Getting Started with Redpen Jenkins Plugin

The Redpen Jenkins Plugin provides an easy, and secure way to connect and send pipeline information from your Jenkins server to your Jira sites. The plugin reports the build and deployment status (failure or success) with other additional meaningful artifacts directly into the Jira issues which helps your team to track and collaborate.

This plugin gives visibility to your team of the CI/CD pipelines related to Jira issues. The plugin adds the build and deployment-related data as Jira issue comments.

1. Install Redpen Jenkins Plugin 🔗

Install from Jenkins' Central Plugins repository

To install the Redpen Jenkins Plugin outside of the Jenkins' central plugin repository, submit a request to the Redpen team. You will be contacted regarding the request as soon as possible.

Once you have the Redpen Jenkins Plugin (.hpi file), perform the below steps to install the plugin.

1. Open the Jenkins admin portal and log into it as an admin.
   
2. In the dashboard, click on Manage Jenkins in the left panel.
   
3. Click on the Manage Plugins option under the System Configuration section.
   
4. Click on the Available tab and search Redpen - Pipeline Reporter for Jira.
   
5. Select the checkbox and click the Download now and install after restart button to install the plugin into your Jenkins server.
   
6. Check the checkbox Restart Jenkins when installation is complete and no jobs are running. This will install the plugin and restarts the Jenkins server.
   

Install outside of the Jenkins' central plugin repository

1. Open the Jenkins admin portal and log into it as an admin.
2. In the dashboard, click on Manage Jenkins in the left panel.
   
3. Click on the Manage Plugins option under the System Configuration section.
   
4. Click on the Advanced tab on the Plugin Manager page.
   
5. Now, scroll down to the Deploy Plugin section.
   
6. Under File, click the Choose File button to select and upload the Redpen Jenkins Plugin .hpi file from your local system.
7. Click on the Deploy button to install the Redpen Jenkins Plugin into your Jenkins server.

2. Generate a new Jenkins Credentials 🔗

Jenkins credential is required to configure it in the Redpen Jenkins Plugin. To generate Jenkins Credentials, you must have a Jira site connected to Redpen.

1. Sign in to the Redpen app.
2. Connect a Jira site to Redpen. If you already have a Jira site connected, skip this step.
3. Click on your profile avatar and select settings.
4. In Settings, select Jenkins Credentials on the left side menu.
5. Click on the Generate button.
6. Provide a meaningful name for the credential. Select an expiration time to set the expiry of the credentials.
   
7. Click on the “Generate” button to generate the credentials.
8. Copy and store the credential at some safe location because you won't be able to see it again.
   
9. Click the “Done” button to close the dialog.

3. Generate Jira API token of an Atlassian user account 🔗

Redpen Jenkins Plugin requires a Jira token of the user account that you want to be a reporter of the pipeline status. Follow the below steps to generate a new Jira user API token:

Jira Cloud

1. Go to Account Settings.
2. Click the Security option.
   
3. Under API token, click the Create and manage API tokens link.
   
4. Click the Create API token button.
   
5. Enter a Label and click the Create button.
   
6. Click the Copy button to copy the API token. Store the token at some safe location because you won’t able to view or copy it again.
   
7. Jira user API token is created.
   

Jira Server

1. Go to the Profile option.
   
2. Click the Create token button.
   

3. Fill in the personal access token details and click on create button.

   
   
   Note: By default, the token will have a validity of 90 days. You can change the expiry days for the token by updating the “Days until expiry” box.
   
   Recommendation: Create a token that never expires by checking the Automatic expiry option because you don’t have to remember the token expiry date. It eliminates steps to re-create and update the Redpen Plugin before it expires so you can use the Redpen plugin without any interruption.

    
4. Click the Copy button to copy the API token. Store the token at some safe location because you won’t able to view or copy it again.
   
5. Jira personal access token is created.
   

4. Configure Redpen Jenkins Plugin into a Jenkins Job 🔗

Now as you have everything ready, go to the Redpen plugin for a Jenkins pipeline and configure the following properties:

Redpen credentials 

1. Click the dropdown to select existing Redpen credentials.
2. To add new Redpen credentials, click the “Add” button. It will open the Jenkins Credentials Provider dialog.

• • • • Select Secret text in the Kind dropdown.

      • Paste the credentials generated in the secret field. Refer to know how to generate new Jenkins Credentials using Redpen.

      • Specify ID and then click the Add button.

Reporter 

• Add the email of the Jira user that you want to be a reporter of the comments in the Jira tickets. The email address must be a valid Jira user and has access to the Jira site.

Reporter API token 

• Add the API token of the Reporter. The API token must be of the Jira user you have added as a reporter above. Refer to know how to generate Jira user API token.

Unit test framework (Optional)

• Select the unit test framework to inform the Redpen plugin to pick and send the log files generated by the selected framework.
• Redpen plugin will search for the logs from the default/standard path of the selected framework.
• If the log files are stored other than the default/standard path, then click on the 'Custom Path' button and provide a custom path.

E2E test framework (Optional)

• Select the e2e test framework to inform the Redpen plugin to pick and send the log files generated by the selected framework.
• Redpen plugin will search for the logs from the default/standard path of the selected framework.
• If the log files are stored other than the default/standard path, then click on the 'Custom Path' button and provide a custom path.

Code coverage framework (Optional)

• Select the code coverage framework to inform the Redpen plugin to pick and send the log files generated by the selected framework.
• Redpen plugin will search for the logs from the default/standard path of the selected framework.
• If the log files are stored other than the default/standard path, then click on the 'Custom Path' button and provide a custom path.

Attach additional files from paths (Optional)

• If you want to send additional data, provide absolute paths (comma separated) of files/folders of the Jenkins server workspace.
• Redpen plugin will fetch and attach all the files from the specified paths to the comment of the Jira ticket.

Once the configuration is done, click the Save button to save the configuration.

Hurray… You are all set now with Redpen Jenkins Plugin!!