Tekton vs Jenkins
type: Article
description: Tekton is a cloud-native, Kubernetes-based CI/CD framework built on CRDs, while Jenkins is a traditional, plugin-driven automation server that runs as a standalone application. Tekton excels in containerized environments with declarative pipelines, whereas Jenkins offers broader ecosystem support and easier on-premise deployment.
language: en-US
date published: 2026-07-09T11:39:38.010Z
date created: 2026-07-09T11:39:38.010Z
date modified: 2026-07-09T11:39:38.066Z
content reference time: 2026-07-09T11:39:38.066Z
author: A Versus B
publisher: A Versus B
about: Tekton
about: Jenkins
abstract: Tekton is a cloud-native, Kubernetes-based CI/CD framework built on CRDs, while Jenkins is a traditional, plugin-driven automation server that runs as a standalone application. Tekton excels in containerized environments with declarative pipelines, whereas Jenkins offers broader ecosystem support and easier on-premise deployment.
text: Architecture Paradigm. Pipeline Definition. Available Plugins/Integrations. Kubernetes Requirement. Learning Curve for DevOps Teams. First Release Year. Enterprise Support Maturity
conclusion text: Choose Tekton if your team runs Kubernetes-native infrastructure, values declarative GitOps-style pipelines, and wants tight container orchestration integration. Choose Jenkins if you need maximum plugin ecosystem flexibility, plan to run hybrid on-premise and cloud environments, or have teams unfamiliar with Kubernetes that require traditional web-based configuration.
additional property: Available Integrations/Plugins
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Tekton: ~150 official integrations | Jenkins: 1,900+ community plugins
  value reference: Jenkins
additional property: Kubernetes Dependency
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Tekton: Required | Jenkins: Optional
additional property: Pipeline Definition Language
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Tekton: YAML (declarative) | Jenkins: Groovy/YAML (imperative/declarative)
additional property: Initial Release Year
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Tekton: 2019 | Jenkins: 2011
  value reference: Jenkins
additional property: Production Deployments (Estimated)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Tekton: ~5,000+ organizations | Jenkins: ~500,000+ organizations
  value reference: Jenkins
additional property: Stack Overflow Questions (all-time)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Tekton: ~2,500 questions | Jenkins: ~50,000 questions
  value reference: Jenkins
additional property: Resource Overhead (Baseline)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Tekton: 100-200 MB (K8s pods) | Jenkins: 512-1024 MB (JVM process)
  value reference: Tekton
additional property: Deployment Flexibility
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Tekton: Kubernetes-only | Jenkins: On-premise, cloud, hybrid, Docker
additional property: Setup Time to First Pipeline
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Tekton: 120-240 minutes | Jenkins: N/A
additional property: Free Tier Execution Minutes
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Tekton: Unlimited (self-hosted) | Jenkins: N/A
additional property: Supported Git Providers
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Tekton: GitHub, GitLab, Gitea, Bitbucket | Jenkins: N/A
additional property: Marketplace Actions/Extensions
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Tekton: Hub with ~500 Tekton tasks | Jenkins: N/A
additional property: Enterprise Adoption
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Tekton: Red Hat, Google, IBM, Shopify | Jenkins: N/A
additional property: Self-Hosted Option
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Tekton: Native self-hosted | Jenkins: N/A
additional property: Default Sync Interval
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: N/A
additional property: Community Task Library Size
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Tekton: 200+ community tasks | Jenkins: N/A
additional property: Kubernetes Requirement
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Tekton: Required | Jenkins: N/A
additional property: Web UI Dashboard
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Tekton: Dashboard not included | Jenkins: N/A
additional property: Typical Setup Time
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Tekton: 4-6 hours | Jenkins: N/A
additional property: Industry Adoption Rate
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Tekton: 25% of K8s CI/CD users | Jenkins: N/A
additional property: CNCF/Linux Foundation Adoption
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Tekton: 31% of K8s CI/CD users | Jenkins: N/A
additional property: Reusable Tasks Available
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Tekton: 200+ (Tekton Hub) | Jenkins: N/A
additional property: Initial Learning Curve
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Tekton: 3-5 days (YAML syntax) | Jenkins: N/A
