kamran sharief Many organizations now utilize Jenkins automation to constantly build and test their application development projects as part of their CI/CD pipeline. However, Jenkins is one of the most asked questions in the web automation field.
Jenkins, in brief, is a simple, Java-based, open-source, and plugin-rich continuous integration (CI) and continuous development (CD) tool offering robust capabilities for automating complex DevOps workflows to facilitate and optimize builds in the development life cycle. It is a versatile automation server capable of handling activities ranging from the initial build to the final deployment.
This article will explain what is Jenkins and how it works, its advantages, why testers should use Jenkins automation for agile application development, and complex DevOps workflows, and how it helps in optimizing builds. So let us start.
Table of Contents
What is Jenkins
Jenkins is an open-source Java-based DevOps tool for continuous integration/continuous delivery and deployment (CI/CD) automation that is used to create pipelines for CI/CD processes.
CI/CD pipelines automate and report on isolated changes in a larger codebase in real-time. They also make it easier to integrate several branches of code into a single main branch. Pipelines quickly discover errors in a codebase, create the application, automate build testing, prepare the codebase for deployment and delivery, and finally employ code to containers, virtual machines (VMs), bare-metal, and cloud servers.
In short, it provides an advanced toolbox for automating building, testing, and code deployment, allowing the application to be updated often with minimum manual effort.
Jenkins pipeline
Once Jenkins is installed, the DevOps team develops a pipeline, which is a sequence of steps that the Jenkins server will follow to complete the CI/CD activities. Jenkins pipelines are categorized into two types: Scripted and declarative. A scripted pipeline allows developers more control over the script, allowing for the incorporation of new code into a pipeline at any moment to update and modify tasks. Declarative pipelines are more rigid than scripted pipelines since they use predefined constructs to make scripting simpler.
The contents of both declarative and scripting pipelines are saved as plain text Jenkins files. A Jenkinsfile is a text file that specifies a pipeline in the form of code, defining its purpose and how to configure it to meet the requirements for a specific test. The Jenkins server can read and run commands from a Jenkinsfile because of its Groovy-based syntax.
How Does Jenkins Work?
Jenkins uses a master-agent architecture, in which the master acts as the central control system while agents execute jobs. The general workflow of Jenkins consists of the following steps:
Configuration: Administrators install Jenkins on a server and define global configurations such as security settings, plugin installations, and system preferences.
Job Creation: Testers establish jobs in Jenkins that define the activities to be completed, such as source code management, build steps, tests, and deployment instructions.
Triggers: Jobs can be initiated in different kinds of methods, including schedule-based triggers, source code repository hooks, and manually using the Jenkins interface.
Execution: When a job is triggered, the master node sends it to an available agent using planned labels, guaranteeing the distribution of workloads and scalability.
Build and Testing: The agent retrieves the source code, runs tests, carries out the specified build steps, and creates build artifacts.
Deployment and Reporting: If the build and testing go successfully, Jenkins can automatically deploy the application to the desired environment. Jenkins also offers extensive reporting and logging capabilities to track the progress and results of every task.
Jenkins in CI/CD
This Jenkins streamlines the work of DevOps teams by utilizing the CI/CD pipeline technique. This pipeline consists of two main parts:
Continuous integration- During the early CI process, developers frequently add new code to improve application tasks. This continuous integration discovers errors and faults before adding new code to an existing codebase.
Continuous delivery and deployment- Continuous delivery occurs after CI. It automates code creation and packaging for deployment to test staging and production environments. Finally, continuous deployment automates the delivery procedures of the application by deploying code to its intended destination.
Automation minimizes the frequency of errors in Jenkins’ CI and CD since all the required steps and best practices are encoded into the applications. Jenkins defines the intended state, and the automation server guarantees that it happens.
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Advantages of Jenkins Automation Testing
The following is a list of benefits that DevOps teams may get from adopting Jenkins automated testing:
Small changes are easily handled: The smaller the change, the less willing a developer is to wait for a build. Automated testing can conduct the tests required for a minor change in seconds.
Easier test automation prioritization: QA teams no longer have to spend time prioritizing testing for a new feature or problem patch. Automated testing enables tests to be executed as soon as developers review their code.
Easier continuous delivery: Jenkins automatically tests and deploys application changes whenever they meet all of the stated criteria. This decreases human participation and minimizes the possibility of human error.
Faster regression testing: Automated testing is usually included in Jenkins’ continuous integration process, allowing regression tests to run fast after every application change. However, some of the most common regressions that require testing include functionality like login, search, and checkout. To find these regressions, testers can use various ways, including comparing the application’s output to expected results, running functional tests, and employing automation testing platforms like LambdaTest.
The platform seamlessly integrates with Jenkins, allowing for the automation of browser and application testing directly from the Jenkins pipeline. LambdaTest is an AI-powered test orchestration and execution platform that can conduct manual and automated tests at scale and ensure secure local testing with the Jenkins plugin. The platform enables real-time and automation testing across more than 3000 environments and real mobile devices and browsers.
