Jenkins uses the CI/CD pipeline methodology to streamline the work of DevOps teams. This pipeline can be broken down into two parts:

With Jenkins, in both CI and CD, automation reduces the number of errors that occur because the correct steps and best practices are encoded into software. Jenkins describes a desired state, and the automation server ensures it happens.

Other advantages Jenkins provides include increased release velocity because deployments aren't bound to operator availability or other personnel limitations. It also reduces stress on software development and operations teams because it eliminates the need for overnight and weekend rollouts.

Over time, continuous delivery and deployment features were implemented in various Jenkins versions and projects. For example, the Jenkins X project was launched in 2018 with the goal of creating a modern, cloud-native version of Jenkins. Jenkins X was designed for Kubernetes and uses it in its own implementation. Its architecture, technology and pipeline language are different from those of Jenkins. Other cloud-native technologies that Jenkins X uses include Helm, for helping manage Kubernetes applications, and Tekton, a framework that further assists with creating CI/CD systems. Jenkins X is available under the guidance of the CD Foundation.

Jenkins' CI/CD capabilities benefit other software projects through integrations. For example, Jenkins integrates with Docker to build software as containers and with Kubernetes to orchestrate these Docker containers into apps. Jenkins streamlines development through continuous building, testing and deployment. This workflow makes the work of developers more efficient.