Jenkins vs Shippable: The Battle for DevOps Supremacy
A vigorous debate has been raging in DevOps land regarding which tool is better – Jenkins or Shippable. To add some context, Jenkins is an open-source automation tool that is widely used in the industry. On the other hand, Shippable is a cloud-based Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) platform that aims to streamline the DevOps process.
Both tools have their strengths and weaknesses, and the choice ultimately depends on the specific needs of the individual or organization. In this blog post, we will take a closer look at both Jenkins and Shippable, comparing them across several key areas.
Popularity
Jenkins has been around for over a decade, and its popularity has never waned. According to a recent survey by the DevOps research and assessment firm, DORA, Jenkins is the most widely adopted CI/CD tool, with a market share of 56%. Shippable, on the other hand, is a relatively new player in the field and has a much smaller market share.
Ease of Use
Jenkins is a powerful tool that can be challenging to set up and configure, especially for those new to the DevOps world. The plugin system can be overwhelming at times, and requires a significant amount of work to get up and running smoothly. Shippable, on the other hand, is known for its ease of use. The platform provides end-to-end automation, requiring minimal manual intervention, and has a user-friendly interface that simplifies configuration and deployment tasks.
Pricing
Jenkins is open source and free to use, making it a popular choice for small to medium-sized businesses. Shippable, on the other hand, is a paid platform with multiple pricing tiers, ranging from $25 to $500 per month. The higher-priced tiers offer additional features such as access to a private cloud and integrations with third-party tools.
Performance
In terms of performance, both Jenkins and Shippable are reliable and stable platforms. However, it's important to note that Jenkins performance may suffer if the system is overloaded with plugins and heavy build processes. Shippable has a built-in load balancer that distributes workloads evenly across multiple nodes, ensuring that performance remains efficient.
Integrations
Jenkins has an extensive plugin ecosystem, which means it can integrate with a vast array of third-party tools and services. Shippable, on the other hand, has a smaller set of pre-built integrations but also supports custom integrations via APIs.
In conclusion, the choice between Jenkins and Shippable ultimately depends on an organization's specific needs and the level of expertise of its DevOps team. For those seeking a powerful but sometimes challenging automation tool with an extensive plugin ecosystem, Jenkins is the way to go. For those looking for a more straightforward, cloud-based solution with end-to-end automation, Shippable may be the better choice.
References:
- DORA (2020). "State of DevOps Report". https://services.google.com/fh/files/misc/state-of-devops-2020.pdf.
- Jenkins (2021). "Jenkins – An extendable open source continuous integration server". https://www.jenkins.io/.
- Shippable (2021). "CI/CD Platform For DevOps Automation". https://www.shippable.com/.