Jenkins and GitLab are popular tools for continuous integration and continuous development, but which software is right for you? Find out how features of these DevOps tools compare.
With DevOps, the need to constantly develop, test and deploy new features is critical, and this requires specialized tools to automate and streamline the process to make it seamless. Two popular choices for CI/CD Solutions are Jenkins and GitLab, and these tools are well suited to specific DevOps requirements. We compare the features and use cases for Jenkins and GitLab.
What is Jenkins?
Jenkins is a free to use, open source automation server to manage CI/CD. Jenkins runs on Windows, Linux, and Mac servers and has a handy installer to make installation really easy.
One of Jenkins’ greatest strengths is its list of over 1,700 utility plugins that make customization and integration really easy. It also gives Jenkins the ability to adapt to almost any requirement.
What is GitLab?
GitLab is an open source but freemium-based CI/CD management tool that offers full DevOps support, including key built-in features such as bug tracking and version control.
GitLab only runs on Linux-based servers, although it can run on some Windows systems with extensive workarounds. GitLab also has slightly higher requirements than Jenkins and a suitable server should have node.js, Git, Ruby and Redis rather than just JRE.
Jenkins vs. GitLab: Feature Comparison
| Function | Jenkins | GitLab |
|---|---|---|
| Windows and Mac Support | Yes | New |
| Follow problem | New | Yes |
| Extensive plugin support | Yes | New |
| Support available | New | Yes |
| Track built-in version | New | Yes |
Head-to-head comparison: Jenkins vs. GitLab
Easy installation
Jenkins and GitLab offer a very straight forward and easy installation process, and both options are also on-premise tools, so your own server is required.
Installing Jenkins is very easy. The only requirement is that you install the Java Runtime Environment first, then download the Jenkins installer and follow the prompts. Once installed, you create an administrator account and then access the tools and features through a web browser interface.
GitLab can be a little more complicated to install, especially if you’re not experienced with the specific Linux builds it requires. However, all the tools and features are contained in a single Omnibus package, so downloading the package that suits your installation is easy.
GitLab offers the ability to run on Kubernetes, which can be useful if you already have this infrastructure and are familiar with Kubernetes. Docker images are also officially supported
GitLab supports cloud installations with AWS, Google Cloud or Microsoft Azure. Gitlab offers special preconfigured builds for the popular three cloud services to make installation and configuration easier. When it comes to cloud installations, GitLab is definitely the better choice of the two.
User environment
Both Jenkins and GitLab have useful user interfaces. With Jenkins, this can be through a browser-based interface or through a plugin theme that users can select. With GitLab, there is one option known as the Operations Dashboard. This shows all projects at a glance along with pipelines and other statistics.
Extensibility
Both DevOps tools offer the ability to build, customize, or scale based on your needs.
Jenkins really shines with their plugin library that can go from a simple project management tool to managing a full product lifecycle. But as more plugins are added, the whole system can get a bit cluttered and cluttered. Extreme scaling can be problematic with Jenkins compared to GitLab.
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With GitLab, while it doesn’t have the plugin library that Jenkins has, it does offer more fully integrated tools meant for DevOps. This makes it a much better long-term scaling option. While not quite as flexible at first, as flexibility or scaling is pushed, GitLab is starting to make strides in this regard.
Choosing Jenkins vs. GitLab
Jenkins excels in small to medium-sized environments where budgets and manpower can be limited. It’s easy to use, very easy to install and configure, and able to adapt as your projects grow with extensive plugin support.
GitLab is a more premium tool aimed at medium to large-sized environments where added DevOps tools such as issue tracking, versioning, and complex pipelines all need to be managed. This makes GitLab excel when it comes to code collaboration and managing code repositories.
Both Jenkins and GitLab are extremely capable and mature tools. Choosing between the two is really just a matter of matching their strengths to the environment you want to use them in.
