docker.recipes

Jenkins CI/CD Pipeline Stack

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Jenkins with build agents, SonarQube for code quality, and Nexus for artifact management

Overview

Jenkins is the world's leading open-source automation server, originally developed by Kohsuke Kawaguchi in 2004 as Hudson before becoming Jenkins in 2011. With over 1800+ plugins and a massive community, Jenkins enables organizations to implement sophisticated CI/CD pipelines that automate building, testing, and deploying applications across diverse technology stacks. Its extensible architecture and Pipeline as Code capabilities make it the backbone of DevOps automation for millions of projects worldwide. This comprehensive CI/CD stack combines Jenkins with essential enterprise tooling to create a complete software delivery pipeline. Jenkins orchestrates the automation workflows, while distributed Jenkins agents handle the actual build execution to scale processing power. SonarQube performs deep static code analysis to catch bugs, security vulnerabilities, and code smells before they reach production. Nexus Repository serves as the central artifact management hub, storing and distributing build outputs, dependencies, and container images. PostgreSQL provides enterprise-grade data persistence for SonarQube's analysis results and historical metrics. This stack is ideal for medium to large development teams who need professional-grade CI/CD infrastructure with code quality gates and artifact management. Organizations adopting DevOps practices, migrating from legacy build systems, or requiring compliance with code quality standards will benefit from this integrated approach. The combination provides the foundation for implementing GitOps workflows, automated testing pipelines, security scanning, and release management across multiple projects and teams.

Key Features

  • Jenkins Pipeline as Code with Jenkinsfile support for version-controlled build definitions
  • Distributed build execution using Jenkins inbound agents for scalable processing power
  • SonarQube static code analysis covering 30+ programming languages with security vulnerability detection
  • Nexus Repository for Maven, npm, Docker, and custom artifact storage with repository proxying
  • Quality gates integration between Jenkins and SonarQube to block deployments on code quality failures
  • Blue Ocean modern UI for visual pipeline creation and monitoring
  • PostgreSQL-backed SonarQube data persistence with advanced query capabilities for reporting
  • Jenkins credential management system for secure API keys, passwords, and certificates

Common Use Cases

  • 1Enterprise software delivery pipelines with multiple development teams and complex deployment requirements
  • 2Legacy system modernization where existing Jenkins infrastructure needs integration with quality tools
  • 3Compliance-driven development environments requiring code quality metrics and audit trails
  • 4Multi-language development shops needing centralized artifact management across Java, JavaScript, Python, and .NET projects
  • 5Organizations implementing shift-left security practices with automated vulnerability scanning in CI/CD
  • 6DevOps transformation initiatives requiring observable, measurable build and deployment processes
  • 7Container-based application delivery with Docker image scanning and registry management

Prerequisites

  • Docker host with minimum 8GB RAM (Jenkins 2GB + SonarQube 4GB + Nexus 1GB + PostgreSQL 1GB)
  • Available ports 8080 (Jenkins), 9000 (SonarQube), 8081 (Nexus), and 50000 (Jenkins agent communication)
  • Basic understanding of CI/CD concepts, build pipelines, and version control systems
  • Familiarity with Jenkins Pipeline syntax (Groovy-based) for creating Jenkinsfile build scripts
  • Knowledge of static code analysis principles and quality gate configuration
  • Experience with artifact repository concepts and dependency management tools like Maven or npm

For development & testing. Review security settings, change default credentials, and test thoroughly before production use. See Terms

