Recap of Jenkins CI/CD as the backbone for modern DevOps

CI/CD

CI/CD means making small code changes often. After each change, Jenkins automatically runs tests. If the tests pass, Jenkins releases the new code. This is better than releasing big code changes. Big changes take longer to test and fix. Small changes can be tested and released faster....

Key components and concepts

Jobs: These are the repeatable building blocks that Jenkins stitches together to automate tasks in pipelines. Typical jobs include running test scripts, building code, deploying apps, and other steps. Jobs can have configurable kickoff triggers to start them automatically, along with inputs, running environments, and result reports....

Understanding Jenkins Pipelines

Code: Coders write app source code and manage versions in systems like Git. These code repositories track all changes over time. Webhooks can connect the Git repositories to the Jenkins automation server. These event triggers notify Jenkins when coders push code changes. This automatically starts Jenkins jobs to kick off build pipelines based on code updates without needing manual help....

I’ll demonstrate pipeline examples for web apps, mobile apps, and API testing

First, deploying web apps to Kubernetes. When developers push code, Jenkins starts the pipeline. It builds a Docker container image with the code and sends it to a registry. Jenkins then updates Kubernetes config files with the new image details and tells Kubernetes to deploy the web app using this image. Now delivering mobile apps from developer devices to users. The pipeline starts after code is added to the main codebase. It compiles Android and iOS app versions. Then it runs UI and performance tests on these builds in emulators. If tests pass, Jenkins submits the build for publishing in the Play Store or App Store and tells the mobile team. Finally, API testing. Jenkins kicks off this pipeline when developers merge code. It runs unit tests on individual modules. Integration tests check modules work together correctly. Load tests hit the API server to measure performance. Jenkins shows reports on test results, code coverage, and issues. Based on results, it promotes the API to higher environments or warns developers of broken builds....

Creating Jenkins Jobs

Let’s talk about setting up jobs in Jenkins without tripping any alarms. First, you’ll want to log into your Jenkins dashboard. This is like entering a workshop full of tools to help build your software. Once inside, click “New Item” to start a new project. Give your job a nice name – maybe after your favorite movie character or snack food. The choice is yours!...

Stages in Jenkins pipelines

pipeline { agent any stages { stage('Checkout') { steps { git 'https://github.com/org/repo.git' } } stage('Build') { steps { // compile code // save build artifacts to S3 bucket } } stage('Test') { steps { // download artifacts from S3 // load test data into Postgres DB // run integration tests // continue only if all tests pass } } stage('Deploy') { steps { // download artifacts from S3 // deploy to Kubernetes cluster } } }}...

Declarative Pipeline Vs Scripted Pipeline

When I first started using Jenkins for continuous integration and delivery, the concept of pipelines seemed confusing and complex. There were two primary approaches for defining and creating pipelines in Jenkins – declarative pipelines and scripted pipelines. Both approaches could accomplish the core goal of automating software workflows, but in markedly different ways....

Declarative Pipeline Code Syntax

pipeline { agent any stages { stage('Build') { steps { // build steps } } stage('Test') { steps { // test steps } } stage('Deploy') { steps { // deploy steps } } }}...

Scripted Pipeline Code Syntax

node { stage('Build') { // build steps } stage('Test') { // test steps } stage('Deploy') { // deploy steps }}...

Key best practices of Jenkins

I have been writing about DevOps tools like Jenkins for a while. I have seen how using Jenkins pipelines can really help software teams work better. Jenkins lets you automate a lot of manual work. But many teams just starting with Jenkins struggle. They don’t always use best practices. Then their pipelines become messy, break often, and have security holes. Teams end up wasting time babysitting jobs or fixing issues....

Recap of Jenkins CI/CD as the backbone for modern DevOps

Many companies use Jenkins to help teams work together to make software. Jenkins is a tool that lets developers test and release their code changes more quickly. This is called continuous integration and continuous delivery or CI/CD....

Advantages

Fixes are faster – Problems are found quickly before more coding. Customers get updates – New features can be released more often. Less risk – Small changes are easier to test and fix than big changes. Things to Know About Jenkins Jenkins takes some work to set up. But once it is running, it automates the process. Teams should start small then add more as they learn Jenkins. Jenkins works best when the whole team uses it. Everyone needs to commit code often and fix issues right away. Jenkins is popular because it is open source and works with many tools. But training and support costs time and money. Jenkins helps developers work together to test and release code faster. This allows companies to satisfy customers with quick fixes and new features. With some learning and practice, Jenkins can improve many development teams....

Disadvantages

Jenkins can be tricky to learn – It has a lot of settings and plugins that take time to figure out. Plugins can cause issues – They add features but managing them and keeping them comparatively hard. Security risks – Jenkins can be vulnerable if not set up properly. Scaling is tough – Running Jenkins smoothly with many users and jobs requires effort. Debugging pipelines – When something breaks, finding the issue can be really slow and difficult. Giving access to different users is complex – It’s easy for users to get too much access on accident. Integration with other tools isn’t seamless – Often requires custom coding to connect tools together. Infrastructure changes cause problems – Keeping all environment settings and configs straight is tough. Takes work to maintain – Upgrades, backups, managing plugins – it’s a lot of overhead. Hard to switch later – Moving away from Jenkins in the future can be challenging....

Conclusion

If the...

Understanding Jenkins CI/CD pipeline and its stages – FAQ’s

What is a Jenkins pipeline?...