How Industries are using Jenkins for Continuous Integration(CI) /Continuous deployment(CD)?

Greetings and best wishes for an insightful read😇 ,

Hope this blog finds you great and healthy !!😊

Lets begin with brief introduction about me…..

Hi, This is Ankit Shukla and I am working as SDET Automation Engineer in Regulatory Reporting Domain. In this article we will discuss about how industries are using Jenkins for Continuous Integration and Continuous Development , Continuous Testing, Continuous Deployment.

Before going deep dive into Jenkins let me brief you about few terminologies that will help you to keep shine while reading -

What is DevOps?

DevOps is a set of practices that combine Software Development(Dev) and IT operations(Ops).Under the DevOps model Development and Operation teams work together across the entire software application life cycle, from development and test through deployment to operations.

Operation Team :

IT ops is the management of operations related to the development, maintenance and support of IT systems. This includes activities such as monitoring and management of networks and servers, system upgrades, patches and security updates, user account maintenance and service desk support.

Lets take an example :-

Suppose you have a requirement to develop a website/webApp for your company (Idea or new feature) that you documented and delivered to development team after development done …you need to deploy into server from where your client can access it. In between this Lots of processes occurs testing, development, deployment etc.

Which can be manual or automated . In DevOps methodology we use Automated way to developed, test and deployment. To Automate these processes we have plenty of tools available.

Key Terms :

Pipeline : A complete process of software application life cycle from dev to production is known as pipeline.

Deployment : Putting the code or webApp on the top of any System/server are known as deployment or deploy or run.

Production Server : The Server or a System where you put you entire code and where from your customers or public can access webApp or application those system or servers are known as Production Servers or PROD servers.

Production Environment : This kind of setup where we put code and run etc are known as Production environment.

Release : Whatever final code has been created ,that can be provided to or serve to public. Or whenever we serve any code to customers mostly they are known as releases.

Time-To-Market(TTM) : How quickly your idea reach to the customers? that only decide how your business grow or down how much time it gonna take you or your company to release the code.

In order to Automate the Various Stages of your deployment Pipeline ,It required multiple tools like below (In between above picture ):

Version Control System : Such as Git to stage your code

Continuous Integration Tool : Such as Jenkins, Team city, Bamboo

Test Frameworks : Junit, TestNG, Selenium etc.

Artifactory : To store binary files(compiled code or build) tools like maven ,Jfrog.

Configuration Management tool : Ansible, Puppet, Chef etc.

Task and defect Management : Tools like JIRA ,ALM etc.

Frequent Feedback from all : email notification , Slack, etc.

Infrastructure As a code:- Terraform

And that not all, you will also need a single tool that can bring all these above tools together to achieve CI/CD goals which is to automate software Delivery.

CI/CD Tools : Atlassian Bamboo, Bitbucket Pipeline, AWS Code Pipeline, Azure Pipeline, Circle CI, ClodBees core, Github Actions, GitLab CI/CD (Free), Google Cloud Build, Jenkins (free) ,Travis CI

We gives Instructions to computer to do things between 1 and 2 . Two Ways :

Manual : download code → Upload →fetch →push →…..etc = 20 min suppose

Automated way : download code → Upload →fetch →push →…..etc. = 20 Sec

we want to automate all the process between 1 and 2 here the role CI CD come into play. like, Continuous Delivery ,Cont. Building, Cont. Deployment, Cont. Testing, Cont. Monitoring etc.

Deep Dive into CI/CD will be soon into another blog…. 😊

Jenkins is a widely used automation server, and its popularity stems from several essential needs it fulfills in the software development and IT operations domains. Here are some key reasons why Jenkins is crucial:

Continuous Integration (CI) :

Jenkins plays a vital role in enabling continuous integration, where code changes are frequently integrated into a shared repository. Jenkins automatically triggers builds and tests whenever new code is committed, helping identify issues early and ensuring that the software remains in a continuously testable state.

Continuous Delivery (CD) :

Jenkins facilitates continuous delivery, allowing teams to deploy code to production environments quickly and reliably. CD pipelines in Jenkins automate the process of building, testing, and deploying applications, streamlining the release process and reducing the risk of manual errors.

