How to Install Jenkins with Docker and Docker Compose on Arch Linux

Jenkins is an accessible, open-source, self-hosted automation server that helps developers automate all parts of the software development process. It is based on Java and offers 1800+ plugins to support the automation of all kinds of tasks. Jenkins aims to continuously deliver your software by integrating with many testing and deployment technologies. It is cross-platform and can run on all major platforms including, macOS, Linux, and Windows.

In this post, we will show you how to install Jenkins on Arch Linux.

In This Article

• Configure the Repository
• Install Docker
• Create a Docker Compose File for Jenkins
• Start Jenkins Container
• Access Jenkins Web UI

Step 1 – Configure the Repository

By default, the default repository is outdated in Arch Linux, so you will need to modify the default mirror list. You can do it by editing the mirror list configuration file:

nano  /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist

Remove all lines and add the following lines:

## Score: 0.7, United States
Server = http://mirror.us.leaseweb.net/archlinux/$repo/os/$arch
## Score: 0.8, United States
Server = http://lug.mtu.edu/archlinux/$repo/os/$arch
Server = http://mirror.nl.leaseweb.net/archlinux/$repo/os/$arch
## Score: 0.9, United Kingdom
Server = http://mirror.bytemark.co.uk/archlinux/$repo/os/$arch
## Score: 1.5, United Kingdom
Server = http://mirrors.manchester.m247.com/arch-linux/$repo/os/$arch
Server = http://archlinux.dcc.fc.up.pt/$repo/os/$arch
## Score: 6.6, United States
Server = http://mirror.cs.pitt.edu/archlinux/$repo/os/$arch
## Score: 6.7, United States
Server = http://mirrors.acm.wpi.edu/archlinux/$repo/os/$arch
## Score: 6.8, United States
Server = http://ftp.osuosl.org/pub/archlinux/$repo/os/$arch
## Score: 7.1, India
Server = http://mirror.cse.iitk.ac.in/archlinux/$repo/os/$arch
## Score: 10.1, United States
Server = http://mirrors.xmission.com/archlinux/$repo/os/$arch

Save and close the file, then update all the package indexes with the following command:

pacman -Syu

Step 2 – Install Docker

In this post, we will use Docker to deploy Jenkins. You can install Docker and Docker Compose using the following command.

pacman -S docker docker-compose

Once the Docker is installed, enable the Docker service to start at system reboot.

systemctl enable docker

Next, restart your system to apply the system.

reboot

Step 3 – Create a Docker Compose File for Jenkins

First, create directories for Jenkins using the following command.

mkdir jenkins jenkins_home

Next, navigate to the Jenkins directory and create a docker-compose.yml file.

cd jenkins
nano docker-compose.yml

Add the following configurations.

version: '3.7'
services:
  jenkins:
    image: jenkins/jenkins:lts
    privileged: true
    user: root
    ports:
      - 8080:8080
      - 50000:50000
    container_name: jenkins-lts
    volumes:
      - ~/jenkins_home:/var/jenkins_home
      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock
      - /usr/local/bin/docker:/usr/local/bin/docker

Save and close the file when you are done.

Step 4 – Start Jenkins Container

At this point, the docker-compose.yml file is ready to launch the Jenkins container. Run the following command inside the Jenkins directory to create a container.

docker-compose up -d

You should see the following output.

[+] Running 14/14
 ✔ jenkins 13 layers [⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿]      0B/0B      Pulled                                                                                                       24.0s 
   ✔ 32fb02163b6b Pull complete                                                                                                                                    8.9s 
   ✔ c09d5e9e1188 Pull complete                                                                                                                                   14.3s 
   ✔ a56533012712 Pull complete                                                                                                                                   15.0s 
   ✔ 7936e107ffe7 Pull complete                                                                                                                                   15.1s 
   ✔ 3ca683058265 Pull complete                                                                                                                                   15.2s 
   ✔ c2ecd304b4b8 Pull complete                                                                                                                                   17.4s 
   ✔ be3512d810d6 Pull complete                                                                                                                                   17.5s 
   ✔ 56b37d7c2a7a Pull complete                                                                                                                                   17.9s 
   ✔ 99ed1e723e52 Pull complete                                                                                                                                   22.5s 
   ✔ 256db5485b13 Pull complete                                                                                                                                   22.6s 
   ✔ ee8c7eaf5e6b Pull complete                                                                                                                                   22.7s 
   ✔ 509f66c2f317 Pull complete                                                                                                                                   22.8s 
   ✔ 820296a845d6 Pull complete                                                                                                                                   22.9s 
[+] Running 2/2
 ✔ Network jenkins_default  Created                                                                                                                                0.1s 
 ✔ Container jenkins-lts    Started                                                                                                                                0.6s 

You can verify the Jenkins container status using the following command.

docker-compose ps

You will get the following output.

NAME                IMAGE                 COMMAND                  SERVICE             CREATED              STATUS              PORTS
jenkins-lts         jenkins/jenkins:lts   "/usr/bin/tini -- /u…"   jenkins             About a minute ago   Up About a minute   0.0.0.0:8080->8080/tcp, :::8080->8080/tcp, 0.0.0.0:50000->50000/tcp, :::50000->50000/tcp

You will also need Jenkins’s initial admin password to perform the Jenkins web-based installation. You can get the Jenkins admin password with the following command.

docker exec jenkins-lts cat /var/jenkins_home/secrets/initialAdminPassword

You should see the password in the following output.

99b844a4ad13404796e1ab8bcf05edd1

You can also check the Jenkins logs to get the password.

docker logs jenkins-lts | less

You should see the following output.

Jenkins initial setup is required. An admin user has been created and a password generated.
Please use the following password to proceed to installation:

99b844a4ad13404796e1ab8bcf05edd1

Running from: /usr/share/jenkins/jenkins.war
webroot: /var/jenkins_home/war
This may also be found at: /var/jenkins_home/secrets/initialAdminPassword

*************************************************************
*************************************************************
*************************************************************

2023-03-26 05:25:19.934+0000 [id=28]    INFO    jenkins.InitReactorRunner$1#onAttained: Completed initialization
2023-03-26 05:25:19.956+0000 [id=22]    INFO    hudson.lifecycle.Lifecycle#onReady: Jenkins is fully up and running
2023-03-26 05:25:20.151+0000 [id=44]    INFO    h.m.DownloadService$Downloadable#load: Obtained the updated data file for hudson.tasks.Maven.MavenInstaller
2023-03-26 05:25:20.153+0000 [id=44]    INFO    hudson.util.Retrier#start: Performed the action check updates server successfully at the attempt #1

Step 5 – Access Jenkins Web UI

At this point, Jenkins is installed and listens on port 8080. You can now access it using the URL http://your-server-ip:8080. You should see the Jenkins initial setup password screen.

Provide your password and click on the Continue button. You should see the customized Jenkins screen.

Click on Install suggested plugins. You should see the Getting Started screen.

Create your new admin user and click on the Save and Continue buttons. You should see the instance configuration screen.

Click on the Save and Finish button. You should see the following screen.

Click on the Start using Jenkins. You should see the Jenkins dashboard.

Conclusion

In this post, we explained how to install Jenkins with Docker on Arch Linux. You can now explore the Jenkins features and implement them in your organization to automate all kinds of tasks. You can also try to deploy Jenkins on dedicated server hosting from Atlantic.Net!