Table of Contents
A jenkins plugin that provides jenkins cli commands to export and import the jenkins configuration.
At this time consider the plugin pre-alpha quality. Its only meant as a proof of concept to show this is a feasible concept and to request feedback from the jenkins community.
Note
THIS IS ALPHA QUALITY
The plugin exports the configuration of a jenkins instance into json format. A call to export the configuration looks like this:
$ java -jar jenkins-cli.jar -s http://<JENKINS_INSTANCE>:8080 configuration-export [PASSWORD] | tee CONFIGThe configuration is printed to stdout. The PASSWORD one day will be used to encrypt all sensible data but this is not yet implemented.
Later you can reimport this configuration into a jenkins instance like this:
$ java -jar jenkins-cli.jar -s http://<JENKINS_INSTANCE>:8080 configuration-import CONFIG [PASSWORD]The plugin distuinguishes between the following kind of jenkins configuration:
- Core Configuration
Global jenkins configuration. Anything available without any active plugin.
- Plugin Configuration
Global Configuration that belongs to a plugin.
- Node Configuration
Node Configuration. This can be either core or plugin related.
For each kind of configuration ExtensionPoints are defined.
For each extension point an example is implemented.
The password needs to be forwarded to the Extension points so they can encrypt sensible data. Unless a better design is found.
The initial idea was to install the plugins in the exact same configuration as specified in the configuration on import. Jenkins unfortunately lacks a method to install any other plugin but the latest plugin automatically. I need to find out how to work around this. The InstallPluginCommand from jenkins core should provide a solution.
On a initial run plugins should be
- removed
- installed
- downgraded
- upgraded
to make sure the configuration is exactly the same on import as it was on export. Then it should cancel the import if needed and inform the user a restart is required to continue (on upgrade/downgrade/remove).
Alternatively we need to find a way to provide upgrade/downgrade path on the import step. As in plugin version 23 knows how to handle configuration export from plugin version 20. Unfortunately for the other way thats impossible. Thats why i would like to go the strict same configuration way.
After the design has been hammered out the best solution is to move the plugin related ConfigurationStream into the respective plugins. But for this to happen the design needs to be really stabled.
Perhaps its better to make the plugin/core extension points a combination out of global/node based configuration. This could simplify the implementation.
The plugin is not yet guarded by permissions. Jenkins.ADMINISTER should be enough.
As a newbie to jenkins, groovy, gradle and the whole java world i need some input here :)