DEV Community

Cover image for Boost Your CI/CD Game: How to Install Jenkins on AWS the Right Way
Shlok Talepa
Shlok Talepa

Posted on

Boost Your CI/CD Game: How to Install Jenkins on AWS the Right Way

Whether you’re managing large-scale deployments or automating smaller workflows, Jenkins continues to be a top choice for continuous integration and delivery. But as teams scale and move into the cloud, installing Jenkins on a reliable infrastructure like AWS becomes critical for performance, security, and scalability.

At Signiance, we've recently published a step-by-step tutorial that walks through exactly how to get Jenkins up and running on AWS and more importantly, how to do it right from the start.

This article breaks down some of the highlights and best practices from that tutorial to give you a head start.

Why Install Jenkins on AWS?
Jenkins is incredibly powerful but it’s only as stable as the environment it runs on.

By installing Jenkins on Amazon EC2, you gain:

  • High availability

  • Flexible instance types (based on workload needs)

  • Easier scaling and automation

  • Integration with AWS IAM, S3, CodeCommit, and more

High-Level Installation Overview
Let’s quickly run through the core setup process:

Provisioning an EC2 Instance

Choose an Ubuntu-based AMI

Assign proper IAM roles (with minimal necessary permissions)

Open required ports (e.g., 8080 for Jenkins UI)

Installing Java and Jenkins

Java is a prerequisite for Jenkins. We recommend OpenJDK 11.

Add the Jenkins repository and install the package using apt-get

Access Jenkins through the Public IP

After installation, Jenkins runs on port 8080

Use the initial admin password stored in /var/lib/jenkins/secrets/

Securing the Installation

Update security groups

Configure admin credentials and plugin setup

Consider SSL termination via an NGINX reverse proxy

Persistent Storage & Backup

Attach an EBS volume for storing Jenkins data

Enable regular snapshots for backup

(Optional) Use Amazon S3 for plugin and config archiving

Pro Tip: Secure Your Jenkins Setup
Security is non-negotiable when running CI/CD tools in production. That’s why in the full blog, we walk through best practices for:

Restricting access via Security Groups

Setting up multi-user authentication

Using SSL with Let’s Encrypt

Automating backups for Jenkins data

Why This Matters
Many tutorials gloss over critical details like:

IAM configuration

Data persistence

Instance right-sizing

Jenkins version control

This often leads to unstable builds, access vulnerabilities, or even loss of job history. Our guide eliminates guesswork and helps DevOps teams deploy Jenkins with production-readiness in mind — even if you’re starting with a small EC2 setup.

Want the Full Step-by-Step Guide?
We’ve published the complete guide on our blog, including exact commands, screenshots, and optimization tips to make your Jenkins deployment smoother and more secure.

👉 Read it here: How to Install Jenkins on AWS

Let us know what you're building, or contact us if you need help configuring Jenkins to scale with your team.

Top comments (0)