Top 20 Best Jenkins Alternatives CI/CD Tools (Self Hosted vs Cloud). In this article we will introduce what Jenkins server is and move over to our list of best CI/CD alternatives. Let’s start!
What is Jenkins
Jenkins is a popular self hosted, open source CI (Continuous Integration) tool with numerous plugins, often leveraged to streamline DevOps pipeline. Java developers use Jenkins to automate building, testing, deploying projects and thereby accelerate CI and CD.
However, Jenkins is not up to the mark when it comes to UI, besides its configuration is quite difficult. Moreover, the plugins are not upgraded timely, which makes it less compatible with the cloud native IT stack.
Jenkins is nearly a decade old and it is a self managed solution which can be deployed On prem or in the cloud. Also Jenkins requires a dedicated team for creating and managing Jenkins pipelines and troubleshooting failures. In addition businesses also have to pay for Jenkins servers. So if you want to consider Jenkins alternatives let’s look at top 20 Best Jenkins Alternatives CI/CD Tools (Self Hosted vs Cloud).
With so many CI/CD tools on the market, which one would be the best Jenkins alternative? Let’s take a look!
Self Hosted vs Cloud
Jenkins is self hosted, the reason why many developers still prefer using it. One advantage of a self hosted platform is that it allows you to upgrade and control the platform as per your own needs. You can analyze new features before opting for them. Besides, you can always roll back to the older version in case the upgrades go wrong.
On the other hand cloud deployments are fully managed by vendors, so it makes your job easier. However, you will have less control over the customization and upgrades of the platform.
Top 20 Best Jenkins Alternatives CI/CD Tools (Self Hosted vs Cloud)
Evaluate and learn your business critical needs, before switching to any of the Jenkins alternatives, be it self hosted or cloud.
1. GitLab CI
GitLab CI is an integral element of GitLab. It is a prominent CI/CD tool with Auto DevOps offering all the impressive features of GitLab server along with a friendly web interface to accelerate software delivery. It has an open source UI that makes continuous integration, deployment and delivery a breeze, without the need for a third party tool.
This cloud based platform based on Git includes a complete suite of CI tools to seamlessly build automated testing pipelines. It significantly reduces maintenance cost as it streamlines compiling, staging and testing pipelines. Right from integrated security, jobs to issues, you can get deeper visibility from a single dashboard.
It is an ultimate solution for organizations who want to standardize their DevOps tool stack.
Key Features of GitLab CI
- GitLab Container Registry: a secure platform for Docker images.
- Includes APIs to offer numerous features and deeper integrations.
- Helps find components to improve within pipeline.
- Confidential Issues keep your sensitive data secure.
- Saves time by parallel testing of builds.
- Docker integration helps automate application delivery.
- Offers solid support.
2. Bamboo
Bamboo was launched by Atlassian and it is a very powerful CI tool used for continuous deployment. It seamlessly integrates with JIRA for agile project management and bug tracking. It helps IT businesses build, test and get end to end visibility into their projects. It also integrates with Fisheye (a powerful revision control browser) as well as Bitbucket for enhanced version control.
Bamboo comes with a full suite of DevOps friendly tools that streamline team collaboration and development pipelines.
It supports a wide range of technologies to extend its functionality such as Mercurial, Amazon S3 buckets, AWS, SVN, Git and so on. Bamboo is a perfect solution for enterprises that already use some of the Atlassian technologies.
Key Features of Atlassian Bamboo
- Built in disaster recovery to keep teams on track.
- Automated workflows from code to deployment for agile development.
- Fully integrated with Jira and Bitbucket software for deeper traceability.
- Use Docker and AWS CodeDeploy to easily product releases.
- Integrates with Opsgenie to help response teams resolve issues faster.
- Easy to configure.
3. CircleCI
Another on the list of top 20 Best Jenkins Alternatives CI/CD Tools (Self Hosted vs Cloud) is CircleCI. It is another optimal CI platform that seamlessly connects with various technologies you already use such as Atlassian, Slack and AWS. It is a potential CI/CD platform that is ideal for businesses of all sizes.
With SOC Type II compliance and FedRAMP certification, CircleCI offers automation and complete control over your code. It features built in audit logs, LDAP, context restrictions along with powerful integrations via “Orb” system for deeper builds.
Key Features of CircleCI
- Built with Version Control System.
- Easy to set up and manage.
