Need advice about which tool to choose?Ask the StackShare community!
Bamboo vs GitLab CI vs Jenkins X: What are the differences?
Introduction: Bamboo, GitLab CI, and Jenkins X are all popular continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) tools used in software development. Each tool has its own features and capabilities that differentiate it from the others. In this article, we will explore the key differences between Bamboo, GitLab CI, and Jenkins X.
Integration with Version Control Systems: One key difference between Bamboo, GitLab CI, and Jenkins X is how they integrate with version control systems. Bamboo primarily integrates with Git, Mercurial, and Subversion, providing seamless integration and version control management. GitLab CI, on the other hand, is tightly integrated with GitLab, offering built-in version control capabilities and features like repository management and code collaboration. Jenkins X also integrates with Git, but it specifically focuses on GitOps workflows, where the entire application lifecycle is defined in Git repositories.
Pipeline Configuration and Orchestration: Another difference lies in how these tools handle pipeline configuration and orchestration. Bamboo uses a web-based graphical interface where users can visually create and configure pipelines using a drag-and-drop approach. GitLab CI, on the other hand, uses a YAML-based configuration file called .gitlab-ci.yml, where users define their pipelines and job configurations using code. Jenkins X also uses a YAML-based approach, but it embraces the concept of using Helm charts and Kubernetes as the underlying infrastructure for pipeline execution and management.
Deployment Environments: The deployment environments supported by each tool also differ. Bamboo supports a wide range of deployment environments, including on-premises servers, cloud platforms, and containers, making it highly flexible. GitLab CI offers similar flexibility and supports various deployment options. However, Jenkins X focuses specifically on cloud-native development and provides native support for deploying applications to Kubernetes clusters using Helm charts.
Integration with Testing Frameworks: When it comes to integration with testing frameworks, the three tools have different approaches. Bamboo offers a range of built-in testing features, including the ability to run automated tests, perform test coverage analysis, and generate test reports. GitLab CI also provides extensive support for testing, with features like parallel test execution, code quality analysis, and security scanning. Jenkins X, while not offering specific built-in testing features, integrates well with leading testing frameworks and tools, allowing users to easily incorporate testing into their CI/CD pipelines.
Built-in Collaboration and Code Review: Collaboration and code review are important aspects of software development, and these tools differ in their approach to these areas. Bamboo offers basic collaboration features like notifications, comments, and activity logs but does not have dedicated code review capabilities. GitLab CI, being part of the GitLab ecosystem, offers powerful collaboration and code review features, including merge requests, discussions, inline code commenting, and peer review workflows. Jenkins X, as it promotes GitOps workflows, encourages code review as part of the Git-based development process, utilizing features of Git platforms like GitLab.
Ease of Use and Learning Curve: Lastly, the ease of use and learning curve associated with each tool is worth considering. Bamboo provides a user-friendly interface and a straightforward setup process, making it relatively easy to get started. GitLab CI offers a comprehensive and well-documented set of features but may have a steeper learning curve due to the need to understand GitLab's broader ecosystem. Jenkins X, with its focus on cloud-native development and Kubernetes, may have a steeper learning curve for developers who are not familiar with these technologies but offers extensive documentation and community support for assistance.
In summary, Bamboo, GitLab CI, and Jenkins X differ in their integration with version control systems, pipeline configuration and orchestration approaches, deployment environments, integration with testing frameworks, collaboration and code review capabilities, and ease of use and learning curve.
We are a mid-size startup running Scala apps. Moving from Jenkins/EC2 to Spinnaker/EKS and looking for a tool to cover our CI/CD needs. Our code lives on GitHub, artifacts in nexus, images in ECR.
Drone is out, GitHub actions are being considered along with Circle CI and GitLab CI.
We primarily need:
- Fast SBT builds (caching)
- Low maintenance overhead (ideally serverless)
- Everything as code
- Ease of use
I think I've tried most of the CI tools out there at some point. It took me a while to get around to Buildkite because at first I didn't see much point given it seemed like you had to run the agent yourself. Eventually it dawned on me why this approach was more ingenious than I realised:
Running my app in a production (or production-like) environment was already a solved problem, because everything was already in some form of "everything as code". Having a test environment where the only difference was adding the Buildkite agent was a trivial addition.
It means that dev/test/prod parity is simple to achieve and maintain. It's also proven to be much easier to support than trying to deal with the problems that come with trying to force an app to fit into the nuances and constraints that are imposed by the containers/runtime of a CI service. When you completely control all of the environment the tests are running in you define those constraints too. It's been a great balance between a managed service and the flexibility of running it yourself.
And while none of my needs have hit the scale of Shopify (I saw one of their engineers speak about it at a conference once, I can't find the video now though 😞) it's good to know I can scale out my worker nodes to hundreds of thousands of workers to reduce the time it takes for my tests to run.
I would recommend you to consider the JFrog Platform that includes JFrog Pipelines - it will allow you to manage the full artifact life cycle for your sbt, docker and other technologies, and automate all of your CI and CD using cloud native declarative yaml pipelines. Will integrate smoothly with all your other toolset.
more configurable to setup ci/cd: * It can provide caching when build sbt, just add this section to yml file * Easy to use, many documentation
Weakness: * Need use gitlab as repository to bring more powerful configuration
Buddy is one of the most easy-to-use tools for CI I ever met. When I needed to set up the pipeline I was really impressed with how easy it is to create it with Buddy with only a few moments. It's literally like: 1. Add repo 2. Click - Click - Click 3. You're done and your app is on prod :D The top feature that I've found is a simple integration with different notification channels - not only Slack (which is the one by default), but Telegram and Discord. The support is also neat - guys respond pretty quickly on even a small issue.
Pros of Bamboo
- Integrates with other Atlassian tools10
- Great notification scheme4
- Great UI2
- Has Deployment Projects1
Pros of GitLab CI
- Robust CI with awesome Docker support22
- Simple configuration13
- All in one solution9
- Source Control and CI in one place7
- Integrated with VCS on commit5
- Free and open source5
- Easy to configure own build server i.e. GitLab-Runner5
- Hosted internally2
- Built-in Docker Registry1
- Built-in support of Review Apps1
- Pipeline could be started manually1
- Enable or disable pipeline by using env variables1
- Gitlab templates could be shared across logical group1
- Easy to setup the dedicated runner to particular job1
- Built-in support of Kubernetes1
Pros of Jenkins X
- Kubernetes integration7
- Scripted Pipelines5
- GitOps4
Sign up to add or upvote prosMake informed product decisions
Cons of Bamboo
- Expensive6
- Low community support1
- Bad UI1
- Bad integration with docker1
Cons of GitLab CI
- Works best with GitLab repositories2
Cons of Jenkins X
- Complexity1