What is Jenkins? Learn from This Jenkins Tutorial Guide

Introduction

Through continuous integration, various stages of DevOps can be integrated. Jenkins is a tool that can be used to integrate these stages of DevOps, it is quite popular these days. This Jenkins Tutorial step-by-step guide will cover the introduction and other details like the features or benefits of using Jenkins. Jenkins was only an open-source continuous integration tool at the time of its launch but now after the version update of Jenkins, it has become a continuous integration and a continuous delivery tool that can organize the application deployment phase too.

The objective of this Jenkins guide for beginners is to cover maximum facts about the tool and how it supports continuous integration or continuous deployment for various IT projects. Get enrolled in an exquisite training journey and get practical-based learning of Cloud environment, DevOps methodologies, Jenkins, and a lot more from our professional DevOps Certification Course and Training Program. 

What is Jenkins?

Let's start with an introduction to one of the most popular DevOps tools that are popular as Jenkins. Jenkins wiki is an open-source tool that has many plug-ins and it is written in Java. The Jenkins wiki tool was launched to build and test software projects in an easy way.

Developers can easily integrate application changes with this tool to help the user to obtain a fresh build. The software can be tested and delivered continuously with the help of various integration and deployment technologies. Give a boost to your career by enrolling in our top-notch Cloud Computing Certification Courses to get well-rounded Cloud knowledge before knowing how to use Jenkins.

Through automation, software developers can accelerate the process of software development. Jenkins mainly integrates all the stages of the software development lifecycle are documentation, packaging, testing, deployment, static analysis, and others ones.

Jenkins plugins help the developers in providing continuous integration and various stages can be integrated through Jenkins. To integrate any specific tool like Git, Amazon EC2, Manen 2 project, HTML publisher, etc. you can download the appropriate plugin and integrate the tool. It is a basically advantageous tool and the reason for the advantages of Jenkins are:

• Jenkins is an open-source tool that has wide community support
• Installation of Jenkins is quite easier
• A vast number of plugins are available; even if any plugin doesn’t exist then you can develop it and add it to the community.
• Due to Java's written code, it is portable to major platforms.

Have you ever heard about Jenkins Certification?  Here is the Complete Guide to Jenkins Certifications in 2022. 

Learn Jenkins Continuous Integration

So far, we have discussed that Jenkins is a continuous integration tool, now let's take a quick look at this most used DevOps concept and what is Jenkins used for. In the case of continuous integration, there is a shared repository in which developers can perform multiple changes even throughout the day and save them right there. As soon as the changes are committed, it gets stored in the repository and the team can easily detect if they found any problem due to that change.

Apart from the changes, there are several other operations like deployment of the application, testing it on the server, and providing it to the relevant teams after building and testing the results. All these steps can be performed as and when required by the DevOps team easily in a quick manner.

Learn the Key Metrics of Jenkins

There are several continuous integration tools in the market that make the DevOps task easier and efficient. For the following metrics Jenkins is considered as best of them:

• Adoption: Jenkins has been adopted widely by DevOps professionals and so far, the tool has 147,000 active installations along with more than a million users across the globe.
• Plugins: Jenkins is popular due to the availability of many plugins around 100 to ease integration with the most used tools for development, testing, and deployment.

Jenkins is a highly demanded tool globally and it can provide continuous integration just due to the availability of various plugins for several tools.

Check how to configure different tools in Jenkins from this blog on Jenkins Configuration. 

How the Tool Supports Continuous Integration?

In the case of the software development lifecycle, the application has to be built and deployed on the test server for testing purposes by the team members. It is quite a popular and easy-looking process for application development, but at the same time, this process has several flaws that need to be resolved. The so-called and mostly noticed flaws are like:

• To submit the supplication to test server developers have to wait for complete application development
• The test result can show multiple or a number of bugs after the testing process and developers may need to check the entire source code to locate the bug.
• The software delivery process gets slow.
• Many feedbacks like any coding or architectural related issue or any missed release update message or file release upload or any build failure can be missed.
• The risk of frequent failure is increased due to a completely manual process.

In short, we can say that as a result not only the delivery process gets slow but even the quality of the application can also be degraded due to all of these reasons. As a result, customer dissatisfaction may result. So, a platform that can overcome all of such shortcomings of the process as required by the developers can provide the facility of continuous development and testing of the application, so that every change made to the source code can be triggered and altered. This process is known as CI and Jenkin tool is the one that can provide all of such CI features.

