Jenkins is one of the most popular open-source automation servers that help in building, testing, and deploying software. It provides a wide range of plugins and integrations that can be used to automate various software development tasks. Jenkins Pipeline is a feature that enables users to create and manage continuous delivery pipelines as a code. In this article, we will provide a quick introduction to Jenkins Pipeline and how it can be used to automate software delivery pipelines.
What is a Jenkins Pipeline?
Jenkins Pipeline is a suite of plugins that supports the creation and management of continuous delivery pipelines. It enables the creation of a scripted or declarative pipeline that describes the entire software delivery process. The Pipeline code can be versioned, shared, and reused across different projects.
Jenkins Pipeline is based on the Groovy scripting language, and it provides a domain-specific language (DSL) to define and manage the delivery pipeline. The DSL is used to create stages, steps, and conditions that define how the pipeline should behave. Jenkins Pipeline can also integrate with other tools and services to provide a complete end-to-end software delivery pipeline.
Why use Jenkins Pipeline?
There are several benefits of using Jenkins Pipeline to manage software delivery pipelines. Some of the key benefits are:
1. Pipeline as code: Jenkins Pipeline enables users to define the entire software delivery pipeline as code. This means that the pipeline can be versioned, shared, and reused across different projects. It also provides a standard way of defining and managing the pipeline.
2. Flexible and scalable: Jenkins Pipeline is highly flexible and scalable. It can be used to manage simple or complex software delivery pipelines. It can also be integrated with other tools and services to provide a complete end-to-end pipeline.
3. Visibility and traceability: Jenkins Pipeline provides visibility and traceability of the entire software delivery process. It enables users to track the progress of the pipeline and identify bottlenecks and issues.
4. Continuous improvement: Jenkins Pipeline supports continuous improvement by enabling users to automate the functional and non functional testing and deployment of software. This helps to identify and fix issues early in the development cycle.
Creating a Jenkins Pipeline
To create a Jenkins Pipeline, we need to define a Jenkinsfile. A Jenkinsfile is a text file that contains the definition of the pipeline. The Jenkinsfile can be stored in a version control system, such as Git, and can be used to define the entire software delivery process.
Jenkins Pipeline Plugins
Jenkins Pipeline supports a wide range of plugins that can be used to automate different tasks in the software delivery pipeline. Here are some of the popular plugins used with Jenkins Pipeline:
1. Git Plugin: This plugin enables users to integrate their Jenkins Pipeline with Git version control system. It provides functionalities such as checking out code from Git, tagging, and pushing changes to Git.
2. Docker Plugin: This plugin enables users to build, push, and run Docker containers as part of the software delivery pipeline.
3. JUnit Plugin: This plugin enables users to generate JUnit test reports and publish them to Jenkins. It provides insights into the test results and helps identify issues and failures.
4. Email Extension Plugin: This plugin enables users to send email notifications for different events in the software delivery pipeline, such as build failures or successful deployment.
In Summary
Jenkins Pipeline is a powerful feature that enables users to define and manage continuous delivery pipelines as a code. It provides a flexible and scalable way of automating software delivery pipelines. Jenkins Pipeline can be used to integrate with other tools and services to provide a complete end-to-end pipeline. The choice of declarative or scripted pipeline depends on the complexity of the pipeline and the preference of the user. Jenkins Pipeline supports a wide range of plugins that can be used to automate different tasks in the software delivery pipeline.