Bamboo vs Jenkins | DevOps instruments comparability
To decide on the perfect CI/CD device to energy your DevOps initiatives, you might want to take an in depth have a look at the options supplied by the highest contenders. See how two DevOps options, Bamboo and Jenkins, examine.

Steady integration (CI) and steady deployment (CD) leverage the facility of automation to construct, take a look at and deploy software program. One explicit CI/CD device, Jenkins, has lengthy been the gold customary in DevOps — however newer paid contenders, comparable to Bamboo, would possibly problem Jenkins’ supremacy. Learn on to check the options of DevOps instruments Bamboo and Jenkins.
SEE: Find out how to recruit and rent a DevOps engineer (TechRepublic Premium)
What’s Bamboo?
Bamboo is a steady integration server supplied by Atlassian. Bamboo lets you automate the discharge administration of a software program utility, making a steady supply. This CI/CD device permits your DevOps workforce to spend much less time creating and working time-intensive but redundant scripts and extra time constructing the code that issues.
What’s Jenkins?
Jenkins presents an open supply solution to create a steady integration and steady supply atmosphere. Over the previous decade, Jenkins has develop into the de facto customary in CI/CD instruments because of its open supply nature and free price ticket. Nevertheless, some newer market entrants — together with Bamboo — at the moment are difficult Jenkins’ conventional strategy and interface.
Function comparability: Bamboo vs Jenkins
Bamboo | Jenkins | |
---|---|---|
Open supply | No | Sure |
Department administration | Sure | Sure |
Automated deployment | Sure | No |
Parallel execution help | Sure | Sure |
REST APIs | Sure | Sure |
Department administration
Department builds assist software program groups work in parallel and preserve works in progress separate from examined code that is able to go. Department builds assist cease you from unintentionally publishing code that isn’t able to go. Sadly, Jenkins solely not too long ago began providing built-in department administration performance, and plenty of customers say that it feels tacked on and might’t examine to the seamless expertise supplied by sure rivals. There are some department administration plug-ins on the market that you would be able to add your self, however that’s an additional step you’ll have to take if you’d like a extra strong model of department administration in Jenkins.
Bamboo does supply built-in department administration, which is consistent with its strategy as a complete CI/CD answer. Bamboo has supplied this built-in characteristic for longer than Jenkins has and it’s way more complete and simpler to make use of. If department administration is necessary to your DevOps workforce and also you need the smoothest expertise, Bamboo is a extra strong wager.
Deployment
Sadly, Jenkins doesn’t embrace built-in deployment as a part of the fundamental package deal. Because it has been round so lengthy, and deployment is such a vital a part of DevOps, there are a number of plug-ins you possibly can set up to automate deployment. Nevertheless, that is a further hoop you’ll have to soar by means of — and positively a vital one, given how time consuming it’s to write down and run deployment scripts from scratch.
In distinction, Bamboo contains automated deployment as a part of its software program package deal, so that you don’t need to hunt for a plug-in that may automate this course of the way in which you need it to. Contemplating how integral deployment is, this can be a huge level in Bamboo’s favor and a cause why many DevOps reams discover it definitely worth the monetary funding in comparison with Jenkins.
Open supply
Jenkins is open supply, which is a large cause for its widespread recognition and its place because the business customary CI/CD device. Its open supply nature implies that greater than 1,800 plug-ins created by the neighborhood can be found to your use. Nevertheless, this could be a little bit of a double-edged sword, as a result of there’s no assure that these plug-ins will likely be maintained by whoever created them, which may doubtlessly go away you scrambling for a repair if one breaks.
Bamboo is closed supply, and has a price ticket to match. Whereas it does supply plug-ins, there are fewer choices obtainable than for Jenkins. Nevertheless, Bamboo has extra performance constructed into the native device itself, such because the automated deployment mentioned above, and you’ll relaxation assured understanding that Atlassian is sustaining and updating the device steadily.
SEE: 10 methods to forestall developer burnout (free PDF)
Selecting between Bamboo and Jenkins
Jenkins and Bamboo every take a unique strategy to CI/CD work. Jenkins is extra of a legacy product and takes a extra conventional strategy to integration and deployment. This historical past implies that it has intensive documentation and many plug-ins, and that it’s generally recognized within the business (so anybody you rent in DevOps has most likely labored with Jenkins in some unspecified time in the future). The free price ticket additionally continues to be one among Jenkins’ most important differentiating elements and could be a huge promote for bootstrap startups that have to make issues work on a shoestring finances.
Then again, Bamboo is proof that you simply get what you pay for in the case of CI/CD assets. Not solely is its interface extra up to date than Jenkins, it presents extra out-of-the-box performance, which implies you by no means have to fret about a vital open supply plug-in breaking as a result of it hasn’t been maintained steadily sufficient. In case you’ve obtained the finances and are searching for a next-generation CI/CD device, Bamboo is unquestionably price your consideration.
That being mentioned, Jenkins and Bamboo aren’t the one CI/CD choices which might be obtainable to your organization. Take a look at our different DevOps device comparisons to search out the right one to your firm’s wants.