Jenkins vs TeamCity – What’s the Difference ? (Pros and Cons)
Jenkins vs TeamCity – What’s the Difference ? (Pros and Cons). Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery/Deployment (CI/CD) empowers software development teams to focus on fulfilling business goals without compromising code quality and software security. In addition, CI/CD tools facilitate the automation of this process by storing the environment specific parameters required to be packaged with each delivery.
In this article, we will compare two primary Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment/Delivery (CI/CD) tools in the market: Jenkins and TeamCity.
Let’s dive in with Jenkins vs TeamCity – What’s the Difference ? (Pros and Cons)
What is Jenkins?
Jenkins is an open source software or DevOps tool used to implement the automation of CI/CD workflows called CI/CD pipelines. Written in the Java programming language, the instrument was developed by Oracle initially as a project called Hudson. Oracle then donated the project to the Eclipse Foundation.
Although Hudson’s development has ended, Jenkins’ development continues to be managed by the CD Foundation (under the auspices of the Linux Foundation) as open source software. Due to its longevity, the Jenkins platform has quickly solidified itself as the industry standard for continuous integration servers.
Features of Jenkins
- Jenkins security covers both users and servers. For server security, Jenkins utilizes the networking security capabilities of the server operating system it runs on. It also guards the server through multifactorial authorization, which limits access to the server via the Jenkins interface to the barest minimum.
- For users’ security, Jenkins protects the internal user database with security features available on the UI like “Security Realm” and “Authorization Realm.”
- The availability of so many plugins on Jenkins makes it highly extensible in that, irrespective of the environment and platform. The exhaustive plugin library enables it to be optimized for speedy development, testing, and deployment. Also, Jenkins is built on Java, a well known programming language, enabling it to be naturally accommodating to other tools built on the Java framework.
Pros of Jenkins
- Jenkins is free to use and does not require any premium payments to unlock its features. In addition, its open source nature allows developers to focus on building without financial limitations. The zero cost policy has proven to be a significant selling point for Jenkins as it does not just attract experts but also developers who are learning CI/CD.
- Jenkins has a rich plugin ecosystem. There are over 1,400 plugins available to developers to carry out a lot of processes. In addition, anyone can develop the plugins. So, if a developer cannot find a plugin for a particular process, they can create one and add it to the existing plugin pool, easing the work of other developers who may require that function.
- Jenkins is very OS friendly. Also, you can easily install and run it on any operating system such as Mac, Windows, Linux, etc. Jenkins can also run on the cloud with the use of Virtual Machines (VMs). This feature makes it very adaptable for most developers, so they do not need to worry about issues like operating system (OS) compatibility.
- Jenkins has one of the most robust and reliable community support systems among the CI/CD tools. The community is composed mainly of developers with diverse experience with the tool. As a result, you can quickly get help or resources for any challenge you may face in your project. There are over 100,000 users who make up this vibrant community.
- Jenkins also supports many CI/CD platforms. With several plugins, you can easily interact with other CI/CD tools, creating flexibility and ease when working across multiple devices.
Cons of Jenkins
- Jenkins’ user interface is not so great compared to modern UI standards. Its appearance makes it look technical, which can overwhelm first time users. Also, the placement of features makes it difficult for people with no experience with the software to locate essential functions, thereby increasing the learning curve and making it tiresome to work with Jenkins
- The code quality of the plugins in Jenkins is unreliable. Since third party developers build the plugins, one cannot vouch for the code quality of many of them. Therefore, one must do some due diligence before using a plugin in their project.
- Little changes in the settings tend to cause breaks in the continuous integration process. Unfortunately, these pauses often require developer attention, which may not be readily available, thereby putting the project’s progress on hold.
Now with Jenkins vs TeamCity – What’s the Difference ? is time to introduce TeamCity.
What is TeamCity?
TeamCity is a CI/CD server created by Jetbrains. It operates under a commercial license and offers up to 100 build configurations in a paid package as well as three build agent licenses for free.
TeamCity supports Java, .NET programming language and Ruby development. In addition, it conveniently integrates with version control systems, issue tracking systems and significant Integrated Development Environments (IDEs). As a result, setting things up for small teams and open source projects is uncomplicated.
Features of TeamCity
- TeamCity provides full support for its integration with some key tools like your build tool, version control, issue tracker, and package repository. TeamCity’s support for these and many more integrations is widely known in the industry and is a major element of its structure.
- TeamCity provides numerous features to facilitate excellent continuous integration protocols, such as:
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- Remote runs and pre tested commits
- Problems with test management
- Automatic investigation assignment
- On the fly build progress reporting metadata in test results and so on.
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- TeamCity utilizes cloud computing by hosting build agents on farms like Amazon EC2, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, VMware vSphere, and Kubernetes. It dynamically scales its build agents on these platforms to automatically start and stop depending on your workload.
- TeamCity helps developers improve their code quality by utilizing IntelliJ IDEA and ReSharper to analyse and inspect Java and .NET code. TeamCity also supports other out of the box plugins to improve your code in major areas.
Pros of TeamCity
- Developers have praised TeamCity for having a simple, effective and aesthetic UI. Its simple user interface has been a significant selling point for it, as the interface design follows modern design principles, which optimizes user experience and work effectiveness.
- TeamCity’s simplistic design makes it easy for users to locate functions on the software and carry out tasks quickly without having to source external assistance. The invention also features intuitive gestures like drag and drop, making workflow more fluid and enjoyable.
