How to Add a Jenkins Slave Node (Agent) via SSH

This article explains how to add a Jenkins slave node (agent) using SSH, covering UI configuration, prerequisite software installation, key transfer, and verification steps.

Step 1 – Add the node: In Jenkins, go to System Management → Node Management , click “New Node”, enter the node name (e.g., jenkis), set the number of executors (e.g., 2), remote root directory (e.g., /var/lib/jenkins), label (e.g., A), and choose the launch method “Launch agents via SSH”. Fill in the agent’s IP address, username, and password, and keep the agent online as much as possible.

Step 2 – Install required software on the agent: Ensure Java and Git are installed. Run the following commands on the agent:

[root@jenkis~]# yum install git -y

[root@jenkis~]# yum install java-1.8.0_191-b12- -y

Step 3 – Copy the master’s private key to the agent: Transfer the SSH private key from the Jenkins master to the agent:

[root@jenkis~]# scp [email protected]:/root/.ssh/id_rsa /root/.ssh/id_rsa

Step 4 – Verify the private key can log into the Git server: Test SSH access: [root@jenkis~]# ssh [email protected] After a successful login you should see a message such as “Last login: … from 192.168.20.182”.

Step 5 – Test the Jenkins node: Use Git commands to ensure the agent can interact with repositories:

git add . # add to local cache

git commit -m "first git" # commit locally

git push origin master # push to remote repository

Finally, verify the node appears online in Jenkins and can execute jobs.

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