- Runs in almost any environment.
- Multilingual support: C++, Python, Ruby, PHP, Javascript, NET, etc.
- Supports Docker to help you set up a customized environment.
- When a new build is triggered, it automatically cancels running or queued builds.
- Reduces build time by splitting tests amongst distinct containers.
- Fast performance with Parallelism and Optimal Caching.
- Integration with Bitbucket, GitHub and GitHub Enterprise.
4. TeamCity
TeamCity is a CI server founded by JetBrains. It can be used as a cloud service or as an On Prem installation on macOS, Linux or Windows or be run in Docker. TeamCity leverages automation to build and test software products. It aims to reduce code integration issues, derive rapid feedback from every code change and streamline development processes.
It is free to use, with no limitation on build time, number of users or features. You can configure around 100 builds and it allows you to run 3 builds in parallel.
Key Features of TeamCity
- Projects Overview provides a complete view of your builds, their status and what triggered them.
- Build Dependencies page provides a unified view of how the project is built, validated, tested and deployed.
- Build Log offers real time view into project builds, tests, or lets you search errors or events using filters.
- Test History is where you can analyze test performances of your build.
- Configuration as code approach helps you easily reuse code.
- Write CI/CD configuration with Kotlin to get full featured power over its toolset.
- Saves build time by reusing artifacts, optimizing build queue and running the least required stages in pipelines.
- Extracts build configuration templates without the need to duplicate settings for each project.
- RESTful API to integrate the platform with your apps.
- Supports all programming languages.
- Integrates with all popular tools like Perforce, MSBuild, Gradle, npm, Maven, etc.
- New C# Script build runner.
- Enable Two Factor Authentication for enhanced security
5. Travis CI
Travis CI is easy to configure with YAML files and a breeze to use. It offers a streamlined experience as you can run numerous tests on your builds. It may not be an enterprise grade solution, and that is also why it is painless to maintain.
Key Features of Travis CI
- Easy to configure with a large community support.
- Live view into builds.
- Database services are pre installed.
- As per your requirements, you can customize the build environment.
- Tests every Pull Request before it is merged to your project.
- Passed builds are Auto Deployed.
- Supports Linux, Mac and iOS.
6. BuildMaster
BuildMaster was launched in 2011 by Inedo and it is one of the Best Jenkins Alternatives with CI capabilities. With the tool, you can efficiently manage your builds and deploy them anywhere, without the help of an expert for configuration.
It is a full fledged CI comprising automated unit testing, build reporting, integration with static analysis tools, manual user approvals, automated checks and so much more.
Key Features of BuildMaster
- Allows you to build a self service release management platform where teams can manage their builds and deploy them to their own build environments.
- Scales to cloud and thousands of servers.
- Deploy BuildMaster to Linux servers or Windows, containers, VMs, cloud, mainframes, PaaS, mobile, or Kubernetes clusters.
- Powered by Inedo Execution Engine that automates complex deployments via simple declarative syntax.
7. Bitrise
Another on the list of top 20 Best Jenkins Alternatives CI/CD Tools (Self Hosted vs Cloud) is Bitrise. It provides a full featured CI/CD Cloud Infrastructure for Mobile. With automated workflows and triggers, it reduces time spent on testing, staging and maintaining your builds.
Mobile CI model helps your team detect bugs and bottlenecks before they affect the production. It continuously merges and tests changes before release, in order to prevent poor user experiences from affecting the end user.
Key Features of Bitrise
- Build machines with mobile cloud infrastructure CI.
- Uses VMs to run your builds and retain their confidentiality.
- Easy automated building and testing for faster time to market.
- Build logs and powerful team management features for better collaboration.
- Scans code and automatically configures the essential workflow steps.
- Over 300+ integrations.
- Open source with solid community support.
- Covers full mobile stack including Java, Kotlin, Cordova, Swift, Objective C, Ionic, Flutter and React Native.
- Can store code in any private, public or ad hoc Git service.
8. Spinnaker
Founded by Netflix, Spinnaker is a multi cloud, open source platform with powerful continuous delivery capabilities. It is an optimal application management and deployment platform with which you can release software changes faster.
It seamlessly integrates with popular cloud providers and variety of hosting technologies such as Kubernetes, Docker, etc. Spinnaker is for enterprises looking to standardize their release workflows with heavy cloud native approach.
Key Features of Spinnaker
- Automate releases with integrations and system tests.
