What Jenkins does
Jenkins is an open-source automation server commonly used to automate the building, testing, and deployment of software. It is widely adopted in the dev-tools space, particularly as a solution for continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines. Jenkins is community-driven and supports extensive customisation through plugins, allowing teams to tailor workflows for different projects and environments.
Running on a broad range of platforms, Jenkins fits into software development teams' toolchains for orchestrating code changes and automating routine tasks. Its open-source nature has enabled broad adoption across various industries, but it often requires configuration and ongoing management to work efficiently at scale.
What sets it apart
Jenkins offers a highly extensible open-source framework with a rich ecosystem of plugins.
Key features
- ◆Automate software builds
- ◆Support for plugins
- ◆Pipeline as code
- ◆Distributed builds
- ◆Customisable workflows
- ◆Extensible architecture
What teams use it for
- Automate application builds on commit
- Deploy to staging or production after tests
- Run integration tests automatically
- Schedule routine maintenance jobs
Pros
- +Large community and plugin ecosystem
- +Highly customisable pipelines
- +Runs on many operating systems
- +Free and open-source
Cons
- −Initial setup and configuration can be complex
- −Management overhead for maintenance and plugins
- −UI can feel outdated compared to newer options
- −Self-hosting requires infrastructure
Integrates with
Our verdict
A widely used option for teams seeking a flexible, open-source CI/CD server. Those looking for a managed or less hands-on setup may want to consider hosted alternatives.
Frequently asked questions
Is Jenkins free to use?+
Yes, Jenkins is open-source and free to use, but self-hosting and maintenance incur infrastructure and operational costs.
What kinds of projects does Jenkins support?+
Jenkins can automate a wide range of build, test and deployment workflows for many programming languages and project types.
How does Jenkins integrate with other tools?+
Jenkins has a plugin-based architecture, allowing integration with common development, testing, and deployment tools.
What resources are available for learning or troubleshooting?+
Jenkins has extensive online documentation and an active community forum for support.
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