🚀 My Jenkins Setup Journey: A Step-by-Step Guide 🚀

Introduction

Embarking on the journey of setting up Jenkins has been an enlightening experience, especially in the context of modern software development. Jenkins serves as a cornerstone for continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD), allowing teams to automate and streamline their workflows. In this blog, I’ll share the detailed steps I took to set up Jenkins on an AWS virtual machine, along with insights and best practices that can benefit anyone looking to enhance their development process.

Why Jenkins?

Jenkins is an open-source automation server that facilitates the automation of building, testing, and deploying applications. Its extensibility through plugins and its vibrant community make it a popular choice among developers and DevOps teams alike. By setting up Jenkins, I aimed to:

• Automate repetitive tasks to reduce manual errors.

• Streamline the build and deployment process.

• Enhance collaboration within the development team.

Step 1: Create a Virtual Machine on AWS

To begin my Jenkins setup, I needed a dedicated environment where Jenkins could run without interference from other applications.

1. Log into the AWS Management Console: After logging in, I navigated to the EC2 dashboard.

2. Launch an Instance:

   • I selected an Amazon Machine Image (AMI), choosing Ubuntu Server for its lightweight nature and community support.

   • I opted for the t2.micro instance type, suitable for testing and small projects.

3. Configure Security Groups:

   • I ensured that my security group allowed inbound traffic on port 8080 (the default port for Jenkins) to facilitate web access.

4. Launch the Instance: After reviewing the configuration, I launched the instance and generated a key pair for secure SSH access.

Step 2: SSH into the VM

After launching the instance, I needed to access it securely.

• Open Terminal (Linux/Mac) or Command Prompt (Windows):

  • Using the following command, I SSH-ed into my instance:

    bashCopy codessh -i "your-key.pem" ubuntu@your-ec2-public-dns

• Verify Connection: Successfully logging in indicated that I could manage the VM remotely.

Step 3: Install Jenkins

With access secured, I proceeded to install Jenkins.

1. Update Packages:

   • To ensure all dependencies were up to date, I ran:

    bashCopy codesudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

2. Install Java (JDK):

   • Jenkins requires Java to run, so I installed it with:

    bashCopy codesudo apt install openjdk-11-jdk -y

3. Add Jenkins Repository:

   • I followed these commands to add the Jenkins repository to my system:

    bashCopy codewget -q -O - https://pkg.jenkins.io/debian/jenkins.io.key.asc | sudo apt-key add -
    echo deb http://pkg.jenkins.io/debian-stable binary/ | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/jenkins.list

4. Install Jenkins:

   • After updating the package list, I installed Jenkins with:

    bashCopy codesudo apt update
    sudo apt install jenkins -y

5. Start Jenkins:

   • Finally, I started the Jenkins service:

    bashCopy codesudo systemctl start jenkins

Step 4: Access the Jenkins Dashboard

With Jenkins installed, it was time to explore the interface.

1. Open a Web Browser:

   • I navigated to http://your-ec2-public-dns:8080.

2. Unlock Jenkins:

   • To access the dashboard, I needed to retrieve the initial admin password using the following command:

    bashCopy codesudo cat /var/lib/jenkins/secrets/initialAdminPassword

3. Log In:

   • Using the password, I logged into Jenkins for the first time, greeted by a setup wizard guiding me through the initial configuration.

Step 5: Configure Jenkins

Customizing Jenkins to suit my project’s needs was a crucial step.

1. Set Up Administrator User:

   • The setup wizard prompted me to create an admin user, enhancing security.

2. Configure Security Settings:

   • I enabled security features and set up user roles for better access control, ensuring that sensitive operations were protected.

Step 6: Install Plugins

One of Jenkins' strengths is its extensive plugin ecosystem, allowing for enhanced functionality.

1. Plugin Manager:

   • I navigated to Manage Jenkins > Manage Plugins.

2. Essential Plugins:

   • I searched for and installed key plugins, including:

     • Git Plugin: For version control integration.

     • Pipeline Plugin: To facilitate the creation of complex CI/CD pipelines.

     • Blue Ocean: For a modern user interface that simplifies pipeline visualization.

Step 7: Set Up Global Tool Configuration

Consistency across build environments is essential.

1. Manage Global Tools:

   • I navigated to Manage Jenkins > Global Tool Configuration.

   • I configured tools such as:

     • JDK: Specifying the version of Java needed for builds.

     • Maven: Setting up Maven for managing dependencies and building projects.

Step 8: Configure System Settings

Optimizing Jenkins for performance and resource management is critical.

1. Executor Settings:

   • I adjusted the number of executors based on my instance’s available resources, allowing multiple builds to run concurrently.

2. Environment Variables:

   • I defined environment variables necessary for my builds, ensuring that all jobs had access to the right configurations.

Step 9: Manage Nodes

To distribute build tasks efficiently, I managed Jenkins nodes.

1. Add Agent Nodes:

   • If needed, I could add additional agent nodes for distributed builds by going to Manage Jenkins > Manage Nodes and Clouds.

Step 10: Create Freestyle Jobs

Setting up my first job was an exciting milestone.

1. New Item:

   • From the Jenkins dashboard, I clicked on New Item.

   • I entered a name and selected Freestyle project.

2. Job Configuration:

   • Under Source Code Management, I selected Git and entered my repository URL.

   • I configured build triggers, such as polling the SCM for changes.

3. Build Steps:

   • I defined the build steps, using shell commands to compile and package my application.

4. Save and Build:

   • After saving the configuration, I initiated a build by clicking Build Now, and I was thrilled to see my first automated job in action!

Conclusion

Setting up Jenkins on an AWS VM has been a rewarding experience, significantly improving my development workflow. By automating tasks, I’ve reduced manual errors and enhanced collaboration within my team. The user-friendly interface, combined with extensive plugin support, makes Jenkins an invaluable tool in any developer’s arsenal.

Future Enhancements

1. Transition to Pipeline as Code: I plan to implement Jenkins Pipeline (Jenkinsfile) for a more robust CI/CD workflow.

2. Integrate Automated Testing: Adding automated testing tools like Selenium and JUnit will further enhance my pipeline.

3. Configure Notifications: Setting up notifications through email or Slack will keep the team informed about build statuses.

4. Implement Backups: A strategy for backing up Jenkins configurations and job data will safeguard against data loss.

5. Monitoring Solutions: Integrating tools like Prometheus will help monitor Jenkins performance and health.

Resources

• Jenkins Official Documentation

• AWS EC2 Documentation

• Jenkins Plugins

• Continuous Integration Best Practices

Thank yu !!