Anyone hoping to succeed in the field of continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD) must grasp the fundamentals of Jenkins, including nodes, executors, and distributed builds. Jenkins is a popular and widely used open-source automation server that facilitates the automation of repetitive tasks in the software development process. It plays a pivotal role in achieving CI/CD by automating the build, test, and deployment phases. In this blog, we’ll focus on nodes, executors, and distributed builds, which are essential components of Jenkins.
You will have a firm understanding of these ideas by the end of this article, and you’ll be able to get through the Jenkins Certification exam. We’ll also dissect essential Jenkins elements and discuss How Jenkins Work as a whole.
Table of Contents
- What is Jenkins?
- Nodes in Jenkins
- Master Node
- Slave Nodes
- Executors
- Distributed Builds
- Why distribute builds?
- Setting up distributed builds
- Jenkins Certification and How Jenkins Works
- Conclusion
What is Jenkins?
Now that we know a little bit about Jenkins let’s move on to nodes and executors. Software projects can be developed, deployed, and automated with the help of Jenkins, an automation server. It enables programmers to automate every step of the software development lifecycle, from testing and deployment to code integration.
Nodes in Jenkins
Understanding Jenkins’s nodes is crucial for using the software. In essence, nodes are the computers that carry out Jenkins tasks. Jenkins has two different kinds of nodes: slave nodes and master nodes.
Master Node
The Jenkins system’s primary controller is called the Master Node. It schedules jobs and buildings and looks after the Jenkins environment. It is the location of the Jenkins web interface and the installation of the Jenkins server. However, as it can result in performance bottlenecks, it is not recommended to run builds on the master node, particularly for large-scale projects.
Slave Nodes
Worker nodes, sometimes called build agents or slave nodes, are computers that carry out Jenkins’ tasks under the supervision of the master node. Any distant computer, whether real or virtual, that is set up to use Jenkins can be a slave node. Slave nodes offer the benefit of distributing the build burden across several machines, which increases productivity and shortens build times.
Executors
Jenkins has close connections between executors and nodes. A node’s executor is a slot reserved for executing a single build or operation. One or more executors may be present in any node, including the master and slave nodes. The number of concurrent builds or jobs that can run on a node at once is decided by executors.
If a slave node is set up with two executors, for instance, it can run two builds simultaneously. Executors assist in making effective use of the available computer resources.
Distributed Builds
Why distribute builds?
Scalability and resource efficiency are taken into account by distributed builds. Building and testing software can take a lot of time in enterprise-scale software development initiatives. Utilising multiple slave nodes with multiple executors allows you to divide the effort and drastically shorten build times.
This method ensures higher test coverage and quality by speeding the development process and allowing you to run tests in several environments.
Setting up distributed builds
Optimising your CI/CD process requires setting up distributed builds in Jenkins. These are the crucial actions:
- Set up one or more slave nodes on different computers to configure them. On every slave node, install the required agents and build tools.
- To add a new slave node to Jenkins, navigate to “Manage Jenkins” > “Manage Nodes and Clouds” > “New Node” via the web interface. Provide the name and connection information.
- Configure Executors: Determine the number of executors needed for every slave node by considering the build specifications and available resources.
- Work Configuration: Indicate whether a Jenkins job should execute on the master node or one of the slave nodes when you create it. Additionally, you can indicate how many executors are needed to complete the task.
- By taking these actions, Jenkins will optimise resource usage and boost build performance by automatically distributing the builds and tasks among the available nodes and executors.
Jenkins Certification and How Jenkins Works
Anyone aiming for a Jenkins certification needs to understand nodes, executors, and distributed builds. Your proficiency with Jenkins and its ecosystem is demonstrated by your Jenkins certification, which makes you a valued asset in the CI/CD space.
To perform well on your Jenkins Certification exam, you must thoroughly understand Jenkins’ operations, covering all the topics covered in this blog. In the software development business, CI/CD pipelines that are scalable and efficient are highly sought after. This may be achieved by mastering nodes, executors, and distributed builds.
Conclusion
We have examined the fundamental components of Jenkins, such as distributed builds, executors, and nodes. These ideas are essential to comprehending Jenkins’ workings and optimising your CI/CD workflows. Achieving success in the field of continuous integration and continuous delivery can be accomplished by understanding these ideas, regardless of whether you’re seeking a Jenkins certification or just want to improve your knowledge of CI/CD.
