Configuration

Pipelines are configured using data files within the jenkins-pipelines repository. There are 3 main files used to create pipelines:

  1. Jenkinsfile
  2. buildProperties.yaml
  3. build specific data file (eg. sample-pipeline.yaml)

It is rare that a typical user of this repository should need to edit the first or second file in the list above. The Jenkinsfile is used to setup the stages of the build (Build, Unit Test, etc) but does have a little bit of configuration in them. The buildProperties.yaml is used for setting up reasonable global build properties that could be overrode in all the build specific data files in this respository.

At it’s simplest level the build data files are used to specify build properties. YAML was used for the file format as it is a easy to read configuration format. It is also really flexible, it supports simple key-value pairs, lists, and maps. The format also gives the ability to make user created properties.

Build Data File

Build data files are so important they require their own page. See Build Data File for more details.

Build Property Override Priority

There are several places where configuration can be passed to the pipeline. The sources, in order of priority, are the following:

  1. Library Defaults (See default-properties.yaml
  2. Jenkins Environment
  3. Default Properties (buildProperties.yaml)
  4. Build File (my-build.yaml)
  5. Jenkinsfile
  6. Pipeline Run Parameters

If you specify a parameter named MY_BUILD_PROPERTY in the default properties file (buildProperties.yaml), it will be overrode if also specified in the Build File, Jenkinsfile, or Pipeline Run Parameters.

Property Composition

It is possible to use property composition while defining properties. For example:

Default Properties:

HELLO_PROPERTY: Hello

Build File:

WORLD_PROPERTY: ${HELLO_PROPERTY} world!

Requesting the property WORLD_PROPERTY will return “Hello World!”