--- title: "How to Install Jenkins on AWS EC2 Instance" description: "In this post, I will show you how to Create an EC2 Instance on AWS and install Jenkins on it." author: "Mohammad Abu Mattar" canonical: https://mkabumattar.com/blog/post/install-jenkins-on-aws-ec2-instance --- # How to Install Jenkins on AWS EC2 Instance ## Introduction In this post, I will show you how to Create an EC2 Instance on AWS and install Jenkins on it. ## Prerequisites - AWS CLI installed and configured - IAM user with the following permissions: - AmazonVPCFullAccess - AmazonEC2FullAccess ## Create a VPC ### Step 1: Create a VPC To create a VPC, run the following command: ```shell # Create a VPC AWS_VPC=$(aws ec2 create-vpc \ --cidr-block 15.0.0.0/16 \ --query 'Vpc.VpcId' \ --output text) # Add a name tag to the VPC aws ec2 create-tags \ --resources $AWS_VPC \ --tags Key=Name,Value=jenkins-vpc ``` Explanation: - `AWS_VPC` is a variable that holds the VPC ID. - `--cidr-block` The IPv4 network range for the VPC, in CIDR notation. - `--query` The JMESPath query that is used to extract data from the output. - `--output` The output format of the command. ### Step 2: Modify your custom VPC and enable DNS hostname support, and DNS support To modify your custom VPC and enable DNS hostname support, and DNS support, run the following command: ```shell # Modify your custom VPC and enable DNS hostname support, and DNS support # Enable DNS hostnames aws ec2 modify-vpc-attribute \ --vpc-id $AWS_VPC \ --enable-dns-hostnames "{\"Value\":true}" # Enable DNS support aws ec2 modify-vpc-attribute \ --vpc-id $AWS_VPC \ --enable-dns-support "{\"Value\":true}" ``` Explanation: - `--enable-dns-hostnames` Indicates whether the instances launched in the VPC get DNS hostnames. - `--enable-dns-support` Indicates whether DNS resolution is supported for the VPC. ### Step 3: Create a Public Subnet To create a public subnet, run the following command: ```shell # Create a public subnet AWS_PUBLIC_SUBNET=$(aws ec2 create-subnet \ --vpc-id $AWS_VPC \ --cidr-block 15.0.1.0/24 \ --query 'Subnet.SubnetId' \ --output text) # Add a name tag to the public subnet aws ec2 create-tags \ --resources $AWS_PUBLIC_SUBNET \ --tags Key=Name,Value=jenkins-public-subnet ``` Explanation: - `AWS_PUBLIC_SUBNET` is a variable that holds the public subnet ID. - `--vpc-id` The ID of the VPC. - `--cidr-block` The IPv4 network range for the subnet, in CIDR notation. - `--query` The JMESPath query that is used to extract data from the output. - `--output` The output format of the command. ### Step 4: Enable Auto-assign Public IP on the subnet To enable auto-assign public IP on the subnet, run the following command: ```shell # Enable auto-assign public IP on the subnet aws ec2 modify-subnet-attribute \ --subnet-id $AWS_PUBLIC_SUBNET \ --map-public-ip-on-launch ``` Explanation: - `--subnet-id` The ID of the subnet. - `--map-public-ip-on-launch` Indicates whether to assign a public IPv4 address to instances launched in the subnet. ### Step 5: Create an Internet Gateway To create an internet gateway, run the following command: ```shell # Create an internet gateway AWS_INTERNET_GATEWAY=$(aws ec2 create-internet-gateway \ --query 'InternetGateway.InternetGatewayId' \ --output text) # Add a name tag to the internet gateway aws ec2 create-tags \ --resources $AWS_INTERNET_GATEWAY \ --tags Key=Name,Value=jenkins-internet-gateway ``` Explanation: - `AWS_INTERNET_GATEWAY` is a variable that holds the internet gateway ID. - `--query` The JMESPath query that is used to extract data from the output. - `--output` The output format of the command. ### Step 6: Attach