book

Jenkins Administrator's Guide

by Calvin Sangbin Park, Lalit Adithya, Sam Gleske

December 2021

Intermediate to advanced

436 pages

10h 12m

English

Packt Publishing

Read now

Unlock full access

ContributorsAbout the authorsAbout the reviewers
Who this book is forWhat this book coversTo get the most out of this bookDownload the example code filesDownload the color imagesConventions usedGet in touchReviews
Technical requirementsWhy Jenkins?Searching for answers online with Jenkins keywordsUnderstanding the Jenkins architectureControllerDomain name, TLS/HTTPS, load balancer, and reverse proxyAgentsBringing it all togetherAWS: FAQs, routing rules, EC2 instances, and EIPsEC2 instance types and sizesRegions and Availability ZonesRouting rulesEC2 instances and EIPsInstalling Docker on our VMsAcquiring domain names and TLS/SSL certificatesDomain namesTLS/SSL certificatesStorage concernsIOPS benchmarks using fioEC2 and EBSThe IT VM's diskNFS/SANPhysical disksReviewSummary
Technical requirementsRunning a Jenkins controller with Docker on HTTPSCustom image to match the UID/GID for a bind mountRunning JenkinsReverse proxy and TLS/SSL termination optionsTLS termination at the reverse proxyTerminating the TLS certificate directly on the Jenkins controllerInstalling plugins and configuring JenkinsInstalling more pluginsConfigure SystemConfigure Global SecurityConfigure Global CredentialsInstalling even more pluginsAttaching SSH and inbound agentsSSH agentInbound agentLabels and UsageCreating a secure Docker CloudGenerating a CA, server certificates, and client certificatesStoring the certificatesConfiguring the Docker serviceConfiguring JenkinsSummary
Technical requirementsProject overviewCreating two sets of projects and users in JenkinsCreating a static pipeline for build and unit testsDisplaying test results and a code coverage reportCreating a premerge CI pipeline with GitHub PR hooksGitHub personal access tokenGitHub Pull Request Builder System ConfigurationConfiguring the premerge triggerTesting the premerge triggerBuilding the PR branchBuilding an arbitrary branchRequiring a successful build for a mergeSummary
Technical requirementsProject overviewPackaging the Docker image and running integration testsVersioning Git and Docker using Semantic VersioningUsing more Jenkinsfile features with DooD and bare-metal agentsagent none, buildDiscarder options, and credentials in environment variablesUsing a custom Dockerfile for a dockerfile agent and running Groovy code in a script blockDocker-outside-of-Docker in JenkinsVariable handling, Docker Hub login, and docker pushBare-metal agents, Groovy language features, and alternate ways to run Docker and handle credentialspostSaving the files, making a PR, and mergingCreating a static pipeline for packaging, integration tests, and deliveryCreating a postmerge CD pipeline with a GitHub webhook and pollingConfiguring the postmerge triggerTesting the postmerge triggerSummary
Technical requirementsLogging in to AWSNavigating the AWS consoleImportant notesEC2 instances and EIPsStep 1 – Create an SSH key pairStep 2 – Create a security groupStep 3 – Create an EC2 instanceStep 4 – Create and attach an EIPLet's EncryptManual verificationAutomated verification for AWS Route 53Setting up an application ELB for the AWS Jenkins controllerStep 1 – Create a TLS certificate in AWS Certificate ManagerStep 2 – Create a security groupStep 3 – Create an ALBOther DNS providersSummary
Technical requirementsDownloading and understanding the current configurationUser passwords aren't codifiedSecrets aren't portableMost entries are auto-generated defaultsConverting controller configuration to JCasCConverting agent configuration to JCasCConverting Docker cloud configuration to JCasCConverting the pipeline configurations to JCasCRedeploying Jenkins using JCasCReverting back to the original JenkinsRetrospectiveAdvanced: CasC Plugin – Groovy Scripting ExtensionSummary
Technical requirementsA small change for testing backup and restoreBackup strategiesSnapshotting the entire disk as an imageSaving the directory content as filesBacking up a large Jenkins instanceDeciding which files to back up and at what frequencyDirectories for live backupBacking up and restoring with the ThinBackup pluginMoving the backup archives out of the diskExperimenting with ThinBackupRestoring a backup using ThinBackupConfiguring ThinBackupDisaster recovery from a user mistakeDisasterRecoveryDisaster recovery from an infrastructure failureSummary
Technical requirementsUnderstanding the challenges of plugin version managementUpgrading to the next immediate LTS version of JenkinsUpgrading while skipping many versions of LTS releasesPitfalls of preinstalling failed pluginsUpgrade strategiesUpgrade strategy for a small- to medium-scale Jenkins instanceUpgrade strategy for a large-scale Jenkins instanceUpgrading plugins using Plugin ManagerUpgrading the controllerAnnouncing the upgrade plans to the usersBuilding a new controller imagePre-upgrade checklistFinally, the actual upgradeSummary

