I'm exploring whether migrating to Jenkins is a good idea for my company. Due to a new requirement, we need to move away from GitHub and self-host our code. Unfortunately, the GitLab license is beyond our budget, so I'm looking into self-hosted CI/CD solutions. After some research, I found that Jenkins could meet my requirements, such as Kubernetes runners, Configuration as Code, and declarative pipelines. I've set up a test environment with the latest version and was pleasantly surprised by the modern UI. I've never used Jenkins before, but I have some time to get familiar with it and ensure best practices during setup. I'm curious about anyone else's experiences:
- Do you have success stories with Jenkins? Are you happy with it?
- What tips or potential issues should I be aware of to avoid a mess of plugins?
5 Answers
Honestly, moving to Jenkins now seems counterintuitive. Many companies are actually moving away from it due to its complexities. Consider alternatives like GitLab for self-hosting, which is much more straightforward and user-friendly. Even tools like Gitea or Buildkite are worth a look. Less headache in the long run!
Switching to Jenkins could be a rough road ahead. While it has strong features, it demands a lot of maintenance and governance. Everyone tends to want their favorite plugins, which can turn your Jenkins instance into a plugin nightmare. If you decide to go this route, make sure you keep it as simple as possible – try to minimize the use of plugins and stick to declarative pipelines. That's the best way to avoid chaos later on.
Exactly, keeping a lean setup is key. Focus on scripting your CI processes outside Jenkins to ease issues down the line!
Make sure you've fully weighed the long-term costs. Jenkins might be free, but it can consume a lot of time and resources to keep it running. There are slicker cloud alternatives that could save you from endless maintenance, unless you’re all in on self-hosting.
Exactly, it’s about considering the total cost of ownership. Jenkins may seem cheap initially, but the overhead can stack up.
Let’s be real – Jenkins isn't really the go-to anymore. The world is moving toward more integrated solutions. You should explore cloud options or newer CI/CD platforms. Take it from someone who's dealt with Jenkins far too long – it's a hassle!
Definitely! Jenkins was great back in the day, but now it feels outdated compared to what’s available.
I completely understand your struggle. Jenkins can be a maintenance nightmare. It's crucial to have a solid team ready to manage it, or else it will quickly become unmanageable. A lot of companies with bigger needs have shifted to more user-friendly solutions. If you're going ahead, just remember to minimize your plugin usage.
True! Avoiding a reliance on plugins can save a ton of pain. Maintain your CI logic externally when possible.
Hah, exactly! Jenkins can add so much complexity for no real benefit. Buildkite or anything more modern could save you a lot of trouble.