Jenkins with Azure Container Instances

1. Introduction

Jenkins is a widely-used open-source automation server that helps automate the parts of software development related to building, testing, and deploying. Azure Container Instances (ACI) allows users to run containers in the cloud without managing servers. This lesson explores integrating Jenkins with Azure Container Instances for efficient CI/CD pipelines.

2. Key Concepts

2.1 Jenkins

Jenkins is used for continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) of software projects.

2.2 Azure Container Instances

ACI is a service that allows you to run containers on Azure without managing virtual machines.

3. Setup

3.1 Prerequisites

• Azure Subscription
• Jenkins Installed (local or cloud-based)
• Docker Installed on Jenkins server

3.2 Azure CLI Installation

Install the Azure Command-Line Interface (CLI) for managing Azure resources.

curl -sL https://aka.ms/InstallAzureCLIDeb | sudo bash

3.3 Azure Login

Login to your Azure account using the CLI.

az login

4. Configuration

4.1 Create Resource Group

Create a new resource group for your containers.

az group create --name myResourceGroup --location eastus

4.2 Create Container Instance

Deploy a container instance with Jenkins using the following command:

az container create --resource-group myResourceGroup --name myJenkins \
            --image jenkins/jenkins:lts --cpu 1 --memory 1.5 --port 8080

5. CI/CD Workflow

graph TD;
    A[Source Code] --> B[Jenkins Build];
    B --> C[Run Tests];
    C --> D[Deploy to ACI];
    D --> E[Monitor Deployment];
        

6. Best Practices

• Use environment variables to manage configurations.
• Implement proper health checks for your containers.
• Monitor and log all activities for troubleshooting.

7. FAQ