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Themes for user interface

Themes for user interface

Table of Contents
  • Using built-in themes
  • Using custom themes
    • Customizing the login screen
  • Themes support policy
    • Why?
  • Reporting and fixing issues
  • Information for theme developers

It is possible to customize Jenkins' appearance with custom themes. This feature is not a part of the Jenkins core, but it is supported through plugins.

Using built-in themes

There are several plugins that provide built-in themes, the most popular are

  • Dark Theme Plugin - provides a dark theme for Jenkins. Supports configuration as code to select the theme configuration.

  • Material Theme Plugin - port of Afonso F’s Jenkins material theme to use Theme Manager.

  • Solarized Theme Plugin - provides Solarized (light and dark) themes.

Installing any of these will also install their common dependency: the Theme Manager Plugin. This plugin allows administrators to set the default theme for a Jenkins installation via Manage Jenkins > Configure System > Built-in Themes and users can set their preferred theme in their personal settings. You can also configure this plugin using Configuration-as-Code Plugin. See the plugin documentation for more details.

Using custom themes

To be able to fully customize Jenkins appearance you can install the Simple Theme Plugin. It allows customizing the Jenkins UI by providing custom CSS and Javascript files. It also supports replacing the Favicon.

To configure a theme, you can go to Manage Jenkins > Configure System > Theme and enter the URL of your stylesheet and/or Javascript file. You can also configure this plugin using Configuration-as-Code Plugin. See the plugin documentation for the detailed usage guidelines and links to sample themes.

Customizing the login screen

Since Jenkins 2.128 themes configured using Simple Theme Plugin do not allow you to customize the login screen (announcement). To customize the login screen you can install the Login Theme Plugin.

Themes support policy

Jenkins themes are provided “as is”, without warranty of any kind, implicit or explicit. The Jenkins core, plugins and other component updates may break theme compatibility without notice.

At the moment, the Jenkins project does not provide specification for layouts/CSS, and we cannot guarantee backward or forward compatibility. We try to reflect major changes in changelogs (e.g. see the ‘developer’ changes in the Jenkins changelog), but minor changes may not be included there.

Why?

There is an ongoing effort focused on improving Jenkins look-and-feel, accessibility, and user experience. This area is mission-critical to the project. There are multiple initiatives in the Jenkins Roadmap being coordinated by the Jenkins User Experience SIG.

Major UI changes imply incompatible changes in layouts and the CSS structure which is critical for theme plugins. Historically Jenkins had no explicit support policy for themes, and we do not want to provide compatibility requirements which would create obstacles for reworking the main Jenkins interface. Later, once the Jenkins UI rework reaches its destination and the UI becomes more stable, we could consider creating specifications for theme extensibility so that we could make themes more stable and maintain compatibility.

Reporting and fixing issues

For built-in themes, users are welcome to report discovered compatibility issues to theme maintainers, and to submit patches there.

We will generally reject bug reports to the Jenkins core/plugins involving broken UI elements with a custom theme. We will consider pull requests which restore compatibility and do not block further Web UI evolvement.

If a theme outside the jenkinsci GitHub organization is no longer maintained, it is fine to fork it and to create a new version. For themes hosted within the jenkinsci organization, we have an adoption process which also applies to themes.

Information for theme developers

We encourage Jenkins users to create themes and to share them. Such themes could be a great way to experiment with UI enhancements, and we would be happy to consider enhancements from them for a default Jenkins theme.

To improve the user experience, please consider the following recommendations:

  • Explicitly document compatibility for themes.

    • Compatibility documentation should include: required theme plugins and versions, target Jenkins core version, plugin requirements and versions if applicable (UI/CSS are overridden), and browser compatibility.

    • Examples of such documentation: Jenkins Atlassian Theme, Neo2

  • Version themes with tags on Git and to maintain changelogs with explicit references to changes in the supported versions (e.g. see our release drafter documentation as one of the ways to automate changelogs).

  • Explicitly define an OSI-approved open source license so that users can freely modify and redistribute them.

    • This is also a prerequisite for hosting themes in Jenkins GitHub organizations and, in the future, theme marketplaces or other similar promotion engines.

If you would like to share a story about Jenkins themes, please let the Advocacy&Outreach SIG know!



