Build a Multi‑Branch Jenkins Pipeline for Node.js & React Using Docker

Running Jenkins in Docker

Start a Jenkins Blue Ocean container:

docker run \
  --rm \
  -u root \
  -p 8080:8080 \
  -v jenkins-data:/var/jenkins_home \
  -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock \
  -v "$HOME":/home \
  jenkinsci/blueocean

Give the container a name (e.g., --name jenkins-tutorials) and access its shell with:

docker exec -it jenkins-tutorials bash

Unlock Jenkins

Open http://localhost:8080. Copy the automatically generated admin password from the terminal, paste it into the *Administrator password* field, and click *Continue*.

Customize Jenkins

On the *Customize Jenkins* page, click *Install suggested plugins*, wait for installation, create the first admin user, and finish the setup.

Stop and Restart Jenkins

Stop the container with Ctrl-C. To restart, run the same docker run … command again; Docker will pull a newer jenkinsci/blueocean image if one is available.

Fork and Clone Example Repository

Fork the building-a-multibranch-pipeline-project repository on GitHub and clone it to a local directory.

Create Development and Production Branches

git branch development
git branch production
# Ensure you are on master before branching
git checkout master
git branch   # verify branches

Create Pipeline in Blue Ocean

Open Blue Ocean at http://localhost:8080/blue, click *Create a new Pipeline*, choose *Git* (not *GitHub*), and set *Repository URL* to the local path of the cloned repository (e.g.,

/home/youruser/Documents/GitHub/building-a-multibranch-pipeline-project

). Save the pipeline.

Add Build and Test Stages

pipeline {
    agent {
        docker {
            image 'node:6-alpine'
            args '-p 3000:3000 -p 5000:5000'
        }
    }
    environment { CI = 'true' }
    stages {
        stage('Build') { steps { sh 'npm install' } }
        stage('Test')  { steps { sh './jenkins/scripts/test.sh' } }
    }
}

Commit and push the Jenkinsfile:

git add Jenkinsfile
git commit -m "Add initial Jenkinsfile with Build and Test stages"
git push

Add Deliver and Deploy Stages

stage('Deliver for development') {
    when { branch 'development' }
    steps {
        sh './jenkins/scripts/deliver-for-development.sh'
        input message: 'Finished using the web site? (Click "Proceed" to continue)'
        sh './jenkins/scripts/kill.sh'
    }
}
stage('Deploy for production') {
    when { branch 'production' }
    steps {
        sh './jenkins/scripts/deploy-for-production.sh'
        input message: 'Finished using the web site? (Click "Proceed" to continue)'
        sh './jenkins/scripts/kill.sh'
    }
}

Commit and push the updated Jenkinsfile:

git add Jenkinsfile
git commit -m "Add Deliver and Deploy stages"
git push

Synchronize Jenkinsfile to Other Branches

# Update development branch
git checkout development
git pull . master

# Update production branch
git checkout production
git pull . master

Run Pipeline on Development Branch

In Blue Ocean select the development branch and click the run icon. After the build finishes, open the *Deliver for development* stage; the application is reachable at http://localhost:3000. Click *Proceed* to complete the pipeline.

Run Pipeline on Production Branch

Select the production branch, run the pipeline, and after the build completes open the *Deploy for production* stage. The production build is served at http://localhost:5000. Click *Proceed* to finish.

Optional: Clear Service Workers

Chrome: Open chrome://serviceworker-internals/, locate http://localhost:5000, and click Unregister .

Firefox: Open about:serviceworkers, locate http://localhost:5000, and click Unregister .

Reference

Jenkins documentation: https://www.jenkins.io/