What is Jenkins X?
Jenkins X is an open-source project that provides a CI/CD (continuous integration/continuous delivery) solution for modern cloud-native applications on Kubernetes.
Jenkins has been an industry staple for continuous integration purposes for quite some time. Jenkins X is an evolved version of Jenkins, built specifically for Kubernetes-based applications. The traditional Jenkins can be configured using plugins to be a CI server, a mechanism for CD, or a tool for automation and testing. The newer Jenkins X automates the CI/CD pipelines and eliminates the hassle of using different plugins.
While developing a cloud-based application, we have to assemble a Kubernetes cluster with all the tools. This process takes a lot of time. Learning how to use what we assembled can feel like a never-ending story. We continuously face challenges such as:
- How are we going to develop our applications?
- How are we going to manage different environments?
- How are we going to package our applications?
- Which process are we going to apply for application lifecycles?
Jenkins X is designed to help us with these decisions and help us pick the right tools for the job. It is a collection of the industry’s best practices. In some cases, Jenkins X is the one defining those practices, while in others, it helps us to adopt the tools made by others.
The real power behind Jenkins X is:
- The process
- The selection of tools
- The fact that everything is wrapped up in one cohesive unit that is easy to learn and use
