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Jenkins plugins are the building blocks that extend your CI/CD pipeline’s capabilities. With over 1,900 community-developed plugins, you can integrate source control, build tools, notifications, security scanners, and cloud services into your automation workflow.

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Common Plugin Categories

CategoryPurposeExample Plugins
Source Control ManagementIntegrate with Git providersGit, GitHub Branch Source
Build ToolsAutomate builds with popular frameworksMaven Integration, Gradle Plugin
Quality & SecurityPerform static analysis, code coverage, and vulnerability scansSonarQube Scanner, OWASP Dependency-Check
NotificationsSend build and deployment alertsSlack Notification, Email Extension
Cloud IntegrationsManage resources on public cloudsAWS Steps, Google Cloud Build
Distributed BuildsScale workloads across multiple agentsDistributed Builds Plugin, Swarm Plugin

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How Plugins Are Packaged

Jenkins plugins are distributed as JAR archives with .hpi (legacy) or .jpi (modern) extensions. Each package contains:
  • Plugin code (Java/Groovy classes)
  • Static resources (JavaScript, CSS)
  • Metadata (pom.xml, plugin.xml)
By default, Jenkins stores them in: 
cd /var/lib/jenkins/plugins
Jenkins gives priority to a plugin if both .jpi and .hpi versions are present.

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Installing Plugins

When you set up Jenkins for the first time, choose one of the following:
  1. Install Suggested Plugins
  2. Select Plugins Manually
Choosing Install Suggested Plugins provides a curated set of essential plugins, making it ideal for newcomers.
The image shows a Jenkins plugin customization interface with options to install suggested plugins or select specific ones, along with a "Getting Started" section listing various plugins.
  • Git Integration
  • Pipeline (Workflow)
  • Maven Integration
  • Gradle Plugin
  • Docker Pipeline

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Managing Installed Plugins

After installation, head to Manage Jenkins ➔ Manage Plugins to enable, disable, update, or uninstall extensions.
Removing a plugin can break dependent functionality. Always verify plugin dependencies before uninstalling.
The image shows the Jenkins plugin management interface, displaying a list of installed plugins with options to enable or disable them.

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Plugin Update Center

The Updates tab shows available plugin updates. Regularly update to benefit from new features and security fixes.

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Next Steps

  • Automate plugin installation via Jenkins Configuration as Code
  • Explore advanced plugins (Blue Ocean, Kubernetes, Terraform)
  • Integrate with external security scanners and compliance tools

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