In recent years, DevOps has established itself as a formidable force in the software world. By bridging the gap between development and IT operations teams, DevOps has brought speed, efficiency, and quality to software development. It enabled the IT businesses to adopt agile software delivery methodologies like Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI/CD).
However, despite gaining universal popularity, the road to successful DevOps adoption remained bumpy. Many organizations struggle to implement optimal automation across the software development lifecycle (SDLC), from build, integration, and testing to delivery and deployment. Consequently, harnessing the full potential of the CI/CD pipeline remained elusive. At this juncture, Jenkins has emerged as an indispensable tool to help DevOps teams achieve automation goals.
So, what is Jenkins?
Jenkins is the most popular open-source automation server available in the market. It facilitates continuous integration (CI) and continuous delivery (CD) in software development by imbibing automation across build, test, and deployment.
As a robust automation server, Jenkins can be leveraged as a simple CI servicer or used as a CD hub for any software project. Implementing CI/CD through Jenkins enables developers to ensure a high level of code quality and successful builds. It also empowers DevOps teams to rapidly identify and rectify issues. For instance, if a code commit introduces a flaw into the build, Jenkins not only helps in identifying it immediately, but also in knowing which code caused the issue. The sub-optimal code can then be isolated, rectified, and recommitted swiftly.
In a nutshell, Jenkins helps automate any of the phases of SDLC, from development to deployment and monitoring.
Apart from these enticing benefits, the primary USP that drives the demand for Jenkins is its extensive list of plugins. With over 1800 community-contributed plugins, Jenkins has gone the extra mile to cater to the evolving needs of the DevOps ecosystem. So, what are plugins? What benefits do they offer? Let’s look into it:
Suggested Read: What is DevSecOps and Why Is It Important for Your Company?
What are Plugins in Jenkins?
By default, Jenkins comes with a finite number of features. It may not integrate with every tool used in the SDLC. Here comes the role of plugins.
Plugins extend the functionalities and capabilities of Jenkins to make it suitable for all user-specific needs. These plugins encompass source code management, administration, platforms, UI/UX, building management, and much more. They help Jenkins integrate with practically every tool in the CI/CD toolchain.
For instance, if you want to integrate Jenkins with version control tools like Git, plugins related to Git let you do that. On the other hand, for integration with tools like Maven, Amazon EC2, respective plugins must be installed in your Jenkins.
However, with a plethora of plugins present, it could be a herculean task for choosing which plugins to use. Selecting the best plugins, especially when each one is unique and excellent in its own way, is arduous. Browsing through all 1800+ plugins will be a tough row to hoe. Fret not! We are here to help you choose the best Jenkins plugins for DevOps.
Our DevOps experts have carefully curated a list of the top 10 Jenkins plugins that should be on your radar in 2022. Read on to know how you can orchestrate them for continuous integration:
Top 10 Best Jenkins Plugins for DevOps
1) Git plugin for Jenkins
Among the extensive list of plugins for Jenkins, the Git plugin holds a prominent position. As the name suggests, it facilitates essential git functions for Jenkins projects. It offers Git operations such as pulling, fetching, checking out, branching, listing, merging, tagging, and pushing repositories. Git plugin has the functionality, performance, security, and flexibility that the DevOps teams need. It serves as a Distributed Version Control DevOps tool that supports distributed non-linear workflows by providing data assurance for developing quality software. Moreover, it enables access to GitHub as a Source Code Management (SCM) system, which acts as a repository browser for many other providers.
Plugin link: https://plugins.jenkins.io/git/
2) Jira plugin for Jenkins
Jira plugin is one of the most popular and sought-after ticketing tools. It is an open-source plugin that integrates Jenkins with the Atlassian Jira Software (both Cloud and Server versions), enabling the DevOps teams more visibility into the development pipeline. This plugin also allows you to display builds inside Jira, automatically send data about builds and developments from Jenkins to Jira, and track Jira issues in Jenkins, among other vital functions.
However, one ought to use a Jira service account instead of a personal account for leveraging the Jira plugin.
In order to configure the Jira plugin, one must add Jira sites in Jenkins, then the plugin will automatically hyperlink all the corresponding issue names to Jira.
Plugin link: https://plugins.jenkins.io/jira/
