Updated for Ubuntu 24.04 LTS

Install Jenkins on AWS EC2

A comprehensive, step-by-step guide to setting up a production-ready CI/CD server. This covers installing the required Java runtime, configuring the Jenkins repository, unlocking the administrative dashboard, and setting up a reverse proxy.

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0 System Requirements

Ensure your EC2 instance meets the minimum requirements for stable performance.

Instance Type

t2.small or larger

OS

Ubuntu 24.04 / 22.04

Java

OpenJDK 17 or 21

Storage

10GB+ Free Space

1 Prerequisites & Security Groups

AWS Security Group (Inbound Rules)

Type	Port	Source	Reason
SSH	22	My IP (Recommended)	Terminal access
Custom TCP	8080	Anywhere (0.0.0.0/0)	Jenkins Dashboard (Default)
HTTP	80	Anywhere (0.0.0.0/0)	Nginx Reverse Proxy (Optional)

Important Note

By default, Jenkins runs on port 8080. You must open this port in your AWS Security Group to access the dashboard unless you configure a reverse proxy immediately.

2 Install Java (OpenJDK)

Jenkins is a Java-based application. We will install OpenJDK 17, which is the current Long Term Support (LTS) version recommended for Jenkins.

Terminal Commands

# Update package list
sudo apt update

# Install OpenJDK 17
sudo apt install fontconfig openjdk-17-jre -y

# Verify Installation
java -version

3 Install Jenkins

We will use the official Debian package repository to install the LTS (Long Term Support) version of Jenkins.

Add Repository & Install

# 1. Add Jenkins GPG Key
sudo wget -O /usr/share/keyrings/jenkins-keyring.asc \
  https://pkg.jenkins.io/debian-stable/jenkins.io-2023.key

# 2. Add Jenkins Repository
echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/jenkins-keyring.asc]" \
  https://pkg.jenkins.io/debian-stable binary/ | sudo tee \
  /etc/apt/sources.list.d/jenkins.list > /dev/null

# 3. Update & Install
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install jenkins -y

4 Start & Enable Service

Start the Jenkins service and enable it to launch automatically on system reboot.

Systemctl Commands

# Enable (Auto-start on boot)
sudo systemctl enable jenkins

# Start the service immediately
sudo systemctl start jenkins

# Check status (Should say 'active (running)')
sudo systemctl status jenkins

5. Unlock Jenkins (Admin)

When you first access Jenkins at http://your-ec2-ip:8080, it will ask for an Administrator password. This password is stored in a secure file on the server.

Retrieve Password

sudo cat /var/lib/jenkins/secrets/initialAdminPassword

Next Steps in Browser:

Copy the long alphanumeric password from the terminal.
Paste it into the Jenkins "Administrator password" field.
Click Install suggested plugins.
Create your first Admin User.

6 Nginx Reverse Proxy (Optional)

If you want to access Jenkins via http://your-ip (Port 80) instead of adding :8080, configure Nginx as a reverse proxy.

Install Nginx & Configure

# Install Nginx
sudo apt install nginx -y

# Open Config
sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/default

Replace content with:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name _;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:8080;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
    }
}

Restart Nginx

sudo systemctl restart nginx

Created by Thanvir Assif

Cloud & DevOps Engineer | AWS Certified | Full Stack Developer.
Helping professionals and enthusiasts master cloud deployments.

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