5 Courses to Learn Jenkins and CI/CD in 2019

In today's world of Agile and DevOps, Jenkins has become an indispensable tool for both Java programmers and DevOps engineers. Jenkins allows you to set up continuous integration (CI) and continuous deployment (CD) pipeline, which reduces risk on software development.

This means hassle-free development and deployment. It also means quicker feedback because as soon as a commit has been made into source control, Jenkins can start building artifacts and running unit tests.

If the build failed due to an issue or if a unit test doesn't pass, you will receive an email instantly. This quick feedback loop ensures that your codebase remains error free.

It is also one of the most compelling technologies of the last decade in terms of its disruption to software development and operational practices.

The Jenkins Continuous Integration solution has become a staple in organizations of all sizes that want to increase productivity and streamline software development in the era of Agile. It has extensive community support has the extended the core functionality of Jenkins by developing thousands of useful plugins.

An ecosystem of more than 1,100 plug-ins has emerged, enabling customers to add all sorts of functionality and integrate Jenkins with everything from Active Directory to GitHub to Tomcat.

Jenkins is also becoming a must-have tool for DevOps. It allows companies to build very sophisticated build pipelines very quickly, thus greatly reducing the risk within the software development lifecycle.

Tons of companies have already been using Jenkins to implement continuous integration pipelines. Today you have the access to that same technology right on your desktop.

Without any further ado, here is my list of some of the best Jenkins courses for Java programmers and DevOps engineers. Both junior and senior programmers can benefit from these courses. I have tried to choose only hands-on courses which not only teach you theory but more importantly how they are used in the real world.

1. Master Jenkins CI For DevOps and Developers

This course covers all the fundamentals about Jenkins and teaches you everything you need to know to set up a Jenkins build pipeline starting with continuous inspection (build, test and static analysis) all the way to continuous deployment (deploy to staging and production).

2. Jenkins Bootcamp: Fully Automate Builds Through Deployment

This is a comprehensive course designed to show how to set up and run a Jenkins CI server starting with continuous inspection (build, test and analysis) all the way through to continuous deployment.

This course provides a strong foundation for implementing continuous inspection, continuous integration, continuous delivery, and even continuous deployment at your company or studio.

3. Jenkins: Continuous Integration and DevOps with Java and .NET

This is another great Jenkins course for both developers and DevOps people using Java or .NET.

In this course, you will learn about CI and why it is important, what Jenkins is, how to build an automated CI pipeline with Jenkins, how to version control and manage relational database schema, and more.

You will also learn to run the CI pipeline to maintain build artifacts, configure, secure, and extend Jenkins, configure automated build notifications, and integrate CI builds with Git repositories hosted in GitHub. Overall, it's a complete course to learn Jenkins and Continuous Integration.

4. Learn DevOps: CI/CD with Jenkins using Pipelines and Docker

This course will teach you how to use Jenkins using the Jenkins DSL and Jenkins Pipelines (Jenkins file). It's a new way of using Jenkins, rather than using freestyle projects.

I call it using Jenkins, the DevOps way! I'll explain infrastructure-as-code and automation to make sure you understand how Jenkins Pipelines fits within this new way of thinking.

In this course, you will also learn how to integrate Jenkins Pipelines with popular software tools, like:

• Docker

• GitHub/Bitbucket

• JFrog Artifactory

• SonarQube

• Onelogin (Using SAML)

If you're looking for a job in the DevOps space, Jenkins is a must-have skill, and this course provides all the information you need to start your DevOps journey.

5. Getting Started With Jenkins Continuous Integration

This is a great beginner's course designed to show how to set up and runs a Jenkins CI server starting with continuous inspection (build, test and analysis) and how to automate much of the build and deployment process using Jenkins.

I am a big fan of the teaching style of instructor John Sonmez as he has a knack for explaining the complex topic and simple words and including the details which matter. 

This course provides a strong foundation for implementing continuous integration and delivery at your company or studio. I recommend this to beginners, who are starting with Jenkins first time.

Another important thing to mention about this course is that you need a Pluralsight membership to access this course, which cost around $299 per year, or $29 per month. Thankfully, Pluralsight is running a flash offer now which gives you $100 discount on annual membership (the offer can expire anytime, so please check to see if this is still the correct price).

This makes it even cheaper than a Netflix subscription, and why not? After all, it's Netflix for software developers. The Pluarlsight membership provides access to more than 6,000 courses on the latest technology. From my experience, it is the best way to keep yourself up-to-date with constant changes in the software development world. Pluralsight also provides a 10-day free trial without any obligation which means you can access this course for free by just signing for their free trial.

If you are a senior Java developer with more than 5 years of experience, then learning Jenkins, CI, CD and other DevOps tools and frameworks can enhance your profile. It can also give your career your boost and may play an important role in your promotion in your existing job.  I strongly encourage all senior Java developers to learn Jenkins, Docker and other DevOps tool this year.

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