In the dynamic world of software development, Jenkins has emerged as a cornerstone for improving testing processes. In this blog post, we’re going to look at how Jenkins is used in automated testing. You might have heard a lot about Jenkins recently. It’s becoming a key tool for many developers. Throughout this article, we will explain how Jenkins can be used for testing software and why it is useful. Hopefully, after reading this post, you will understand how Jenkins can facilitate testing and how to use it for your own projects.

Jenkins is an automation server that enables continuous integration (CI) and continuous delivery (CD) processes. It acts as the backbone of test automation, allowing teams to build, test, and deploy software efficiently. Jenkins simplifies the automation pipeline by integrating with various testing frameworks, version control systems and deployment tools.

In order to understand Jenkins better, you may need to get familiar with a few technical terms.

• Job: Jenkins Jobs are a given set of tasks that run sequentially defined by the user. Any automation implemented in Jenkins is a Jenkins’ job. These jobs are a significant part of Jenkins’s building process.
• Plugin: Plugins additional features that add functionality of a Jenkins environment to suit specific needs. There are over a thousand different plugins which can be installed and integrate various build tools, cloud providers, analysis tools and many more.
• Node: A machine which is part of the Jenkins environment and capable of executing pipelines or jobs. Both the controller and Agents are considered Nodes.
• Pipeline: A user-defined model of a continuous delivery pipeline. A continuous delivery pipeline is an automated expression of your process for getting software from version control right through to your users and customers.

Since we have explained the basic definition & purpose of Jenkins and go over the related terms, we are ready to take a closer look at the relevance to the testing world. You may ask, “How does Jenkins work in a test automation setup?”

Well, Jenkins operates on the concept of jobs and pipelines. A job represents a specific task, such as compiling code, running tests, or deploying applications. These jobs can be organized into pipelines, which define the entire workflow of the CI/CD process. Jenkins pipelines consist of stages, each representing a phase of the development lifecycle, such as building, testing, and deploying.

Additionally, Jenkins integrates with testing frameworks. It supports integration with a wide range of testing frameworks, such as Selenium, JUnit, Cucumber, and many others. You can configure Jenkins to trigger automated tests whenever there is a code change or on a scheduled basis. The test results can be published directly in Jenkins, making it easy to analyze and track test outcomes over time.

That’s really impressive right? Jenkins can handle different types of testing, like functional, regression, and performance. It provides flexibility to execute various types of tests. You can create separate jobs for different test suites, each focusing on specific types of testing. For example, you can have a job that runs functional tests using Selenium WebDriver, another job for regression tests, and even a job for performance tests using tools like JMeter. Jenkins allows you to create these tests and gather valuable insights into your applications’ stability and performance.

It seems like Jenkins is quite versatile but is it difficult to set up and configure?

Not at all! Jenkins offers a user-friendly web interface for easy configuration. You can install it on your local machine or set it up on a server. Jenkins provides extensive documentation and an active community, which means you’ll find plenty of resources and support if you encounter any issues.

Additionally, Jenkins integrates seamlessly with popular version control systems like Git, enabling you to trigger automated tests whenever changes are pushed to the repository.

So, you may be wondering how to get started with Jenkins for test automation?

To begin, you’ll need to download and install Jenkins. Once it’s up and running, you can explore the available plugins to integrate with your preferred testing frameworks. I’ll provide more detailed explanations to give you a glimpse of how it can be done. The picture below belongs to the first page that you’ll ever see when you log into the system. To create projects and pipelines you need to click “New Item” on the left side of the page.

After that, you can create your project according to your needs or copy from an existing project.

This is the pipeline that I created for my presentation.

Start by creating a simple job and gradually expand your automation pipeline as needed like I did. The menu on the left side is very crucial. You’ll configure your project by clicking “Configure” and create your job using the steps on that page. You can run the project by clicking “Build with Parameters”. You select those parameters from “Configure”. You can also monitor the building history. This is a small explanation of how I created my pipeline. If you are stuck, you can find plenty of resources and tutorials.

Jenkins plays a vital role in test automation by serving as a versatile automation server for Continuous Integration (CI) and Continuous Delivery (CD) processes. It simplifies the automation pipeline through its integration with various testing frameworks such as Selenium, JUnit, and Cucumber. With Jenkins, teams can effortlessly organize tasks into jobs and pipelines, defining the entire workflow of the CI/CD process, from building to testing and deploying software. Its compatibility with different types of testing, including functional, regression, and performance testing, offers flexibility in executing various test suites and gaining valuable insights into application stability and performance.

Furthermore, Jenkins offers a user-friendly web interface and extensive documentation, making it easy for users to set up, configure, and integrate with popular version control systems like Git, thus streamlining the test automation process and enhancing overall software development efficiency.

1. CI/CD concepts
2. Glossary – Jenkins
3. Test Automation Pipeline