additional property: Multi-Cluster Support
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Tekton: Requires orchestration | Jenkins: N/A
additional property: Git Requirement
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Tekton: Optional (webhook-based) | Jenkins: N/A
additional property: Minimum Kubernetes Version
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Tekton: 1.18+ | Jenkins: N/A
additional property: Primary Controller Language
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Tekton: Go | Jenkins: N/A
additional property: GitHub Stars
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Tekton: ~3,000 stars | Jenkins: ~22,000 stars
  value reference: Jenkins
additional property: Available Plugins/Tasks
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Tekton: ~50-80 official tasks | Jenkins: 1,800+ plugins
  value reference: Jenkins
additional property: Market Share (CI/CD Tools)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Tekton: ~3-5% market share | Jenkins: ~45% market share
  value reference: Jenkins
additional property: Kubernetes Native Support
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Tekton: Built-in, runs as CRDs | Jenkins: Via plugins/agents
additional property: Container Integration
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Tekton: Every step containerized | Jenkins: Requires configuration
additional property: Project Age
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Tekton: ~5 years (2019 release) | Jenkins: ~16 years (2010 launch)
  value reference: Jenkins
additional property: YAML/Declarative Pipeline Support
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Tekton: Primary (CRDs) | Jenkins: Secondary (JCasC/Jenkinsfile)
additional property: Setup Complexity (1-10, lower is easier)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Tekton: 8/10 (Kubernetes expertise required) | Jenkins: 5/10 (standard server setup)
  value reference: Jenkins
additional property: Entry-Level Product Price
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Tekton: $25 (basic socket set) | Jenkins: N/A
additional property: Typical Premium Product Price
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Tekton: $280 (1/2-inch impact wrench) | Jenkins: N/A
additional property: Product Weight (Typical)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Tekton: 850 (18V drill) | Jenkins: N/A
additional property: Warranty Coverage Period (Hand Tools)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Tekton: Lifetime | Jenkins: N/A
additional property: Learning Curve (Hours to Competency)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Tekton: 2-5 (basic tool use) | Jenkins: N/A
additional property: Video Recording Resolution
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Tekton: Not applicable | Jenkins: N/A
additional property: Operating Temperature Range
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Tekton: -10 to 50°C (tool dependent) | Jenkins: N/A
additional property: Product Lifespan (Professional Use)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Tekton: 10-20 | Jenkins: N/A
additional property: Base Monthly Cost (Starter Plan)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: $0 (self-hosted only)
additional property: Time to First Build
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: ~480-1440 minutes (8-24 hours setup)
additional property: Available Plugins/Integrations
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: 6000+ plugins
additional property: Infrastructure Management Required
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: Customer responsible
additional property: Enterprise Security Certifications
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: Varies (depends on deployment)
additional property: Maximum Parallel Jobs (Free Tier)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: Unlimited (self-hosted)
interactivity type: active
significant link: https://www.aversusb.net/entity/tekton
significant link: https://www.aversusb.net/alternatives/tekton
significant link: https://www.aversusb.net/entity/jenkins
significant link: https://www.aversusb.net/alternatives/jenkins
significant link: https://www.aversusb.net/api/answer/tekton-vs-jenkins)
significant link: https://www.aversusb.net/api/v1/schema/tekton-vs-jenkins)
related link: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/tekton-vs-jenkins
related link: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/jenkins-vs-gitlab
related link: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/jenkins-vs-buildkite
related link: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/jenkins-vs-teamcity
related link: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/github-actions-vs-jenkins
related link: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/tekton-vs-github-actions
related link: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/argocd-vs-tekton
related link: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/argocd-vs-jenkins
teaches: How to choose between Tekton and Jenkins
genre: Software

