Installing Jenkins (On AWS or GCP)
Whether you're deploying Jenkins on AWS or GCP, the installation process is straightforward. Here's a step-by-step breakdown. On Ubuntu (AWS or GCP):
“You can't understand where someone's going unless you understand where they've been.”
by ― Jerry B. Jenkins
Step 1: Update & Install Java
Jenkins requires Java to run. On your Ubuntu 22.04 instance:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install fontconfig openjdk-17-jre
Step 2: Add Jenkins Repository & Key
wget -q -O -https://pkg.jenkins.io/debian/jenkins.io.key | sudo
apt-key add -
sudo sh -c 'echo deb http://pkg.jenkins.io/debian-stable binary/ >
/etc/apt/sources.list.d/jenkins.list'
sudo apt update
Step 3: Install Jenkins
sudo apt install jenkins
Step 4: Start Jenkins & Access UI
Start the Jenkins service:
sudo systemctl start jenkins
Open a browser and go to:
http://
Unlock Jenkins using the initial admin password:
sudo cat /var/lib/jenkins/secrets/initialAdminPassword
Then:
• Install Suggested Plugins
• Set up the Admin User
• Access the Jenkins Dashboard
Jenkins Architecture: How It All Works
Jenkins follows a Master-Slave (now called Controller-Agent) architecture that
enables distributed builds and scalable automation.
Jenkins Master (Controller)
• Manages the web UI, job scheduling, and plugin management.
• Distributes tasks to agent nodes for execution.
• Stores configurations and logs.
Jenkins Slave (Agent)
• Executes build jobs dispatched by the master.
• Can be any machine (Linux, Windows, etc.).
• Useful for scaling build/test workloads.
Plugin Ecosystem Jenkins supports 1,000+ plugins for tools like:
• Git for source control
• Docker for containerization
• Selenium for automated testing
Typical Workflow
Developer → Git Repo → Jenkins Master → Jenkins Agent → Build/Test/Deploy