Using Jenkins Pipeline for Continuous Integration and Deployment of PHP Applications

Jenkins is a widely used continuous integration and deployment tool that offers many plugins and features to simplify build and deployment processes. Jenkins Pipeline, a newer plugin, lets users define CI/CD workflows using a full‑featured domain‑specific language (DSL).

For PHP applications, Jenkins Pipeline provides strong support for continuous packaging and deployment. This article walks through the steps required to build a PHP CI/CD pipeline with Jenkins.

Preparation

Before starting, ensure the following preparations are completed:

Install and configure Jenkins according to the official documentation.

Install and configure the required plugins: Pipeline, Git, PHP, and Deploy to container.

Set up a Git repository for the PHP source code and verify access permissions.

Create Jenkins Pipeline

Open Jenkins management page and create a new Pipeline project.

In the Pipeline configuration, set "Definition" to "Pipeline script from SCM".

Select Git as the SCM and provide the repository URL.

Specify the path to the Jenkinsfile in the "Script Path" field.

Save and apply the changes.

Write Jenkinsfile

The Jenkinsfile defines the pipeline stages and steps. Below is a simple example:

pipeline {
    agent any

    stages {
        stage('Checkout') {
            steps {
                git 'https://github.com/example/repo.git'
            }
        }

        stage('Build') {
            steps {
                sh 'composer install'
            }
        }

        stage('Test') {
            steps {
                sh 'vendor/bin/phpunit'
            }
        }

        stage('Deploy') {
            steps {
                deploy adapters: [glassfish(credentialsId: 'credential-id', containerId: 'container-id', contextPath: '', war: '**/*.war')]
            }
        }
    }
}

The Jenkinsfile defines four stages: Checkout, Build, Test, and Deploy, each containing steps that perform specific actions such as pulling code, installing dependencies, running tests, and deploying the built artifact.

Note that parameters like credentialsId and containerId must be configured according to your environment.

Run Jenkins Pipeline

After writing the Jenkinsfile, trigger the pipeline by clicking the "Build Now" button on the pipeline configuration page. Jenkins will execute the defined stages sequentially, and you can monitor each step in the build logs.

When the build succeeds, the PHP application is packaged and deployed to the target server, where you can verify the deployment by accessing the server URL.

Conclusion

Using Jenkins Pipeline streamlines and accelerates the continuous packaging and deployment of PHP applications. By defining a pipeline file and leveraging appropriate plugins, you can automate code checkout, dependency installation, testing, and deployment, leading to faster iteration, higher release quality, and improved development efficiency.

We hope this tutorial helps you understand how to use Jenkins Pipeline for PHP CI/CD and that you achieve a better development and deployment experience.