Streamlining Software Development: Integrating Jenkins and GitHub for Automated Builds
Tags: jenkins, devops, cicd, softwaredevelopment
Published: 2023-07-22 18:28:47

**Introduction**

Agility, efficiency, and automation are essential components of contemporary software development to guarantee the prompt delivery of high-quality programmes. The practises of continuous integration (CI) and continuous delivery (CD) enable development teams to organise their workflows, foster better teamwork, and quicken the software delivery cycle. Among the widely used CI/CD tools, Jenkins and GitHub stand out as strong and well-liked options.  This article will guide you through the process of integrating Jenkins with GitHub to achieve automated builds and take a step closer to a seamless development pipeline. 

**Prerequisites**

Before we begin, make sure you have the following prerequisites in place:

- A Jenkins instance set up and running.
- A GitHub account with the repository for your project.

**Step 1: Install the GitHub Plugin in Jenkins**

The first step is to ensure that Jenkins has the GitHub Integration Plugin installed. If you haven't installed it yet, follow these steps:

- Log in to your Jenkins instance as an administrator.
- Navigate to the "Jenkins Dashboard."
- Click on "Manage Jenkins" in the left-hand sidebar.
- Select "Manage Plugins" from the dropdown menu.
- Go to the "Available" tab and search for "GitHub Integration Plugin."
- Check the checkbox next to the plugin and click "Install without restart."

**Step 2: Set up GitHub Credentials in Jenkins**

To enable Jenkins to interact with your GitHub repositories, you need to add your GitHub credentials to Jenkins. Follow these steps:

- In Jenkins, go to "Manage Jenkins" > "Manage Credentials."
- Under the "Stores scoped to Jenkins" section, click on "Global" domain.
- Click on "Add Credentials" in the left-hand sidebar.
- Choose "Secret text" for "Kind."
- Enter your GitHub username in the "Username" field.
- Generate a GitHub access token with "repo" and "admin:repo_hook" scopes (as explained in the prerequisites section).
- Paste the access token in the "Secret" field.
- Optionally, provide an "ID" and a meaningful description for the credentials.
- Click "OK" to save your GitHub credentials.

**- Step 3: Create a Jenkins Job for Your GitHub Project**

Now, it's time to create a Jenkins job to build your GitHub project automatically. Here's how to do it:

- From the Jenkins dashboard, click on "New Item."
- Enter a name for your job and select "Freestyle project."
- In the job configuration, scroll down to the "Source Code Management" section.
- Choose "Git" as the "Source Code Management" option.
- Provide the GitHub repository URL in the "Repository URL" field.
- Under "Credentials," select the GitHub credentials you added in the previous step.
- Choose the branch you want Jenkins to build (e.g., "*/main" for the main branch).
- Save your job configuration.

**Conclusion**

There are many advantages to integrating Jenkins with GitHub for your software development process.  With this integration, you can automate builds, run tests, and deliver software more efficiently. Your codebase's dependability and absence of integration problems are ensured by continuous integration. Contrarily, continuous delivery equips your team to confidently and quickly deploy new features and problem fixes to production.

By following the steps outlined in this article, you can seamlessly link your GitHub account with Jenkins, and harness the power of CI/CD to drive innovation, enhance collaboration, and achieve faster, more reliable software deliveries. Your development team will be well-equipped to thrive in today's fast-paced and dynamic software development landscape if you embrace this integration.