugins are available that extend the functionality of Jenkins.
- To install Jenkins on-premises, you will need to install a server with a supported operating system and a JDK. We advise to use the latest LTS release of Jenkins. You can download it from the official Jenkins website.
- Once you have downloaded the Jenkins .war file, you can run it using java -jar Jenkins. war. This will start a Jetty server instance on port 8080 by default. You can then access Jenkins at http://localhost:8080.
- To install Jenkins as a cloud-based solution, you can use one of the many hosted providers, such as CloudBees, Amazon Elastic Beanstalk, or Heroku.
Conclusion
Jenkins is a powerful tool that helps teams deliver software quickly and reliably. It is open-source, highly configurable, and easy to use. It can be used for both CI and CD and has a wide variety of plugins. Jenkins is a great tool for automating software development workflows.