> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://notes.kodekloud.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Demo Installing Plugins
> This tutorial covers the installation and configuration of Jenkins plugins for artifact sharing and build visualization.
In this step-by-step tutorial, we’ll install and configure two essential Jenkins plugins—**Copy Artifact** and **Yet Another Build Visualizer**—to enable artifact sharing between freestyle jobs and to visualize your build pipelines.
***
## Plugins Overview
| Plugin Name | Purpose | Documentation |
| ---------------------------- | --------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Copy Artifact | Share build artifacts between jobs | [plugins.jenkins.io/copyartifact](https://plugins.jenkins.io/copyartifact/) |
| Yet Another Build Visualizer | Display upstream/downstream job relationships | [GitHub Repository](https://github.com/jenkinsci/yet-another-build-visualizer-plugin) |
***
## 1. Installing the Copy Artifact Plugin
We already have a job called **ascii-build-job** that fetches advice from an external API:
To allow another job to consume `advice.json`, install **Copy Artifact**:
1. Navigate to **Manage Jenkins** → **Manage Plugins**.
2. Click the **Installed** tab to check which plugins are already present:
3. Go to the **Available** tab, search for “copy artifact”, select it, then click **Install without restart**:
4. Wait until the status indicator reads **Success**:
5. Review the plugin’s usage patterns, including declarative pipeline snippets and CLI installation:
```groovy theme={null}
// Declarative pipeline example
pipeline {
agent any
options {
copyArtifactPermission('job1,job2')
}
stages {
// ...
}
}
// Freestyle project permission
properties {
copyArtifactPermission('ascii-test-job')
}
```
Or install via CLI:
```bash theme={null}
jenkins-plugin-cli --plugins copyartifact:1.46.1
```
If you install via CLI, ensure Jenkins has been restarted or the plugin has been dynamically loaded. Always verify compatibility with your Jenkins version.
***
## 2. Configure the Build Job (ascii-build-job)
Edit **ascii-build-job** to fetch and archive advice:
1. **Execute Shell** – Fetch advice and output to `advice.json`:
```bash theme={null}
curl -s https://api.adviceslip.com/advice > advice.json
cat advice.json
```
2. **Allow Copy Artifact** – Under **Configure** → **Permission to Copy Artifact**, add `ascii-test-job`:
3. **Archive Artifacts** – Post-build action to archive `advice.json`:
Save and run **ascii-build-job**. You should see `advice.json` archived under **Build Artifacts**.
***
## 3. Configure the Test Job (ascii-test-job)
Now set up **ascii-test-job** to pull that artifact and validate its content:
1. **Copy Artifacts from Another Project** (drag this step to the top):
* **Project Name**: `ascii-build-job`
* **Which Build**: Latest successful
* **Artifacts to Copy**: `advice.json`
2. **Execute Shell** – Validate the advice message length:
```bash theme={null}
# Ensure advice.json is present
ls advice.json
# Extract advice text
cat advice.json | jq -r .slip.advice > advice.message
# Validate word count > 5
if [ $(wc -w < advice.message) -gt 5 ]; then
echo "Advice: $(cat advice.message) has more than 5 words"
else
echo "Advice: not enough words"
fi
```
3. **Archive Artifacts** – Only archive `advice.message` on success:
Save and run **ascii-test-job**. Verify both artifacts in the workspace:
Console output should confirm the artifact copy and message extraction:
```text theme={null}
Copied 1 artifact from "ascii-build-job" build #3
Advice: What could you increase? What could you reduce? has more than 5 words
Finished: SUCCESS
```
***
## 4. Configure the Deploy Job (ascii-deploy-job)
Create **ascii-deploy-job** to consume `advice.message` and display it with `cowsay`:
1. **Copy Artifacts** from `ascii-test-job` (Latest stable), artifacts: `advice.message`.
2. **Execute Shell**:
```bash theme={null}
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y cowsay
export PATH=$PATH:/usr/games:/usr/local/games
cat advice.message | cowsay -f $(ls /usr/share/cowsay/cows | shuf -n 1)
```
3. **Build Trigger** – Under **Build Triggers**, select **Build after other projects are built** → `ascii-test-job` (stable only).
Save and kick off the chain by building **ascii-build-job**. You’ll observe:
* **ascii-build-job** runs first and archives `advice.json`.
* **ascii-test-job** copies that artifact, extracts `advice.message`, and archives it.
* **ascii-deploy-job** triggers automatically and displays the advice in a random cow figure.
Console logs of **ascii-deploy-job**:
***
## 5. Visualizing the Build Flow
To graphically map upstream/downstream relationships, install **Yet Another Build Visualizer**:
1. Download the latest HPI from the \[releases page]:
2. In **Manage Jenkins** → **Manage Plugins** → **Advanced**, upload and deploy the HPI:
3. Open **ascii-build-job** to view the build flow diagram:
Use the interactive toggles to inspect build numbers, statuses, and full job names. This visualization helps you quickly understand and debug complex job chains.
***
That’s it! You’ve successfully installed and configured the Copy Artifact and Yet Another Build Visualizer plugins to streamline artifact sharing and gain clear insights into your Jenkins build pipelines.