A first look at Jenkins X

Jenkins X is an opinionated enhancement of the traditional Jenkins build server, designed for use with Kubernetes, which requires users to set aside previous Jenkins experiences to fully grasp its capabilities. Unlike conventional CI servers, Jenkins X acts as a complete build ecosystem that orchestrates the entire development pipeline from local code preparation to application deployment on Kubernetes. It integrates various tools and services such as Docker, Skaffold, Helm, and Nexus to automate and streamline the build and deployment process, emphasizing a seamless and efficient workflow. By utilizing Kubernetes as a cloud operating system, Jenkins X installs applications, manages artifact repositories, and executes builds within a Kubernetes cluster, which ultimately promotes faster builds and a coherent deployment strategy. Jenkins X facilitates this process by automatically configuring the necessary files and repositories, thereby offering a robust and automated development pipeline that challenges traditional CI server paradigms.