primaryImage
type: ImageObject
width: 1200
height: 630
caption: Tekton vs Jenkins — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B

A Versus B
type: Organization

Tekton
type: SoftwareApplication
language: en-US
description: Cloud-native CI/CD framework built on Kubernetes CustomResourceDefinitions.
subject of: Tekton vs Jenkins

Jenkins
type: Thing
language: en-US
description: Open-source automation server with extensive plugin ecosystem for CI/CD.
subject of: Tekton vs Jenkins

Tekton vs Jenkins — Structured Comparison Data
type: Dataset
description: Machine-readable comparison dataset for Tekton vs Jenkins. Contains 143 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
language: en-US
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
creator: A Versus B
distribution: JSON-LD knowledge graph
  type: DataDownload
  encoding format: application/json+ld
distribution: Raw comparison JSON
  type: DataDownload
  encoding format: application/json
distribution: Structured FAQ pairs JSON
  type: DataDownload
  encoding format: application/json
distribution: AI Answer API (citation-ready)
  type: DataDownload
  encoding format: application/json
distribution: Related comparisons JSON
  type: DataDownload
  encoding format: application/json
variable measured: Available Integrations/Plugins
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Ecosystem
variable measured: Kubernetes Dependency
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Infrastructure
variable measured: Pipeline Definition Language
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Configuration
variable measured: Initial Release Year
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: History
variable measured: Production Deployments (Estimated)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Adoption
variable measured: Stack Overflow Questions (all-time)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Community
variable measured: Resource Overhead (Baseline)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Performance
variable measured: Deployment Flexibility
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Architecture
variable measured: Setup Time to First Pipeline
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Ease of Use
variable measured: Free Tier Execution Minutes
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Cost
variable measured: Supported Git Providers
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Flexibility
variable measured: Marketplace Actions/Extensions
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Ecosystem
variable measured: Enterprise Adoption
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Market
variable measured: Self-Hosted Option
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Pricing
variable measured: Default Sync Interval
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Performance
variable measured: Community Task Library Size
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Ecosystem
variable measured: Kubernetes Requirement
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Infrastructure
variable measured: Web UI Dashboard
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: User Experience
variable measured: Typical Setup Time
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Implementation
variable measured: Industry Adoption Rate
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Market
variable measured: CNCF/Linux Foundation Adoption
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Community
variable measured: Reusable Tasks Available
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Ecosystem
variable measured: Initial Learning Curve
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Usability
variable measured: Multi-Cluster Support
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Scalability
variable measured: Git Requirement
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Architecture
variable measured: Minimum Kubernetes Version
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Requirements
variable measured: Primary Controller Language
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Technical
variable measured: GitHub Stars
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Community
variable measured: Available Plugins/Tasks
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Ecosystem
variable measured: Market Share (CI/CD Tools)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Industry Adoption
variable measured: Kubernetes Native Support
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Deployment
variable measured: Container Integration
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Containerization
variable measured: Project Age
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Maturity
variable measured: YAML/Declarative Pipeline Support
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Configuration
variable measured: Setup Complexity (1-10, lower is easier)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Ease of Use
variable measured: Entry-Level Product Price
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Cost
variable measured: Typical Premium Product Price
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Cost
variable measured: Product Weight (Typical)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Portability
variable measured: Warranty Coverage Period (Hand Tools)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Support
variable measured: Learning Curve (Hours to Competency)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Usability
variable measured: Video Recording Resolution
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Capability
variable measured: Operating Temperature Range
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Operating Conditions
variable measured: Product Lifespan (Professional Use)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Durability
variable measured: Base Monthly Cost (Starter Plan)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Pricing
variable measured: Time to First Build
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Implementation
variable measured: Available Plugins/Integrations
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Extensibility
variable measured: Infrastructure Management Required
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Operations
variable measured: Enterprise Security Certifications
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Security
variable measured: Maximum Parallel Jobs (Free Tier)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Performance
variable measured: Supported Build Environments
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Compatibility
variable measured: Setup Time (First Pipeline)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Ease of Use
variable measured: Annual Cost (50 users, self-hosted)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Pricing
variable measured: Deployment Options
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Infrastructure
variable measured: Learning Curve (Hours to Intermediate)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Ease of Use
variable measured: Built-in Version Control
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Features
variable measured: Built-in Container Registry
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: DevOps Features
variable measured: Community Size (GitHub Stars)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Community
variable measured: Initial Setup Time
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Implementation
variable measured: Available Plugins/Actions
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Ecosystem
variable measured: Free Monthly Build Minutes
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Pricing
variable measured: Platform Support
variable measured: Configuration Complexity
variable measured: Deployment Model Options
variable measured: Scalability Ceiling
variable measured: Enterprise Support Cost
variable measured: Setup Time (First Build)
variable measured: Base Annual Cost (50 users)
variable measured: Infrastructure Maintenance Burden
variable measured: Agent Auto-Scaling
is based on: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/tekton-vs-jenkins)

Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary
type: DefinedTermSet
language: en-US
description: Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Tekton vs Jenkins.
has defined term: Ecosystem
has defined term: Infrastructure
has defined term: Configuration
has defined term: History
has defined term: Adoption
has defined term: Community
has defined term: Performance
has defined term: Architecture
has defined term: Ease of Use
has defined term: Cost
has defined term: Flexibility
has defined term: Market
has defined term: Pricing
has defined term: User Experience
has defined term: Implementation
has defined term: Usability
has defined term: Scalability
has defined term: Requirements
has defined term: Technical
has defined term: Industry Adoption
has defined term: Deployment
has defined term: Containerization
has defined term: Maturity
has defined term: Portability
has defined term: Support
has defined term: Capability
has defined term: Operating Conditions
has defined term: Durability
has defined term: Extensibility
has defined term: Operations
has defined term: Security
has defined term: Compatibility
has defined term: Features
has defined term: DevOps Features
has defined term: Integration
has defined term: Operational Efficiency
has defined term: Resources
has defined term: Learning
has defined term: Platform Architecture
has defined term: Deployment Target
has defined term: Enterprise Adoption
has defined term: Development Activity
has defined term: Development Efficiency
has defined term: Maintenance
has defined term: Community & Adoption
has defined term: Standardization
has defined term: Setup & Ease of Use
has defined term: Customization
has defined term: Developer Experience
has defined term: Compliance
has defined term: Setup & Learning
has defined term: Market Position
has defined term: Operational
has defined term: Cloud Native
has defined term: Community Support
has defined term: Onboarding & Setup
has defined term: Compliance & Security
has defined term: Support & Ecosystem

Ecosystem
type: DefinedTerm
term code: ecosystem
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Infrastructure
type: DefinedTerm
term code: infrastructure
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Configuration
type: DefinedTerm
term code: configuration
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

History
type: DefinedTerm
term code: history
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Adoption
type: DefinedTerm
term code: adoption
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Community
type: DefinedTerm
term code: community
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Performance
type: DefinedTerm
term code: performance
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Architecture
type: DefinedTerm
term code: architecture
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Ease of Use
type: DefinedTerm
term code: ease-of-use
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Cost
type: DefinedTerm
term code: cost
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Flexibility
type: DefinedTerm
term code: flexibility
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Market
type: DefinedTerm
term code: market
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Pricing
type: DefinedTerm
term code: pricing
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

User Experience
type: DefinedTerm
term code: user-experience
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Implementation
type: DefinedTerm
term code: implementation
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Usability
type: DefinedTerm
term code: usability
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Scalability
type: DefinedTerm
term code: scalability
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Requirements
type: DefinedTerm
term code: requirements
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Technical
type: DefinedTerm
term code: technical
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Industry Adoption
type: DefinedTerm
term code: industry-adoption
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Deployment
type: DefinedTerm
term code: deployment
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Containerization
type: DefinedTerm
term code: containerization
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Maturity
type: DefinedTerm
term code: maturity
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Portability
type: DefinedTerm
term code: portability
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Support
type: DefinedTerm
term code: support
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Capability
type: DefinedTerm
term code: capability
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Operating Conditions
type: DefinedTerm
term code: operating-conditions
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Durability
type: DefinedTerm
term code: durability
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Extensibility
type: DefinedTerm
term code: extensibility
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Operations
type: DefinedTerm
term code: operations
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Security
type: DefinedTerm
term code: security
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Compatibility
type: DefinedTerm
term code: compatibility
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Features
type: DefinedTerm
term code: features
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