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User Content

User Content

Jenkins has a mechanism known as "User Content", where administrators can place files inside $JENKINS_HOME/userContent , and these files are served from http://yourhost/jenkins/userContent. This can be thought of as a mini HTTP server to serve images, stylesheets, and other static resources that you can use from various description fields inside Jenkins.

  • Note that these files are not subject to any access controls beyond requiring Overall/Read access.

  • See Git userContent plugin for how to manage these files through a Git repository.



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Manage Users

Manage Users

This section is a work in progress. Want to help? Check out the jenkinsci-docs mailing list. For other ways to contribute to the Jenkins project, see this page about participating and contributing.



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Pipeline CPS Method Mismatches

Pipeline CPS Method Mismatches

Table of Contents
  • Common problems and solutions
    • Use of Pipeline steps from @NonCPS
    • Calling non-CPS-transformed methods with CPS-transformed arguments
    • Constructors
    • Overrides of non-CPS-transformed methods
    • Closures inside GString Â
  • False Positives

Jenkins Pipeline uses a library called Groovy CPS to run Pipeline scripts. While Pipeline uses the Groovy parser and compiler, unlike a regular Groovy environment it runs most of the program inside a special interpreter. This uses a continuation-passing style (CPS) transform to turn your code into a version that can save its current state to disk (a file called program.dat   inside your build directory) and continue running even after Jenkins has restarted. (You can get some more technical background on the Pipeline: Groovy plugin page and the library page.)

While the CPS transform is usually transparent to users, there are limitations to what Groovy language constructs can be supported, and in some circumstances it can lead to counterintuitive behavior. JENKINS-31314 makes the runtime try to detect the most common mistake: calling CPS-transformed code from non-CPS-transformed code. The following kinds of things are CPS-transformed:

  • Almost all of the Pipeline script you write (including in libraries)

  • Most Pipeline steps, including all those which take a block

The following kinds of things are not  CPS-transformed:

  • Compiled Java bytecode, including

    • the Java Platform

    • Jenkins core and plugins

    • the runtime for the Groovy language

  • Constructor bodies in your Pipeline script

  • Any method in your Pipeline script marked with the @NonCPS  annotation

  • A few Pipeline steps which take no block and act instantaneously, such as echo  or properties

CPS-transformed code may call non-CPS-transformed code or other CPS-transformed code, and non-CPS-transformed code may call other non-CPS-transformed code, but non-CPS-transformed code may not call CPS-transformed code. If you try to call CPS-transformed code from non-CPS-transformed code, the CPS interpreter is unable to operate correctly, resulting in incorrect and often confusing results.

Common problems and solutions

Use of Pipeline steps from @NonCPS

Sometimes users will apply the @NonCPS   annotation to a method definition in order to bypass the CPS transform inside that method. This can be done to work around limitations in Groovy language coverage (since the body of the method will execute using the native Groovy semantics), or to get better performance (the interpreter imposes a substantial overhead). However, such methods must not call CPS-transformed code such as Pipeline steps. For example, the following will not work:

@NonCPS
def compileOnPlatforms() {
  ['linux', 'windows'].each { arch ->
    node(arch) {
      sh 'make'
    }
  }
}
compileOnPlatforms()

Using the node   or sh   steps from this method is illegal, and the behavior will be anomalous. The warning in the logs from running this script looks like this:

expected to call WorkflowScript.compileOnPlatforms but wound up catching node

To fix this case, simply remove the annotation — it was not needed. (Longtime Pipeline users might have thought it was, prior to the fix of JENKINS-26481.)

Calling non-CPS-transformed methods with CPS-transformed arguments

Some Groovy and Java methods take complex types as parameters to support dynamic behavior. A common case is sorting methods that allow callers to specify a method to use for comparing objects (JENKINS-44924). Many similar methods in the Groovy standard library work correctly after the fix for JENKINS-26481, but some methods remain unfixed. For example, the following will not work:

def sortByLength(List<String> list) {
  list.toSorted { a, b -> Integer.valueOf(a.length()).compareTo(b.length()) }
}
def sorted = sortByLength(['333', '1', '4444', '22'])
echo(sorted.toString())

The closure passed to Iterable.toSorted is CPS-transformed, but Iterable.toSorted itself is not CPS-transformed internally, so this will not work as intended. The current behavior is that the return value of the call to toSorted will be the return value of the first call to the closure. In the example, this results in sorted being set to -1 , and the warning in the logs looks like this:

expected to call java.util.ArrayList.toSorted but wound up catching org.jenkinsci.plugins.workflow.cps.CpsClosure2.call

To fix this case, any argument passed to these methods must not be CPS-transformed. This can be accomplished by encapsulating the problematic method ( Iterable.toSorted in the example) inside another method, and annotating the outer method with @NonCPS , or by creating an explicit class definition for the closure and annotating all methods on that class with @NonCPS .

