The Jenkins vs GitHub Actions debate comes up in nearly every CI/CD conversation we have with clients. Both tools can build, test, and deploy code. But they solve the problem differently, and the right choice depends on your specific situation.
After implementing both tools across dozens of organizations, I can tell you there is no universal answer. This guide breaks down the real differences to help you make an informed decision.
Quick Comparison
| Factor | Jenkins | GitHub Actions |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting | Self-hosted (or CloudBees) | GitHub-hosted (or self-hosted runners) |
| Setup complexity | High | Low |
| Customization | Unlimited | Limited by workflow syntax |
| Plugin ecosystem | 1800+ plugins | 15000+ marketplace actions |
| Git provider support | Any provider | GitHub only (native) |
| Pricing | Free (infrastructure costs) | Free tier + per-minute pricing |
| Learning curve | Steep | Gentle |
When to Choose Jenkins
Jenkins remains the right choice in several scenarios.
You Need Maximum Flexibility
Jenkins lets you do anything. If your workflow is complex or unusual, Jenkins can handle it. The Groovy-based pipeline syntax provides full programming language capabilities.
// Complex conditional logic in Jenkins
pipeline {
agent any
stages {
stage('Dynamic Deployment') {
steps {
script {
def environments = determineTargetEnvironments()
environments.each { env ->
deployTo(env)
runSmokeTests(env)
if (env == 'production') {
waitForManualApproval()
}
}
}
}
}
}
}GitHub Actions has improved its expression syntax, but Jenkins still offers more flexibility for truly complex scenarios.
You Use Multiple Git Providers
If your organization uses GitLab, Bitbucket, or self-hosted Git alongside GitHub, Jenkins works with all of them equally. GitHub Actions is deeply integrated with GitHub, which is a strength if you are all-in on GitHub but a limitation if you are not.
You Need Full Control Over Infrastructure
Jenkins runs wherever you want: your data center, your cloud account, air-gapped environments. You control:
- Hardware specifications
- Network configuration
- Security policies
- Data residency
- Plugin versions
For regulated industries with strict compliance requirements, this control matters. We see this frequently with our healthcare DevOps implementations where data cannot leave specific regions.
You Have Significant Jenkins Investment
If you have years of Jenkins pipelines, shared libraries, and institutional knowledge, migration has real costs. Sometimes optimizing your existing Jenkins setup delivers better ROI than starting over.
Our Jenkins consulting services often help organizations modernize existing Jenkins installations rather than replace them.
You Need Advanced Plugin Capabilities
Jenkins plugins provide deep integrations that GitHub Actions marketplace actions sometimes cannot match:
- Blue Ocean for pipeline visualization
- Configuration as Code for infrastructure reproducibility
- Kubernetes plugin for dynamic pod agents
- Prometheus metrics for observability
Some of these have GitHub Actions equivalents, but the Jenkins versions are often more mature.
When to Choose GitHub Actions
GitHub Actions is the better choice in these situations.
Your Code Lives in GitHub
If your repositories are in GitHub, Actions provides seamless integration. No webhooks to configure, no credentials to manage, no separate system to maintain.
# .github/workflows/ci.yml
name: CI
on:
push:
branches: [main]
pull_request:
branches: [main]
jobs:
build:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v4
- uses: actions/setup-node@v4
with:
node-version: '20'
cache: 'npm'
- run: npm ci
- run: npm testPull request checks, status updates, and deployment environments work out of the box.
You Want Minimal Operations Overhead
GitHub hosts the runners. GitHub handles updates, security patches, and scaling. Your team focuses on writing workflows instead of maintaining infrastructure.
For small teams without dedicated DevOps engineers, this matters significantly. You do not need to worry about Jenkins controller upgrades, plugin compatibility, or agent provisioning.
You Are Starting Fresh
New projects without existing CI/CD should consider GitHub Actions first. The learning curve is gentler, documentation is excellent, and you can have pipelines running within an hour.
# Complete workflow for a Node.js project
name: Build and Deploy
on:
push:
branches: [main]
jobs:
build:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v4
- uses: actions/setup-node@v4
with:
node-version: '20'
- run: npm ci
- run: npm run build
- run: npm test
deploy:
needs: build
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v4
- uses: aws-actions/configure-aws-credentials@v4
with:
aws-access-key-id: ${{ secrets.AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID }}
aws-secret-access-key: ${{ secrets.AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY }}
aws-region: us-east-1
- run: ./deploy.shYou Need Matrix Builds
GitHub Actions makes matrix builds simple:
jobs:
test:
runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}
strategy:
matrix:
os: [ubuntu-latest, windows-latest, macos-latest]
node: [18, 20, 22]
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v4
- uses: actions/setup-node@v4
with:
node-version: ${{ matrix.node }}
- run: npm ci
- run: npm testThis runs tests across 9 combinations (3 operating systems x 3 Node versions) with minimal configuration. Jenkins can do this with the Matrix plugin, but the syntax is more verbose.
