Hello there! In this tutorial, we will understand Jenkins stages and different steps.
1. Overview of Jenkins
Jenkins is a game-changing open-source automation server that makes the lives of developers easier. It allows developers to automate parts of the software development process such as building, testing and deploying code, so they can quickly catch bugs and issues early on. What’s more, with a vast range of plugins available, Jenkins can easily integrate with other tools and services, extending its functionality even further. This tool is accessible to developers of all levels, thanks to its user-friendly web-based interface and easy installation process.
1.1 Key features
Jenkins has an impressive set of features, making it a must-have tool for any development project. Here are just a few of its key features:
- Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD): Jenkins enables developers to quickly and continuously build and test their code changes, allowing for faster feedback and more efficient collaboration.
- Distributed Builds: Jenkins can distribute build tasks across multiple machines, improving performance and reducing build times.
- Plugin Support: Jenkins has a large number of plugins available that can extend its functionality to perform a wide range of tasks, including integrating with other tools and services.
- Extensibility: Jenkins is highly extensible and can be customized to meet the needs of individual teams, making it adaptable to a wide range of use cases and scenarios.
- Easy Installation: Jenkins can be easily installed on any platform and can be set up quickly and easily.
- Web-based Interface: Jenkins provides a user-friendly web-based interface that makes it easy to manage jobs and monitor build results.
- Pipeline Support: Jenkins has powerful pipeline support that allows developers to define complex workflows and dependencies, streamlining the development process.
- Automation: Jenkins can automate many tasks involved in the software development process, from building and testing to deployment and monitoring, freeing up valuable time for developers.
- Scalability: Jenkins is highly scalable and can be used to manage large and complex software projects, so it grows with your business.
- Open-source: Jenkins is open-source software, which means that it is free to use and can be modified and customized by anyone with programming knowledge, making it highly versatile.
1.2 Overview of Jenkins stages
Jenkins is a popular open-source automation tool used in software development to automate the building, testing, and deployment of software applications. It offers a variety of features, including the ability to define stages, which are a series of steps that are executed sequentially to perform a specific task or achieve a particular goal.
1.2.1 Different stages in Jenkins
Here’s an overview of Jenkins’s stages.
| Stage name | Description |
| Checkout | The first stage in Jenkins is usually the checkout stage, where the source code of the application is checked out from a version control system like Git, Subversion, or Mercurial. |
| Build | The build stage is where the application is compiled and built from the source code. This stage includes tasks such as compiling source code, running tests, and generating artifacts. |
| Test | The test stage is where the built application is tested thoroughly using automated test suites to ensure its quality and reliability. This stage includes various types of tests such as unit tests, integration tests, and acceptance tests. |
| Deploy | The deploy stage is where the built and tested application is deployed to a specific environment, such as a development, staging, or production environment. This stage involves tasks such as configuring the environment, deploying the application, and verifying that the deployment was successful. |
| Post-Deploy | The post-deploy stage is where additional tasks are performed after the application has been deployed, such as running smoke tests, verifying that the application is running correctly, and sending notifications about the deployment status. |
Jenkins also allows you to define custom stages based on your specific requirements, allowing you to create a pipeline that suits your needs. The pipeline view in Jenkins provides an intuitive and visual representation of the pipeline stages and their status, making it easy to track the progress of your automation tasks.
1.2.2 Advantages of Jenkins stages
- Jenkins stages provide a clear and structured view of the steps involved in the software development process.
- The stages allow you to automate the entire software development process, from building to deployment and testing, saving time and effort.
- Jenkins stages provide a visual representation of the pipeline, making it easy to track the progress of automation tasks and identify issues in the process.
- Jenkins stages are flexible and customizable, allowing you to define custom stages based on your specific requirements.
- By breaking down the software development process into stages, you can catch errors and issues early on, reducing the cost of fixing them later.
1.2.3 Disadvantages of Jenkins stages
- Setting up and configuring Jenkins stages can be complex and time-consuming, especially for large projects.
- Debugging errors in the pipeline can be challenging, and it may be difficult to identify where the issue occurred.
- If the pipeline is not set up correctly, it can cause delays and issues in the software development process.
- Creating and maintaining the pipeline requires ongoing effort and may need to be updated regularly to keep up with changes in the software development process.
- The use of Jenkins stages may require specialized skills, such as knowledge of Jenkins and scripting languages like Groovy.
1.2.4 Example
Here’s an example of a Declarative Jenkinsfile that uses different stages:
Example Declarative Jenkinsfile
pipeline {
agent any
stages {
stage('Checkout') {
steps {
checkout scm
}
}
stage('Build') {
steps {
sh 'mvn clean package'
}
}
stage('Test') {
steps {
sh 'mvn test'
}
}
stage('Deploy to Development') {
when {
branch 'develop'
}
steps {
sh 'deploy_to_development.sh'
}
}
stage('Deploy to Production') {
when {
branch 'master'
}
steps {
sh 'deploy_to_production.sh'
}
}
}
}
In this example, we have defined five different stages:
- Checkout – this stage checks out the source code from the version control system.
- Build – this stage compiles and packages the source code using Maven.
- Test – this stage runs automated tests to ensure that the application is working as expected.
- Deploy to Development – this stage deploys the application to a development environment when the code is pushed to the develop branch.
- Deploy to Production – this stage deploys the application to a production environment when the code is pushed to the master branch.
Note that we have used the when directive to conditionally execute the deployment stages based on the branch being pushed to. This is a powerful feature of Jenkins that allows us to automate the software development process based on certain conditions. That is all for this tutorial and I hope the article served you with whatever you were looking for. Happy Learning and do not forget to share!
2. Summary
In conclusion, Jenkins stages are an essential feature of the Jenkins pipeline that provides a structured and automated approach to software development. By breaking down the software development process into stages, Jenkins makes it easier to manage and track the progress of automation tasks, catch errors early on, and save time and effort in the software development process.
Using Jenkins stages, you can automate the entire software development process, from building to deployment and testing. This makes the software development process more efficient and consistent, leading to better-quality software products. Jenkins stages are flexible and customizable, allowing you to define custom stages based on your specific requirements.
However, setting up and configuring Jenkins stages can be complex and time-consuming, especially for large projects. Debugging errors in the pipeline can be challenging, and it may be difficult to identify where the issue occurred. Creating and maintaining the pipeline requires ongoing effort and may need to be updated regularly to keep up with changes in the software development process. Despite these challenges, the benefits of using Jenkins stages outweigh the drawbacks, making it a popular choice for software development teams of all sizes. You can download the sample file from the Downloads section.
3. Download the Project
This was a tutorial on stages in Jenkins.
You can download the files used in this example here: Jenkins stages and steps
