Chapter 80: DevOps Projects Part 10: Jenkins Agents Freestyle Pipeline Webhook Sonar ECR EKS Approval Libraries Backup

80.2 Project 68: Freestyle job build and test

By Ravindra Bagale Last updated: 28 October 2026

Friends, freestyle jobs still matter for simple builds. Today we create a freestyle job, pull a sample Maven app, run tests, archive the JAR, and read the console log.

What you will build in this project

Create a freestyle job.
Add SCM and a Maven build step.
Archive the JAR artifact.
Read console output and test results.

1. Start from a real company story

At Infosys in Bengaluru, a hand-clicked build on a laptop shipped a JAR that skipped unit tests.

A null pointer hit production checkout. Rough cost: about ₹9 lakh in war-room time that night.

Ravi made freestyle on Jenkins the gate, with tests required before archive.

Today we build that freestyle path.

Picture 1: SCM → freestyle job → mvn test package → archive JAR

Ravindra Bagale's Tip

Students tick "Discard old builds" with a count of one and lose the only good JAR. Keep at least the last ten successful artifacts. Keep that habit.

2. Start and prepare

Step 1: Why freestyle

Why: Simple UI jobs still ship many teams. We do this before the next step so mistakes stay small and easy to undo. Read the output carefully; the numbers and names tell you if the machine is healthy.

What: echo scope. Follow the numbered examples below. Type each command, read the exact output, and match the meaning line before you move on. That is how real teams learn a tool.

Example 1: a1

Type this:

echo 'Freestyle = UI form with SCM, build steps, post actions'

You will see:

Freestyle = UI form with SCM, build steps, post actions

What it means: What.

Example 2: a2

Type this:

mkdir -p /tmp/jen68/{app,job} && ls /tmp/jen68

You will see:

app\njob

What it means: Folders.

Example 3: a3

Type this:

echo 'Today: freestyle, Maven test+package, archive JAR'

You will see:

Today: freestyle, Maven test+package, archive JAR

What it means: Scope.

Step 2: Sample Maven app

Why: Tiny project tree. We do this before the next step so mistakes stay small and easy to undo. Read the output carefully; the numbers and names tell you if the machine is healthy.

What: printf pom and test. Follow the numbered examples below. Type each command, read the exact output, and match the meaning line before you move on. That is how real teams learn a tool.

Example 4: b1

Type this:

mkdir -p /tmp/jen68/app/src/main/java/shop /tmp/jen68/app/src/test/java/shop && printf '%s\n' 'package shop;' 'public class Cart { public int add(int a,int b){ return a+b; } }' > /tmp/jen68/app/src/main/java/shop/Cart.java && cat /tmp/jen68/app/src/main/java/shop/Cart.java

You will see:

public class Cart { public int add(int a,int b){ return a+b; } }

What it means: Cart.

Example 5: b2

Type this:

printf '%s\n' 'package shop;' 'import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;' 'import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;' 'class CartTest { @Test void addWorks(){ assertEquals(5, new Cart().add(2,3)); } }' > /tmp/jen68/app/src/test/java/shop/CartTest.java && wc -l /tmp/jen68/app/src/test/java/shop/CartTest.java

You will see:

4 /tmp/jen68/app/src/test/java/shop/CartTest.java

What it means: Test.

Example 6: b3

Type this:

printf '%s\n' '<project><modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion><groupId>shop</groupId><artifactId>cart</artifactId><version>1.0.0</version><properties><maven.compiler.release>17</maven.compiler.release></properties></project>' > /tmp/jen68/app/pom.xml && grep artifactId /tmp/jen68/app/pom.xml

You will see:

<artifactId>cart</artifactId>

What it means: pom.

Step 3: Job form

Why: New freestyle item. We do this before the next step so mistakes stay small and easy to undo. Read the output carefully; the numbers and names tell you if the machine is healthy.

What: job fields. Follow the numbered examples below. Type each command, read the exact output, and match the meaning line before you move on. That is how real teams learn a tool.

Example 7: c1

Type this:

printf '%s\n' 'New Item -> Freestyle' 'Name: cart-freestyle' 'Restrict where: maven' 'SCM: Git URL of the cart repo' > /tmp/jen68/job/FORM.txt && cat /tmp/jen68/job/FORM.txt

You will see:

Name: cart-freestyle

What it means: Form.

Example 8: c2

Type this:

echo 'Branches to build: */main'

You will see:

Branches to build: */main

What it means: Branch.

Example 9: c3

Type this:

echo 'Poll SCM can wait; webhook comes in project 70'

You will see:

Poll SCM can wait; webhook comes in project 70

What it means: Bridge tip.