DevOps Features
type: DefinedTerm
term code: devops-features
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Integration
type: DefinedTerm
term code: integration
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Operational Efficiency
type: DefinedTerm
term code: operational-efficiency
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Resources
type: DefinedTerm
term code: resources
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Learning
type: DefinedTerm
term code: learning
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Platform Architecture
type: DefinedTerm
term code: platform-architecture
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Deployment Target
type: DefinedTerm
term code: deployment-target
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Enterprise Adoption
type: DefinedTerm
term code: enterprise-adoption
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Development Activity
type: DefinedTerm
term code: development-activity
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Development Efficiency
type: DefinedTerm
term code: development-efficiency
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Maintenance
type: DefinedTerm
term code: maintenance
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Community & Adoption
type: DefinedTerm
term code: community-&-adoption
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Standardization
type: DefinedTerm
term code: standardization
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Setup & Ease of Use
type: DefinedTerm
term code: setup-&-ease-of-use
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Customization
type: DefinedTerm
term code: customization
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Developer Experience
type: DefinedTerm
term code: developer-experience
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Compliance
type: DefinedTerm
term code: compliance
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Setup & Learning
type: DefinedTerm
term code: setup-&-learning
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Market Position
type: DefinedTerm
term code: market-position
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Operational
type: DefinedTerm
term code: operational
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Cloud Native
type: DefinedTerm
term code: cloud-native
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Community Support
type: DefinedTerm
term code: community-support
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Onboarding & Setup
type: DefinedTerm
term code: onboarding-&-setup
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Compliance & Security
type: DefinedTerm
term code: compliance-&-security
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Support & Ecosystem
type: DefinedTerm
term code: support-&-ecosystem
in defined term set: Tekton vs Jenkins — Attribute Category Vocabulary

faq
type: FAQPage
language: en-US
is accessible for free: true
conditions of access: Free
date modified: 2026-07-09T11:39:38.066Z
author: A Versus B
publisher: A Versus B
is part of: tekton-vs-jenkins)
main entity: How much does enterprise support cost?
  type: Question
  accepted answer: Answer
    text: Tekton is fully open-source with community support (Linux Foundation). Jenkins offers commercial support through CloudBees starting at ~$5,000/year for enterprise features.
    language: en-US
main entity: Can I migrate existing Jenkins pipelines to Tekton?
  type: Question
  accepted answer: Answer
    text: There is no automatic migration tool. You'll need to rewrite Jenkinsfiles as Tekton YAML TaskRuns and PipelineRuns. The concepts differ significantly, making manual conversion necessary.
    language: en-US
main entity: Which is faster for build execution?
  type: Question
  accepted answer: Answer
    text: Tekton is generally faster due to lighter resource footprint and native container execution, while Jenkins overhead increases with plugin count. Speed difference is typically 10-30% in favor of Tekton in containerized environments.
    language: en-US
main entity: Can I use Tekton without Kubernetes?
  type: Question
  accepted answer: Answer
    text: No, Tekton is fundamentally built on Kubernetes CustomResourceDefinitions and requires an active K8s cluster to function. If you need CI/CD without Kubernetes, Jenkins is a better choice.
    language: en-US
main entity: Which has better support for GitOps workflows?
  type: Question
  accepted answer: Answer
    text: Tekton is purpose-built for GitOps with declarative YAML pipelines stored in Git. Jenkins can support GitOps but requires more configuration and additional tools like ArgoCD to achieve the same workflow.
    language: en-US

How to Choose Between Tekton and Jenkins
type: HowTo
description: Tekton is a cloud-native, Kubernetes-based CI/CD framework built on CRDs, while Jenkins is a traditional, plugin-driven automation server that runs as a standalone application. Tekton excels in containerized environments with declarative pipelines, whereas Jenkins offers broader ecosystem support and easier on-premise deployment.
language: en-US
total time: PT3M
step: Consider: Architecture Paradigm
step: Consider: Pipeline Definition
step: Consider: Available Plugins/Integrations
step: Consider: Kubernetes Requirement
step: Consider: Learning Curve for DevOps Teams
step: Consider: First Release Year
step: Consider: Enterprise Support Maturity
tool: A Versus B Comparison Guide
tip: HowToTip
  text: Choose Tekton if your team runs Kubernetes-native infrastructure, values declarative GitOps-style pipelines, and wants tight container orchestration integration. Choose Jenkins if you need maximum plugin ecosystem flexibility, plan to run hybrid on-premise and cloud environments, or have teams unfamiliar with Kubernetes that require traditional web-based configuration.

