How to choose the right tool for your workflow
As Kubernetes and GitOps continue to take the development world by storm, many developers are looking for solutions to enable robust continuous integration and continuous development (CI/CD) platforms. Jenkins, with its massive collection of plugins, has emerged as a leading solution for developers looking to implement GitOps and CI/CD.
Unfortunately, Jenkins is not without its drawbacks. Although highly configurable, it can be complicated to operate and maintain. As companies scale, many are finding that some of the most initially attractive features of Jenkins are not scaling with them.
Fortunately, there is a growing list of Jenkins alternatives available for companies of any size and need. We’ve compiled a list of the most common, along with their defining characteristics, so that you can make an informed decision.
Jenkins Alternatives
Jenkins X is a totally free, open-source CI/CD solution for managing Kubernetes deployments. It is cloud-native, supports GitOps, and is supported by an ecosystem boasting over a thousand plugins to extend its capabilities. It does, however, involve a complicated set-up and many users say it requires a higher degree of knowledge to maintain than other solutions. For those used to or expecting a graphical UI, Jenkins will be a disappointment.
These Jenkins alternatives — some paid, some free, and some open-source — offer many of the same features and functionality as Jenkins but with different strengths (and some weaknesses).
Paid Alternatives
- DuploCloud. Although not strictly speaking a direct Jenkins alternative (it does much, much more), DuploCloud is a low-code/no-code solution for cloud automation that enables continuous security and compliance for multiple cloud providers. As a DevOps and DevSecOps platform, it supports a variety of CI/CD tools, allowing you to streamline your software development pipeline without disrupting your current workflow. DuploCloud also provides a built-in CI/CD platform that allows you to deploy applications from a Git repository.
DuploCloud does everything Jenkins can do, and more, Making it an ideal solution for organizations scaling up from Jenkins, looking for a single solution for the entire CI/CD workflow, or looking for a multi-cloud solution for scaling beyond Kubernetes. With its easy-to-use UI and compatibility with a broad array of popular DevOps tools, DuploCloud is a solid choice for organizations of any size. - GitLab. Although it does offer a free version for personal development projects, GitLab for organizations and multi-team users begins at $348 per user/per year. It is a complete DevOps platform and online Git repository that is aimed at streamlining the software development life cycle (SDLC). GitLab uses the Argo GitOps Engine, so it shares some capabilities and features with ArgoCD.
- Octopus Deploy. Octopus Deploy is a deployment management solution with a user-friendly interface and a wide variety of built-in features. Its aim is to simplify deployment for DevOps teams and boasts a single interface for both development and operations. It does offer a “Community” pricing tier at $10 per month for open-source or personal projects; for most organizations, however, pricing starts at $720 per year.
Free Alternatives
- CircleCI. Free Jenkins alternatives are few and far between, making CircleCI somewhat of a unique case. While it does charge for enterprise users, its free plan allows up to 5 active users per month, albeit with limits on build minutes and operations that can be run simultaneously. CircleCI differentiates itself from other Jenkins alternatives on the speed of its deployments, claiming to be 70% faster than its competitors.
Open-Source Alternatives
- ArgoCD. ArgoCD is an open-source continuous deployment solution specifically created to support Kubernetes development. It uses both push- and pull-based deployment, allowing you to monitor your Kubernetes resources through configurations defined in Git, keeping Git as the single source of truth for your Kubernetes infrastructure. Although it has many strengths, the core weakness of ArgoCD is that it is strictly a CD tool without CI capabilities. It does integrate with a multitude of GitOps technologies, but for those looking to run as few tools as possible, ArgoCD’s lack of a CI feature set can be a pain point.
- FluxCD. Flux is a Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) graduated product available as a standalone CD tool. It shares many of the same capabilities and features as Jenkins. It also primarily functions in the Command Line Interface (CLI), with graphical UIs available as third-party add-ons. For those looking to migrate from Jenkins to something as similar as possible and who don’t mind working on the CLI, Flux is a great fit.
- Spinnaker. For those looking to migrate to a CD solution that goes beyond Kubernetes, Spinnaker offers multi-cloud functionality. Originally developed by Netflix, Spinnaker is a well-established CD solution with broad compatibility across the spectrum of cloud providers. While not explicitly developed for GitOps, it nevertheless offers a broad range of features making it compatible with the practice. It’s a solid solution for enterprise organizations, but for strictly Kubernetes deployments, it might make more sense to use another tool on this list.
Switch to DuploCloud
If you’re looking for a Jenkins alternative that will meet you where you live, integrate with your existing tech, do all that Jenkins can do and more, and scale with your business as it grows, it’s time to consider DuploCloud. Our DevOps automation combined with a deep level of development expertise means fewer headaches for your organization and faster, more compliant deployments.
Want to learn how DuploCloud can help your business migrate from Argo to a platform that will better suit your needs? Contact us today to schedule a 30-minute live demo.