3. Build the main pieces

Step 4: Maven build step

Why: Goals that matter. We do this before the next step so mistakes stay small and easy to undo. Read the output carefully; the numbers and names tell you if the machine is healthy.

What: invoke Maven. Follow the numbered examples below. Type each command, read the exact output, and match the meaning line before you move on. That is how real teams learn a tool.

Example 10: d1

Type this:

printf '%s\n' 'Build step: Invoke Maven' 'Goals: -B test package' 'POM: pom.xml' > /tmp/jen68/job/MAVEN.txt && cat /tmp/jen68/job/MAVEN.txt

You will see:

Goals: -B test package

What it means: Goals.

Example 11: d2

Type this:

echo '-B is batch mode — quieter logs for CI'

You will see:

-B is batch mode — quieter logs for CI

What it means: Batch.

Example 12: d3

Type this:

echo 'JDK and Maven must exist on the maven-labelled agent'

You will see:

JDK and Maven must exist on the maven-labelled agent

What it means: Tools.

Step 5: Archive artifacts

Why: Keep the JAR. We do this before the next step so mistakes stay small and easy to undo. Read the output carefully; the numbers and names tell you if the machine is healthy.

What: post-build. Follow the numbered examples below. Type each command, read the exact output, and match the meaning line before you move on. That is how real teams learn a tool.

Example 13: e1

Type this:

printf '%s\n' 'Post-build: Archive the artifacts' 'Files: target/*.jar' 'Exclude: target/*-sources.jar' > /tmp/jen68/job/ARCHIVE.txt && cat /tmp/jen68/job/ARCHIVE.txt

You will see:

Files: target/*.jar

What it means: Archive.

Example 14: e2

Type this:

echo 'Fingerprint artifacts so downstream jobs can find them'

You will see:

Fingerprint artifacts so downstream jobs can find them

What it means: Fingerprint.

Example 15: e3

Type this:

echo 'Keep build for 10 successful runs minimum'

You will see:

Keep build for 10 successful runs minimum

What it means: Retention.

Step 6: Publish tests

Why: JUnit results. We do this before the next step so mistakes stay small and easy to undo. Read the output carefully; the numbers and names tell you if the machine is healthy.

What: surefire reports. Follow the numbered examples below. Type each command, read the exact output, and match the meaning line before you move on. That is how real teams learn a tool.

Example 16: f1

Type this:

printf '%s\n' 'Post-build: Publish JUnit test result report' 'Test report XMLs: target/surefire-reports/*.xml' > /tmp/jen68/job/JUNIT.txt && cat /tmp/jen68/job/JUNIT.txt

You will see:

target/surefire-reports/*.xml

What it means: JUnit.

Example 17: f2

Type this:

echo 'Red test trend graph means investigate before next release'

You will see:

Red test trend graph means investigate before next release

What it means: Trend.

Example 18: f3

Type this:

echo 'Do not archive JAR if tests fail — leave archive after test step'

You will see:

Do not archive JAR if tests fail — leave archive after test step

What it means: Order.

4. Automate and verify

Step 7: Run and console

Why: First build. We do this before the next step so mistakes stay small and easy to undo. Read the output carefully; the numbers and names tell you if the machine is healthy.

What: build now. Follow the numbered examples below. Type each command, read the exact output, and match the meaning line before you move on. That is how real teams learn a tool.

Example 19: g1

Type this:

echo 'Click Build Now then open Console Output'

You will see:

Click Build Now then open Console Output

What it means: Run.

Example 20: g2

Type this:

echo 'Look for BUILD SUCCESS and Archived 1 artifact'

You will see:

Look for BUILD SUCCESS and Archived 1 artifact

What it means: Expect.

Example 21: g3

Type this:

printf '%s\n' 'Acceptance: blue ball, tests green, JAR downloadable' > /tmp/jen68/job/ACCEPT.txt && cat /tmp/jen68/job/ACCEPT.txt

You will see:

Acceptance: blue ball, tests green, JAR downloadable

What it means: Gate.

Step 8: Local mvn proof

Why: Same goals on laptop. We do this before the next step so mistakes stay small and easy to undo. Read the output carefully; the numbers and names tell you if the machine is healthy.

What: run locally. Follow the numbered examples below. Type each command, read the exact output, and match the meaning line before you move on. That is how real teams learn a tool.

Example 22: h1

Type this:

echo 'cd /tmp/jen68/app && mvn -B -q test package'

You will see:

cd /tmp/jen68/app && mvn -B -q test package

What it means: Local.

Example 23: h2

Type this:

echo 'ls target/*.jar'

You will see:

ls target/*.jar

What it means: JAR tip.

