IntelliJ setup for Jenkins Plugin Development

I decided to write this post since there aren’t many articles describing IntelliJ IDEA setup for Plugin Development in Jenkins. This article walks you through a GUI setup of a minimalist plugin skeleton for Jenkins Plugin Development with Maven.

Prerequisites:

Install the latest Java SE Development Kit 8
Install the latest IntelliJ IDEA
Install the latest Maven release
(Optional — Since maven comes bundled with IntelliJ IDEA)

Note: Versions used in this article:
JDK— 1.8.0_181, IntelliJ IDEA — 2018.2, MVN — 3.3.9

Configure Maven Settings:

Add this following to ~/.m2/settings.xml

<settings>
  <pluginGroups>
    <pluginGroup>org.jenkins-ci.tools</pluginGroup>
  </pluginGroups>
 
  <profiles>
    <!-- Give access to Jenkins plugins -->
    <profile>
      <id>jenkins</id>
      <activation>
        <activeByDefault>true</activeByDefault>
      </activation>
      <repositories>
        <repository>
          <id>repo.jenkins-ci.org</id>
          <url>https://repo.jenkins-ci.org/public/</url>
        </repository>
      </repositories>
      <pluginRepositories>
        <pluginRepository>
          <id>repo.jenkins-ci.org</id>
          <url>https://repo.jenkins-ci.org/public/</url>
        </pluginRepository>
      </pluginRepositories>
    </profile>
  </profiles>
  <mirrors>
    <mirror>
      <id>repo.jenkins-ci.org</id>
      <url>https://repo.jenkins-ci.org/public/</url>
      <mirrorOf>m.g.o-public</mirrorOf>
    </mirror>
  </mirrors>
</settings>

This will let you use short names for Jenkins Maven plugins (i.e. hpi:create instead of org.jenkins-ci.tools:maven-hpi-plugin:1.61:create), though this is unnecessary once you are already working in a plugin project (only useful for initial hpi:create).

Generate an empty skeleton plugin

IntelliJ setup:

1) Select File -> New Project

2) Select Maven

3) Check Create from archetype -> Add Archetype

new-project

4) Enter the following:

GroupId — io.jenkins.archetypes
ArtifactId — empty-plugin
Version — 1.4

add-archetype

5) Enter a GroupId and ArtifactId for your plugin

plugin-id

6) Select Maven 3 (either Bundled or one you installed)

select-maven

7) Choose Project name and Project Location

project-location

8) Wait for maven to generate POM.xml.

wait-pom

Commandline setup:

To generate an empty plugin, run the following command

mvn archetype:generate -Dfilter=io.jenkins.archetypes:empty-plugin

then follow screen instructions.

To open plugin in IntelliJ:

cd <artifact-id>
idea pom.xml

Add run/debug configuration

IntelliJ Setup

1) Select Add Configuration from the Navigation Bar

2) Select + -> Maven

add-maven

3) Enter the following configurations:

Name: Maven
Working Directory: /path/to/project
Command line: hpi:run

If you want run your jenkins plugin on a custom port use:

Command line: hpi:run -Djetty.port=8090

debug-config

Select Apply and OK.

4) Select ▶ button to run the Jenkins instance (installs the dependencies upon first run so might take a little time)

Wait until you you see

INFO: Jenkins is fully up and running

5) Log into this URL on your web browser:

localhost:8080/jenkins

You should be able to test your plugin now.

Commandline Setup

To install the plugin and its dependencies:

mvn clean install

After successful installation:

mvn hpi:run

To open plugin in IntelliJ:

cd /path/to/project
idea pom.xml

Select Open Existing Project.

Plugins to aid development:

1) Install Stapler plugin for IntelliJ IDEA

2) Install Jenkins Control Plugin

Example install:

Select File -> Settings
Select Plugins -> Install JetBrains Plugin
Search for keyword: Stapler
Install Stapler plugin for IntelliJ IDEA from the result
Restart IDE