I recently came across an interesting article by the team at Slack, where they share their experience migrating from Jenkins to GitHub Actions (GHA).

The article highlights the reasons behind this transition and its impact on the team's productivity and workflow.

Context

For a long time, Jenkins has been a fundamental pillar in the world of Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI/CD). Its power, high degree of customization, and massive industry adoption make it a highly valued tool.

However, it is not without its limitations, such as the constant demand for maintenance and issues related to scalability in complex setups.

On the other hand, GitHub Actions, while relatively newer, has rapidly gained popularity. Its direct integration with GitHub, intuitive user experience, and managed infrastructure make it an attractive option for teams looking for simplicity and efficiency.

Why did Slack decide to migrate?

Slack identified several key reasons for making the move:

• Security and Downtime: Keeping Jenkins updated and secure requires constant attention. Infrastructure outages can significantly hurt team productivity.
• User Experience: The modern interface and ease of use of GitHub Actions simplify the adoption process for developers.
• Managed Infrastructure: With GitHub Actions, most operational tasks are delegated to GitHub, allowing the team to focus on more strategic initiatives.

Jenkins or GitHub Actions?

When to choose Jenkins

• Extreme Customization: If you need complex or bespoke integrations that GitHub Actions does not yet support.
• On-premise Infrastructure: If you prefer or need to host and control your entire CI/CD infrastructure.
• Pre-existing Ecosystem: If you already have a mature and stable configuration based on Jenkins.

When to choose GitHub Actions

• Ease of Use: If you prioritize a simple and intuitive user experience.
• GitHub Integration: If your code is already hosted on GitHub, you will benefit from a seamless integration.
• Operational Overhead Reduction: If you are looking for a managed solution that eliminates the need to maintain servers.

Both Jenkins and GitHub Actions are powerful tools, but their suitability depends on each team's specific context.

Slack's experience shows that even large and experienced teams can benefit from migrating to a more modern platform if the benefits outweigh the effort.