docker-compose.yml

docker-compose.yml
1services: 
2  jenkins: 
3    image: jenkins/jenkins:lts-jdk17
4    container_name: jenkins
5    restart: unless-stopped
6    ports: 
7      - "${JENKINS_PORT:-8080}:8080"
8      - "50000:50000"
9    volumes: 
10      - jenkins_home:/var/jenkins_home
11      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock
12    environment: 
13      - JAVA_OPTS=-Djenkins.install.runSetupWizard=false
14    user: root
15
16  jenkins-agent: 
17    image: jenkins/inbound-agent:latest
18    container_name: jenkins-agent
19    restart: unless-stopped
20    environment: 
21      - JENKINS_URL=http://jenkins:8080
22      - JENKINS_AGENT_NAME=agent-1
23      - JENKINS_SECRET=${AGENT_SECRET}
24      - JENKINS_AGENT_WORKDIR=/home/jenkins/agent
25    volumes: 
26      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock
27      - agent_workspace:/home/jenkins/agent
28    depends_on: 
29      - jenkins
30
31  sonarqube: 
32    image: sonarqube:lts-community
33    container_name: sonarqube
34    restart: unless-stopped
35    ports: 
36      - "${SONAR_PORT:-9000}:9000"
37    environment: 
38      - SONAR_JDBC_URL=jdbc:postgresql://sonar-db:5432/sonar
39      - SONAR_JDBC_USERNAME=${SONAR_DB_USER:-sonar}
40      - SONAR_JDBC_PASSWORD=${SONAR_DB_PASSWORD:-sonar}
41    volumes: 
42      - sonarqube_data:/opt/sonarqube/data
43      - sonarqube_extensions:/opt/sonarqube/extensions
44    depends_on: 
45      - sonar-db
46
47  sonar-db: 
48    image: postgres:15-alpine
49    container_name: sonar-db
50    restart: unless-stopped
51    environment: 
52      - POSTGRES_USER=${SONAR_DB_USER:-sonar}
53      - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=${SONAR_DB_PASSWORD:-sonar}
54      - POSTGRES_DB=sonar
55    volumes: 
56      - sonar_db_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
57
58  nexus: 
59    image: sonatype/nexus3:latest
60    container_name: nexus
61    restart: unless-stopped
62    ports: 
63      - "${NEXUS_PORT:-8081}:8081"
64    volumes: 
65      - nexus_data:/nexus-data
66
67volumes: 
68  jenkins_home: 
69  agent_workspace: 
70  sonarqube_data: 
71  sonarqube_extensions: 
72  sonar_db_data: 
73  nexus_data:

.env Template

.env
1# Jenkins CI/CD Pipeline Stack
2JENKINS_PORT=8080
3SONAR_PORT=9000
4NEXUS_PORT=8081
5
6# Jenkins Agent (get from Jenkins UI after setup)
7AGENT_SECRET=your-agent-secret
8
9# SonarQube Database
10SONAR_DB_USER=sonar
11SONAR_DB_PASSWORD=sonar

Usage Notes

  1. 1Jenkins at http://localhost:8080
  2. 2Initial Jenkins password: docker exec jenkins cat /var/jenkins_home/secrets/initialAdminPassword
  3. 3SonarQube at http://localhost:9000 (admin/admin)
  4. 4Nexus at http://localhost:8081 (admin password in logs)
  5. 5Configure Jenkins to use SonarQube and Nexus
  6. 6Install Docker Pipeline and SonarQube Scanner plugins in Jenkins

Individual Services(5 services)

Copy individual services to mix and match with your existing compose files.

jenkins
jenkins:
  image: jenkins/jenkins:lts-jdk17
  container_name: jenkins
  restart: unless-stopped
  ports:
    - ${JENKINS_PORT:-8080}:8080
    - "50000:50000"
  volumes:
    - jenkins_home:/var/jenkins_home
    - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock
  environment:
    - JAVA_OPTS=-Djenkins.install.runSetupWizard=false
  user: root
jenkins-agent
jenkins-agent:
  image: jenkins/inbound-agent:latest
  container_name: jenkins-agent
  restart: unless-stopped
  environment:
    - JENKINS_URL=http://jenkins:8080
    - JENKINS_AGENT_NAME=agent-1
    - JENKINS_SECRET=${AGENT_SECRET}
    - JENKINS_AGENT_WORKDIR=/home/jenkins/agent
  volumes:
    - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock
    - agent_workspace:/home/jenkins/agent
  depends_on:
    - jenkins
sonarqube
sonarqube:
  image: sonarqube:lts-community
  container_name: sonarqube
  restart: unless-stopped
  ports:
    - ${SONAR_PORT:-9000}:9000
  environment:
    - SONAR_JDBC_URL=jdbc:postgresql://sonar-db:5432/sonar
    - SONAR_JDBC_USERNAME=${SONAR_DB_USER:-sonar}
    - SONAR_JDBC_PASSWORD=${SONAR_DB_PASSWORD:-sonar}
  volumes:
    - sonarqube_data:/opt/sonarqube/data
    - sonarqube_extensions:/opt/sonarqube/extensions
  depends_on:
    - sonar-db
sonar-db
sonar-db:
  image: postgres:15-alpine
  container_name: sonar-db
  restart: unless-stopped
  environment:
    - POSTGRES_USER=${SONAR_DB_USER:-sonar}
    - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=${SONAR_DB_PASSWORD:-sonar}
    - POSTGRES_DB=sonar
  volumes:
    - sonar_db_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
nexus
nexus:
  image: sonatype/nexus3:latest
  container_name: nexus
  restart: unless-stopped
  ports:
    - ${NEXUS_PORT:-8081}:8081
  volumes:
    - nexus_data:/nexus-data

