Jenkins on Aruba Cloud
Deploy a production-ready Jenkins CI/CD automation server on Aruba Cloud using Terraform and cloud-init. Java 21 + Jenkins LTS installed from the official APT repository — no manual configuration required.
Provider version: arubacloud/arubacloud
~> 1.0| Terraform: ≥ 1.9
Introduction
Jenkins is the most widely used open-source automation server for building, testing, and deploying software. This example provisions a complete Jenkins LTS stack on Aruba Cloud with:
- A CloudServer VM (CSO4A8 — 4 vCPU / 8 GB) running Jenkins LTS behind an nginx reverse proxy, fully bootstrapped by cloud-init
- Java 21 (OpenJDK) — the recommended JVM for Jenkins LTS
- A dedicated VPC, subnet, and security group via the shared network module
- An Elastic IP for stable external access
- Port 50000 open for remote build agents connecting via the JNLP protocol
- Optional ACME HTTPS when a custom domain is provided (via an ACME provider such as Actalis ACME Certificates or Let's Encrypt)
The initial admin password is generated automatically and printed in the bootstrap log. The first login completes the Jenkins setup wizard.
Architecture Overview
Jenkins listens on port 8080. nginx proxies all HTTP/HTTPS traffic to Jenkins on the same host, with proxy_buffering off to support pipeline log streaming. Remote agents connect directly on port 50000.
Infrastructure Created
| Resource | Name pattern | Description |
|---|---|---|
arubacloud_project | jenkins-prod | Project container |
arubacloud_vpc | jenkins-prod-vpc | Virtual Private Cloud |
arubacloud_subnet | jenkins-prod-subnet | Basic subnet |
arubacloud_securitygroup | jenkins-prod-vm-sg | Security group |
arubacloud_securityrule | jenkins-prod-vm-ssh | SSH ingress (restricted CIDR) |
arubacloud_securityrule | jenkins-prod-vm-http | HTTP ingress |
arubacloud_securityrule | jenkins-prod-vm-https | HTTPS ingress |
arubacloud_securityrule | jenkins-prod-vm-jnlp | JNLP agent ingress (port 50000) |
arubacloud_elasticip | jenkins-prod-vm-eip | VM public IP |
arubacloud_blockstorage | jenkins-prod-boot | 50 GB boot disk (Performance) |
arubacloud_keypair | jenkins-prod-keypair | SSH public key |
arubacloud_cloudserver | jenkins-prod-vm | CloudServer VM |
VM Sizing Recommendation
| Workload | vCPU | RAM | Disk | Flavor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small team / few pipelines | 4 | 8 GB | 50 GB | CSO4A8 (default) |
| Medium team / many parallel builds | 8 | 16 GB | 100 GB | CSO8A16 |
Jenkins runs builds directly on the controller by default. For production, offload builds to dedicated agents and increase vm_disk_size_gb to store build artifacts and workspace data.
Estimated Monthly Cost
Approximate prices for ITBG-Bergamo, hourly billing.
