A Complete Overview of Jenkins Dashboard- Day 2-B
Introduction
Welcome to my blog! In this post, we'll explore the Jenkins dashboard, the central hub for managing your CI/CD pipelines, jobs, and configurations. Whether you're a beginner or looking to brush up on your Jenkins skills, understanding the dashboard is crucial for effective DevOps workflows.
Getting Started with Jenkins Dashboard
As we have installed Jenkins on an AWS EC2 instance, we will have to start the specific instance. Jenkins dashboard can be accessed through the browser using the following link template:
http://<server_IP>:8080
Since Jenkins listens on the default port 8080, we have to mention the same.
Navigating the Jenkins Dashboard
Dashboard Layout Overview
Key Sections and Their Functions
Main Toolbar
The main menu is located on the left side of the dashboard. Here’s what each option does:
New Item: Allows you to create new jobs, pipelines, or folders. It’s the starting point for any new project in Jenkins.
Build History: Shows a timeline of all builds that have run. Each build is color-coded to indicate success (blue), failure (red), or instability (yellow).
Manage Jenkins: This is the configuration hub where you manage system settings, plugins, security settings, nodes, and more.
My Views: Lets you customize views to organize jobs, which is especially helpful when dealing with a large number of jobs.
Job Status Overview
Jobs are displayed in the main area with various status indicators:
Blue Circle: The job has been built successfully.
Red Circle: The job has failed.
Yellow Circle: The job is unstable, meaning it completed with some warnings or errors.
Grey Circle: The job has not been built yet.
These indicators give you a quick visual understanding of the health of your projects.
Best Practices for Using Jenkins Dashboard
Here are some tips to help you get the most out of the Jenkins dashboard:
Organize Jobs: Use folders or custom views to group related jobs. This helps keep the dashboard clean, especially in larger projects.
Monitor Executors: Regularly check the executor status to prevent bottlenecks. If jobs are frequently queued, consider adding more executors.
Security: Always ensure that Jenkins is secured. Manage user permissions carefully and use role-based access controls to keep sensitive areas protected.
Use Plugins Wisely: While plugins extend Jenkins functionality, too many plugins can slow down your server or introduce security vulnerabilities. Install only what you need and keep them updated.