Quick Start

terminal
1# 1. Create the compose file
2cat > docker-compose.yml << 'EOF'
3services:
4  jenkins:
5    image: jenkins/jenkins:lts-jdk17
6    container_name: jenkins
7    restart: unless-stopped
8    ports:
9      - "${JENKINS_PORT:-8080}:8080"
10      - "50000:50000"
11    volumes:
12      - jenkins_home:/var/jenkins_home
13      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock
14    environment:
15      - JAVA_OPTS=-Djenkins.install.runSetupWizard=false
16    user: root
17
18  jenkins-agent:
19    image: jenkins/inbound-agent:latest
20    container_name: jenkins-agent
21    restart: unless-stopped
22    environment:
23      - JENKINS_URL=http://jenkins:8080
24      - JENKINS_AGENT_NAME=agent-1
25      - JENKINS_SECRET=${AGENT_SECRET}
26      - JENKINS_AGENT_WORKDIR=/home/jenkins/agent
27    volumes:
28      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock
29      - agent_workspace:/home/jenkins/agent
30    depends_on:
31      - jenkins
32
33  sonarqube:
34    image: sonarqube:lts-community
35    container_name: sonarqube
36    restart: unless-stopped
37    ports:
38      - "${SONAR_PORT:-9000}:9000"
39    environment:
40      - SONAR_JDBC_URL=jdbc:postgresql://sonar-db:5432/sonar
41      - SONAR_JDBC_USERNAME=${SONAR_DB_USER:-sonar}
42      - SONAR_JDBC_PASSWORD=${SONAR_DB_PASSWORD:-sonar}
43    volumes:
44      - sonarqube_data:/opt/sonarqube/data
45      - sonarqube_extensions:/opt/sonarqube/extensions
46    depends_on:
47      - sonar-db
48
49  sonar-db:
50    image: postgres:15-alpine
51    container_name: sonar-db
52    restart: unless-stopped
53    environment:
54      - POSTGRES_USER=${SONAR_DB_USER:-sonar}
55      - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=${SONAR_DB_PASSWORD:-sonar}
56      - POSTGRES_DB=sonar
57    volumes:
58      - sonar_db_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
59
60  nexus:
61    image: sonatype/nexus3:latest
62    container_name: nexus
63    restart: unless-stopped
64    ports:
65      - "${NEXUS_PORT:-8081}:8081"
66    volumes:
67      - nexus_data:/nexus-data
68
69volumes:
70  jenkins_home:
71  agent_workspace:
72  sonarqube_data:
73  sonarqube_extensions:
74  sonar_db_data:
75  nexus_data:
76EOF
77
78# 2. Create the .env file
79cat > .env << 'EOF'
80# Jenkins CI/CD Pipeline Stack
81JENKINS_PORT=8080
82SONAR_PORT=9000
83NEXUS_PORT=8081
84
85# Jenkins Agent (get from Jenkins UI after setup)
86AGENT_SECRET=your-agent-secret
87
88# SonarQube Database
89SONAR_DB_USER=sonar
90SONAR_DB_PASSWORD=sonar
91EOF
92
93# 3. Start the services
94docker compose up -d
95
96# 4. View logs
97docker compose logs -f

One-Liner

Run this command to download and set up the recipe in one step:

terminal
1curl -fsSL https://docker.recipes/api/recipes/jenkins-cicd-pipeline/run | bash

Troubleshooting

  • Jenkins shows 'Reverse proxy setup is broken' warning: Configure JENKINS_OPTS with proper URL or disable the check with -Dhudson.diagnosis.ReverseProxySetupMonitor.enabled=false
  • SonarQube fails to start with 'max virtual memory areas too low': Increase vm.max_map_count on Docker host with 'sysctl -w vm.max_map_count=524288'
  • Jenkins agent fails to connect with 'Connection refused': Verify JENKINS_SECRET environment variable matches the agent secret from Jenkins master configuration
  • Nexus shows 'Unable to write to nexus-data directory': Fix volume permissions with 'chown -R 200:200 nexus_data' on the Docker host
  • SonarQube database connection errors: Ensure PostgreSQL is fully initialized before SonarQube starts by adding health checks or startup delays
  • Jenkins Pipeline fails with Docker permission denied: Add Jenkins user to docker group or run Jenkins container with proper Docker socket permissions

Community Notes

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Components

jenkinsjenkins-agentsonarqubenexuspostgres

Tags

#jenkins#ci-cd#sonarqube#nexus#devops#build

Category

DevOps & CI/CD

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