Like Octopus, Jenkins is just one step in your pipeline, complementing other systems and services. You can connect Jenkins to most industry tools, securely storing their credentials, secrets, and API keys. By storing these login methods, Jenkins seamlessly connects to those other services during its automation processes. Jenkins’ documentation recommends using the . It’s one of the installer-suggested plugins during the Jenkins setup, so it’s possible you already installed it (and used it) without realizing it. Credentials Binding plugin In this post, I walk you through how to install the plugin and the different ways it's used. How to install the Credentials Binding plugin If you don’t have the Credentials Binding plugin installed, it’s easy to add: Click from the menu. Manage Jenkins Click . Manage Plugins Click the tab and start typing into the field. The plugin should appear in the predicted search results. Available Credentials Binding Filter Check the tick box to the left of the plugin then click . Install without restart Jenkins installs the plugin and all dependencies, including other plugins and extensions. The Credentials Binding plugin stores your authentication methods in 2 different ways: Global User-tied Let’s look at the difference. Global Credentials Global credentials are manually entered through login methods stored in Jenkins. Anyone with access can use the credentials to connect to other services. These can include: Code repos, like GitHub or BitBucket Packaging services, like a Docker registry or TeamCity feed Deployment tools, like Octopus How to add credentials in Jenkins To add credentials in Jenkins: Click from the menu. Manage Jenkins Scroll down to the heading and click . Security Manage Credentials Click under the heading. Jenkins Stores scoped to Jenkins Click under the heading. Global credentials (unrestricted) System If no credentials exist, you can click the link, otherwise click from the left. How about adding some credentials? Add Credentials Select the type of credentials you want to store from the field’s dropdown box, complete the fields and click . You can add the following types of credentials: Kind OK Usernames and passwords SSH usernames and private keys Secret files Secret text Certificates Regardless of the option you select, always enter a meaningful and . ID Description Using global credentials in Jenkins After you add the credentials, you can call on them to connect to other tools in your pipeline, whether that’s through the UI, a plugin, or a Jenkinsfile. A good example of where you can select global credentials is when creating a pipeline: Click in the left menu. New Item Enter an item name, select , and click . Freestyle project OK Check the Git radio button under the heading. Paste your repo address into the field and select your credentials from the dropdown box. Source Code Management Repository URL Credentials Finish setting up your item and click . Save Jenkinsfiles are text files in your code repo that define what your pipeline does and what it connects to. Jenkinsfiles are part of Jenkins Pipeline - a collection of Jenkins-recommended plugins for Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI/CD). This means you can connect to services via your Jenkinsfile from credentials stored in Jenkins. If you’re using the Blue Ocean plugin, which creates a Jenkinsfile for you when you set up a pipeline, it’s likely you won’t need to engage with Jenkinsfiles at all. See the on the Jenkins website for more information. Using a Jenkinsfile page User-tied credentials in Jenkins Depending on what you connect Jenkins to, or the plugin you use, Jenkins ties some credentials to the logged-in user. Jenkins only stores these credentials when you first connect it with another service. You can't use these credentials outside of their initial setup and no other user account can access them. For example, when creating your first pipeline in (a plugin that simplifies the Jenkins user interface), Jenkins connects to your code repository. If connecting to GitHub, you use a GitHub personal access token (created in your GitHub account’s developer settings) to allow Jenkins to connect to the repo. Jenkins only stores this token for the logged-in user in their own credentials ‘domain’. Blue Ocean In Jenkins, you find these credentials in a different location to global certifications, though their screen works similarly. To see your user-tied credentials, click the arrow next to your username in the top menu and click . Credentials The top section shows all credentials you have access to, including user and global. When you scroll down, you see headings for all credential stores. In my example, are the only credentials I can use. Stores scoped to User: Andy What's next? See for more information. Jenkins’ credentials documentation Check out our other posts about configuring Jenkins: Tips for securing your Jenkins pipeline to create a Pipeline file in Groovy syntax. It's everything you need to get your Pipeline project started. Try our free Jenkins Pipeline Generator tool Happy deployments! Also published here.

An Introduction to DevOps 

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Make resilience your competitive advantage

How to Manage Credentials in Jenkins

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