Jenkins Overview
Jenkins is an open source automation server that enables developers to reliably build, test, and deploy their software. Jenkins provides hundreds of plugins to support building, deploying and automating any project.
Key Features
- Continuous Integration: Automate the build and testing process
- Extensible: Hundreds of community-contributed plugins
- Distributed Builds: Distribute workload across multiple machines
- Pipeline as Code: Define build pipelines in Jenkinsfile
- Monitoring: Track build status and trends
- Cross-platform: Runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS
- REST API: Programmatic access to Jenkins functionality
Installation & Setup
Installation Steps:
- Install Java (Jenkins requires Java 8 or 11)
- Download Jenkins from official website
- Run the installer or deploy the WAR file
- Complete the initial setup wizard
- Install recommended plugins or select specific ones
- Create admin user and configure instance
Common Plugins:
Pipeline
Define build pipelines as code
Blue Ocean
Modern user experience for Jenkins
Git
Integrate with Git repositories
Docker
Build and use Docker containers
Productivity Tips
Jenkinsfile
Store pipeline definitions in source control using Jenkinsfile.
Shared Libraries
Create shared libraries for reusable pipeline code.
Agent Labels
Use labels to control where jobs run in distributed environments.
Backup
Regularly back up your Jenkins home directory.