Technical requirementsRecommendations for hosting Jenkins to avoid bottlenecksGeneral server recommendationsHow to keep Jenkins memory footprint lightMemory and garbage collection tuningPeriodic triggers versus webhook triggers297Tracking operational costs in the cloudQuick performance improvements in an existing Jenkins instanceGitHub Pull Request Builder plugin boot optimizationFrontpage load delay due to the "weather" health displayPipeline speed/durability settingsImproving Jenkins uptime and long-term healthWhat is a periodic maintenance job and how do you create one?Terminating long-running pipelinesReleasing stale locks in lockable resources from force killing buildsLog cleanup for beginnersLog cleanup for multibranch pipeline job typesAvoiding and reducing the use of echo stepCPU bottleneck: NonCPS versus CPS pipeline as codePre-compiling all NonCPS code as an external jarIncluding a NonCPS library as a pluginController bottlenecks created by an agentDefining agent and controller interaction bottlenecksAgent booting start up bottleneckStashing and archiving artifactsStoring controller and agent logs in CloudWatchPipeline Logging over CloudWatch pluginController logging over CloudWatchAWS IAM roles for controller and agent CloudWatch loggingOther ways to reduce agent log outputStrategy – Writing logs to the agent diskDrawbacks: Writing logs to the agent diskSummary
Technical requirementsUnderstanding the directory structureCreating a shared libraryProviding shared librariesFolder-level shared librariesGlobal shared librariesUsing shared librariesStatic loadingDynamic loadingUse casesCode reuse via global variables – Pre-formatted Slack messagesAdvanced – Custom DSLSummary
Technical requirementsAdministrator versus non-administratorOutside the Groovy sandboxDirect pipelineGlobal shared libraryInside the Groovy sandboxApprove assuming permission checkIdentity crisis – everyone is a SYSTEM user380 Where the SYSTEM user can do thingsWhat the SYSTEM user can do everywhereUnderstanding why the Authorize Project plugin is neededConfiguring the Authorize Project pluginThoughts on disabling Script SecuritySummary

Overview

Jenkins Administrator's Guide is your comprehensive resource for mastering Jenkins in production-grade environments. Through this book, you will learn to set up, manage, and scale Jenkins instances, create effective CI/CD pipelines, and apply optimized administration practices.

What this Book will help me do

Set up production-grade Jenkins servers on AWS and on-premises.
Implement robust CI/CD pipelines integrating GitHub and Docker Hub.
Master Jenkins Configuration as Code to codify infrastructure setups.
Learn disaster recovery, backups, and upgrading techniques for Jenkins.
Scale Jenkins for large and complex infrastructure environments.

Author(s)

Calvin Sangbin Park, Adithya, and Sam Gleske bring years of experience in deploying and managing Jenkins servers across varied environments. Their collective knowledge ensures readers receive expert guidance in handling real-world Jenkins deployments.

Who is it for?

This book is designed for Jenkins administrators and CI/CD practitioners. Beginners starting their Jenkins journey will find step-by-step instructions invaluable, while seasoned professionals will deepen their expertise with advanced techniques. Whether you manage small or large-scale Jenkins setups, this book guides you in mastering Jenkins workflows effectively.