Jenkins Cheat Sheet

Updated 2026-04-28

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Jenkins is an open-source automation server that orchestrates continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) workflows through pipelines defined as code. Originally forked from Hudson in 2011, Jenkins powers CI/CD pipelines across millions of projects by executing builds, running tests, and deploying applications through a distributed architecture of controllers (formerly masters) and agents (formerly slaves). Its plugin ecosystem of 2000+ plugins — combined with Pipeline-as-Code via Jenkinsfiles stored in source control — enables teams to automate every stage from commit to production. A key mental model: Jenkins itself does almost nothing; all real work is delegated to agents, orchestrated by the controller, and expressed as code in a Jenkinsfile.

What This Cheat Sheet Covers

This topic spans 28 focused tables and 266 indexed concepts. Below is a complete table-by-table outline of this topic, spanning foundational concepts through advanced details.

Table 1: Pipeline TypesTable 2: Jenkinsfile Core DirectivesTable 3: Common Pipeline StepsTable 4: Agent ConfigurationTable 5: Kubernetes Pod AgentsTable 6: When ConditionsTable 7: Build ParametersTable 8: TriggersTable 9: Post ConditionsTable 10: Options DirectiveTable 11: Credentials ManagementTable 12: Environment VariablesTable 13: Docker IntegrationTable 14: Parallel ExecutionTable 15: Error HandlingTable 16: Pipeline Testing & Quality GatesTable 17: Job TypesTable 18: SCM IntegrationTable 19: Workspace ManagementTable 20: Testing and ReportingTable 21: NotificationsTable 22: Build Tools IntegrationTable 23: Essential PluginsTable 24: Security and Access ControlTable 25: REST API UsageTable 26: Configuration as Code (JCasC)Table 27: Performance and OptimizationTable 28: Observability and Monitoring

Table 1: Pipeline Types

Type	Example	Description
Declarative Pipeline	`pipeline {` `agent any` `stages {` `stage('Build') {` `steps { sh 'make' }` `}` `}` `}`	• Structured syntax with predefined sections (`pipeline`, `agent`, `stages`, `steps`) • enforces best practices and provides clear validation errors; preferred for new pipelines.
Scripted Pipeline	`node {` `stage('Build') {` `sh 'make'` `}` `}`	• Groovy-based imperative syntax offering maximum flexibility for complex logic • uses `node` blocks; reserve for cases Declarative cannot handle.
Multibranch Pipeline	Automatically scans repository for branches with `Jenkinsfile`	• Auto-discovers branches and PRs and creates sub-pipelines for each • single job definition manages unlimited branches.

Table 1: Pipeline Types

Type	Example	Description
Declarative Pipeline	`pipeline {` `agent any` `stages {` `stage('Build') {` `steps { sh 'make' }` `}` `}` `}`	• Structured syntax with predefined sections (`pipeline`, `agent`, `stages`, `steps`) • enforces best practices and provides clear validation errors; preferred for new pipelines.
Scripted Pipeline	`node {` `stage('Build') {` `sh 'make'` `}` `}`	• Groovy-based imperative syntax offering maximum flexibility for complex logic • uses `node` blocks; reserve for cases Declarative cannot handle.
Multibranch Pipeline	Automatically scans repository for branches with `Jenkinsfile`	• Auto-discovers branches and PRs and creates sub-pipelines for each • single job definition manages unlimited branches.