Jenkins is an automated tool for continuous deployment and integration. It is a Java-based open-source automation tool that supports plugins. Jenkins is used to create and test the software, allowing developers to quickly make changes to the project and provide users with new releases. Jenkins also enables continuous software delivery by interacting with a variety of testing and deployment tools. 

Why should test automation use Jenkins?

Since it is a server-based program, it may be used with a variety of operating systems, including Windows, Linux, MacOS, and Unix. Jenkins offers a wide range of plugins for many frameworks, including Selenium, Cucumber, and Appium. Jenkins makes it simple for developers and DevOps to integrate code.

Benefits of Jenkins: 

  • As an open-source technology, it is accessible to everybody. 
  • It is user-friendly and simple to install and configure.  
  • Jenkins is cross-platform compatible, which allows for versatility because it can be used with different operating systems like Windows, Linux, MacOS, etc.  
  • In order to decrease the possibility of human error and guarantee that the program is always in a deployable state, Jenkins is used to create and test the application. 
  • It is mostly used for code deployment and continuous integration.  
  • Jenkins can be integrated with Teams or Slacks to provide chat notifications about the build status. 
  •  The HTML report of the Automated Test Execution is displayed using it. 
  • Emails containing Test Execution Reports are sent using it. 
  • Periodic builds are scheduled using it. 

Jenkins’s limitations:

  • Jenkins settings and configuration can be difficult for teams that are just starting out with CI/CD.  
  • Jenkins lacks rules and choices for authentication and authorization.  
  • Jenkins used a lot of plugins, which made updating difficult. 
  • It can be difficult to manage login information and secure Jenkins for several services and repositories.
  • AWS and AZUR assist in integrating with the cloud for further setup and configuration as Jenkins does not host itself there.
  • Jenkins requires constant upkeep and improvements, which can take a long. 
  • Jenkins’s restricted scalability makes it susceptible to performance problems while managing several builds.
  • Jenkins can make a software development pipeline more vulnerable to assaults or unauthorized access if it can pose security hazards to it.

Conclusion 

If you are unfamiliar with Jenkins’ configuration plugins and files, the setup will be more difficult.

Jenkins is the most widely used option for CI/CD pipeline due to its configuration, monitoring, extensibility, versatility, and lengthy history, despite the fact that it has some limits or drawbacks. Jenkins satisfies all requirements for testing automation with its extensive plugin library.