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Jenkins Architecture Guide

Let's see how Jenkins helps the developers and testers. The following diagram shows the continuous integration with Jenkins:

Above diagram shows the complete process of continuous integration that takes place in Jenkins:

• Firstly, developers make and commit any changes in the source code of the application that are stored in the Git repository. On the other side, Jenkin server keeps on checking any changes done and committed in the repository
• After any changes are done by developers they are detected by the Jenkin server in the source code repository. After tracking the changes Jenkin pulls the changes and starts preparing a new build of the application.
• On failing of the build, the concerned team is notified about it
• Successful builds are deployed on test servers by Jenkins.
• The result of build formation and testing is sent to the developers as notification
• This complete cycle of changes and sending feedback keeps on repeating.

Now that we have understood the working of Jenkins now let’s see what changes it has made from the earlier way of releasing and deploying an application. In the following scenario that is for before and after Jenkins:

If you have ever worked with codes then you must have come across two popular terms Git and GitHub that are misunderstood together. Here’s the complete difference between Git and GitHub to help you discover the real differences between the two.

Before Jenkins:

• When Jenkins was not there, the entire source code was built and tested. The process of locating and fixing bugs was quite long and difficult and many times even slows down the complete process of software delivery.
• Developers keep on waiting for the test result
• The complete deployment process was manual

After Jenkins:

• Every change or committed change of source code is tested as soon as it takes place. Developers now need not check the entire source code to locate any particular bug and frequent build releases are launched now
• The test result of every change or commit to the source code is informed to developers
• As soon as the changes are committed, the Jenkin server can execute the rest of the processes.

Jenkins build job should be triggered automatically for any push or whatever hooks created. Here are the easy ways to know about Jenkins Build Set-up right from this blog.

Learn Distributed Architecture of Jenkins:

For a distributed environment, Jenkins uses master-slave architecture to manage the builds. Here TCP/IP protocol is used to manage communication between master and slave units. Jenkins master and slave have the following responsibilities:

Jenkins Master

Main Jenkin server is the master that has the following responsibilities:

• To schedule job builds
• To dispatch builds to slaves for execution
• To monitor slaves online and offline as and when required
• To record and present the build results
• Master instance can also execute build jobs directly

Every organization uses best DevOps practices but what DevOps skills are organizations looking for? This blog will explain the list of best DevOps skills that are necessary to become a successful DevOps engineer.

Jenkins Slave

Jenkin Slave is a Java executable instance that is basically a remote machine. Jenkin slave has the following characteristics:

• To hear the requests of Jenkin master instance
• Slaves can run on a variety of OS
• Slaves have to do the job as per the direction that is given to them
• Any project can also be executed on a particular machine or slave machine. Jenkin can also pick the next available Slave machine for execution

Let us understand the Jenkins architecture with the help of an example. In the following diagram, there is one master and three Jenkins slaves. Let us see how they are connected.

Moving ahead, let us see how you can use Jenkins for testing in different environments like Ubuntu, Windows, or MAC, etc. The following diagram represents the same.

GitHub is a cloud-based service that is highly useful to developers for both the management and storage of their code besides keeping track of the changes and controlling them simultaneously. Learn how to use GitHub in a few simple steps from this blog. 

The following things are taken care of in the given diagram:

• Jenkins will keep checking the GIT repository at regular intervals for any changes in the source code.
• Each build in Jenkins needs a different testing environment that cannot be established using a single server. For this purpose, Jenkins utilizes different slaves as needed.
• Jenkins Master will send the request to these slaves for testing and generating test reports too.

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Jenkins Build Pipelines

Jenkins pipelines are used to check which task is executing currently. Usually, multiple changes are made by different developers and it is necessary to know which changes have been tested and which changes are in the queue. There are three options available when building a project using Jenkins. These are:

• Freestyle Project: To provide maximum flexibility, this option is used for general-purpose builds.
• Multiconfiguration Job: If you want to run the same job in different testing environments then a multiconfiguration job option is used.
• Monitor the external Job: To keep an eye on the non-interactive processes, this option is used.

DevOps enthusiasts are generally looking to explore different tools that are frequently used in the workplace. Read this blog on the Jenkins Cheat Sheet before turning into a DevOps professional.

What are the Features of Jenkins?

