With Jenkins matric-based security you can further assign roles to users on what permission they will have on Jenkins. You can also download the plugin file and install it by copying it to the plugins directory under /var/lib/jenkins folder. You can install/upgrade all the available plugins from the Jenkins dashbaord itselft. For corporate network, you will have to setup a proxy details to connect to the plugin repository. If you translate the above steps to a Jenkins pipeline job, it looks like the following.

how does jenkins work

The real-world implementation can differ based on the type of project we have at our hands. Although the overall workflow is the same, it basically differs based on the facts and parameters of source tracking, building, gathering metrics, and testing. One of the core features of Jenkins is the integration of Jenkins plugins. They help add functionalities over the core to give us more powerful tools with regard to the project.

Step

In this blog as we try to answer ‘what is Jenkins’, we also deep dive into what is Jenkins pipeline, how does Jenkins work, and more. We would also demonstrate continuous testing with Jenkins using the Jenkins Maven project and Jenkins pipelines. As you finish this blog, you’ll not only find out what is Jenkins, you will also gain sufficient confidence to use Jenkins for continuous testing in DevOps. The Jenkins Agent connects to the Jenkins Controller to run build jobs. To run it, you’ll need to install Java on a physical machine, virtual machine, cloud compute instance, Docker image, or Kubernetes cluster. One node is the central control unit and organizer, known as the controller.

Jenkins is a Java-based DevOps automation tool for continuous integration/continuous delivery and deployment (CI/CD). Blue Ocean is still at the alpha stage of development, but the goal is for Jenkins users to be able to install it alongside the Jenkins Classic UI through a plugin. Curly brackets enclose each step in the pipeline, expressed as a command with arguments. For the code to move through the Jenkins pipeline, it must first be committed to the source code repository.

Jenkins Core Concepts

This way it is easier to make URL changes that get reflected in all the Jenkins jobs. Jenkins master server is like a control server that orchestrates all the workflow defined in the pipelines. Jenkins triggers a build upon every commit to the source code repository, typically to a development branch.

  • Jenkins is a self-contained Java program that is agnostic of the platform on which it is installed.
  • The developer Kohsuke Kawaguchi, who worked at Sun systems, wanted to create a method to perform continuous integration.
  • A Jenkins pipeline’s main feature is that each assignment or job relies on another task or job.
  • As such, Jenkins has a number of test recording, reporting,
    and visualization facilities provided by a
    number of plugins.
  • They help add functionalities over the core to give us more powerful tools with regard to the project.
  • Used by many advanced DevOps teams delivering cutting-edge, cloud-native applications, Jenkins has been around for quite a while.

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Jenkins Features

This getting started tutorial is based on the Jenkins documentation.

how does jenkins work

There are read-only Jenkins images available in the Docker Hub online repository. The need for Jenkins becomes especially acute when deploying to a microservices architecture. Since one of the goals of microservices is to frequently update applications and services, the ability to do so cannot be bounded by release bandwidth.

Jenkins Credentials

You can refer to the following tutorials to understand more about Jenkins clouds. The following image shows a high-level view of different types of agents and connectivity types. Under Jenkins global configuration, you have all the configurations of installed plugins and native Jenkins global configurations. Plugins are community-developed modules that you can install on your Jenkins server. It helps you with more functionalities that are not natively available in Jenkins. So, Jenkins has become an indispensable tool in helping them achieve those goals.

how does jenkins work

Finally, the code moves on to the staging area with the help of Docker to deploy it. Continuous delivery (CD) lets us automate all releases to the infrastructure defined. It basically ensures an automated way to push the code changes. It alternatively performs the required service calls to servers, databases, and others that may require to be restarted. Further, in this Jenkins tutorial, we will learn how to create Jenkins builds.

Jenkins Global Security

I have strong analytical and troubleshooting skills, along with good communication and documentation abilities. I have worked on modernizing applications, coordinated production releases, and debugged code for smooth deployment. I have also improved application performance, automated manual reporting, and have a clear understanding of web services. I am proficient in SQL and have experience with monitoring tools. Overall, I am dedicated to delivering high-quality solutions and constantly learning and growing in my field. Jenkins is used to build and test your product continuously, so developers can continuously integrate changes into the build.

how does jenkins work

More and smaller services with faster update intervals can only be achieved by the type of automation Jenkins provides. Jenkins Pipeline is another feature that enhances the offerings of Jenkins, as it lets you implement a Pipeline as Code using Domain Specific Language (DSL). Though there are other CI/CD tools in the market, Jenkins thrives on its community and powerful set definition of Jenkins of features (particularly Jenkins Pipeline) that offers faster feedback through CI tools. Stage in a Jenkins Pipeline consists of a unique subset of tasks such as Build, Test, Deploy, etc. The Stage block is used by many plugins for providing the visualization of Jenkins status (and progress). Every job in the Jenkins pipeline has some dependency on one or more events.

Types of Jenkins Pipelines

A strong Jenkins community is one of the prime reasons for its popularity. Jenkins is not only extensible but also has a thriving plugin ecosystem. Jenkins automation is commonly triggered by code changes in repositories like GitHub, Bitbucket, and GitLab, and https://www.globalcloudteam.com/ integrates with build tools like Maven and Gradle. Further down the Pipeline, Jenkins automates user acceptance testing, which is a requirement before deployment. If all tests pass, the code merges into the main branch, making the code available to the users.