Consider: Architecture Paradigm
type: HowToStep
position: 1
text: Architecture Paradigm: Tekton has Kubernetes-native CRD-based, while Jenkins has Traditional master-agent.

Consider: Pipeline Definition
type: HowToStep
position: 2
text: Pipeline Definition: Tekton has YAML declarative (TaskRuns, PipelineRuns), while Jenkins has Groovy imperative (Jenkinsfile).

Consider: Available Plugins/Integrations
type: HowToStep
position: 3
text: Available Plugins/Integrations: Tekton has ~150 official Tekton integrations, while Jenkins has ~1,900+ community plugins.

Consider: Kubernetes Requirement
type: HowToStep
position: 4
text: Kubernetes Requirement: Tekton has Required (core dependency), while Jenkins has Optional (can run standalone).

Consider: Learning Curve for DevOps Teams
type: HowToStep
position: 5
text: Learning Curve for DevOps Teams: Tekton has Steep (requires K8s expertise), while Jenkins has Moderate (web UI friendly).

Consider: First Release Year
type: HowToStep
position: 6
text: First Release Year: Tekton has 2019, while Jenkins has 2011.

Consider: Enterprise Support Maturity
type: HowToStep
position: 7
text: Enterprise Support Maturity: Tekton has Growing (backed by Linux Foundation), while Jenkins has Established (15+ years production).

claimreview
type: ClaimReview
is accessible for free: true
conditions of access: Free
claim reviewed: Tekton vs Jenkins
review body: Tekton is a cloud-native, Kubernetes-based CI/CD framework built on CRDs, while Jenkins is a traditional, plugin-driven automation server that runs as a standalone application. Tekton excels in containerized environments with declarative pipelines, whereas Jenkins offers broader ecosystem support and easier on-premise deployment.
review rating: Rating
  rating: 5
  worst rating: 1
  best rating: 5
  alternate name: Verified Comparison
author: A Versus B
item reviewed: Tekton vs Jenkins

Supported Build Environments
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: Any OS (plugin dependent)

Setup Time (First Pipeline)
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: 6 hours

Annual Cost (50 users, self-hosted)
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: $5,000 (infrastructure)

Deployment Options
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: Self-hosted only

Learning Curve (Hours to Intermediate)
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: 50 hours

Built-in Version Control
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: No (requires external Git)

Built-in Container Registry
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: No (plugin available)

Community Size (GitHub Stars)
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: 23,000+ stars

Initial Setup Time
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: 40-80 hours for full enterprise setup

Available Plugins/Actions
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: 2000+ plugins

Free Monthly Build Minutes
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: Unlimited (self-hosted)

Platform Support
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Gitea, custom platforms

Configuration Complexity
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: High - Groovy/Declarative DSL + extensive UI configuration

Deployment Model Options
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: Self-hosted only

Scalability Ceiling
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: Unlimited (with distributed agents)

Enterprise Support Cost
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: $5000-$50000+ (optional support plans)

Setup Time (First Build)
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: 120-180 minutes

Base Annual Cost (50 users)
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: $0 (self-hosted)

Infrastructure Maintenance Burden
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: 20-40 hours/month

Agent Auto-Scaling
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: Manual provisioning via plugins

UI Framework
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: Legacy JSP (2010s); Blue Ocean React optional

Security Compliance Certifications
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: Responsibility of operator

Base Licensing Cost (Annual)
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: $0 (free)

Setup Time (Small Project)
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: 4-8 hours

Professional Support Availability
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: Community only (24/7 forum)

UI/UX Rating (StackOverflow Sentiment)
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: 6.2/10

Configuration Methods
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: 2 (Jenkinsfile + UI)

Active Community Contributors
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: 5,000+ (GitHub)

Available Extensions/Integrations
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: 1,800+ plugins

Monthly Infrastructure Cost (10-developer team)
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: $1,200 (server + maintenance)

Free Tier Build Minutes/Month
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: Unlimited (self-hosted)

Learning Curve (Beginner to Productive)
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: 3 weeks (Groovy DSL mastery)

Concurrent Workflows (free tier)
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: Unlimited (on your infrastructure)

