How to Install and Configure Jenkins on Ubuntu for Continuous Integration

How to Install and Configure Jenkins on Ubuntu for Continuous Integration

Jenkins is a powerful open-source tool for automating the software development process. By using Jenkins, you can set up a continuous integration (CI) pipeline that automatically builds, tests, and deploys your code. This guide will show you how to install and configure Jenkins on Ubuntu, so you can start automating your development workflow.

Prerequisites

• An Ubuntu server with a non-root user with sudo privileges.
• OpenJDK 8 installed on your server.

Step 1: Install Jenkins

First, you need to add the Jenkins repository to your system. To do this, run the following commands:

wget -q -O - https://pkg.jenkins.io/debian/jenkins.io.key | sudo apt-key add -
sudo sh -c 'echo deb http://pkg.jenkins.io/debian-stable binary/ > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/jenkins.list'

Next, update the package lists and install Jenkins:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install jenkins

Step 2: Start and Enable Jenkins

Once Jenkins is installed, you need to start the service and enable it to start on boot:

sudo systemctl start jenkins
sudo systemctl enable jenkins

Step 3: Configure Jenkins

Now that Jenkins is running, you need to configure it. Open your web browser and navigate to http://your_server_ip:8080. You will be prompted to enter the administrator password, which you can find in the following file:

sudo cat /var/lib/jenkins/secrets/initialAdminPassword

After you enter the password, you will be asked to install the recommended plugins. It is recommended that you install these plugins, as they will provide you with the basic functionality you need to get started with Jenkins.

Step 4: Create Your First Jenkins Job

Once you have installed the recommended plugins, you can create your first Jenkins job. A job is a set of instructions that tells Jenkins how to build, test, and deploy your code. To create a new job, click on the “New Item” link in the Jenkins dashboard.

You will be prompted to enter a name for your job and select the type of job you want to create. For this example, we will create a “Freestyle project.”

In the configuration page for your job, you can specify the source code repository for your project, the build triggers, and the build steps. For example, you can configure your job to automatically build your code whenever you push a change to your Git repository.

Benefits of Using Jenkins for Continuous Integration

• Automation: Jenkins automates the software development process, which can save you a lot of time and effort.
• Improved code quality: Jenkins can help you to improve the quality of your code by automatically running tests and providing you with feedback on your code.
• Faster delivery: Jenkins can help you to deliver your software faster by automating the build, test, and deployment process.

By following the steps in this guide, you can install and configure Jenkins on Ubuntu and start automating your software development workflow. This will help you to improve the quality of your code, deliver your software faster, and save time and effort.