In this guide 6 sections
For a team of a few developers, use the pipeline built into where your code already lives: GitHub Actions for GitHub, GitLab CI for GitLab. Choose Jenkins only if you need heavy customisation or must run everything on your own servers, because you will maintain it yourself.
Where each tool runs and who maintains it
GitHub Actions and GitLab CI are part of their hosting platforms. Pipelines are defined in a YAML file inside the repository, and the vendor runs the machinery. GitLab can also be installed on your own server.
Jenkins is a separate program. You install, secure, update and back up every part of it. It is flexible and free of licence fees. The price is your time, and a small team feels that time quickly.
Compare the points that bite small teams
Secrets handling, runner setup and plugin upkeep decide daily happiness more than feature lists. Read this as tendencies. Not rules.
GitHub Actions stores encrypted secrets per repository or organisation and offers a large marketplace of reusable actions. GitLab CI has masked variables, protected branches and built-in container and package registries. Jenkins stores credentials through plugins you must keep patched.
- Hosting: Actions and GitLab are hosted; Jenkins is self-hosted
- Upkeep: low for the two platforms, steady for Jenkins
- Runners: hosted by default, self-hosted ones optional on all three
- Config: YAML in the repo for the platforms; a Jenkinsfile for Jenkins
- Extras: Actions has a large marketplace; GitLab bundles registries and security scans
Runners, builds and private networks
Hosted runners are the easiest start. Take it. They fail when a build needs to reach a database inside your office or a customer’s network, or needs special hardware such as a macOS machine for iOS builds.
All three let you attach your own runner or agent for that. Keep it patched. Isolate it from production secrets it does not need, and delete leftover build folders.
What moving costs you
Pipeline files are not portable. A workflow written for Actions must be rewritten for GitLab CI or a Jenkinsfile, though the steps inside, such as install, lint, test, build and deploy, carry over.
Moving off Jenkins is slow. It usually means retiring years of plugins and scripts nobody remembers writing. Budget a week or two to inventory what jobs really do before converting them.
A default you can defend
If your repositories are on GitHub, start with Actions. If they are on GitLab, start with GitLab CI. Keep the first pipeline to four jobs: test, build, deploy to staging and a manual deploy to production.
Pick Jenkins only for one stated reason, such as an existing install, strict on-premise rules or unusual build hardware. Write that reason down, plus who will patch it.
Pipeline tool comparison grid
Three tool columns run across the top: GitHub Actions, GitLab CI and Jenkins. Rows cover repository host, hosting model, secrets storage, runner needs, who patches it, migration effort and deploy approval step. A bottom row records the decision, owner and review date.
Open a blank worksheet to printQuestions owners ask
Is Jenkins still worth using?
Yes, in specific cases: on-premise-only rules, unusual build hardware or a large existing setup. For a new small team it usually costs more upkeep than the alternatives.
Can we use GitHub Actions with code on another host?
Not directly for private setups. Actions triggers from GitHub repositories, so mirroring code there is possible but adds a moving part.
Where should deployment keys be stored?
In the platform’s encrypted secrets or a vault, never in the repository. Limit each key to one environment and rotate it when people leave.
How long does it take to set up a first pipeline?
A basic test and build pipeline takes a day or two. Deploy steps, approvals and caching take longer, mostly because of the environment rather than the tool.