---
title: "How to Setup Jenkins on AWS Using CloudFormation"
description: "We will be using CloudFormation to setup Jenkins on AWS. CloudFormation is a service that helps you model and set up your AWS resources so that you can spend less time managing those resources and more time focusing on your applications that run in AWS."
author: "Mohammad Abu Mattar"
canonical: https://mkabumattar.com/blog/post/how-to-setup-jenkins-on-aws-using-cloudformation
---

# How to Setup Jenkins on AWS Using CloudFormation

## Introduction

In a previous blog post, we setup Jenkins on AWS using the AWS CLI ([How to Install Jenkins on AWS EC2 Instance](/blog/post/how-to-install-jenkins-on-aws-ec2-instance)). In this blog post, we will be using CloudFormation to setup Jenkins on AWS. CloudFormation is a service that helps you model and set up your AWS resources so that you can spend less time managing those resources and more time focusing on your applications that run on AWS.

## Prerequisites

- AWS CLI installed and configured
- IAM user with the following permissions:
  - AmazonVPCFullAccess
  - AmazonEC2FullAccess
  - AmazonS3FullAccess

## Create a CloudFormation

### Step 1: Create a Key Pair

Create a key pair to access the EC2 instance via SSH.

```shell
# Create a key pair
aws ec2 create-key-pair \
  --key-name jenkins-server-key-pair \
  --query 'KeyMaterial' \
  --output text > jenkins-server-key-pair.pem

# Change the permission of the key pair
chmod 400 jenkins-server-key-pair.pem
```

<br />

  Store the key pair at a safe place. You will need it to access the EC2
  instance via SSH.

### Step 2: Create a CloudFormation Template

Create a file named `jenkins-server.yml` and add the following content:

```shell
touch jenkins-server.yml
```

