Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) are essential practices in modern software development. They allow for automated testing, building, and deployment of applications, ensuring that new code changes are integrated smoothly and delivered to production efficiently. In a Windows environment, Jenkins is a popular tool for setting up CI/CD pipelines, and PowerShell can be used to automate various tasks within these pipelines.

Setting Up Jenkins on Windows

1. Download and Install Jenkins:

   • Visit the Jenkins download page and download the Windows installer.
   • Run the installer and follow the setup wizard to install Jenkins as a Windows service.

2. Configure Jenkins:

   • Open a web browser and navigate to http://localhost:8080.
   • Unlock Jenkins by entering the initial admin password found in C:\Program Files (x86)\Jenkins\secrets\initialAdminPassword.
   • Install suggested plugins and create your first admin user.

Creating a Simple CI/CD Pipeline

1. Install Git and PowerShell:

   • Ensure Git is installed on your Windows machine. Download it from Git's official site.
   • PowerShell is included with Windows, but ensure you have the latest version by visiting PowerShell's GitHub page.

2. Create a New Jenkins Pipeline:

   • In Jenkins, click on “New Item” and select “Pipeline”.
   • Name your pipeline and click “OK”.

3. Configure the Pipeline Script:

   • In the pipeline configuration page, scroll down to the “Pipeline” section and select “Pipeline script”.
   • Enter the following sample Jenkinsfile script:

pipeline {
    agent any

    stages {
        stage('Clone Repository') {
            steps {
                git 'https://github.com/your-repo/sample-app.git'
            }
        }
        stage('Build') {
            steps {
                script {
                    bat 'dotnet build'
                }
            }
        }
        stage('Test') {
            steps {
                script {
                    bat 'dotnet test'
                }
            }
        }
        stage('Deploy') {
            steps {
                script {
                    powershell 'Deploy-Script.ps1'
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

Using PowerShell for Deployment

1. Create a PowerShell Deployment Script:
   • Create a file named Deploy-Script.ps1 with the following content:

# Deploy-Script.ps1

Write-Host "Starting Deployment..."

# Example: Copy files to a deployment directory
Copy-Item -Path "C:\Jenkins\workspace\sample-app\bin\Release\netcoreapp3.1\*" -Destination "C:\inetpub\wwwroot\sample-app" -Recurse -Force

Write-Host "Deployment Completed!"

2. Execute the Pipeline:
   • Save the pipeline configuration and click “Build Now” to execute the pipeline.
   • Monitor the console output to ensure each stage executes successfully.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you can set up a basic CI/CD pipeline on a Windows environment using Jenkins and PowerShell. This setup allows for automated testing, building, and deployment of your applications, enhancing your development workflow.