Integrating Jenkins with LambdaTest can enhance the effectiveness and reliability of application testing processes. This combination is useful to automate complex DevOps workflow and conduct extensive tests across several environments without establishing an in-house infrastructure.
Other notable features of LambdaTest are cross-browser testing, responsive testing to test web applications across various browsers and devices, and real-time testing to perform live interactive testing of web applications. Furthermore, its accessibility testing, and visual regression testing empower testers to address readability, multimedia inclusivity, and navigation for diverse needs.
Testing is not intrusive:
Jenkins does not need developers to limit their access to test automation. QA teams can specify what they wish to automate, and Jenkins takes care of the rest.
Code coverage: Jenkins also accommodates unit testing. Automated tests can be conducted early in the development process to enable TDD (Test Driven Development). This guarantees that all new code is tested using automated test cases, allowing developers to build better code.
Faster QA feedback to the dev team: Developers can utilize Jenkins to execute automated tests on dedicated nodes. This allows them to obtain instant feedback on their modifications and identify any issues before checking in their code.
Ensuring quality application: Jenkins executes all types of automated tests, including unit and integration tests. This helps to identify flaws early in the development cycle that may otherwise cause difficulties later on when end-users use the application.
Test-scheduling: Jenkins features scheduling capabilities, which allow testers to arrange individual tests to run whenever they want. This is a more convenient and time-efficient plan of action.
Developer-focused: Jenkins was built for developers, so it offers functionality according to their requirements and performs as they expect. As a consequence, Jenkins allows developers to focus on bringing their innovations rather than on repeated, time-consuming testing approaches.
Open source: Jenkins is open source, thus it is available to everyone. The Jenkins community is also quite active, so there are many resources available for developers who have questions about how to get started with Jenkins or best practices for utilizing it.
Reports: The layout of the test results summary provides testers with a detailed view of the automated tests and how successfully they were completed. Testers can check out automated test patterns, such as failure points of previous builds, the time it takes to execute specific tests, and so on. Such information can significantly help testers enhance their pipelines.
Advanced technique to automate complex Jenkins workflows and optimize builds
This article provides a short overview of Jenkins’s recommended practices. Providing important methods for utilizing Jenkins efficiently.
Create Separate Jobs for Branches
Build separate tasks for each new maintenance or development branch, it can achieve simultaneous development and effective bug detection. This reduces risk and improves developer productivity. Individual tasks for various branches guarantee that modifications made in one branch do not affect the others.
Automate Test Distribution
Distributing tests evenly over several tasks or nodes can help minimize total execution time. To attain this, break the tests into smaller, relatively equal-sized units depending on their previous execution times. This strategy guarantees a balanced workload throughout the testing infrastructure.
Resource Collision Avoidance
Preventing resource conflicts between concurrent processes is critical for keeping a stable Jenkins environment. When many tasks require exclusive access to a resource, such as a database, assign distinct ports to each process to avoid conflicts. The Throttle Parallel Builds Plugin is a useful tool for managing locked resources.
Use Labels and Categories
Organize the Jenkins agents by labeling or categorizing them according to their capabilities. This allows testers to guarantee that jobs are run on the proper agents, using the necessary tools and settings. Labels allow them to efficiently allocate tasks and prevent resource conflict.
Consistent Naming for Clear Identification
Developing a standardized and descriptive naming convention is one of the most basic Jenkins best practices. This standard enables testers to quickly understand the purpose and role of every job. Using meaningful names without special characters improves readability and reduces misinterpretation.
Flexibility with Parameterized Builds
Implement parameterized builds to provide the Jenkins environment with more flexibility. This technique allows testers to specify variables when starting a build.
Parameterized builds add flexibility to the operations by allowing testers to customize version numbers, deployment environments, and other aspects. This method saves time by reducing the need for repeating tasks.
Integration with Source Code Management
Jenkins’s best practices recommend integrating the tasks with source code repositories like Git or SVN to provide smooth development workflows. This integration guarantees that the builds are automatically stimulated whenever there are updates to the repository. Syncing the source code with the build process ensures consistency and timely results.
Efficient Use of Jenkins Agents
Jenkins’s best practices rely on the effective use of Jenkins agents. Agents, also known as nodes, are critical components of the Jenkins environment’s task distribution and execution. Using these agents intelligently provides smooth integration, peak performance, and a streamlined development workflow.
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Conclusion
Needless to say, Jenkins remains one of the central tools in the DevOps environment and is at the core of modern application development, managing the pipeline for CI/CD processes. Jenkins’ versatility allows it to be integrated with a myriad of different tools and plugins, making it adaptable to almost any development environment. It also automates build, testing, and deployment phases, hence, besides minimizing human error, Jenkins speeds up and increases the efficiency of application delivery to a remarkable extent.
With the reality of DevOps continuously in a state of flux, further growth will come around the role of Jenkins, thereby solidifying this very niche within continuous integration and continuous deployment cycles. Jenkins offers a strong framework that greatly aids in the transformation and streamlining of developmental processes for teams looking to either improve upon or adopt DevOps practices.