<br />

```yaml title="jenkins-server.yml"
AWSTemplateFormatVersion: 2010-09-09
Description: >-
  This template creates a VPC with a public subnet and an EC2 instance with
  Jenkins installed. The EC2 instance is accessible via SSH and HTTP.

Parameters:
  VPCCidrBlock:
    Description: CIDR block for the VPC
    Type: String
    Default: 15.0.0.0/16
    AllowedPattern: (\d{1,3})\.(\d{1,3})\.(\d{1,3})\.(\d{1,3})/(\d{1,2})
    ConstraintDescription: must be a valid IP CIDR range of the form x.x.x.x/x.
  VPCName:
    Description: Name of the VPC
    Type: String
    Default: jenkins-server-vpc
    AllowedPattern: ^[a-zA-Z0-9-]*$
    ConstraintDescription: must be a valid VPC name.
  PublicSubnetCidrBlock:
    Description: CIDR block for the public subnet
    Type: String
    Default: 15.0.1.0/24
    AllowedPattern: (\d{1,3})\.(\d{1,3})\.(\d{1,3})\.(\d{1,3})/(\d{1,2})
    ConstraintDescription: must be a valid IP CIDR range of the form x.x.x.x/x.
  PublicSubnetAvailabilityZone:
    Description: Availability zone for the public subnet
    Type: String
    Default: us-east-1a
  PublicSubnetName:
    Description: Name of the public subnet
    Type: String
    Default: jenkins-server-public-subnet
    AllowedPattern: ^[a-zA-Z0-9-]*$
    ConstraintDescription: must be a valid subnet name.
  InternetGatewayName:
    Description: Name of the internet gateway
    Type: String
    Default: jenkins-server-internet-gateway
    AllowedPattern: ^[a-zA-Z0-9-]*$
    ConstraintDescription: must be a valid internet gateway name.
  PublicRouteTableName:
    Description: Name of the public route table
    Type: String
    Default: jenkins-server-public-route-table
    AllowedPattern: ^[a-zA-Z0-9-]*$
    ConstraintDescription: must be a valid route table name.
  SecurityGroupName:
    Description: Name of the security group
    Type: String
    Default: jenkins-server-security-group
    AllowedPattern: ^[a-zA-Z0-9-]*$
    ConstraintDescription: must be a valid security group name.
  KeyPairName:
    Description: Name of an existing EC2 KeyPair to enable SSH access to the instances
    Type: AWS::EC2::KeyPair::KeyName
    Default: jenkins-server-key-pair
    ConstraintDescription: must be the name of an existing EC2 KeyPair.
  InstanceImageId:
    Description: Image ID of the instance
    Type: String
    Default: ami-0b0dcb5067f052a63
    AllowedPattern: ami-[a-z0-9]*
    ConstraintDescription: must be a valid AMI ID.
  InstanceType:
    Description: Enter the instance type for the instance
    Type: String
    Default: t2.micro
    AllowedValues:
      - t1.micro
      - t2.nano
      - t2.micro
      - t2.small
      - t2.medium
      - t2.large
      - m1.small
      - m1.medium
      - m1.large
      - m1.xlarge
      - m2.xlarge
      - m2.2xlarge
      - m2.4xlarge
      - m3.medium
      - m3.large
      - m3.xlarge
      - m3.2xlarge
      - m4.large
      - m4.xlarge
      - m4.2xlarge
      - m4.4xlarge
      - m4.10xlarge
      - c1.medium
      - c1.xlarge
      - c3.large
      - c3.xlarge
      - c3.2xlarge
      - c3.4xlarge
      - c3.8xlarge
      - c4.large
      - c4.xlarge
      - c4.2xlarge
      - c4.4xlarge
      - c4.8xlarge
      - g2.2xlarge
      - g2.8xlarge
      - r3.large
      - r3.xlarge
      - r3.2xlarge
      - r3.4xlarge
      - r3.8xlarge
      - i2.xlarge
      - i2.2xlarge
      - i2.4xlarge
      - i2.8xlarge
      - d2.xlarge
      - d2.2xlarge
      - d2.4xlarge
      - d2.8xlarge
      - hi1.4xlarge
      - hs1.8xlarge
      - cr1.8xlarge
      - cc2.8xlarge
      - cg1.4xlarge
    ConstraintDescription: must be a valid EC2 instance type.
  InstanceName:
    Description: Name of the instance
    Type: String
    Default: jenkins-server-instance
    AllowedPattern: ^[a-zA-Z0-9-]*$
    ConstraintDescription: must be a valid instance name.
  ElasticIPAddressName:
    Description: Name of the elastic IP address
    Type: String