Jenkin is a continuous integration tool provides following features for the application deployment:

• Code pipelines
• Better UX and UI
• Improved plugins and security

Through a DSL Jenkins has introduced a version builder that can help you to build, test and deploy various code pipelines. These pipeline scripts are easy to write, manage and execute. Parallel builds can be executed through these pipelines. You must have control over how and what you are going to build.

Jenkins provides better UI/UX so that users can easily visualize the flow and can easily configure passwords as and when required. You can also get a great view of Jenkin pipelines. The visual editor can be used to check and view these pipelines. The plugins are more safe and more secure as well.

The Jenkins Next Generation plugin helps in analyzing code, collects all warnings, and helps in visualizing the records through pie charts and graphs. Here are the easy ways for Jenkins Code Analysis to make you successful.

How to download and install Jenkins?

Jenkins can be installed on both Unix and the Windows platform. Here, we will focus on the installation of Jenkins on Windows. 

Prerequisites:

Before you start with the Jenkins installation, there are some prerequisites to follow for the tool in your system.

• A basic 256 MB of RAM is necessary to install Jenkins in your system.
• You need a minimum of 1GB hard disk space for Jenkins Wiki.
• Jenkins runs over Java, so the latest version of Java should be installed on your PC.
• Jenkins supports two types of versions, the Long-term support release, and the weekly release. You can choose any one of them as needed.

Jenkins is installed on the central server where your current builds are already taking place. Learn to configure Jenkins on Ubuntu Linux from this blog.

Step-by-step guide to Download and install Jenkins:

The following steps can help you to download Jenkins successfully.

• Download the Jenkins tool and select the Windows option from the list.
• Go to the download location in your local system and unzip the download package.
• Now, the setup screen will appear in front of you, Click Next from the screen.
• In the next step, decide on the location where you want to store the Jenkins instance then click Next.
• Now, the installation window is ready, Click Install option and move ahead.
• Once the installation is complete, click the Finish option and you are done. 

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 Jenkins and GitHub Integration

• In the first step, you should start with the GitHub plug-in installation. Once the installation is done, go to the “Manage Plugins” option from the Jenkins dashboard.
• Using Jenkins URL, log in to the dashboard and create a new Jenkins job.
• Now, enter the item name, select the job type then click Finish. 
• As soon as you click OK, you will be redirected to the project from where you have to add all project details.
• Here, you can see the Git option under the source code management. You can see this option only if the Git plugin has been installed successfully.
• Choose the Git option and enter the Git repository URL to extract code from GitHub.
• Choose Add repository and you can see that Git is properly installed and integrated with Jenkins.

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DevOGetting Started with Jenkins – Create your first build with the Freestyle Project

• From the Jenkins Dashboard, select the option “New Item”.
• Enter the name and choose the option “Freestyle project”.
• In the next step, you have to specify the job configuration. From the configuration page, choose the “add build setup” option then select “Execute shell” option.
• Save the project and it will take you to the Project overview page where you have to give the basic project details. 
• Click the “build now” option on the left to start the build.
• Now go back to the Jenkins Dashboard where you can see quick details of all projects created so far. You can select your particular ones and start work.

For more trending questions on DevOps, join our JanBask DevOps Community. 

Is DevOps The Right Career Choice in 2022?

No wonder businesses across the globe are switching over to Devops-related technologies for smoother delivery of software-based products and services. Leading job portals like Indeed, have registered a 75% job rise for DevOps professionals. Building a career in DevOps will show you up as a Release Manager, DevOps Cloud Engineer, DevOps Test Engineer and finally a DevOps Architect. The average salary of a DevOps professional ranges from 4.2lacs- 12.4lacs as per AmbitionBox. Tech giants such as Accenture, Barclays, and Facebook are always looking for skilled DevOps professionals, and qualified DevOps engineers are among the highest-paid professionals.

Final Words

DevOps has made the software development and deployment process quicker and easier, but for this, you may need certain tools. Jenkins is one of the most used DevOps tools that can ease operations by providing multiple plugins and an effective interface. Better UI tools like Jenkins are there to make the DevOps process easier. As it is an open-source tool so it can be used by anyone.

This Jenkins Tutorial For beginners presents a sound idea of the tool and how it can be used by industries for CI/CD. Also, you can create your first project using this Jenkins Tutorial step-by-step guide. To know more about DevOps and the related tools, you should join the DevOps Certification Program at JanBask Training and explore your learning with the brightest minds.

