Jenkins
Jenkins is the leading open-source automation server for CI/CD, offering a Java-based core with 1,500-2,000+ plugins for building, testing, and deploying software across Windows, Linux, and macOS. It serves software development teams globally under MIT License, with commercial support provided by ecosystem partner CloudBees.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Jenkins does
Jenkins is the leading open-source automation server for continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD), founded in 2004 and released as an open-source project in 2011 by Kohsuke Kawaguchi. Its core product, Jenkins Core, is a self-contained Java-based application providing extensible build, test, and deployment automation that runs out-of-the-box on Windows, Linux, macOS, and other Unix-like operating systems. The platform's defining feature is its plugin architecture: the Update Center hosts 1,500-2,000+ plugins integrating with Git, Docker, Kubernetes, AWS, Azure, Slack, Jira, SonarQube, JFrog, HashiCorp Vault, and Elasticsearch, enabling nearly infinite extensibility for the CI/CD toolchain. Pipeline as Code (via Jenkinsfile) and distributed build capabilities across multiple machines support complex, version-controlled deployment workflows.
Jenkins is governed as a community-driven project under the Continuous Delivery Foundation (CDF), with a Jenkins Governance Board, specialized interest groups (Platform, Advocacy, GSoC), and a release officer. It is supported by corporate sponsors including CloudBees (the primary commercial distributor via CloudBees CI), AWS, GitHub, JFrog, Red Hat, Atlassian, Datadog, and DigitalOcean, plus infrastructure support from the Oregon State University Open Source Lab. Distribution is fully free under MIT License through direct downloads, package managers (apt, yum, dnf, Chocolatey), Docker Hub, and official installers; Jenkins itself does not generate product revenue, and commercial support, training, and enterprise features are monetized by ecosystem partners rather than the Jenkins Project. FIPS 140-2 compliant cryptography support extends addressability into US federal and regulated enterprise segments. Recent product development includes a 2025 UI redesign, a 2026 nested pipeline graph view, and an in-development AI chatbot plugin via GSoC 2026.
Jenkins firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Jenkins
- Legal name
- Jenkins Project
- Website
- https://jenkins.io
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Jenkins is the leading open-source automation server for CI/CD, offering a Java-based core with 1,500-2,000+ plugins for building, testing, and deploying software across Windows, Linux, and macOS. It serves software development teams globally under MIT License, with commercial support provided by ecosystem partner CloudBees.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Jenkins industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Continuous Integration / Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) Automation
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (513210)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- CI/CD Pipeline Engineering & Automation (BPAEAKAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Developer Tools & DevOps Platform Services (CI/CD, Artifacts, IaC) (HDABAAAI)
Keywords
Where Jenkins is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Jenkins business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Open Source Distribution: Jenkins is free and open-source software distributed under MIT License. Revenue is not generated directly from the open-source project; commercial support and services are provided by ecosystem partners like CloudBees.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Open Source - Free |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels10 records
Jenkins product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Jenkins is a free, open-source Java-based automation server that provides continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) capabilities for software development teams. It enables users to automate building, testing, and deploying software projects across platforms through a self-hosted server extended by over 2,000 plugins and a Pipeline-as-Code (Jenkinsfile) workflow engine.
Product overview
Jenkins is an open-source automation server serving as the leading CI/CD platform, offering a modular architecture centered on Jenkins Core with over 2,000 plugins available through the Jenkins Update Center. The platform provides continuous integration and continuous delivery capabilities through its core engine, extended by the Pipeline (Pipeline as Code) module for defining build workflows as code. Jenkins is distributed as a self-contained Java application with official Docker images supporting multiple architectures (ARM, IBM s390x, ppc64le, RISC-V) and operating systems (Windows, Linux, macOS). The commercial distribution is offered through CloudBees CI, providing enterprise-grade features on top of the open-source foundation.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Jenkins Automation Server Self-contained Java-based open-source automation server providing continuous integration and continuous delivery capabilities for software development teams; ready to run out-of-the-box on Windows, Linux, macOS, and other Unix-like systems with hundreds of plugins to support building, deploying, and automating any project.
- Jenkins Pipeline (Pipeline as Code) Feature suite that lets users define CI/CD pipelines as code via Jenkinsfiles using declarative or scripted syntax, enabling version-controlled, repeatable build, test, and deployment workflows.
Quantifiable outcome
- 18% of cloud-native CI/CD market share (2026)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Jenkins
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Jenkins technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration11 records
AI capability3 records
Feature7 records
Jenkins partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- CloudBees, Inc.coreCloudBees is a major supporter of the Jenkins project, providing significant development contributions and offering commercial Jenkins products and support services. They are listed as a key sponsor with major commitments to the project.