the Internet Gateway to the VPC To attach the internet gateway to the VPC, run the following command: ```shell # Attach the internet gateway to the VPC aws ec2 attach-internet-gateway \ --internet-gateway-id $AWS_INTERNET_GATEWAY \ --vpc-id $AWS_VPC ``` Explanation: - `--internet-gateway-id` The ID of the internet gateway. - `--vpc-id` The ID of the VPC. ### Step 7: Create a Route Table To create a route table, run the following command: ```shell # Create a route table AWS_ROUTE_TABLE=$(aws ec2 create-route-table \ --vpc-id $AWS_VPC \ --query 'RouteTable.RouteTableId' \ --output text) # Add a name tag to the route table aws ec2 create-tags \ --resources $AWS_ROUTE_TABLE \ --tags Key=Name,Value=jenkins-route-table ``` Explanation: - `AWS_ROUTE_TABLE` is a variable that holds the route table ID. - `--vpc-id` The ID of the VPC. - `--query` The JMESPath query that is used to extract data from the output. - `--output` The output format of the command. ### Step 8: Create a custom route table association To create a custom route table association, run the following command: ```shell # Create a custom route table association aws ec2 associate-route-table \ --subnet-id $AWS_PUBLIC_SUBNET \ --route-table-id $AWS_ROUTE_TABLE ``` Explanation: - `--subnet-id` The ID of the subnet. - `--route-table-id` The ID of the route table. ### Step 9: Associate the subnet with route table, making it a public subnet To associate the subnet with route table, making it a public subnet, run the following command: ```shell # Associate the subnet with route table, making it a public subnet aws ec2 create-route \ --route-table-id $AWS_ROUTE_TABLE \ --destination-cidr-block 0.0.0.0/0 \ --gateway-id $AWS_INTERNET_GATEWAY ``` Explanation: - `--route-table-id` The ID of the route table. - `--destination-cidr-block` The IPv4 CIDR address block used for the destination match. - `--gateway-id` The ID of an internet gateway or virtual private gateway attached to your VPC. ### Step 10: Create a Security Group To create a security group, run the following command: ```shell # Create a security group AWS_SECURITY_GROUP=$(aws ec2 create-security-group \ --group-name aws-security-group \ --description "AWS Security Group" \ --vpc-id $AWS_VPC \ --query 'GroupId' \ --output text) # Add a name tag to the security group aws ec2 create-tags \ --resources $AWS_SECURITY_GROUP \ --tags Key=Name,Value=jenkins-security-group ``` Explanation: - `AWS_SECURITY_GROUP` is a variable that holds the security group ID. - `--group-name` The name of the security group. - `--description` A description for the security group. - `--vpc-id` The ID of the VPC. - `--query` The JMESPath query that is used to extract data from the output. - `--output` The output format of the command. ### Step 11: Add a rule to the security group To add a rule to the security group, run the following command: ```shell # Add a rule to the security group # Add SSH rule aws ec2 authorize-security-group-ingress \ --group-id $AWS_SECURITY_GROUP \ --protocol tcp \ --port 22 \ --cidr 0.0.0.0/0 \ --output text # Add HTTP rule aws ec2 authorize-security-group-ingress \ --group-id $AWS_SECURITY_GROUP \ --protocol tcp \ --port 80 \ --cidr 0.0.0.0/0 \ --output text # Add HTTPS rule aws ec2 authorize-security-group-ingress \ --group-id $AWS_SECURITY_GROUP \ --protocol tcp \ --port 443 \ --cidr 0.0.0.0/0 \ --output text # Add Jenkins rule aws ec2 authorize-security-group-ingress \ --group-id $AWS_SECURITY_GROUP \ --protocol tcp \ --port 8080-8090 \ --cidr 0.0.0.0/0 \ --output text ``` Explanation: - `--group-id` The ID of the security group. - `--protocol` The IP protocol name or number. - `--port` The port number or range of port numbers. - `--cidr` The IPv4 CIDR range. - `--output` The output format of the command. ## Create an EC2 Instance ### Step 1: Get the latest AMI ID To get the latest AMI ID, run the following command: ```shell # Get the latest AMI ID AWS_AMI=$(aws ec2 describe-images \ --owners 'amazon' \ --filters 'Name=name,Values=amzn2-ami-hvm-2.0.