Jenkins agent (also known as a Jenkins slave)

In the context of Jenkins, a Jenkins agent (also known as a Jenkins slave) is a worker node that executes tasks or builds as instructed by the Jenkins master. Jenkins agents are responsible for performing the actual work, such as building code, running tests, or deploying applications.

Jenkins follows a distributed architecture, where the Jenkins master coordinates and manages the build process, while the Jenkins agents handle the execution of build jobs. The master communicates with the agents to delegate tasks and collect the results.

Jenkins agents can be set up on different machines, including physical servers, virtual machines, or containers, to distribute the workload and allow concurrent execution of multiple builds. Agents can be configured with specific tools, libraries, or environments required for the build process. For example, you can have agents with different operating systems or specific software configurations to accommodate diverse build requirements.

When a Jenkins job is triggered, the master identifies an available agent, assigns the job to it, and sends the necessary files and instructions for execution. The agent carries out the build process and communicates the results back to the Jenkins master. This distributed approach allows for scalability, flexibility, and parallel execution of builds across multiple agents.

Jenkins agents can be configured as permanent agents that are always available or as dynamic agents that are provisioned on-demand, depending on the workload and resource requirements. Jenkins supports various agent types, including agents running on different platforms or using different protocols for communication, such as SSH or Java Web Start.

Overall, Jenkins agents play a crucial role in enabling distributed build and deployment pipelines, allowing Jenkins to efficiently manage and execute builds across a network of worker nodes.