Example 24: h3

Type this:

printf '%s\n' 'cart-1.0.0.jar' > /tmp/jen68/app/EXPECTED_JAR.txt && cat /tmp/jen68/app/EXPECTED_JAR.txt

You will see:

cart-1.0.0.jar

What it means: Name.

Step 9: Fail path

Why: Broken test stops archive. We do this before the next step so mistakes stay small and easy to undo. Read the output carefully; the numbers and names tell you if the machine is healthy.

What: negative case. Follow the numbered examples below. Type each command, read the exact output, and match the meaning line before you move on. That is how real teams learn a tool.

Example 25: i1

Type this:

echo 'Change assertEquals(5, ...) to assertEquals(6, ...) and rebuild'

You will see:

Change assertEquals(5, ...) to assertEquals(6, ...) and rebuild

What it means: Break.

Example 26: i2

Type this:

echo 'Job must go red; no new JAR in Last Successful Artifacts'

You will see:

Job must go red; no new JAR in Last Successful Artifacts

What it means: Expect fail.

Example 27: i3

Type this:

echo 'Revert the test before you leave the lab'

You will see:

Revert the test before you leave the lab

What it means: Cleanup.

5. Harden and accept

Step 10: Story Infosys

Why: Laptop JAR. We do this before the next step so mistakes stay small and easy to undo. Read the output carefully; the numbers and names tell you if the machine is healthy.

What: story. Follow the numbered examples below. Type each command, read the exact output, and match the meaning line before you move on. That is how real teams learn a tool.

Example 28: j1

Type this:

printf '%s\n' 'At Infosys in Bengaluru, a hand-clicked laptop JAR skipped unit tests and broke checkout.' 'Ravi made freestyle on Jenkins the only path, with tests before archive.' > /tmp/jen68/STORY.txt && wc -l /tmp/jen68/STORY.txt

You will see:

2 /tmp/jen68/STORY.txt

What it means: Story.

Example 29: j2

Type this:

echo 'Rough cost: about ₹9 lakh in war-room time that night'

You will see:

Rough cost: about ₹9 lakh in war-room time that night

What it means: Cost.

Example 30: j3

Type this:

echo 'Ravi: PASS'

You will see:

Ravi: PASS

What it means: Sign-off.

Step 11: Proof files

Why: Job notes exist. We do this before the next step so mistakes stay small and easy to undo. Read the output carefully; the numbers and names tell you if the machine is healthy.

What: ls. Follow the numbered examples below. Type each command, read the exact output, and match the meaning line before you move on. That is how real teams learn a tool.

Example 31: k1

Type this:

ls /tmp/jen68/job /tmp/jen68/app/src/main/java/shop

You will see:

/tmp/jen68/job:\nACCEPT.txt\nARCHIVE.txt\nFORM.txt\nJUNIT.txt\nMAVEN.txt\n\n/tmp/jen68/app/src/main/java/shop:\nCart.java

What it means: Tree.

Example 32: k2

Type this:

test -f /tmp/jen68/app/pom.xml && echo 'pom ok'

You will see:

pom ok

What it means: pom.

Example 33: k3

Type this:

echo 'Next: Declarative Jenkinsfile project 69'

You will see:

Next: Declarative Jenkinsfile project 69

What it means: Bridge.

Step 12: Acceptance

Why: Freestyle green with JAR. We do this before the next step so mistakes stay small and easy to undo. Read the output carefully; the numbers and names tell you if the machine is healthy.

What: final. Follow the numbered examples below. Type each command, read the exact output, and match the meaning line before you move on. That is how real teams learn a tool.

Example 34: z1

Type this:

echo 'mvn test package green'

You will see:

mvn test package green

What it means: Tests.

Example 35: z2

Type this:

echo 'JAR archived on Jenkins'

You will see:

JAR archived on Jenkins

What it means: Artifact.

Example 36: z3

Type this:

echo 'Broken test keeps job red'

You will see:

Broken test keeps job red

What it means: Fail path.

Check yourself

Q1. Who fixed Infosys laptop JAR?

Ravi

Q2. Build tool?

Maven

Q3. Archive pattern?

target/*.jar

Q4. Must tests pass?

yes

Q5. Agent label?

maven

Q6. Old builds keep?

Friends, you built and tested with a freestyle job. Did you understand? Let us try it once more. Fail the job on purpose by breaking a test and prove the JAR is not archived.

Lab: try at home

Create freestyle job.
Wire SCM and Maven.
Archive artifacts.
Read console and junit.

Recap

Freestyle is fine for simple flows.
Tests before archive.
Keep last N artifacts.
Console tells the truth.
Labels pick the agent.