*' \ 'Name=state,Values=available' \ --query 'sort_by(Images, &CreationDate)[-1].[ImageId]' \ --output 'text') ``` Explanation: - `AWS_AMI` is a variable that holds the AMI ID. - `--owners` The AWS account ID of the owner. - `--filters` The filters. - `--query` The JMESPath query that is used to extract data from the output. - `--output` The output format of the command. ### Step 2: Create a Key Pair To create a key pair, run the following command: ```shell # Create a key pair aws ec2 create-key-pair \ --key-name aws-key-pair \ --query 'KeyMaterial' \ --output text > aws-key-pair.pem # Change the permission of the key pair chmod 400 aws-key-pair.pem ``` Explanation: - `--key-name` The name of the key pair. - `--query` The JMESPath query that is used to extract data from the output. - `--output` The output format of the command. - `>` The output is redirected to a file. - `aws-key-pair.pem` The name of the file. - `chmod 400 aws-key-pair.pem` Change the permission of the key pair, so that only the owner can read and write. ### Step 3: Create a User Data Script To create a user data script, run the following command: ```shell # Create a user data script cat << EOF > user-data.sh #!/bin/bash # update the system sudo yum update -y # add the jenkins repo 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 # install java sudo amazon-linux-extras install java-openjdk11 -y # install jenkins sudo yum install jenkins -y # start jenkins sudo systemctl start jenkins # enable jenkins sudo systemctl enable jenkins # install git sudo yum install git -y EOF ``` Explanation: - `cat << EOF > user-data.sh` The output is redirected to a file. - `user-data.sh` The name of the file. - `#!/bin/bash` The shebang line. - `sudo yum update -y` Update the system. - `sudo wget -O /etc/yum.repos.d/jenkins.repo https://pkg.jenkins.io/redhat-stable/jenkins.repo` Add the Jenkins repo. - `sudo rpm --import https://pkg.jenkins.io/redhat-stable/jenkins.io.key` Import the Jenkins repo key. - `sudo yum upgrade` Upgrade the system. - `sudo amazon-linux-extras install java-openjdk11 -y` Install Java. - `sudo yum install jenkins -y` Install Jenkins. - `sudo systemctl start jenkins` Start Jenkins. - `sudo systemctl enable jenkins` Enable Jenkins. ### Step 4: Create an EC2 Instance To create an EC2 instance, run the following command: ```shell # Create an EC2 instance AWS_INSTANCE=$(aws ec2 run-instances \ --image-id $AWS_AMI \ --instance-type t2.micro \ --key-name aws-key-pair \ --monitoring "Enabled=false" \ --security-group-ids $AWS_SECURITY_GROUP \ --subnet-id $AWS_PUBLIC_SUBNET \ --user-data file://user-data.sh \ --query 'Instances[0].InstanceId' \ --output text) # add a name tag to the instance aws ec2 create-tags \ --resources $AWS_INSTANCE \ --tags Key=Name,Value=jenkins-server ``` Explanation: - `AWS_INSTANCE` is a variable that holds the instance ID. - `--image-id` The ID of the AMI. - `--instance-type` The instance type. - `--key-name` The name of the key pair. - `--monitoring` The monitoring for the instance. - `--security-group-ids` The IDs of the security groups. - `--subnet-id` The ID of the subnet. - `--user-data` The user data to provide when launching the instance. - `--query` The JMESPath query that is