- Continuous Delivery Foundation (CDF)coreJenkins is a graduated project under the CDF, which provides governance, infrastructure support, and organizes events like cdCon where Jenkins community awards are presented.
- AWSmajorAmazon Web Services is listed as a major supporter of the Jenkins project through their open source support programs and infrastructure contributions.
- GitHub, Inc.majorGitHub provides support to the Jenkins project and hosts many Jenkins plugins and integrations on the GitHub platform.
- Oregon State University Open Source LabmajorProvides hosting and infrastructure support for the Jenkins project as a major supporter.
- Red HatminorRed Hat provides internship opportunities (GSoc mentors) and support for Jenkins development, including contributors from Red Hat working on Jenkins projects.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Jenkins competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- GitHub Actions: GitHub's integrated CI/CD platform, currently the dominant cloud-native competitor with 85%+ market share. Directly comparable in core CI/CD functionality (build, test, deploy pipelines) but delivered as a SaaS tightly integrated with the world's largest code-hosting platform.
- GitLab CI: GitLab's built-in CI/CD engine competes with Jenkins on pipeline-as-code, self-hosted vs. SaaS flexibility, and DevOps platform breadth. Often considered Jenkins's closest functional alternative for enterprises wanting integrated SCM + CI + CD.
- CircleCI: A cloud-native CI/CD platform offering hosted and self-hosted runners. Competes directly with Jenkins on build automation and pipeline-as-code, with a focus on performance and developer experience that highlights Jenkins's slower build times.
- CloudBees: The primary commercial sponsor of Jenkins and provider of CloudBees CI, the enterprise distribution. It is the closest commercial analogue to Jenkins and the main vehicle through which enterprises pay for Jenkins-based capabilities.
- JetBrains TeamCity: A commercial CI/CD server with on-premise and cloud offerings, often used by enterprises and Kotlin/Java-heavy teams. Competes with Jenkins on pipeline configuration, extensibility, and integration with major IDEs.
- Buildkite: A hybrid CI/CD platform that combines a SaaS control plane with self-hosted agents, directly addressing the same regulated/air-gapped use case Jenkins serves, but with a more modern UX.
Broad incumbents
- Azure DevOps Pipelines: Microsoft's integrated CI/CD service within the Azure DevOps suite. Competes with Jenkins as part of a broader enterprise DevOps platform, particularly attractive to Azure-centric enterprises.
Emerging players
- Drone.io: A container-native CI/CD platform built on Docker, offering pipeline-as-code via YAML. Targets the same DevOps audience as Jenkins but with a lighter, cloud-native architecture.
- Harness CI: A newer CI/CD module within the Harness DevOps platform, emphasizing AI-assisted pipelines and cloud-native execution. Competes for the same enterprise CI/CD workloads that Jenkins historically dominated.
- Tekton: A Kubernetes-native CI/CD framework incubated under the CDF (alongside Jenkins). Competes in the cloud-native pipeline space and benefits from the same continuous-delivery governance umbrella.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Jenkins social profiles
Digital presenceJenkins compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Jenkins financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Jenkins leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles14 records
Jenkins funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Jenkins M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Jenkins
What does Jenkins do?
Jenkins is a free, open-source Java-based automation server that provides continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) capabilities for software development teams. It enables users to automate building, testing, and deploying software projects across platforms through a self-hosted server extended by over 2,000 plugins and a Pipeline-as-Code (Jenkinsfile) workflow engine.
Is Jenkins a public or private company?
Jenkins is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Jenkins founded?
Jenkins was founded in 2011. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Jenkins based?
Jenkins is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Jenkins make money?
One revenue line is on record: open Source Distribution.
Who are Jenkins's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, CircleCI, CloudBees, JetBrains TeamCity and Buildkite. Azure DevOps Pipelines is listed as a broad incumbent. Emerging players are Drone.io, Harness CI and Tekton.
Does Jenkins have an API?
Yes. Jenkins provides a CLI (Command Line Interface) for interacting with Jenkins instances. The CLI allows users to perform various operations including triggering builds, managing jobs, and accessing jenkins-cli written in Go (github.com/jenkins-zh/jenkins-cli). The Jenkins REST API allows programmatic access to Jenkins functionality for integration with external tools and services.
What industry is Jenkins in?
Jenkins's product category is Continuous Integration / Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) Automation. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAEAKAB, CI/CD Pipeline Engineering & Automation, with a secondary code of HDABAAAI, Developer Tools & DevOps Platform Services (CI/CD, Artifacts, IaC). Its NAICS code is 513210 and its SIC code is 7370.