Migration from Jenkins to GitLab CI/CD
Our experience is that migrations are often postponed for a very long time because they do not promise any immediate advantage. However, when the tools used are getting on in years and no longer really fit the new requirements, technical debts accumulate that also jeopardise further development.
Advantages
The advantages of GitLab CI/CD over Jenkins are:
- Seamless integration
- GitLab provides a complete DevOps workflow that seamlessly integrates with the GitLab ecosystem.
- Better visibility
- Better integration also leads to greater visibility across pipelines and projects, allowing teams to stay focused.
- Lower cost of ownership
- Jenkins requires significant effort in maintenance and configuration. GitLab, on the other hand, provides code review and CI/CD in a single application.
Getting started
Migrating from Jenkins to GitLab doesn’t have to be scary though. Many projects have already been switched from Jenkins to GitLab CI/CD, and there are quite a few tools available to ease the transition, such as:
Run Jenkins files in GitLab CI/CD.
A short-term solution that teams can use when migrating from Jenkins to GitLab CI/CD is to use Docker to run a Jenkins file in GitLab CI/CD while gradually updating the syntax. While this does not fix the external dependencies, it already provides better integration with the GitLab project.
Use Auto DevOps
It may be possible to use Auto DevOps to build, test and deploy your applications without requiring any special configuration. One of the more involved tasks of Jenkins migration can be converting pipelines from Groovy to YAML; however, Auto DevOps provides predefined CI/CD configurations that create a suitable default pipeline in many cases. Auto DevOps offers other features such as security, performance and code quality testing. Finally, you can easily change the templates if you need further customisation.
Best Practices
Start small!
The Getting Started steps above allow you to make incremental changes. This way you can make continuous progress in your migration project.
Use the tools effectively!
Docker and Auto DevOps provide you with tools that simplify the transition.
Communicate transparently and clearly!
Keep the team informed about the migration process and share the progress of the project. Also aim for clear job names and design your configuration in such a way that it gives the best possible overview. If necessary, write comments for variables and code that is difficult to understand.
Get in touch
I will be happy to answer your questions and create a customised offer for the migration of your Jenkins pipeline to GitLab CI/CD.
I will also be happy to call you!