•5 min
Jenkins CI Basics with Declarative Pipelines
Set up Jenkins, write a simple pipeline, and ship on every push.
Jenkins is a battle-tested CI server. It's self-hosted, plugin-rich, and excels when you need custom control.
Quick setup:
- Run Jenkins in Docker; map port 8080 and a persistent volume.
- Install suggested plugins, then add Pipeline and Git.
- Create a credential (SSH or token) for your repo.
A simple declarative pipeline has stages like Checkout → Build → Test → Deploy. You can cache dependencies, run in parallel, and post notifications.
When to pick Jenkins:
- You need freedom to run anything on your own hardware.
- You want custom agents with preinstalled tools.
Tips:
- Keep the Jenkinsfile near your code.
- Treat your Jenkins config as code (Job DSL/Configuration as Code).
- Lock down admin access and agent permissions.
With the basics in place, Jenkins can take you from "works on my machine" to a repeatable, trustworthy delivery flow.