Jenkins
Open-source automation server for building, testing, and deploying software.
- Stars
- 26.7k
- Forks
- 9.8k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- Java
- Last update
- 4 days ago
- Type
- App
What it is
Jenkins is an open-source automation server written in Java. It runs repetitive software tasks such as building projects, running tests, static code analysis, and deployment, so teams can catch problems soon after code changes. The README says it offers over 2,000 plugins to extend what it can automate.
- Build a project automatically whenever new code is pushed
- Run tests and report failures as soon as code is introduced
- Run static code analysis as part of the build
- Deploy software as a step in the automated workflow
Great for
- Development teams that want to automate builds and tests
- Teams that need deployment automation with a large plugin ecosystem
- Organizations wanting a free, self-hosted CI/CD server under the MIT license
Not ideal for
- People who want a hosted service with no server to run, since the README describes installing Jenkins yourself
- Non-technical users with no software delivery workflow to automate
How to get it
- 1
Download the app
You'll need: Java (the README does not specify a version)
Clone the source repository
git clone https://github.com/jenkinsci/jenkins - 2
Run it
- Download the WAR file, Docker image, or native package from the Downloads page at jenkins.io
- Start Jenkins using the method for your chosen distribution
- Open the Jenkins web interface and complete the initial setup
- Install plugins for the tasks you want to automate
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Pick the LTS release line for more stable, periodically patched versions, or the weekly line for newest features (per the README)
- Browse the plugin index at plugins.jenkins.io to extend Jenkins to your tools
- Use pipelines to define your workflow steps as code
Downloads
Strengths
- Free and open source under the MIT license
- Large plugin library (over 2,000 plugins per the README)
- Offers both a frequent weekly release line and a Long-Term Support line
Trade-offs
- The README does not describe setup details, so installation effort is unclear from this document alone
- Running and maintaining a self-hosted server takes ongoing work
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| jenkins (this) | 26.7k | App | intermediate | 4 days ago | Development teams that want to automate builds and tests |
| semaphore | 14.4k | App | intermediate | 4 days ago | Teams that have outgrown running Ansible or Terraform from a personal terminal |
| Jenkins-Zero-To-Hero | 10.1k | Learning resource | beginner | 1.7 years ago | Beginners who want a guided first install of Jenkins on a cloud VM |
| gitea | 58.8k | App | intermediate | 4 days ago | Teams that want to host their own code instead of using a public cloud service |
| dokku | 32.2k | App | intermediate | 4 days ago | Developers who want Heroku-style deployment on a server they control |
| lens | 23.2k | App | beginner | 1.7 years ago | Developers who want a visual view of their Kubernetes workloads |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.