    Default: jenkins-server-elastic-ip
    AllowedPattern: ^[a-zA-Z0-9-]*$
    ConstraintDescription: must be a valid elastic IP address name.

Resources:
  VPC:
    Type: AWS::EC2::VPC
    Properties:
      CidrBlock: !Ref VPCCidrBlock
      EnableDnsSupport: true
      EnableDnsHostnames: true
      Tags:
        - Key: Name
          Value: !Ref VPCName
  PublicSubnet:
    Type: AWS::EC2::Subnet
    Properties:
      VpcId: !Ref VPC
      CidrBlock: !Ref PublicSubnetCidrBlock
      AvailabilityZone: !Ref PublicSubnetAvailabilityZone
      MapPublicIpOnLaunch: true
      Tags:
        - Key: Name
          Value: !Ref PublicSubnetName
  InternetGateway:
    Type: AWS::EC2::InternetGateway
    Properties:
      Tags:
        - Key: Name
          Value: !Ref InternetGatewayName
  InternetGatewayAttachment:
    Type: AWS::EC2::VPCGatewayAttachment
    Properties:
      VpcId: !Ref VPC
      InternetGatewayId: !Ref InternetGateway
  PublicRouteTable:
    Type: AWS::EC2::RouteTable
    Properties:
      VpcId: !Ref VPC
      Tags:
        - Key: Name
          Value: !Ref PublicRouteTableName
  PublicRoute:
    Type: AWS::EC2::Route
    DependsOn: InternetGatewayAttachment
    Properties:
      RouteTableId: !Ref PublicRouteTable
      DestinationCidrBlock: 0.0.0.0/0
      GatewayId: !Ref InternetGateway
  PublicSubnetRouteTableAssociation:
    Type: AWS::EC2::SubnetRouteTableAssociation
    Properties:
      SubnetId: !Ref PublicSubnet
      RouteTableId: !Ref PublicRouteTable
  SecurityGroup:
    Type: AWS::EC2::SecurityGroup
    Properties:
      GroupDescription: Jenkins
      VpcId: !Ref VPC
      SecurityGroupIngress:
        - IpProtocol: tcp
          FromPort: 22
          ToPort: 22
          CidrIp: 0.0.0.0/0
        - IpProtocol: tcp
          FromPort: 80
          ToPort: 80
          CidrIp: 0.0.0.0/0
        - IpProtocol: tcp
          FromPort: 443
          ToPort: 443
          CidrIp: 0.0.0.0/0
        - IpProtocol: tcp
          FromPort: 8080
          ToPort: 8080
          CidrIp: 0.0.0.0/0
      Tags:
        - Key: Name
          Value: !Ref SecurityGroupName
  Instance:
    Type: AWS::EC2::Instance
    Properties:
      ImageId: !Ref InstanceImageId
      InstanceType: !Ref InstanceType
      KeyName: !Ref KeyPairName
      NetworkInterfaces:
        - DeviceIndex: 0
          SubnetId: !Ref PublicSubnet
          GroupSet:
            - !Ref SecurityGroup
      UserData:
        Fn::Base64: !Sub |
          #!/bin/bash
          sudo yum update -y
          sudo wget -O /etc/yum.repos.d/jenkins.repo https://pkg.jenkins.io/redhat-stable/jenkins.repo
          sudo rpm --import https://pkg.jenkins.io/redhat-stable/jenkins.io.key
          sudo yum upgrade
          sudo amazon-linux-extras install java-openjdk11 -y
          sudo yum install jenkins -y
          sudo systemctl start jenkins
          sudo systemctl enable jenkins
          sudo yum install git -y
      Tags:
        - Key: Name
          Value: !Ref InstanceName
  ElasticIP:
    Type: AWS::EC2::EIP
    Properties:
      Domain: vpc
      NetworkBorderGroup: !Ref AWS::Region
      Tags:
        - Key: Name
          Value: !Ref ElasticIPAddressName
  ElasticIPAssociation:
    Type: AWS::EC2::EIPAssociation
    Properties:
      InstanceId: !Ref Instance
      EIP: !Ref ElasticIP

Mappings:
  AWSRegionArch2AMI:
    us-east-1:
      HVM64: ami-0b69ea66ff7391e80
      HVMG2: ami-0b69ea66ff7391e80
    us-east-2:
      HVM64: ami-0b69ea66ff7391e80
      HVMG2: ami-0b69ea66ff7391e80

Outputs:
  GetJenkinsDashboard:
    Description: URL to use for Jenkins dashboard
    Value: !Join
      - ''
      - - 'http://'
        - !GetAtt Instance.PublicDnsName
        - ':8080'
  GitHubWebhookURL:
    Description: URL to use for GitHub webhooks
    Value: !Join
      - ''
      - - 'http://'
        - !GetAtt Instance.PublicDnsName
        - ':8080/github-webhook/'
```