used to extract data from the output. - `--output` The output format of the command. ### Step 5: Create an Elastic IP To create an Elastic IP, run the following command: ```shell # Create an Elastic IP AWS_ELASTIC_IP=$(aws ec2 allocate-address \ --domain vpc \ --query 'AllocationId' \ --output text) # add a name tag to the Elastic IP aws ec2 create-tags \ --resources $AWS_ELASTIC_IP \ --tags Key=Name,Value=jenkins-server-elastic-ip ``` Explanation: - `AWS_ELASTIC_IP` is a variable that holds the Elastic IP ID. - `--domain` The domain name. - `--query` The JMESPath query that is used to extract data from the output. - `--output` The output format of the command. ### Step 6: Associate the Elastic IP with the EC2 Instance To associate the Elastic IP with the EC2 instance, run the following command: ```shell # Associate the Elastic IP with the EC2 instance aws ec2 associate-address \ --allocation-id $AWS_ELASTIC_IP \ --instance-id $AWS_INSTANCE ``` Explanation: - `--allocation-id` The allocation ID. - `--instance-id` The ID of the instance. ## Connect to the Jenkins Server, and Setup Jenkins ### Step 1: Connect to the Jenkins Server To connect to the Jenkins server, run the following command: ```shell # Get the public IP address of the Jenkins server AWS_PUBLIC_IP=$(aws ec2 describe-instances \ --instance-ids $AWS_INSTANCE \ --query 'Reservations[0].Instances[0].PublicIpAddress' \ --output text) # Connect to the Jenkins server ssh -i aws-key-pair.pem ec2-user@$AWS_PUBLIC_IP ``` Explanation: - `AWS_PUBLIC_IP` is a variable that holds the public IP address of the Jenkins server. - `ssh -i aws-key-pair.pem ec2-user@$AWS_PUBLIC_IP` Connect to the Jenkins server. ### Step 2: Setup Jenkins To setup Jenkins, run the following command: ```shell # Get the initial admin password sudo cat /var/lib/jenkins/secrets/initialAdminPassword ``` Explanation: - `sudo cat /var/lib/jenkins/secrets/initialAdminPassword` Get the initial admin password. ### Step 3: Configuring Jenkins To configure Jenkins: 1. Go to `http://:8080/`. ![jenkins-1](/assets/blog/0031-install-jenkins-on-aws-ec2-instance/jenkins-1.png) 2. Enter the initial admin password. ![jenkins-2](/assets/blog/0031-install-jenkins-on-aws-ec2-instance/jenkins-2.png) 3. Select the recommended plugins. ![jenkins-3](/assets/blog/0031-install-jenkins-on-aws-ec2-instance/jenkins-3.png) 4. Create the first admin user. ![jenkins-4](/assets/blog/0031-install-jenkins-on-aws-ec2-instance/jenkins-4.png) 5. Jenkins is ready. ![jenkins-5](/assets/blog/0031-install-jenkins-on-aws-ec2-instance/jenkins-5.png) ## Conclusion In this tutorial, you learned how to install Jenkins on an AWS EC2 instance. ## References - [Jenkins Official Website](https://www.jenkins.io/) - [Jenkins User Documentation](https://www.jenkins.io/doc/) - [Installing Jenkins on Linux](https://www.jenkins.io/doc/book/installing/linux/) - [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) - [Security Groups for your VPC - Amazon VPC](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/vpc/latest/userguide/VPC_SecurityGroups.html) - [User data and shell scripts for EC2 instances](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/user-data.html) - [Elastic IP addresses - Amazon EC2](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/elastic-ip-addresses-eip.html) - [Connect to your Linux instance using SSH - Amazon EC2](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/AccessingInstancesLinux.html) - [Managing Jenkins Plugins](https://www.jenkins.io/doc/book/managing/plugins/) - [Getting started with Jenkins](https://www.jenkins.io/doc/pipeline/tour/getting-started/)