Starting a Jenkins multi-branch pipeline build from a Bitbucket commit
28 Sep 2016After some experimentation I’ve finally worked out how to start a Jenkins multi-pipeline build via a notification from Bitbucket when someone pushes a commit.
The first step is to disable CSRF protection (I know…I know…but it’s necessary to allow remote access). You can do this by selecting Manage Jenkins, Configure Global Security then unchecking the Prevent Cross Site Request Forgery exploits option.
Next step, navigate into your job from the main page and select Branch Indexing from the menu on the left. From this page right click on the link that says Run Now, copy the link address and paste it into a text editor.
Now go back to the Jenkins root menu and select People, then choose your user (or preferably a dedicated Jenkins user), choose Configure, and then reveal the API token. Copy it and head back to your text editor.
Assuming the branch indexing run now URL is https://jenkins.example.com/job/my-project/build?delay=0, the Jenkins user is jenkins and the API token is RdFrCiEwgs9boUsJVHoi modify the URL so it looks like this:
https://jenkins:RdFrCiEwgs9boUsJVHoi@jenkins.example.com/job/my-project/build
Next go into the settings of your Bitbucket and create a new webhook, paste in the modified link and save the form.
Commit something and you should see that a moment later Jenkins will run a branch index on the job and then run the build for the branch you committed to.
Multi-branch pipelines are a very new feature to Jenkins 2.0 and are still very part-baked in my opinion. As I get more proficient I will write a tutorial because whilst frustrating to get setup and going they’re a huge time saver.