FAQs

Q1. What is the objective of the devOps course online?
Ans- The objective of our DevOps training is:

• To provide you a DevOps certification course online that gives experiences similar to offline classrooms and saves you from the hassles of traveling to the physical classes, incurring expenses, wasting energy & time.
• To give you a complete DevOps discipline preparation by covering concepts, skills, and techniques that DevOps engineer certification & job role demands. 

Q2. What skills will I learn in this course?
Ans-  If you want to find out what skills & knowledge we impart in-depth, sign up for our quick DevOps career counseling & demo class. Here are all that you will learn:

• DevOps & Linux Admin
• GIT & Maven
• Jenkins & Docker
• Ansible
• Kubernetes
• Nagios & AWS

Q3. What is covered in the beginner’s level of this course?
Ans- Our DevOps engineer training online progresses with the basis of the DevOps discipline. Our first week of DevOps engineer training online is considered beginner’s level. Wherein, the instructors will teach the theoretical concepts of DevOps as:

• What is DevOps, History of DevOps, Important terminology, and DevOps Tools
• DevOps main objectives, Infrastructure As A Code, and Prerequisites for DevOps
• DevOps and Software Development Life Cycle
• Continuous Integration and Deployment
• Containers and Virtual Development, Configuration Management Tools
• DevOps in cloud
• Essentials of Cloud computing?
• Cloud's role in DevOps Orchestration
• What is Linux, Need for Linux OS & History of Linux

Q4. What can I expect after the training program?
Ans- After completing our DevOps training online, you will achieve:

• Great competent skills & knowledge, all ready to be utilized during the certification exam of DevOps.
• Smart & well-calculated ways to proceed & absorb in the lucrative job markets.
• A DevOps Training Certification online for training completion, by a highly recognized name - JanBask Training - declaring a successful winding up of your learning-filled DevOps engineer training online for beginners to professionals. Our training completion certification gives you a great boost during interview calls. Our past DevOps trainees have experienced great recognition by hiring companies with our training completion DevOps Certificate Online, during the hiring process.

Q5. How do you help with the DevOps certification exam?

Ans- With DevOps certification training, the trainers at JanBask Training introduces you to the skills/concepts that are examined in the DevOps certification exam. Our team provides comprehensive & certifications focused learnings via virtual classroom sessions, and all-inclusive, versatile and fun-learning e-study tools like MCQs, eBooks, PPTs, real-time case studies, assignments & more - which are stored on our smart and intuitive e-learning management system - of which you can gain access right after enrolling for our training program. 

Q6. Do you help with resume building and interview preparation?

Ans- Yes, we help with drafting and reviewing your resume for the DevOps jobs too. Our trainers are from the direct working industry and they know what kind of resume/CV the recruiters hiring for DevOps role expects from the professionals. They know how resumes are needed to be built from scratch. You just share your briefs, info and they will explain to you how to frame your entire resume without any gaps or committing any mistakes.

Q7. How to maintain a growing career in DevOps?

Ans- Here are the following few ways how you can keep having an outright uplift in DevOps field:

• By learning new innovations, upgrades in DevOps techniques.
• By qualifying for multiple DevOps certification exams. The more DevOps certification exams you will take, the more you will have recruitment scope.
• By having effective and DevOps skill-related discussions with the online communities to get more exposure to this discipline in-depth.

Q8. What job roles can I look forward to after the course?

Ans- Here are the few rapidly growing industries demanding job roles in the DevOps field that you can aim for via our comprehensive DevOps course online - to achieve the DevOps certifications and see yourself growing big down the line in 2-6 years of your IT career run.

• Software Tester.
• Security Engineer.
• Application Developers.
• Integration Specialist.
• System Administrator.
• DevOps Engineer.
• System Architect.

Q9. What are the prerequisites for this course?

Ans- There are no prerequisites for joining our DevOps course. And, no need to have a core to any technical experience/background to take our DevOps training course.Any learner to professional with or without any technical experience/background can learn DevOps with ease. Since we cover everything around DevOps from basics to advanced, you won't have any problem in striking a chord with our DevOps training course.

Q10. Can I get a free demo class?

Ans- To accommodate you with a quick roadmap of our DevOps training program, we provide a free demo class. Our demo class aims to make you familiar with all the aspects that we cover in our DevOps training online journey. When you take our free DevOps course, online demo class:

• You get reasonable insights into why DevOps is a sought-after career field in today’s job market.
• You understand the teaching methods of our instructors who are real-time DevOps professionals with leading firms like Google & Microsoft.

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