Constructors

Occasionally, users may attempt to use CPS-transformed code such as Pipeline steps inside of a constructor in a Pipeline script. Unfortunately, the construction of objects via the new  operator in Groovy is not something that can be CPS-transformed (JENKINS-26313), and so this will not work. Here is an example that calls a CPS-transformed method in a constructor:

class Test {
  def x
  public Test() {
    setX()
  }
  private void setX() {
    this.x = 1;
  }
}
def x = new Test().x
echo "${x}"

The construction of Test  will fail when the constructor calls Test.setX because setX  is a CPS-transformed method. The warning in the logs from running this script looks like this:

expected to call Test.<init> but wound up catching Test.setX

To fix this case, ensure that any methods defined in a Pipeline script that are called from inside of a constructor are annotated with @NonCPS  and that constructors do not call any Pipeline steps. If you must call CPS-transformed code such a Pipeline steps from the constructor, you need move the logic related to the CPS-transformed methods out of the constructor, for example into a static factory method that calls the CPS-transformed code and then passes the results to the constructor.

Overrides of non-CPS-transformed methods

Users may create a class in a Pipeline Script that extends a preexisting class defined outside of the Pipeline script, for example from the Java or Groovy standard libraries. When doing so, the subclass must ensure that any overriding methods are annotated with @NonCPS  and do not use any CPS-transformed code internally. Otherwise, the overriding methods will fail if called from a non-CPS context. For example, the following will not work:

class Test {
  @Override
  public String toString() {
    return "Test"
  }
}
def builder = new StringBuilder()
builder.append(new Test())
echo(builder.toString())

Calling the CPS-transformed override of toString  from non-CPS-transformed code such as StringBuilder.append is not permitted and will not work as expected in most cases. The warning in the logs from running this script looks like this:

expected to call java.lang.StringBuilder.append but wound up catching Test.toString

To fix this case, add the @NonCPS annotation to the overriding method, and remove any uses of CPS-transformed code such as Pipeline steps from the method.

Closures inside GString Â

In Groovy, it is possible to use a closure in a GString so that the closure is evaluated every time the GString is used as a String . However, in Pipeline scripts, this will not work as expected, because the closure inside of the GString will be CPS-transformed. Here is an example:

def x = 1
def s = "x = ${-> x}"
x = 2
echo(s)

Using a closure inside of a GString   as in this example will not work. The warning from the logs when running this script looks like this:

expected to call WorkflowScript.echo but wound up catching org.jenkinsci.plugins.workflow.cps.CpsClosure2.call

To fix this case, replace the original GString with a closure that returns a GString that uses a normal expression rather than a closure, and then call the closure where you would have used the original GString  as follows:

def x = 1
def s = { -> x = "${x}" }
x = 2
echo(s())

False Positives

Unfortunately, some expressions may incorrectly trigger this warning even though they execute correctly. If you run into such a case, please file a new issue (after first checking for duplicates) for workflow-cps-plugin .



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Pipeline Development Tools

Pipeline Development Tools

Table of Contents
  • Command-line Pipeline Linter
    • Examples
  • Blue Ocean Editor
  • "Replay" Pipeline Runs with Modifications
    • Usage
    • Features
    • Limitations
  • IDE Integrations
    • Eclipse Jenkins Editor
    • VisualStudio Code Jenkins Pipeline Linter Connector
    • Neovim nvim-jenkinsfile-linter plugin
    • Atom linter-jenkins package
    • Sublime Text Jenkinsfile package
  • Pipeline Unit Testing Framework

Jenkins Pipeline includes built-in documentation and the Snippet Generator which are key resources when developing Pipelines. They provide detailed help and information that is customized to the currently installed version of Jenkins and related plugins. In this section, we’ll discuss other tools and resources that may help with development of Jenkins Pipelines.

