Developers have long been writing code and bringing individual code into a central repository on a continuous basis. But the problem with this traditional approach is that code commits are hardly ever consistent. With teams spread across different geographical locations, across different time zones, different amounts of code are sent into the repository at different times. The end result? Issues with integration and testing are far too many – which invariably lead to missed deadlines and overshooting budgets.
Since there is no way for developers to check for errors and no scope for iterative development, the overall delivery process is very slow.
Fast forward to today, and CI/CD tools like Jenkins make it easy for teams to continuously develop, test, and deploy code commits quickly and seamlessly.
Read on to learn more about the world of CI/CD and uncover the top reasons why we, as a team, unequivocally love Jenkins!
The world of CI/CD
Gone are the days when developers had to individually write code and wait for the entire product to be developed before they can test and deploy. The world of CI/CD empowers teams to develop and test on a continuous basis while also working on new features or changes – without having to wait for each developer to commit their code to a central repository. With CI/CD, teams can go a step further; since code is automatically pulled whenever there is a commit made, they can ensure the source code is built continuously. CI/CD allows teams to
- Continuously develop, test, and deploy their code and ensure feature updates and changes are delivered immediately
- Enable code to be developed in small iterations, leading to shorter mean time to resolve issues
- Isolate faults early in the lifecycle and resolve them before they impact the overall functioning of the product
- Make code changes with confidence and limit the occurrence of unexpected consequences
- Improve the quality of the product through fast code changes and fast turn-around on feature changes.
Why we love Jenkins
As one of the most popular CI/CD tools, Jenkins offers everything teams need to set the stage for continuous development and testing.
Here are 7 reasons that make Jenkins a winner:
- Ease of use: One of the primary reasons why we absolutely love Jenkins is its easy installation and ease of use. Irrespective of how experienced or inexperienced a developer is, Jenkins’ simple yet sleek Java-based UI makes it easy for everyone to work their way around. The intuitive interface means the tool quickly adapts to your unique needs, so you can meet all your code requirements with ease.
- Platform and language-agnostic: Given the variety of platforms and languages present in the world today, Jenkins makes it easy for teams to support a diverse client base. Being platform and language-agnostic means teams can make the most of a single CI/CD platform to enable seamless and consistent scripting and user experiences across devices, operating systems, and form factors.
- Undying focus on CI/CD: Unlike several other platforms that try very hard to be something they are not, Jenkins’ undying focus on CI/CD makes it a much sought-after tool across our enterprise. Its simple configuration not only speeds up job creation but also improves consistency and decreases maintenance and support costs. Being an extensible automation server, our teams use Jenkins as a simple CI server and also as a continuous delivery hub for any project.
- Seamless integration with tools like GitHub, Maven, and Puppet: In the world of software development, the variety and number of tools that teams use for their projects are far too many. Jenkins’ integration capabilities with tools like GitHub, Maven and Puppet make it one of the most popular CI/CD tools in the market today.
- Over 1000+ plugins: In addition to seamless integration with popular tools, the hundreds of plugins and add-ons that Jenkins offers allows us to build, deploy, and automate any project. Since Jenkins can integrate with almost any tool in the CI/CD toolchain, its capabilities can be extended, providing unlimited possibilities to what Jenkins can do.
- Rich ecosystem of knowledge and support: The popularity of Jenkins doesn’t end at its unmatched capabilities. Jenkins’ rich ecosystem of knowledge and support has made it an industry reference of what a CI / CD system is. The various knowledge base articles and backing from skilled experts provide us with all the guidance needed on how to use the tool to its full potential.
- Consistency and portability: Being a self-contained Java-based program that is ready to run out-of-the-box, Jenkins offers several packages for Windows, Linux, macOS, and other Unix-like operating systems. We love how easy Jenkins can be set up, configured, and distributed across multiple machines to drive builds, tests, and deployments across multiple platforms.
As software development teams look to enable CI/CD, Jenkins offers all that’s needed for continuous everything: from easy installation to easy configuration, rich plugins to high extensibility, widespread deployment to seamless integration with unlimited tools in the CI/CD toolchain. At enreap, we love Jenkins for all this and more. What are your top reasons?