| Resource | Spec | Est. cost/mo |
|---|---|---|
| CloudServer VM | CSO4A8 — 4 vCPU / 8 GB | ~€36 |
| Boot disk | 50 GB Performance | ~ €6 |
| Elastic IP | — | ~€3 |
| Total | ~€45/mo |
Requirements
- Terraform ≥ 1.9
- ArubaCloud Terraform Provider
~> 1.0 - An ArubaCloud account with OAuth2 API credentials
- An SSH key pair
Variables
Required
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
arubacloud_client_id | ArubaCloud OAuth2 client ID |
arubacloud_client_secret | ArubaCloud OAuth2 client secret |
ssh_public_key | SSH public key content |
Optional
| Variable | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
app_name | "jenkins" | Short name used in all resource names |
environment | "prod" | Environment label |
location | "ITBG-Bergamo" | ArubaCloud region |
zone | "ITBG-1" | Availability zone |
billing_period | "Hour" | "Hour" or "Month" |
vm_flavor | "CSO4A8" | CloudServer flavor |
vm_image | "LU22-001" | Boot disk image (Ubuntu 22.04 LTS) |
vm_disk_size_gb | 50 | Boot disk size in GB |
ssh_cidr | "0.0.0.0/0" | CIDR for SSH — restrict to your IP in production |
agent_cidr | "0.0.0.0/0" | CIDR for JNLP agent port 50000 — restrict to your agent network |
domain | "" | Custom domain for HTTPS — leave empty to use the Elastic IP |
Outputs
| Output | Description |
|---|---|
jenkins_url | Jenkins web interface URL |
vm_public_ip | Public IP address of the VM |
ssh_command | SSH command to connect to the VM |
initial_password_cmd | Command to retrieve the initial admin password |
jnlp_agent_port | JNLP port for remote build agents (50000) |
Deployment Instructions
1. Clone and navigate
git clone https://github.com/arubacloud/terraform-arubacloud-examples.git
cd terraform-arubacloud-examples/jenkins
2. Configure variables
cp terraform.tfvars.example terraform.tfvars
Edit terraform.tfvars with your credentials and SSH key.
3. Initialize and deploy
terraform init
terraform plan
terraform apply
Bootstrap takes approximately 5–8 minutes (Java and Jenkins install from APT).
4. Retrieve the initial admin password
terraform output -raw initial_password_cmd | bash
5. Complete the setup wizard
Open the Jenkins URL in your browser:
terraform output jenkins_url
Paste the initial admin password, install suggested plugins, and create your admin account.
6. Follow cloud-init progress (optional)
ssh ubuntu@$(terraform output -raw vm_public_ip)
sudo tail -f /var/log/cloud-init-output.log
Destroy Instructions
terraform destroy
All resources including the boot disk (and any Jenkins jobs, credentials, and build history stored on it) are permanently deleted.
Security Recommendations
-
Restrict SSH to your IP. Set
ssh_cidr = "your.ip/32". -
Restrict JNLP to your agent network. Set
agent_cidrto the IP range of your build agents. Exposing port 50000 publicly allows anyone to attempt agent registration. -
Use a custom domain with HTTPS. Set the
domainvariable to enable TLS. Without HTTPS, credentials submitted via the web UI are transmitted in cleartext. -
Disable agent-to-controller security bypass. In Jenkins → Manage Jenkins → Security, ensure "Agent → Controller Security" is enabled.
-
Create a non-admin service account for pipelines. Avoid running pipelines as the Jenkins admin.
-
Back up
JENKINS_HOME. All job configuration, credentials, and build history live in/var/lib/jenkins. Schedule regular snapshots.
Upgrade Considerations
Jenkins LTS upgrade
Jenkins LTS is installed via APT. To upgrade:
ssh ubuntu@$(terraform output -raw vm_public_ip)
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install --only-upgrade jenkins
sudo systemctl status jenkins
Jenkins performs automatic data migration on startup. Review the Jenkins LTS changelog for breaking changes before upgrading.
Java upgrade
If a future Jenkins LTS requires a newer Java version, update the openjdk-21-jdk-headless package name in cloud-init.yaml.tpl and redeploy the VM.
Troubleshooting
Jenkins not reachable after apply
ssh ubuntu@$(terraform output -raw vm_public_ip)
sudo systemctl status jenkins
sudo journalctl -u jenkins -n 50
sudo tail -f /var/log/cloud-init-output.log
nginx returns 502 Bad Gateway
Jenkins is still starting. Jenkins takes 1–2 minutes to initialize on first boot:
sudo systemctl status jenkins
# Wait for "Jenkins is fully up and running" in the logs:
sudo journalctl -u jenkins -f
Setup wizard asks for initial password after Certbot redirect
The initial password file does not move after HTTPS is configured:
sudo cat /var/lib/jenkins/secrets/initialAdminPassword
Build agents cannot connect on port 50000
Verify the security group rule and the configured TCP port in Jenkins → Manage Jenkins → Security → Agent protocols. The JNLP port must match both the security group rule and the Jenkins configuration.