Command-line Pipeline Linter

Jenkins can validate, or "lint", a Declarative Pipeline from the command line before actually running it. This can be done using a Jenkins CLI command or by making an HTTP POST request with appropriate parameters. We recommended using the SSH interface to run the linter. See the Jenkins CLI documentation for details on how to properly configure Jenkins for secure command-line access.

Linting via the CLI with SSH
# ssh (Jenkins CLI)
# JENKINS_PORT=[sshd port on controller]
# JENKINS_HOST=[Jenkins controller hostname]
ssh -p $JENKINS_PORT $JENKINS_HOST declarative-linter < Jenkinsfile
Linting via HTTP POST using curl
# curl (REST API)
# Assuming "anonymous read access" has been enabled on your Jenkins instance.
# JENKINS_URL=[root URL of Jenkins controller]
# JENKINS_CRUMB is needed if your Jenkins controller has CRSF protection enabled as it should
JENKINS_CRUMB=`curl "$JENKINS_URL/crumbIssuer/api/xml?xpath=concat(//crumbRequestField,\":\",//crumb)"`
curl -X POST -H $JENKINS_CRUMB -F "jenkinsfile=<Jenkinsfile" $JENKINS_URL/pipeline-model-converter/validate

Examples

Below are two examples of the Pipeline Linter in action. This first example shows the output of the linter when it is passed an invalid Jenkinsfile , one that is missing part of the agent declaration.

Jenkinsfile
pipeline {
  agent
  stages {
    stage ('Initialize') {
      steps {
        echo 'Placeholder.'
      }
    }
  }
}
Linter output for invalid Jenkinsfile
# pass a Jenkinsfile that does not contain an "agent" section
ssh -p 8675 localhost declarative-linter < ./Jenkinsfile
Errors encountered validating Jenkinsfile:
WorkflowScript: 2: Not a valid section definition: "agent". Some extra configuration is required. @ line 2, column 3.
     agent
     ^

WorkflowScript: 1: Missing required section "agent" @ line 1, column 1.
   pipeline &#125;
   ^

In this second example, the Jenkinsfile has been updated to include the missing any on agent . The linter now reports that the Pipeline is valid.

Jenkinsfile
pipeline {
  agent any
  stages {
    stage ('Initialize') {
      steps {
        echo 'Placeholder.'
      }
    }
  }
}
Linter output for valid Jenkinsfile
ssh -p 8675 localhost declarative-linter < ./Jenkinsfile
Jenkinsfile successfully validated.

Blue Ocean Editor

The Blue Ocean Pipeline Editor provides a WYSIWYG way to create Declarative Pipelines. The editor offers a structural view of all the stages, parallel branches, and steps in a Pipeline. The editor validates Pipeline changes as they are made, eliminating many errors before they are even committed. Behind the scenes it still generates Declarative Pipeline code.

Blue Ocean status

Blue Ocean will not receive further functionality updates. Blue Ocean will continue to provide easy-to-use Pipeline visualization, but it will not be enhanced further. It will only receive selective updates for significant security issues or functional defects.

The Pipeline syntax snippet generator assists users as they define Pipeline steps with their arguments. It is the preferred tool for Jenkins Pipeline creation, as it provides online help for the Pipeline steps available in your Jenkins controller. It uses the plugins installed on your Jenkins controller to generate the Pipeline syntax. Refer to the Pipeline steps reference page for information on all available Pipeline steps.

"Replay" Pipeline Runs with Modifications

Typically a Pipeline will be defined inside of the classic Jenkins web UI, or by committing to a Jenkinsfile in source control. Unfortunately, neither approach is ideal for rapid iteration, or prototyping, of a Pipeline. The "Replay" feature allows for quick modifications and execution of an existing Pipeline without changing the Pipeline configuration or creating a new commit.

Usage

To use the "Replay" feature:

  1. Select a previously completed run in the build history.

    Previous Pipeline Run
  2. Click "Replay" in the left menu

    Replay Left-menu Button
  3. Make modifications and click "Run". In this example, we changed "ruby-2.3" to "ruby-2.4".

    Replay Left-menu Button
  4. Check the results of changes

Once you are satisfied with the changes, you can use Replay to view them again, copy them back to your Pipeline job or Jenkinsfile , and then commit them using your usual engineering processes.

