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GitLab CI vs Jenkins X: What are the differences?
Introduction
In this comparison, we will explore the key differences between GitLab CI and Jenkins X. Both GitLab CI and Jenkins X are popular continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) tools, but they have some fundamental differences that set them apart.
Execution Model: GitLab CI follows a pipeline-based execution model, where jobs defined in a YAML file are executed in stages. Each stage can have multiple jobs that run sequentially or in parallel depending on the configuration. Jenkins X, on the other hand, is built on top of Jenkins and Kubernetes, and it uses a serverless approach where pipelines are triggered automatically based on events in the repository, such as code commits or pull requests.
Cloud-Native Architecture: Jenkins X is designed with cloud-native principles in mind, making it well-suited for modern containerized applications and microservices architectures. It leverages cloud-native technologies like Kubernetes to provide scalability and portability. GitLab CI, while it can be used with Kubernetes, does not have the same level of native integration and is more flexible in terms of deployment options.
Built-in Features: GitLab CI includes several built-in features like integrated code review, issue tracking, and a built-in container registry. These features are tightly integrated into the CI/CD process, providing a seamless experience for developers. Jenkins X, on the other hand, focuses primarily on the CI/CD workflow and integrates with external tools for code review, issue tracking, and artifact storage.
Community and Ecosystem: GitLab has a large and active community, with a wide range of plugins and extensions available. GitLab CI benefits from this strong ecosystem and offers a wide range of integrations and extensions. Jenkins, the underlying platform for Jenkins X, has been around for a long time and has a well-established ecosystem with a vast number of plugins and integrations. However, Jenkins X is a relatively new project and its ecosystem is still growing.
Ease of Use and Configuration: GitLab CI provides a user-friendly interface for configuring and managing pipelines. The configuration is done using YAML files, making it easy to version control and share with others. Jenkins X, while it can be configured using YAML files as well, requires more setup and configuration due to its integration with Kubernetes and other cloud-native tools.
Deployment and Scalability: Jenkins X provides built-in support for automatic deployment to Kubernetes clusters, making it easy to deploy and scale applications. GitLab CI, on the other hand, offers more flexibility in terms of deployment options, supporting a wide range of platforms and environments.
In summary, GitLab CI and Jenkins X have different execution models, with GitLab CI following a pipeline-based model and Jenkins X taking a serverless approach. Jenkins X is built with cloud-native principles in mind and has a stronger focus on the CI/CD workflow, while GitLab CI offers integrated features and a wider range of deployment options.
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 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
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Cons of GitLab CI
- Works best with GitLab repositories2
Cons of Jenkins X
- Complexity1