- Trigger pipelines via Travis CI, CRON, git events, Jenkins, Docker or other Spinnaker pipelines.
- Create and deploy immutable images for easy and fast rollbacks.
- Deploy to multiple cloud providers such as Google Compute Engine, AWS EC2, Kubernetes, Google Kubernetes Engine, Openstack, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, Microsoft Azure, Google App Engine, etc.
- Role based access control.
- Chaos Monkey Integration.
9. UrbanCode
UrbanCode is a CI/CD tool built by IBM; quite a potential Jenkins Alternative. Out of their products, UrbanCode Build is a CI and management server for your builds designed for easy scalability, configuration and integrations. Detect code changes, build, test and deliver feedback continuously with the core CI loop. The centrally defined templates make it easier to add new projects. Additionally, it offers fine grained control as well as security for your build environment.
Key Features of UrbanCode
- Automates software release processes with standard templates.
- Provides visibility into critical DevOps metrics such as deployment volumes, production cycle time, etc.
- Self service model to help teams release at their own speed.
10. Buddy Works
Buddy Works is an effective Jenkins Alternative that helps you build apps faster with CI/CD adoption. It comprises optimal caching, parallelism, smart detection of changes and all around optimizations.
Key Features of Buddy Works
- Fully visualized UI with drag and drop builder to create and manage pipelines.
- Docker Layer Caching.
- Scaling vCPU and RAM.
- Repository caching.
- Reusable build environments.
- Deployments based on changeset.
- Artifacts Caching.
- Runs your builds in customizable containers comprising 20+ ready to use build environments for popular frameworks and languages.
- Integrates with GitHub, AWS, Bitbucket, Slack, Google Cloud, GitLab, Kubernetes, etc.
11. Drone.io
Drone.io is a quite popular Jenkins Alternatives used to automate software building and testing. It is one of the best self service CI platforms, ideal for organizations with busy development teams.
Configuring Drone.io is a breeze with a straightforward file that commits to the git repository. Every step in the pipeline runs inside a Docker container and it is automatically downloaded at execution time.
Key Features of Drone.io
- Integrates with various source code managers such as GitLab, GitHub, Bitbucket and GitHubEnterprise.
- Supports multiple OS and architectures such as Windows x64, ARM64, Linux x64 and ARM.
- Works with almost all languages, service or database running inside a Docker container.
- Create your own plugin or choose from hundreds of prebuilt plugins.
- Features YAML syntax extensions.
- Custom access controls, secret management and workflow approval allows for easy customization.
12. AWS CodePipeline
AWS CodePipeline is a fully managed CI and CD service that automates your release pipelines for faster product upgrades. As per your defined release model, it will automate different stages such as build, test and deploy in your release pipeline whenever the code changes. This allows for rapid software updates.
Moreover, it easily integrates with third party tools such as GitHub, Jenkins or even with custom plugins that you create.
Key Features of AWS CodePipeline
- Iterate on feedback and release new features faster.
- Model different release stages using console interface, AWS SDKs, AWS CLI, etc.
- Allows Parallel Execution.
- Pay only for what you use.
13. CruiseControl
CruiseControl is a good CI tool that also is an extensible framework to help you create custom continuous build pipelines. It features plenty of plugins for numerous source controls, notification schemes and build technologies. The web interface provides an insight into the previous and ongoing builds.
Key Features of CruiseControl
- Open source, written in Java.
- Useful to build distinct type of projects on a single server.
- Support for remote server management.
- Supplies builders for NAnt, Xcode, Ant, Maven, Phing and Rake.
- Use catch all exec builder with any command line tool.
14. Integrity
Integrity is again a very potential CI server that builds your code, runs tests and streamlines all processes as soon as you push commits. Further, it will report the status of the build via various notifiers to keep all the team members on the same page.
Limitation is that Integrity only works with git, but git can mirror other SCMs. For this, you need to update mirrored repositories timely with your primary repositories.
Key Features of Integrity
- Allows logging bugs into the bug tracker.
- Generates reports and notifies users.
- Only works with git, but can mirror other SCMs.
- Supports systems like Flowdock, Shell, AMQP, HTTP, Email, TCP, etc.
- HTTP Notifier can send HTTP POST request to a particular URL.