Automation of Repetitive Tasks :

Jenkins automates routine and repetitive tasks such as code compilation, unit testing, packaging, and deployment. This automation saves time and reduces the burden on development and operations teams, allowing them to focus on more critical tasks.

Multi-Platform Support :

Jenkins supports a wide range of platforms and technologies, making it versatile and applicable to various software development environments. It can build and test projects written in different programming languages and deployed on diverse platforms.

Scalability :

With its master-slave architecture, Jenkins can distribute workloads across multiple nodes (agents), allowing scalable and parallel execution of builds and tests. This scalability is essential for handling large and complex software projects.

Integration with Tools and Services :

Jenkins has an extensive plugin ecosystem that enables seamless integration with other development and DevOps tools, version control systems, cloud platforms, and more. This integration fosters collaboration and promotes best practices.

Version Control Integration :

Jenkins integrates smoothly with popular version control systems like Git, Subversion, Mercurial, and more. It automatically triggers builds based on code commits and branches, ensuring that the latest code is continuously tested.

Centralized Configuration :

Jenkins provides a central dashboard for managing jobs, builds, and configurations. This centralized approach allows teams to maintain a consistent and standardized build and deployment process across projects.

Flexibility and Customization :

Jenkins offers flexible scripting capabilities through Groovy-based DSL or Declarative Pipeline syntax. This flexibility enables teams to create custom workflows and tailor CI/CD pipelines to suit their specific requirements.

Open Source Community :

Being an open-source project, Jenkins benefits from a large and active community of developers and contributors. The community continuously enhances Jenkins with new features, bug fixes, and updates, ensuring its relevance and robustness.

Jenkins, an open-source automation server, is widely used across various industries to automate and streamline their software development and delivery processes. Below are some industry-specific use cases of Jenkins:

Software Development :

In the software development industry, Jenkins is a popular choice for continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines. Jenkins automates the build, test, and deployment processes, ensuring that developers can integrate their code changes regularly, identify issues early, and deliver reliable software updates faster.

IT Operations :

Jenkins is extensively used in IT operations to automate routine tasks and system maintenance. IT teams can create Jenkins jobs to handle tasks like server provisioning, configuration management, and software installations, reducing manual efforts and increasing efficiency.

E-commerce :

In the e-commerce industry, Jenkins can be employed to automate the deployment of online stores and manage updates for e-commerce applications. By automating the deployment process, businesses can quickly release new features, improve user experiences, and respond to market demands faster.

Finance :

In the finance sector, Jenkins plays a vital role in automating the deployment of financial applications and running continuous tests to ensure that the software adheres to regulatory requirements. It helps financial institutions maintain compliance, security, and reliability.

Healthcare :

In the healthcare industry, Jenkins can be utilized to automate the deployment of healthcare software applications and manage updates to electronic health records (EHR) systems. By automating these processes, healthcare providers can improve patient care and data security.

Gaming :

In the gaming industry, Jenkins is used to automate the build and testing of video game releases. It helps gaming companies to ensure the quality and stability of their games before deployment, resulting in a better gaming experience for users.

Telecommunications :

In the telecommunications sector, Jenkins is used for automating network device configurations, testing communication protocols, and monitoring network performance. This automation allows telecommunications companies to efficiently manage their network infrastructure and deliver reliable services.

Education :

In the education industry, Jenkins can be utilized for automating the deployment of e-learning platforms, managing updates to educational software, and running tests for educational applications. This automation streamlines the process of delivering educational content to students and educators.

Automotive :

In the automotive industry, Jenkins is employed for automating the build and testing of software for in-car systems, infotainment platforms, and connected car services. This automation ensures that automotive software is robust and meets industry safety standards.

Media and Entertainment :

In the media and entertainment sector, Jenkins is used to automate content delivery systems, video transcoding, and media processing pipelines. This automation enables media companies to deliver content to audiences efficiently and on various platforms.

Thanks for Reading this blog it makes me feel motivated and inspire.

Your Presence till end is valuable …..

Best wishes for your future endeavor 🎁