Introduction

As a passionate advocate for DevOps practices, I have undertaken a research initiative to establish a comprehensive Jenkins environment in my homelab. This initiative is aimed at enhancing my DevOps skills and creating a versatile environment that aligns with DevOps best practices.

Planned Steps

Installation of Jenkins on Linux with SaltStack

The first step in this research initiative involves using SaltStack to automate the installation and configuration of Jenkins on a Linux server. SaltStack will enable me to define and maintain the desired state of the Jenkins server. The key components of this step include:

  • SaltStack State Files: Utilizing SaltStack state files to define the desired configurations, including package installation, user management, and firewall rules.

Installation of Jenkins Agent on Windows

To achieve a well-rounded Jenkins environment, I plan to set up Jenkins agents on Windows machines. This step will involve downloading the Jenkins agent JAR file from the Jenkins server and configuring it to run as a Windows service. Key elements of this step include:

  • Agent Setup: Downloading and configuring the agent JAR file for Windows.
  • Integration: Ensuring seamless integration of Windows-based builds into Jenkins pipelines.

Selection of Most Important Plugins

Jenkins offers a wide range of plugins to extend its functionality. To enhance my Jenkins environment, I intend to carefully select and install the following essential plugins:

  • Git Plugin: Facilitating integration with Git repositories.
  • Pipeline Plugin: Allowing the definition and execution of pipelines as code.
  • Configuration as Code (JCasC): Managing Jenkins configuration through YAML files.
  • Job DSL: Defining and version-controlling Jenkins job configurations programmatically.
  • Credentials Plugin: Securely managing sensitive information for various integrations.

Configuration as Code

A key goal of this research initiative is to treat Jenkins configuration as code. The Configuration as Code (JCasC) plugin will be utilized to define and version-control Jenkins configurations in YAML files. This approach ensures that configuration changes are tracked and consistently applied. Elements of this step include:

  • YAML Configuration: Defining Jenkins configurations using YAML files.

Job DSL

To automate job creation and management, I plan to implement the Job DSL plugin. Groovy scripts will be written to programmatically define and configure Jenkins jobs. This approach ensures consistency and repeatability in job setups. Key components of this step include:

  • Groovy Scripts: Writing scripts to programmatically define job configurations.

Secret Management

Handling sensitive information, such as API tokens and SSH keys, is crucial in a DevOps environment. The Credentials Plugin will be used to securely manage these secrets within Jenkins. This includes storing credentials as encrypted secrets and distributing them to the relevant parts of Jenkins pipelines.

Pipeline as Code from GitHub

To align with the “as code” philosophy, I plan to set up Jenkins pipelines using Jenkinsfiles stored in GitHub repositories. This approach makes pipeline definitions portable, version-controlled, and easily shared across projects. Any changes to the pipeline will trigger automatic builds and deployments. Key components of this step include:

  • Pipeline Definitions: Storing pipeline definitions in GitHub repositories.