Features

  • Can be called multiple times on the same run - allows for easy parallel testing of different changes.

  • Can also be called on Pipeline runs that are still in-progress - As long as a Pipeline contained syntactically correct Groovy and was able to start, it can be Replayed.

  • Referenced Shared Library code is also modifiable - If a Pipeline run references a Shared Library, the code from the shared library will also be shown and modifiable as part of the Replay page.

  • Access Control via dedicated "Run / Replay" permission - implied by "Job / Configure". If Pipeline is not configurable (e.g. Branch Pipeline of a Multibranch) or "Job / Configure" is not granted, users still can experiment with Pipeline Definition via Replay

  • Can be used for Re-run - users lacking "Run / Replay" but who are granted "Job / Build" can still use Replay to run a build again with the same definition.

Limitations

  • Pipeline runs with syntax errors cannot be replayed - meaning their code cannot be viewed and any changes made in them cannot be retrieved. When using Replay for more significant modifications, save your changes to a file or editor outside of Jenkins before running them. See JENKINS-37589

  • Replayed Pipeline behavior may differ from runs started by other methods - For Pipelines that are not part of a Multi-branch Pipeline, the commit information may differ for the original run and the Replayed run. See JENKINS-36453

IDE Integrations

Eclipse Jenkins Editor

The Jenkins Editor Eclipse plugin can be found on Eclipse Marketplace. This special text editor provides some features for defining pipelines e.g:

  • Validate pipeline scripts by Jenkins Linter Validation. Failures are shown as eclipse markers

  • An Outline with dedicated icons (for declarative Jenkins pipelines )

  • Syntax / keyword highlighting

  • Groovy validation

The Jenkins Editor Plugin is a third-party tool that is not supported by the Jenkins Project.

VisualStudio Code Jenkins Pipeline Linter Connector

The Jenkins Pipeline Linter Connector extension for VisualStudio Code takes the file that you have currently opened, pushes it to your Jenkins Server and displays the validation result in VS Code.

​You can find the extension from within the VS Code extension browser or at the following url: marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=janjoerke.jenkins-pipeline-linter-connector

The extension adds four settings entries to VS Code which select the Jenkins server you want to use for validation.

  • jenkins.pipeline.linter.connector.url is the endpoint at which your Jenkins Server expects the POST request, containing your Jenkinsfile which you want to validate. Typically this points to <your_jenkins_server:port>/pipeline-model-converter/validate .

  • jenkins.pipeline.linter.connector.user allows you to specify your Jenkins username.

  • jenkins.pipeline.linter.connector.pass allows you to specify your Jenkins password.

  • jenkins.pipeline.linter.connector.crumbUrl has to be specified if your Jenkins Server has CRSF protection enabled. Typically this points to <your_jenkins_server:port>/crumbIssuer/api/xml?xpath=concat(//crumbRequestField,%22:%22,//crumb) .

Neovim nvim-jenkinsfile-linter plugin

The nvim-jenkinsfile-linter Neovim plugin allows you to validate a Jenkinsfile by using the Pipeline Linter API of your Jenkins instance and report any existing diagnostics in your editor.

Atom linter-jenkins package

The linter-jenkins Atom package allows you to validate a Jenkins file by using the Pipeline Linter API of a running Jenkins. You can install it directly from the Atom package manager. It needs also to install Jenkinsfile language support in Atom

Sublime Text Jenkinsfile package

The Jenkinsfile Sublime Text package allows you to validate a Jenkinsfile by using the Pipeline Linter API of a running Jenkins instance over a secure channel (SSH). You can install it directly from the Sublime Text package manager.

​You can find the package from within the Sublime Text interface via the Package Control package, at GitHub, or packagecontrol.io:

  • https://github.com/june07/sublime-Jenkinsfile

  • https://packagecontrol.io/packages/Jenkinsfile

Pipeline Unit Testing Framework

The Pipeline Unit Testing Framework allows you to unit test Pipelines and Shared Libraries before running them in full. It provides a mock execution environment where real Pipeline steps are replaced with mock objects that you can use to check for expected behavior. New and rough around the edges, but promising. The README for that project contains examples and usage instructions.



