GitLab vs Jenkins – Which CI/CD tool should you choose?

In this post, we will introduce CI/CD by taking reference to two of the most popular tools used in software development today: GitLab vs Jenkins. With their benefits to methods of working, we will explore more of CI/CD and why it is an integral part of SDLC today.

A brief introduction to Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery

When these concepts are attached to one another to work in automation on a project, we call this a pipeline. A “pipeline” because it is serial like a pipe and no state can be jumped or skipped. You cannot achieve continuous delivery when continuous integration is not achieved. However, for this post, we can limit ourselves to just this brief introduction of CI/CD pipelines. Although, with the detailed analysis of GitLab vs Jenkins, we will touch on the concepts at various places.

GitLab vs Jenkins – Point-by-Point Comparison

For a quick reference for testers and developers, we have created the following table that highlights GitLab vs Jenkins comparison,

Parameter	GitLab	Jenkins
Integrated Platform	Majorly a CI/CD platform. But lacks code review, version control, and other DevOps features.	A comprehensive DevOps platform with proper version control, code review, bug tracking, CI/CD, and more.
Development method	Open-source	Open-source
Price	Free version + Paid Version	Free
Language	Ruby	Java
Working Architecture	GitLab CI and GitLab Runner	Master-Slave
Plugins	Limited plugins	1700+ Plugins to choose from
Community Size	Comparatively Smaller	Large Community
Platform Support	Supports only Unix-based OS such as Debian, Red Hat Linux, Ubuntu, Scientific Linux, CentOS, Oracle Linux, etc. It does not support Windows or macOS.	Supports Windows, macOS, Linux, and other Unix-like OS
Support	Provides 24×5 support for paid users, and community support is available for free users	Offers community support and documentation
Ease of use	Modern and easy-to-use, user-friendly interface	Older interface, so can be complex to use
CI/CD integration	Provides native CI/CD capabilities	Focuses on CI/CD automation
Containerization	Provides built-in support for Docker containers and Kubernetes orchestration	Provides support via plugins, but does not offer extensive native integration
Setup	Intuitive configuration and navigation	Configuration can be complex for new users
Release frequency	Provides updates and feature releases on a regular basis	Provides frequent updates and feature releases

Icebreaker Between GitLab CI/CD vs Jenkins

While GitLab CI/CD and Jenkins both are exceptionally good software that currently rules the market but there can be an ice-breaking point that can help you decide clearly which tool to choose.

Firstly, GitLab’s main strength comes from being cloud-based and having good monitoring features. Be it branch monitoring or performance monitoring, GitLab has a really good UI and great metric system that help analyze things clearly at any point in software development. This is not true with Jenkins or maybe with any other CI tool currently available. However, it all comes at a price as GitLab comes in free and premium packages. The main point of this section is to let you know that if monitoring and metrics are your priority, your bucks will be well spent on GitLab.

On the other hand, Jenkins is completely free to use and is a popular choice just for this part. As free software, it gives you a lot of things that the majority of paid CI tools do not give. The main strength of Jenkins comes from its plugins, which are thousands in number. As a tester, whatever you may need can be found in a plugin which gives a lot more flexibility.

Another good thing about having an open-source plugin-based system is that you can build your own if feasible. It has a good UI (which is rare in CI-based systems) and is continuously updated by developers. Jenkins should be your first choice when the team is satisfied with the available plugins, and there are no major requirements that Jenkins can’t suffice. It is also extremely easy to learn and use for a beginner.

Alternatives to GitLab CI/CD and Jenkins

For people who wish to explore a few more tools other than GitLab and Jenkins for CI capabilities can refer to the following list of five most preferred:

• Circle CI
• Bamboo
• Teamcity
• Travis CI
• Codeship

Let us know in the comment section if you are a user of one of these tools and how it compares with GitLab vs Jenkins.

Conclusion

The concept of continuous integration and continuous development has seeped too deep into SDLC that even smaller companies of just a few developers also find it relevant. It helps merge code smoothly and run various tests upgrading the application’s quality and minimizing the chances of errors at the user’s end.

In this post about Gitlab vs Jenkins, we took two of the most popular tools that help us achieve just that. GitLab CI/CD and Jenkins are equally efficient with uniquely different features that help us make a clear choice between them.

Starting with why to choose each of them to how to set them up on your machine, I hope this post will help you start your journey with the best CI/CD tools in the market. For any clarifications and suggestions, do let us know in the comment section. Thank you for giving this post your valuable time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does GitLab use Jenkins?

No. GitLab and Jenkins are two popular tools used for continuous integration and continuous development/deployment features. They both offer their own set of pros and cons which are discussed in this post. None of the tools takes the help of another; they work independently.

Can GitHub Actions replace Jenkins?

GitHub actions and Jenkins both provide great workflow features to build, test, release, and deploy your code. For a developer, they both are equally popular and equally powerful. In the end, the question comes down to which one you should choose between Jenkins and GitHub actions rather than which one will replace what.

Is GitLab good for CI-CD?

Yes, GitLab is a very powerful CI/CD tool with tons of features crafted just for developers and testers. It has excellent UI and monitoring capabilities.

How does Jenkins connect to GitLab?

GitLab is available as a plugin system for Jenkins. To add GitLab to Jenkins, visit the plugin section and install GitLab and Git plugins to enjoy Jenkins along with GitLab.