100-Days-Of-DevOps-Challenge-KodeKloud

Jenkins Parameterized Builds

A new DevOps Engineer has joined the team and he will be assigned some Jenkins related tasks. Before that, the team wanted to test a simple parameterized job to understand basic functionality of parameterized builds. He is given a simple parameterized job to build in Jenkins. Please find more details below:

Click on the Jenkins button on the top bar to access the Jenkins UI. Login using username admin and password Adm!n321.

1. Create a parameterized job which should be named as parameterized-job

2. Add a string parameter named Stage; its default value should be Build.

3. Add a choice parameter named env; its choices should be Development, Staging and Production.

4. Configure job to execute a shell command, which should echo both parameter values (you are passing in the job).

5. Build the Jenkins job at least once with choice parameter value Production to make sure it passes.

Note:

1. You might need to install some plugins and restart Jenkins service. So, we recommend clicking on Restart Jenkins when installation is complete and no jobs are running on plugin installation/update page i.e update centre. Also, Jenkins UI sometimes gets stuck when Jenkins service restarts in the back end. In this case, please make sure to refresh the UI page.

2. For these kind of scenarios requiring changes to be done in a web UI, please take screenshots so that you can share it with us for review in case your task is marked incomplete. You may also consider using a screen recording software such as loom.com to record and share your work.

Steps

1. Update plugins and restart jenkins

2. Create a job named: parameterized-job

3. Select This project is parameterised > Add Parameters:

   • String Parameter:
     • Name: Stage
     • Default Value: Build
   • Choice Parameter:
     • Name: env
     • Choices:
       • Development
       • Staging
       • Production

4. Add Build Steps > Execute Shell

    echo $Stage
    echo $env
   

5. Execute the job with Production env

Good to Know?

Parameterized Builds

• Purpose: Make jobs flexible and reusable
• Runtime Configuration: Pass values at build time
• Dynamic Behavior: Change job behavior based on parameters
• User Input: Collect input from users before build

Parameter Types

• String: Text input with optional default value
• Choice: Dropdown list with predefined options
• Boolean: Checkbox for true/false values
• File: Upload file as parameter
• Password: Secure text input (masked in logs)

Parameter Usage

• Environment Variables: Parameters become env vars in build
• Shell Scripts: Access via $PARAMETER_NAME
• Pipeline: Use params.PARAMETER_NAME
• Build Triggers: Pass parameters to downstream jobs

Best Practices

• Default Values: Provide sensible defaults
• Validation: Validate parameter values in build script
• Documentation: Describe parameter purpose and format
• Security: Use password parameters for sensitive data

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