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Using Docker with Pipeline

Using Docker with Pipeline

Table of Contents
  • Customizing the execution environment
    • Workspace synchronization
    • Caching data for containers
    • Using multiple containers
    • Using a Dockerfile
    • Specifying a Docker Label
    • Path setup for mac OS users
  • Advanced Usage with Scripted Pipeline
    • Running "sidecar" containers
    • Building containers
    • Using a remote Docker server
    • Using a custom registry

Many organizations use Docker to unify their build and test environments across machines, and to provide an efficient mechanism for deploying applications. Starting with Pipeline versions 2.5 and higher, Pipeline has built-in support for interacting with Docker from within a Jenkinsfile .

While this section will cover the basics of utilizing Docker from within a Jenkinsfile , it will not cover the fundamentals of Docker, which can be read about in the Docker Getting Started Guide.

Customizing the execution environment

Pipeline is designed to easily use Docker images as the execution environment for a single Stage or the entire Pipeline. Meaning that a user can define the tools required for their Pipeline, without having to manually configure agents. Practically any tool which can be packaged in a Docker container. can be used with ease by making only minor edits to a Jenkinsfile .

Jenkinsfile (Declarative Pipeline)
pipeline {
    agent {
        docker { image 'node:16.13.1-alpine' }
    }
    stages {
        stage('Test') {
            steps {
                sh 'node --version'
            }
        }
    }
}
Toggle Scripted Pipeline (Advanced)

When the Pipeline executes, Jenkins will automatically start the specified container and execute the defined steps within it:

[Pipeline] stage
[Pipeline] { (Test)
[Pipeline] sh
[guided-tour] Running shell script
+ node --version
v14.15.0
[Pipeline] }
[Pipeline] // stage
[Pipeline] }

Workspace synchronization

Short: if it is important to keep workspace synchronized with other stages, use reuseNode true . Otherwise, dockerized stage can be run on any other agent or on the same agent, but in temporary workspace.

By default, for containerized stage, Jenkins does:

  • pick any agent,

  • create new empty workspace,

  • clone pipeline code into it,

  • mount this new workspace into container.

If you have multiple Jenkins agents, your containerized stage can be started on any of them.

When reuseNode set to true : no new workspace will be created, and current workspace from current agent will be mounted into container, and container will be started at the same node, so whole data will be synchronized.

Jenkinsfile (Declarative Pipeline)
pipeline {
    agent any
    stages {
        stage('Build') {
            agent {
                docker {
                    image 'gradle:6.7-jdk11'
                    // Run the container on the node specified at the
                    // top-level of the Pipeline, in the same workspace,
                    // rather than on a new node entirely:
                    reuseNode true
                }
            }
            steps {
                sh 'gradle --version'
            }
        }
    }
}
Toggle Scripted Pipeline (Advanced)

Caching data for containers

Many build tools will download external dependencies and cache them locally for future re-use. Since containers are initially created with "clean" file systems, this can result in slower Pipelines, as they may not take advantage of on-disk caches between subsequent Pipeline runs.

Pipeline supports adding custom arguments which are passed to Docker, allowing users to specify custom Docker Volumes to mount, which can be used for caching data on the agent between Pipeline runs. The following example will cache ~/.m2 between Pipeline runs utilizing the maven container, thereby avoiding the need to re-download dependencies for subsequent runs of the Pipeline.

Jenkinsfile (Declarative Pipeline)
pipeline {
    agent {
        docker {
            image 'maven:3.8.6-eclipse-temurin-11'
            args '-v $HOME/.m2:/root/.m2'
        }
    }
    stages {
        stage('Build') {
            steps {
                sh 'mvn -B'
            }
        }
    }
}
Toggle Scripted Pipeline (Advanced)

Using multiple containers

It has become increasingly common for code bases to rely on multiple, different, technologies. For example, a repository might have both a Java-based back-end API implementation and a JavaScript-based front-end implementation. Combining Docker and Pipeline allows a Jenkinsfile to use multiple types of technologies by combining the agent {} directive, with different stages.