15. JFrog
JFrog acquired the Shippable platform to automate complete DevOps pipelines right from code to production. As Shippable was merged with JFrog, it became one of the powerful CI/CD tools that is centrally managed and supports thousands of users and pipelines in a HA (high availability) build environment.
It supports legacy applications, modern apps and also offers advanced functionalities for container based releases. With native, pre packaged declarative steps, you can easily create complex pipelines, even the cross team ones.
Key Features of JFrog CI/CD
- JFrog Xray integrates vulnerability scanning and license compliance into pipeline.
- Declarative YAML based pipelines with standardized syntax.
- Reusable, declarative and versions configurations.
- Real time dashboard with alerts.
- Integrates with most DevOps tools.
- Artifactory integration.
- Supports cloud, multi cloud, On prem and hybrid topology deployments.
16. CloudBees CI
CloudBees CI is an enterprise ready solution built on the Jenkins. It offers a highly flexible, governed and scalable CI/CD you can leverage to quickly onboard teams, automate pipelines, employ best DevOps practices and help teams execute their own Jenkins instances. With centralized management, cross controller collaboration and faster onboarding becomes hassle free!
Key Features of CloudBees CI
- Built in compliance, governance and security for tough Jenkins pipelines.
- Pre configured templates and policies for rapid onboarding of new teams and projects.
17. Buildkite
Buildkite offers high speed testing and delivery for all your builds. It is a powerful platform that runs scalable and secure CI pipelines on your infrastructure. Open source buildkite agent runs on your own infrastructure to provide maximum control, security and speed over your build jobs.
It checks your source code, runs custom hooks and overrides and executes your builds. The source code remains secure in your infrastructure and never leaves it.
Key Features of Buildkite
- Install the agent on Debian, Windows, Ubuntu, Docker, Mac and more using one of the packages/binaries.
- Agent’s artifact and meta data storage allows for state free build jobs that you can scale and distribute amongst different agents.
- Run up to 10,000 build agents per account.
- Open source Elastic CI Stack for AWS.
- GraphQL APIs, REST APIs and Webhooks for customization
- Multilingual support.
- Integrates with BitBucket, GitHub, GitLab and so on.
- Does not read your code.
- HipChat and Slack integration.
18. GoCD
GoCD is a free and open source CI/CD server with which you can easily model and visualize complex pipelines. The value stream map provides a complete view of your entire production. You can seamlessly navigate through jobs, optimize processes and detect inefficiencies in pipelines all in a single view.
Key Features of GoCD
- Out of the box CD, no plugin needed.
- Streamlines your CD workflow on Docker, AWS, Kubernetes and more.
- Can model complex CD workflows for faster feedbacks.
- Parallel execution, dependency management and modeling constructs.
- Advanced Traceability.
- Premium, curated plugins available.
19. Semaphore CI
The main objective of Semaphore CI is to eliminate bottlenecks. It is the one and only CI/CD solution that offers powerful support for Monorepo projects to aid rapid deployments. With Visual Pipeline Builder, you can build enterprise grade CI/CD pipelines as a service.
Key Features of Semaphore CI
- Works with Kubernetes & Docker, Linux, iOS, Android, Ruby, Python, PHP, Node.js, Java, and more.
- Runs CI/CD in any Docker image.
- Build with Xcode, Flutter, React Native.
- Parallelize and accelerate builds.
- Pushing apps automatically to TestFlight.
20. Microtica
Last on the list of top 20 Best Jenkins Alternatives CI/CD Tools (Self Hosted vs Cloud) is Microtica. It is a modern CI platform to create self service cloud infrastructure and app deployment. No more constantly configuring and debugging infrastructure. Microtica eliminates this headache as it offers pre configured infrastructure elements and templates.
Developer Portal features ready made templates to customize infrastructure on demand. You simply need to link the app source code and deploy with git push. In a single view, you can monitor the ongoing state of your infrastructure deployments and applications.
Key Features of Microtica
- Unified control center to package cloud resources as code.
- Self service infrastructure for developers.
- Simple, intuitive UI.
- API and CLI interfaces available.
Top 20 Best Jenkins Alternatives CI/CD Tools Conclusion
Above were the Top 20 Best Jenkins Alternatives CI/CD Tools. When choosing your Jenkins alternatives, make sure to check whether it can seamlessly integrate with your QA pipeline to keep up with your unique business requirements.
We hope this detailed post will help you find your best Jenkins Alternatives to automate building and testing of CI/CD pipelines.
