Getting Started with Jenkins: A Beginner's Guide to Local Installation

Introduction:

Jenkins is a powerful open-source automation server that facilitates building, testing, and deploying code. Whether you're a developer, tester, or system administrator, Jenkins can streamline your workflows. In this beginner's guide, we'll walk you through the process of downloading and installing Jenkins on your local instance using the official Jenkins documentation.

Steps:

Step 1: Prerequisites

Before we dive into the installation process, make sure you have the following prerequisites:

• Java Development Kit (JDK) installed on your machine. Jenkins requires Java to run, so ensure you have the appropriate version installed (Jenkins typically requires Java 8 or later).

Step 2: Download Jenkins

1. Navigate to the official Jenkins website: https://www.jenkins.io/

2. Click on the "Download" button on the homepage.

3. On the "Download Jenkins" page, choose the package that corresponds to your operating system. For this guide, we'll focus on the most common installation method, which is using the generic Java package.

4. Copy the provided download link for the generic Java package.

Step 3: Install Jenkins

Now that you have the Jenkins package downloaded, let's proceed with the installation:

1. Open a terminal or command prompt on your machine.

2. Navigate to the directory where you want to install Jenkins.

Use the wget command (Linux) or curl command (Mac) to download the Jenkins package. For example:

wget -O jenkins.war <paste-copied-download-link>

or

curl -O jenkins.war <paste-copied-download-link>

4.Once the download is complete, you can start Jenkins using the following command:

java -jar jenkins.war

1. This will launch Jenkins, and you will see log output in the terminal.

2. Open your web browser and go to localhost:8080.

3. Follow the instructions on the Jenkins setup wizard to complete the installation. You will need to retrieve the initial administrative password from the Jenkins log output in the terminal.

4. After setting up the administrator account and plugins, Jenkins is ready to use.

Conclusion:

Congratulations! You've successfully installed Jenkins on your local instance. Jenkins provides a user-friendly interface and a robust ecosystem of plugins, making it a versatile tool for continuous integration and continuous delivery.

Explore the Jenkins documentation to learn more about its features and customization options for your specific needs.