Jenkinsfile (Declarative Pipeline)
pipeline {
    agent none
    stages {
        stage('Back-end') {
            agent {
                docker { image 'maven:3.8.6-eclipse-temurin-11' }
            }
            steps {
                sh 'mvn --version'
            }
        }
        stage('Front-end') {
            agent {
                docker { image 'node:16.13.1-alpine' }
            }
            steps {
                sh 'node --version'
            }
        }
    }
}
Toggle Scripted Pipeline (Advanced)

Using a Dockerfile

For projects which require a more customized execution environment, Pipeline also supports building and running a container from a Dockerfile in the source repository. In contrast to the previous approach of using an "off-the-shelf" container, using the agent { dockerfile true } syntax will build a new image from a Dockerfile rather than pulling one from Docker Hub.

Re-using an example from above, with a more custom Dockerfile :

Dockerfile
FROM node:16.13.1-alpine

RUN apk add -U subversion

By committing this to the root of the source repository, the Jenkinsfile can be changed to build a container based on this Dockerfile and then run the defined steps using that container:

Jenkinsfile (Declarative Pipeline)
pipeline {
    agent { dockerfile true }
    stages {
        stage('Test') {
            steps {
                sh 'node --version'
                sh 'svn --version'
            }
        }
    }
}

The agent { dockerfile true } syntax supports a number of other options which are described in more detail in the Pipeline Syntax section.

Using a Dockerfile with Jenkins Pipeline

Specifying a Docker Label

By default, Pipeline assumes that any configured agent is capable of running Docker-based Pipelines. For Jenkins environments which have macOS, Windows, or other agents, which are unable to run the Docker daemon, this default setting may be problematic. Pipeline provides a global option in the Manage Jenkins page, and on the Folder level, for specifying which agents (by Label) to use for running Docker-based Pipelines.

Configuring the Pipeline Docker Label

Path setup for mac OS users

The /usr/local/bin directory is not included in the macOS PATH for Docker images by default. If executables from /usr/local/bin need to be called from within Jenkins, then the PATH needs to be extended to include /usr/local/bin . Add a path node in the file "/usr/local/Cellar/jenkins-lts/XXX/homebrew.mxcl.jenkins-lts.plist" like this:

Contents of homebrew.mxcl.jenkins-lts.plist
<key>EnvironmentVariables</key>
<dict>
<key>PATH</key
<string><!-- insert revised path here --></string>
</dict>

The revised PATH string should be a colon separated list of directories in the same format as the PATH environment variable and should include:

  • /usr/local/bin

  • /usr/bin

  • /bin

  • /usr/sbin

  • /sbin

  • /Applications/Docker.app/Contents/Resources/bin/

  • /Users/XXX/Library/Group\ Containers/group.com.docker/Applications/Docker.app/Contents/Resources/bin (where XXX is replaced by your user name)

Now restart jenkins using "brew services restart jenkins-lts"

Advanced Usage with Scripted Pipeline

Running "sidecar" containers

Using Docker in Pipeline can be an effective way to run a service on which the build, or a set of tests, may rely. Similar to the sidecar pattern , Docker Pipeline can run one container "in the background", while performing work in another. Utilizing this sidecar approach, a Pipeline can have a "clean" container provisioned for each Pipeline run.

Consider a hypothetical integration test suite which relies on a local MySQL database to be running. Using the withRun method, implemented in the Docker Pipeline plugin’s support for Scripted Pipeline, a Jenkinsfile can run MySQL as a sidecar:

node {
    checkout scm
    /*
     * In order to communicate with the MySQL server, this Pipeline explicitly
     * maps the port (`3306`) to a known port on the host machine.
     */
    docker.image('mysql:5').withRun('-e "MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=my-secret-pw"' +
                                    ' -p 3306:3306') { c ->
        /* Wait until mysql service is up */
        sh 'while ! mysqladmin ping -h0.0.0.0 --silent; do sleep 1; done'
        /* Run some tests which require MySQL */
        sh 'make check'
    }
}

This example can be taken further, utilizing two containers simultaneously. One "sidecar" running MySQL, and another providing the execution environment, by using the Docker container links.

node {
    checkout scm
    docker.image('mysql:5').withRun('-e "MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=my-secret-pw"') { c ->
        docker.image('mysql:5').inside("--link ${c.id}:db") {
            /* Wait until mysql service is up */
            sh 'while ! mysqladmin ping -hdb --silent; do sleep 1; done'
        }
        docker.image('centos:7').inside("--link ${c.id}:db") {
            /*
             * Run some tests which require MySQL, and assume that it is
             * available on the host name `db`
             */
            sh 'make check'
        }
    }
}

The above example uses the object exposed by withRun , which has the running container’s ID available via the id property. Using the container’s ID, the Pipeline can create a link by passing custom Docker arguments to the inside() method.