### Step 3: Create a CloudFormation Stack

Now that you have created a template, you can create a stack using the AWS CLI.

```shell
aws cloudformation create-stack \
    --stack-name jenkins-server \
    --template-body file://jenkins-server.yml
```

### Step 4: Check the Status of the Stack

You can check the status of the stack using the AWS CLI.

```shell
aws cloudformation describe-stacks \
    --stack-name jenkins-server
```

### Step 5: Access the Jenkins Server

You can access the Jenkins server using the public IP address of the instance.

```shell
# Get the public IP address of the Jenkins server instance
AWS_PUBLIC_IP=$(aws ec2 describe-instances \
  --filters "Name=tag:Name,Values=jenkins-server-instance" \
  --query "Reservations[*].Instances[*].PublicIpAddress" \
  --output text)

# Open the Jenkins dashboard in the browser
echo "http://${AWS_PUBLIC_IP}:8080"
```

## Connect to the Jenkins Server, and Setup Jenkins

### Step 1: Connect to the Jenkins Server

Connect to the Jenkins server using SSH.

```shell
# Get the public IP address of the Jenkins server instance
AWS_PUBLIC_IP=$(aws ec2 describe-instances \
  --filters "Name=tag:Name,Values=jenkins-server-instance" \
  --query "Reservations[*].Instances[*].PublicIpAddress" \
  --output text)

# Connect to the Jenkins server instance via SSH
ssh -i jenkins-server-key-pair.pem ec2-user@${AWS_PUBLIC_IP}
```

### Step 6: Configure Jenkins

Connect to EC2 instance using SSH and run the following commands to configure Jenkins.

```shell
sudo cat /var/lib/jenkins/secrets/initialAdminPassword
```

![jenkins-initial-password](/assets/blog/0033-how-to-setup-jenkins-on-aws-using-cloudformation/jenkins-initial-password.png)

Copy the initial password and paste it in the Jenkins login page.

![jenkins-login](/assets/blog/0033-how-to-setup-jenkins-on-aws-using-cloudformation/jenkins-login.png)

Select the recommended plugins and click on the Install button.

![jenkins-install-plugins](/assets/blog/0033-how-to-setup-jenkins-on-aws-using-cloudformation/jenkins-install-plugins.png)

Create an admin user and click on the Save and Finish button.

![jenkins-create-admin-user](/assets/blog/0033-how-to-setup-jenkins-on-aws-using-cloudformation/jenkins-create-admin-user.png)

Done! You have successfully setup Jenkins on AWS using CloudFormation.

![jenkins-dashboard](/assets/blog/0033-how-to-setup-jenkins-on-aws-using-cloudformation/jenkins-dashboard.png)

## Cleanup

You can delete the stack using the AWS CLI.

```shell
# Delete the stack
aws cloudformation delete-stack \
    --stack-name jenkins-server

# Check the status of the stack
aws cloudformation describe-stacks \
    --stack-name jenkins-server

# Delete the key pair
aws ec2 delete-key-pair \
    --key-name jenkins-server-key-pair
```

## Conclusion

In this article, we have learned how to setup Jenkins on AWS using CloudFormation. We have also learned how to create a CloudFormation template and create a stack using the AWS CLI.

## References

- [AWS CloudFormation User Guide](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSCloudFormation/latest/UserGuide/Welcome.html)
- [AWS CloudFormation Template Reference](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSCloudFormation/latest/UserGuide/template-reference.html)
- [Jenkins Official Website](https://www.jenkins.io/)
- [Jenkins User Documentation](https://www.jenkins.io/doc/)
- [Installing Jenkins](https://www.jenkins.io/doc/book/installing/)
- [AWS Command Line Interface (CLI) User Guide](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/latest/userguide/cli-chap-welcome.html)
- [Amazon EC2 User Guide for Linux Instances](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/concepts.html)
- [Amazon VPC User Guide](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/vpc/latest/userguide/what-is-amazon-vpc.html)
- [AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) User Guide](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/introduction.html)
- [AWS Key Pairs and Amazon EC2 Instances](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/ec2-key-pairs.html)
- [Working with AWS CloudFormation Stacks](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSCloudFormation/latest/UserGuide/stacks.html)
- [User data in CloudFormation](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSCloudFormation/latest/UserGuide/aws-properties-ec2-instance.html#cfn-ec2-instance-userdata)
- [Elastic IP addresses - Amazon EC2](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/elastic-ip-addresses-eip.html)
- [How to Install Jenkins on AWS EC2 Instance](/blog/how-to-install-jenkins-on-aws-ec2-instance) (Previous related post)
- [AWS CloudFormation Best Practices](https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/devops/aws-cloudformation-best-practices/)