Jenkins automates the software delivery pipeline: code commit → build → test → scan → deploy. Declarative or scripted pipelines define the stages. 1,800+ plugins integrate with version control (Git), build tools (Maven, Gradle, npm), testing frameworks, container registries (Docker), and deployment targets (Kubernetes, cloud services). Jenkins remains widely used in enterprises with established Java/Maven pipelines and complex multi-branch build requirements.
Enterprise Jenkins requires: pipeline-as-code (Jenkinsfile in version control), shared libraries for reusable pipeline components, agent management (distributed builds), security (RBAC, credential management), and the operational overhead (patching, plugin updates, scaling) that managed alternatives like Azure DevOps and GitHub Actions eliminate.