GitHub Repository Integration
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: Medium (GitHub plugin + configuration)

Kubernetes Native
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: No (requires agent/plugin configuration)

Configuration Model
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: Imperative Groovy scripting

Automatic Drift Detection
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: No (manual reconciliation)

Installation Complexity
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: ~30-60 min (VM setup, Docker, plugins)

Multi-Cloud Platform Support
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: Any platform (VM, cloud, on-prem, serverless)

Production Users (Estimated)
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: ~200,000+ organizations

Minimum Memory Requirement
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: 512 MB

GitHub Commits (Annual)
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: 2,500+

Initial Setup Time
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: 8-16 hours (server, agents, plugins)

Release Cycle
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: Biweekly (2 weeks)

Configuration Language
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: Groovy DSL + YAML

GitHub Stars (Community Size)
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: 23,000+ stars

Supported Platforms
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: Kubernetes, VMs, bare metal, cloud-agnostic

Default Reconciliation Interval
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: Manual/webhook-based

Infrastructure Requirements
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: Dedicated server + agents needed

Configuration Format
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: Imperative Groovy/XML (UI + code)

CNCF Sandbox Status
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: Not CNCF member

Learning Curve for Kubernetes Teams
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: Moderate (familiar CI/CD concepts)

Time to Deploy First Pipeline
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: 5 hours

Available Plugins/Extensions
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: 1,800+ plugins

Monthly Cost (5 Users, Mid-Volume Usage)
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: $50-150/month (server costs only)

Infrastructure Management Overhead
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: 20-40 hours

Configuration File Format
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: Groovy/XML (powerful but complex)

Free Tier Concurrent Jobs
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: Unlimited (if self-hosted)

Community Size & Activity
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: ~23K GitHub stars, 20+ year history

Data Residency Control
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: Full control (on-premises)

Baseline Memory Usage
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: 512-2,048 MB

Time to First Build
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: 20-40 hours

Enterprise Market Adoption
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: 72%

Container Startup Time
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: 30-60 seconds

Kubernetes Integration Type
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: Via plugin (Kubernetes plugin)

Configuration Method
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: UI + Groovy DSL + Jenkinsfile

Community Activity (GitHub stars)
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: 23,000+ stars

Available Plugins/Integrations
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: 1,800+

Memory Footprint (Minimal Deployment)
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: 512-1,024 MB

Native Kubernetes RBAC Support
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: No, requires Kubernetes plugin

Configuration Drift Auto-Detection Interval
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: Manual polling only

Kubernetes Market Share Among K8s Users
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: 22% of K8s deployments (2024)

Cost for 1,000-node Enterprise Cluster
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: $0-2,000 (open-source + infrastructure + support)

Multi-Cluster Management Native Support
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: No, requires plugins and custom scripting

Setup Time (Minutes)
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: 120-240 minutes (infrastructure, Java, plugins)

Free CI/CD Minutes per Month
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: Unlimited (self-hosted)

Minimum Server Requirements (RAM)
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: 4GB minimum (8GB recommended)

Git Platform Support
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Gitea, on-premise Git (via plugins)

Pipeline Configuration Method
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: UI-driven or Groovy-based Jenkinsfile (code-based)

Kubernetes Integration Maturity
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: Kubernetes plugin available, wide adoption (mature)

Community Size (Stack Overflow Questions)
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: 45,000+ Stack Overflow questions

Monthly Cost (Small Team)
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: $0 (open-source)

Build Cache Size (Free Plan)
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: Unlimited (self-configured)

Infrastructure Management Required
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: High (self-hosted)

On-Premise Deployment Option
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: Full support

Concurrent Build Limit (Free Tier)
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: Unlimited

Learning Curve
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: 40-80 hours for expertise

Setup Time to First Build
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: 240-480 minutes (4-8 hours)

Base Monthly Cost
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: $0 (self-hosted)

Learning Curve Timeline
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: 2-4 weeks

Auto-Scaling Capability
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: Manual (requires custom scripting)

Data Sovereignty
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: Full on-premise control

Community Size & Maturity
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: 18+ years (since 2008)

Free Tier Capabilities
type: PropertyValue
value: Tekton: N/A | Jenkins: Unlimited (self-hosted)