- TeamCity has the best .NET integration framework of any other CI/CD tool. Many .NET technologies are easily integrated into TeamCity, including code coverage analysis, .NET testing frameworks, and static code analysis.
- Unlike Jenkins, TeamCity does not rely on plugins to carry out basic tasks. Instead, the majority of the functions on TeamCity are built in and do not require additional plugins to work with. Among the features are building chains and dependencies, source control, comprehensive historical data and statistics, monitoring the source project of multiple projects, and so on.
Cons of TeamCity
- A major turn off for most developers regarding TeamCity is that it is not free. Although TeamCity offers a free professional license for open source projects, to use it at an enterprise level requires a purchase fee of $1,999, with a single build agent costing $299 amidst other pricing options in its offering. Compared to Jenkins, which is free for any project, TeamCity is not cost friendly and targets software development businesses, not individual developers.
- TeamCity lacks enough resources or documentation on its API integration. Apart from the information provided by Jetbrains in its guide, there is not much information one can find on specific topics that one could need. The focus on TeamCity’s RESTful API page even states that it is not complete and only provides basic information.
Now with Jenkins vs TeamCity – What’s the Difference ? is to record a comparison of both.
Differences between Jenkins and Teamcity
License
Jenkins
Jenkins is an open source CI/CD tool under the MIT license. The MIT license is the primary license that houses the core of Jenkins and some plugins. Jenkins also encourages contributors of hosted plugins to use the open source MIT license for their work. But they are also free to choose other open source licenses as no plugins with proprietary licenses or hidden source code can be allowed on Jenkins.
TeamCity
The entire TeamCity framework runs under a commercial license from Jetbrains. It offers a variety of licenses for users such as Professional Server License and Enterprise Server License. These two licenses give users access to the Professional Edition and Enterprise Edition of the software respectively.
Set Capabilities
Jenkins
Team City has a slight edge over Jenkins in terms of capabilities. Owing to its longevity, open source nature, and a much more extensive array of plugins, it is presumably able to carry out more specific tasks.
TeamCity
User Interface and Accessibility
Jenkins
While most people consider Jenkins’ interface somewhat old fashioned, it is still very much usable and fully functional despite its complexity. The problem is that the interface makes it difficult for people with no prior experience with the software to run essential to advanced tasks, and it calls for more and more specialized knowledge with time.
TeamCity
User interface/accessibility is a significant selling point of TeamCity. Its simple setup, beautiful layout, and uncomplicated drag and drop features make it a top choice above Jenkins. Accessing the functionality set in TeamCity is easier because of the interface. You don’t need prior experience or expertise with the software to run essential functions.
Community Support
Jenkins
Jenkins, being open source software, has a large developer community backing it. There is a robust community replete with chats, discussion forums, and even meetups to help members of the community trash out issues with the program. There is also a vast online repository of information or resources about Jenkins.
TeamCity
TeamCity has a more centralized community support system. Jetbrains provides most of the customer support and information through its professional support staff.
Pricing
Jenkins
Because Jenkins is open source, it is free to use; this is a significant point of attraction for many individuals and organizations with a limited budget.
TeamCity
TeamCity is a commercial solution. It offers a Professional Server License and an Enterprise Server License. The Professional Server License provides 100 build configurations and three build agents for free, after which you would require $299 to get an additional build agent and 10 build configurations under this license. The Enterprise Server License provides three build agents and unlimited build configurations for $1,999.
API and Third Party Integrations
Jenkins
Next comparison of Jenkins vs TeamCity – What’s the Difference ? is to compary API and third part integrations. Jenkins’ API comes in XML, JSON, or Python formats, making nearly every one of its components customizable. The software also has over 1,400 plugins; there’s a plugin for every task you require, ranging from build tools to source code management to language specific development tools, making Jenkins easier to customize and more convenient to work with.
TeamCity
TeamCity operates an out of box system for its plugins. Although it has way fewer plugins than Jenkins (about 380), they are created by the developers’ community and are offered by Jetbrains outside the scope of their supported commercial product.
Security
Jenkins
Jenkins’ external cybersecurity ratings falls within the “good” range, with Jenkins scoring a higher security rating of 865/950. This score shows that Jenkins is a reputable software when it comes to security. This is facilitated by the Jenkins Security Team which is a group of volunteers who detect and fix security loopholes.
TeamCity
The external cyber security ratings for TeamCity also falls within the “good” range. JetBrains, the parent company of TeamCity, has an impressive score of 827/950. Although TeamCity strongly advises users to adhere to standard security practices, the Jetbrains company works with third parties to provide security scanning and penetration testing.
Updates
Jenkins
Jenkins follows the long term support cycle principle. You can decide to keep using an older version of the software without updating to newer versions, especially if you feel more comfortable with it and do not mind forfeiting the latest upgrades and features of the more recent versions.
TeamCity
Whereas in TeamCity, version updates come as compulsory upgrades. To continue using the software, you must upgrade to the latest version.
Thank you for reading Jenkins vs TeamCity – What’s the Difference ? W shall conclude.
Jenkins vs TeamCity – What’s the Difference ? Conclusion
This article will help you decide which CI/CD tool to use between the industry famous Jenkins and TeamCity. Knowing that there is no “one size fits all” can be helpful. Jenkins might be superior to TeamCity in one aspect yet perform woefully in another and vice versa.
Nevertheless, when choosing between Jenkins and TeamCity or other CI/CD tools, the most important determining factor is your specific needs. Properly analysing and understanding your business, organization, or project CI/CD needs will guide your research into the more efficient tools to solve them.
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