The id property can also be useful for inspecting logs from a running Docker container before the Pipeline exits:

sh "docker logs ${c.id}"

Building containers

In order to create a Docker image, the Docker Pipeline plugin also provides a build() method for creating a new image, from a Dockerfile in the repository, during a Pipeline run.

One major benefit of using the syntax docker.build("my-image-name") is that a Scripted Pipeline can use the return value for subsequent Docker Pipeline calls, for example:

node {
    checkout scm

    def customImage = docker.build("my-image:${env.BUILD_ID}")

    customImage.inside {
        sh 'make test'
    }
}

The return value can also be used to publish the Docker image to Docker Hub, or a custom Registry, via the push() method, for example:

node {
    checkout scm
    def customImage = docker.build("my-image:${env.BUILD_ID}")
    customImage.push()
}

One common usage of image "tags" is to specify a latest tag for the most recently, validated, version of a Docker image. The push() method accepts an optional tag parameter, allowing the Pipeline to push the customImage with different tags, for example:

node {
    checkout scm
    def customImage = docker.build("my-image:${env.BUILD_ID}")
    customImage.push()

    customImage.push('latest')
}

The build() method builds the Dockerfile in the current directory by default. This can be overridden by providing a directory path containing a Dockerfile as the second argument of the build() method, for example:

node {
    checkout scm
    def testImage = docker.build("test-image", "./dockerfiles/test") (1)

    testImage.inside {
        sh 'make test'
    }
}
1 Builds test-image from the Dockerfile found at ./dockerfiles/test/Dockerfile .

It is possible to pass other arguments to docker build by adding them to the second argument of the build() method. When passing arguments this way, the last value in the that string must be the path to the docker file and should end with the folder to use as the build context)

This example overrides the default Dockerfile by passing the -f flag:

node {
    checkout scm
    def dockerfile = 'Dockerfile.test'
    def customImage = docker.build("my-image:${env.BUILD_ID}",
                                   "-f ${dockerfile} ./dockerfiles") (1)
}
1 Builds my-image:${env.BUILD_ID} from the Dockerfile found at ./dockerfiles/Dockerfile.test .

Using a remote Docker server

By default, the Docker Pipeline plugin will communicate with a local Docker daemon, typically accessed through /var/run/docker.sock .

To select a non-default Docker server, such as with Docker Swarm, the withServer() method should be used.

By passing a URI, and optionally the Credentials ID of a Docker Server Certificate Authentication pre-configured in Jenkins, to the method with:

node {
    checkout scm

    docker.withServer('tcp://swarm.example.com:2376', 'swarm-certs') {
        docker.image('mysql:5').withRun('-p 3306:3306') {
            /* do things */
        }
    }
}

inside() and build() will not work properly with a Docker Swarm server out of the box

For inside() to work, the Docker server and the Jenkins agent must use the same filesystem, so that the workspace can be mounted.

Currently neither the Jenkins plugin nor the Docker CLI will automatically detect the case that the server is running remotely; a typical symptom would be errors from nested sh commands such as

cannot create /…@tmp/durable-…/pid: Directory nonexistent

When Jenkins detects that the agent is itself running inside a Docker container, it will automatically pass the --volumes-from argument to the inside container, ensuring that it can share a workspace with the agent.

Additionally some versions of Docker Swarm do not support custom Registries.

Using a custom registry

By default the Docker Pipeline integrates assumes the default Docker Registry of Docker Hub.

In order to use a custom Docker Registry, users of Scripted Pipeline can wrap steps with the withRegistry() method, passing in the custom Registry URL, for example:

node {
    checkout scm

    docker.withRegistry('https://registry.example.com') {

        docker.image('my-custom-image').inside {
            sh 'make test'
        }
    }
}

For a Docker Registry which requires authentication, add a "Username/Password" Credentials item from the Jenkins home page and use the Credentials ID as a second argument to withRegistry() :

node {
    checkout scm

    docker.withRegistry('https://registry.example.com', 'credentials-id') {

        def customImage = docker.build("my-image:${env.BUILD_ID}")

        /* Push the container to the custom Registry */
        customImage.push()
    }
}


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