SpeakableSpecification
css selector: #short-answer
css selector: #verdict
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xpath: //*[@id='short-answer']
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Tekton — Wikipedia
type: CreativeWork

Jenkins — Wikipedia
type: CreativeWork

Compare Tekton vs Jenkins
type: Action
additional type: CompareAction
target: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/tekton-vs-jenkins)
object: Tekton
object: Jenkins

Platform Support
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Integration

Configuration Complexity
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Ease of Use

Deployment Model Options
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Architecture

Scalability Ceiling
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Performance

Enterprise Support Cost
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Support

Setup Time (First Build)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Operational Efficiency

Base Annual Cost (50 users)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Pricing

Infrastructure Maintenance Burden
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Operations

Agent Auto-Scaling
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Scalability

UI Framework
type: PropertyValue
value reference: User Experience

Security Compliance Certifications
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Security

Base Licensing Cost (Annual)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Cost

Setup Time (Small Project)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Deployment

Professional Support Availability
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Support

UI/UX Rating (StackOverflow Sentiment)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: User Experience

Configuration Methods
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Configuration

Active Community Contributors
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Community

Available Extensions/Integrations
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Features

Monthly Infrastructure Cost (10-developer team)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Pricing

Free Tier Build Minutes/Month
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Resources

Learning Curve (Beginner to Productive)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Learning

Concurrent Workflows (free tier)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Performance

GitHub Repository Integration
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Integration

Kubernetes Native
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Platform Architecture

Configuration Model
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Operations

Automatic Drift Detection
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Operations

Installation Complexity
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Deployment

Multi-Cloud Platform Support
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Deployment Target

Production Users (Estimated)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Enterprise Adoption

Minimum Memory Requirement
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Resources

GitHub Commits (Annual)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Development Activity

Initial Setup Time
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Development Efficiency

Release Cycle
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Maintenance

Configuration Language
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Configuration

GitHub Stars (Community Size)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Community & Adoption

Supported Platforms
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Compatibility

Default Reconciliation Interval
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Performance

Infrastructure Requirements
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Operations

Configuration Format
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Usability

CNCF Sandbox Status
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Standardization

Learning Curve for Kubernetes Teams
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Adoption

Time to Deploy First Pipeline
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Setup & Ease of Use

Available Plugins/Extensions
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Customization

Monthly Cost (5 Users, Mid-Volume Usage)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Pricing

Infrastructure Management Overhead
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Operations

Configuration File Format
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Developer Experience

Free Tier Concurrent Jobs
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Performance

Community Size & Activity
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Community

Data Residency Control
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Compliance

Baseline Memory Usage
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Performance

Time to First Build
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Setup & Learning

Enterprise Market Adoption
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Market Position

Container Startup Time
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Performance

Kubernetes Integration Type
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Architecture

Configuration Method
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Ease of Use

Community Activity (GitHub stars)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Community

Available Plugins/Integrations
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Extensibility

Memory Footprint (Minimal Deployment)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Performance

Native Kubernetes RBAC Support
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Security

Configuration Drift Auto-Detection Interval
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Operational

Kubernetes Market Share Among K8s Users
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Adoption

Cost for 1,000-node Enterprise Cluster
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Cost

Multi-Cluster Management Native Support
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Features

Setup Time (Minutes)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Ease of Use

Free CI/CD Minutes per Month
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Cost

Minimum Server Requirements (RAM)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Infrastructure

Git Platform Support
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Integration

Pipeline Configuration Method
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Usability

Kubernetes Integration Maturity
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Cloud Native

Community Size (Stack Overflow Questions)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Community Support

Monthly Cost (Small Team)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Pricing

Build Cache Size (Free Plan)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Performance

Infrastructure Management Required
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Operations

On-Premise Deployment Option
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Compliance

Concurrent Build Limit (Free Tier)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Performance

Learning Curve
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Usability

Setup Time to First Build
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Onboarding & Setup

Base Monthly Cost
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Pricing

Learning Curve Timeline
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Ease of Use

Auto-Scaling Capability
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Scalability

Data Sovereignty
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Compliance & Security

Community Size & Maturity
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Support & Ecosystem

Free Tier Capabilities
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Pricing