Jenkins

Jenkins is an open source automation server that allows developers to reliably build, test, and deploy their software. It is a crucial tool in implementing continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines.

Jenkins integrates with source code repositories like GitHub and version control systems like Git to detect changes in code. When code changes are pushed to the repo, Jenkins automatically pulls the latest code and runs pre-defined scripts to build, test, and package the software. Tests results are communicated back to the developers along with logs and artifacts from the build. If all tests pass, Jenkins can automatically deploy the new code to staging or production environments. The automation ensures software is thoroughly tested and rapidly delivered with minimal human intervention.

Jenkins is highly extensible via its plugin architecture. Over 1000 plugins allow it to integrate with practically any tool in the CI/CD pipeline. For example, plugins are available for code quality checks, security scanning, notifications, and cloud services. Jenkins is used across a wide range of industries and can handle projects written in any language. Its flexibility and active community make it a staple in devops toolchains.