Using Steps in Pipeline

Jenkins Pipeline is a suite of plugins that support implementing and integrating continuous delivery pipelines into Jenkins. In Pipeline, a step is a single task that is part of the build process. Steps can be used to execute commands, run scripts, or perform complex workflows.

Pipeline steps are executed sequentially and can include various types of actions:

• Scripted Steps: Custom Groovy scripts.
• Declarative Steps: Defined in a declarative syntax.
• Pipeline Utility Steps: Built-in utility steps provided by Jenkins.

Each step can output results that can be used as input for subsequent steps.

Here are examples of how to use different types of steps in a Jenkins pipeline:

Declarative Pipeline Example

pipeline {
    agent any
    stages {
        stage('Build') {
            steps {
                echo 'Building..'
                sh 'make' // Executes shell command
            }
        }
        stage('Test') {
            steps {
                echo 'Testing..'
                sh 'make test' // Executes shell command
            }
        }
    }
}
                

Scripted Pipeline Example

node {
    stage('Build') {
        echo 'Building..'
        sh 'make' // Executes shell command
    }
    stage('Test') {
        echo 'Testing..'
        sh 'make test' // Executes shell command
    }
}
                

To ensure efficient and maintainable Jenkins pipelines, consider the following best practices:

1. Use declarative pipelines for easier readability and maintenance.
2. Keep stages focused on a single task to simplify debugging.
3. Utilize shared libraries for reusable code across different pipelines.
4. Integrate error handling within steps to manage failures effectively.
5. Document your pipeline code with comments for clarity.