Pricing Works for Your Scale
GitHub Actions pricing is straightforward:
- Public repositories: Free
- Private repositories: 2,000 minutes/month free, then per-minute billing
- Self-hosted runners: Free (you pay for infrastructure)
For many teams, especially those with mostly public repos or modest private repo CI needs, GitHub Actions costs less than running Jenkins infrastructure.
Feature Comparison
Pipeline as Code
Both tools support pipeline-as-code, but differently.
Jenkins Declarative Pipeline:
pipeline {
agent any
stages {
stage('Build') {
steps {
sh 'npm run build'
}
}
}
post {
always {
junit 'test-results/*.xml'
}
}
}GitHub Actions Workflow:
name: Build
on: push
jobs:
build:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v4
- run: npm run build
- uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
with:
name: test-results
path: test-results/Jenkins uses Groovy. GitHub Actions uses YAML. Both store configuration in your repository.
Secrets Management
Jenkins uses the Credentials plugin. Secrets are stored in Jenkins and referenced by ID:
withCredentials([string(credentialsId: 'api-key', variable: 'API_KEY')]) {
sh 'curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $API_KEY" https://api.example.com'
}GitHub Actions stores secrets at repository, environment, or organization level:
steps:
- run: curl -H "Authorization: Bearer ${{ secrets.API_KEY }}" https://api.example.comBoth support secret scoping and rotation. For advanced secrets management, both integrate with HashiCorp Vault.
Caching and Artifacts
GitHub Actions has built-in caching:
- uses: actions/cache@v4
with:
path: ~/.npm
key: npm-${{ hashFiles('package-lock.json') }}Jenkins requires explicit configuration or plugins:
pipeline {
agent any
options {
// Use job-specific cache directory
buildDiscarder(logRotator(numToKeepStr: '10'))
}
stages {
stage('Build') {
steps {
sh 'npm ci --cache .npm-cache'
}
}
}
}Self-Hosted Runners
Both support self-hosted execution.
Jenkins agents can be VMs, containers, or Kubernetes pods. The Kubernetes plugin enables dynamic agent provisioning:
pipeline {
agent {
kubernetes {
yaml '''
apiVersion: v1
kind: Pod
spec:
containers:
- name: node
image: node:20
command: ['sleep', 'infinity']
'''
}
}
}GitHub Actions self-hosted runners run anywhere but require the runner application:
jobs:
build:
runs-on: self-hosted
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v4
- run: npm testGitHub also offers larger runners with more CPU and memory for resource-intensive builds.
Migration Considerations
Moving from Jenkins to GitHub Actions
Migration is not trivial. Consider:
- Audit existing pipelines - Document what each pipeline does
- Identify dependencies - Plugins, shared libraries, external integrations
- Find equivalent actions - Many Jenkins plugins have GitHub Actions equivalents
- Plan the cutover - Run both systems in parallel during transition
- Train the team - YAML workflows require different thinking than Groovy pipelines
We have helped several clients migrate from Jenkins to GitHub Actions. The typical timeline is 2-4 weeks for small projects, 2-3 months for enterprise migrations.
Moving from GitHub Actions to Jenkins
Less common, but happens when organizations need more control or outgrow GitHub Actions pricing. The inverse considerations apply.
What About Other Options?
Jenkins and GitHub Actions are not the only choices.
GitLab CI/CD - Excellent if you use GitLab. Similar to GitHub Actions in philosophy.
CircleCI - Good hosted option with strong Docker support and config-as-code.
ArgoCD - Not a CI tool, but for Kubernetes-native GitOps deployment, it complements either Jenkins or GitHub Actions.
Tekton - Kubernetes-native CI/CD. More complex but highly scalable.
We cover GitOps approaches in our guide on migrating to ArgoCD.
Making the Decision
Use this framework:
Choose Jenkins if:
- You need maximum customization
- You use multiple Git providers
- You have strict compliance requirements
- You have significant existing Jenkins investment
- You want full infrastructure control
Choose GitHub Actions if:
- Your code is in GitHub
- You want minimal operations overhead
- You are starting a new project
- Your workflows are relatively standard
- Budget is a primary concern
Consider both if:
- Different teams have different needs
- You are migrating gradually
- Some projects require Jenkins features, others do not
Conclusion
There is no universally better tool. Jenkins offers unmatched flexibility at the cost of operational complexity. GitHub Actions offers simplicity at the cost of some flexibility.
The best choice depends on your team’s skills, your infrastructure requirements, your budget, and how much customization you actually need. Most organizations do not need Jenkins’ full power. But those that do really need it.
Need Help Deciding?
We implement both Jenkins and GitHub Actions for clients across industries. Whether you need help choosing, migrating, or optimizing your CI/CD, our team can help.
- Jenkins consulting services for pipeline development and optimization
- CI/CD consulting for tool selection and architecture
- DevOps consulting for end-to-end automation strategy
Book a free 30-minute consultation to discuss your CI/CD needs.