Definition Jenkins is an open-source automation server used to automate parts of software development processes such as continuous integration (CI) and continuous delivery (CD).
Overview Jenkins enables developers to implement automated builds, tests, and deployments to streamline software development workflows. It supports a wide range of plugins (over 1,800 as of recent data), allowing integration with various tools and platforms, including version control systems like Git, build tools like Maven, and cloud platforms such as AWS and Kubernetes. By monitoring changes in source code repositories, Jenkins triggers automated workflows that can compile code, run tests, and report results, thus facilitating rapid and reliable software delivery.
Originally started as Hudson in 2004 by Kohsuke Kawaguchi while working at Sun Microsystems, the project was forked in 2011 and renamed Jenkins due to trademark disputes. Since then, Jenkins has been developed and maintained under the governance of the Eclipse Foundation and the Jenkins community. It is written in Java and runs on any platform with a compatible Java Runtime Environment (JRE).
Etymology/Origin The name "Jenkins" was chosen following the 2011 fork of the Hudson project. The original name "Hudson" was a trademark owned by Oracle Corporation, which led to the need for a new name. The new name, "Jenkins," was selected through a community vote. It does not refer to a specific person or concept but was a popular choice among contributors.
Characteristics
- Open-source: Jenkins is freely available under the MIT License.
- Extensible: Its plugin architecture allows integration with numerous development, testing, and deployment tools.
- Distributed Builds: Supports execution of build jobs across multiple machines, enabling scalability and environment diversity.
- Web-based Interface: Provides a graphical user interface for configuration and monitoring of jobs.
- Scriptable Pipelines: Supports defining CI/CD workflows as code using Jenkinsfile, promoting version-controlled automation.
- Community-Driven: Maintained by a large community of contributors and supported by continuous updates and plugin development.
Related Topics
- Continuous Integration (CI)
- Continuous Delivery (CD)
- DevOps
- Hudson (software)
- Apache Maven
- Git (version control system)
- Docker
- Kubernetes
- Jenkinsfile
- Eclipse Foundation