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In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to download the Jenkins CLI, authenticate, and trigger jobs directly from your terminal. This approach helps automate deployments and integrate Jenkins into your CI/CD workflows.

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1. Download the Jenkins CLI JAR

Navigate to Manage Jenkins → Jenkins CLI and copy the link to jenkins-cli.jar:
The image shows the "Manage Jenkins" page of a Jenkins server, displaying options for troubleshooting and tools such as "Manage Old Data," "Jenkins CLI," and "Script Console."
Replace http://139.84.159.194:8080/ with your own Jenkins URL if different.
On your Jenkins controller VM: 
# Switch to home directory and download the CLI JAR
cd ~
wget http://139.84.159.194:8080/jnlpJars/jenkins-cli.jar
Verify the download: 
ls
# docker-compose.yml  gitea  jenkins-cli.jar

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2. Explore Available CLI Commands

List all CLI commands and options: 
java -jar jenkins-cli.jar -s http://139.84.159.194:8080/ help
Check your current identity: 
java -jar jenkins-cli.jar -s http://139.84.159.194:8080/ who-am-i

Authenticated as: anonymous
Authorities:
  anonymous
Attempting to list jobs without proper credentials results in: 
java -jar jenkins-cli.jar -s http://139.84.159.194:8080/ list-jobs

ERROR: anonymous is missing the Overall/Read permission

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3. Authenticate with Username and Password

Use -auth USER:SECRET to provide credentials. For example: 
java -jar jenkins-cli.jar -s http://139.84.159.194:8080/ \
  -auth admin:password \
  list-jobs

ascii-build-job
ascii-deploy-job
ascii-test-job
Generate ASCII Artwork
hello-world-pipeline
jenkins-hello-world
parameterized-pipeline-job
Confirm your authenticated identity: 
java -jar jenkins-cli.jar -s http://139.84.159.194:8080/ \
  -auth admin:password \
  who-am-i

Authenticated as: admin
Authorities:
  authenticated
Avoid embedding plaintext passwords in scripts. Use Jenkins API tokens or SSH key authentication for better security.

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4. Build Command and Flags

The build command accepts several useful flags:
FlagDescription
-fFollow the live build output
-p KEY=VALUEPass one or more build parameters
-sWait until the build completes
-vInclude the full console log in the output
-wWait until the build starts

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5. Triggering a Parameterized Job

To trigger parameterized-pipeline-job with a BRANCH_NAME parameter: 
java -jar jenkins-cli.jar -s http://139.84.159.194:8080/ \
  -auth admin:password \
  build parameterized-pipeline-job -f -p BRANCH_NAME=test

Started parameterized-pipeline-job #4
Completed parameterized-pipeline-job #4 : SUCCESS

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6. View Job Status in Jenkins UI

After running the CLI command, you can monitor the build status and trends in the Jenkins dashboard:
The image shows a Jenkins dashboard displaying the status of a parameterized pipeline job, with a test result trend graph and a detailed pipeline execution timeline.

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7. Include Full Console Output

If you need detailed logs in your terminal, add the -v flag: 
java -jar jenkins-cli.jar -s http://139.84.159.194:8080/ \
  -auth admin:password \
  build parameterized-pipeline-job -f -v -p BRANCH_NAME=test

[Pipeline] Start of Pipeline
...
[INFO] Total time:  3.452 s
[INFO] Finished at: 2024-08-19T19:42:29Z
...
[Pipeline] End of Pipeline
Finished: SUCCESS
Completed parameterized-pipeline-job #5 : SUCCESS
You can automate these steps in shell scripts or integrate them into your CI/CD pipelines. Beyond building jobs, the Jenkins CLI lets you manage views, plugins, credentials, and more.

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