Deployment guide

Jenkins on Windows

Overview

Jenkins is a leading open-source automation server for building, deploying and automating software projects through continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines. This guide covers deploying and configuring Jenkins on Windows Server with the SecureAnyCloud AMI from AWS Marketplace.

What you get:

Jenkins (latest version) with its web interface on port 8080
Java Development Kit (JDK) 21
A Jenkins Windows service that starts automatically on boot
Windows Server with Remote Desktop access
24/7 SecureAnyCloud support with a guaranteed 24-hour response SLA

Prerequisites

Before you launch the AMI, make sure you have:

An active AWS account
An active subscription to the Jenkins on Windows listing on AWS Marketplace
An EC2 key pair, used to decrypt the Windows password
A Remote Desktop client application

Recommended instance type: t3.medium (2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM) or larger. The minimum requirements are 1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM and 30 GB of disk space.

Launch the AMI

Open AWS Marketplace and search for "Jenkins Windows SecureAnyCloud".
Click Continue to Subscribe, accept the terms, then click Continue to Configuration.
Select your Region and Software Version.
Click Continue to Launch.
Choose Launch through EC2 for full control over the instance configuration.
Select your instance type (t3.medium is recommended).
Configure storage with a minimum of 30 GB gp3.
Configure your Security Group with the inbound rules below.
Select your EC2 key pair and launch the instance.

Inbound rules, both TCP and both restricted to your IP address:

Port 3389: Remote Desktop (RDP) access
Port 8080: Jenkins web interface

Important: Restrict both ports to trusted IP addresses only.

Retrieve the Windows password

Wait for the EC2 instance to pass its 2/2 status checks, then:

Open the AWS Console and go to EC2 > Instances.
Select your instance.
Click Actions > Security > Get Windows password.
Click Browse and upload your EC2 key pair .pem file.
Click Decrypt password.
Note the Username (Administrator) and the decrypted Password.

Important: The Windows password can take up to 15 minutes after launch to become available.

Connect via Remote Desktop

Open your Remote Desktop client and connect to the instance's public IP address.

On Windows:

Press Win + R, type mstsc and press Enter.
Enter the public IP address of your instance.
Click Connect.

On macOS:

Open Microsoft Remote Desktop.
Click Add PC and enter the public IP address.
Double-click the connection to connect.

When prompted, sign in with:

Username: Administrator
Password: the decrypted value from Step 2

If a certificate warning appears, click Continue.

Open the Jenkins web interface

Jenkins starts automatically on boot as a Windows service. On the instance's desktop, open a web browser (Firefox is available) and go to:

http://localhost:8080

To reach Jenkins from your own machine, use:

http://<public-ip-address>:8080

Complete the initial configuration in the Jenkins setup wizard:

Retrieve the initial admin password if prompted.
Choose Install suggested plugins, or select specific plugins.
Create your admin user account.
Configure the Jenkins URL.
Click Start using Jenkins.

Manage the Jenkins service

Jenkins runs as a Windows service and starts automatically on boot.

To manage the service from Windows Services:

Open Windows Services: press Win + R, type services.msc and press Enter.
Locate the Jenkins service in the list.
Right-click it and choose Start, Stop or Restart.

To manage the service from PowerShell:

# Check Jenkins service status Get-Service -Name Jenkins
# Stop Jenkins Stop-Service -Name Jenkins
# Start Jenkins Start-Service -Name Jenkins
# Restart Jenkins Restart-Service -Name Jenkins

Server components

Jenkins: latest version
Java (JDK): 21

Filesystem layout

The C:\ system drive holds Windows, Jenkins and the JDK installation.

Key directories:

C:\Program Files\Jenkins: Jenkins installation directory
C:\Program Files\Jenkins\workspace: build workspace for jobs
C:\Program Files\Jenkins\plugins: installed Jenkins plugins
C:\Program Files\Java: JDK installation

Troubleshooting

Cannot access Jenkins on port 8080

Verify that the Jenkins service is running in Windows Services.
Check that your security group allows port 8080 from your IP address.
Open Command Prompt and run: netstat -an | findstr 8080
Check the Jenkins logs in the Jenkins installation directory.

Cannot connect via RDP

Verify that the instance has passed its 2/2 status checks.
Check that your security group allows port 3389 from your IP address.
Wait up to 15 minutes for the Windows password to become available.
Try a different RDP client.

Jenkins service fails to start

Check Windows Event Viewer for error details.
Verify that Java is installed: open Command Prompt and run java -version
Check the available disk space on C:\

Security Recommendations

Change the Administrator password after your first login.
Restrict port access. Allow ports 3389 and 8080 only from trusted IP addresses.
Enable HTTPS for Jenkins. Configure SSL with a reverse proxy or Jenkins' built-in SSL settings.
Configure Jenkins security. Set up authentication and authorization in Manage Jenkins > Security.
Keep Jenkins updated. Update Jenkins and its plugins regularly from the management interface.
Enable Windows Update. Keep the OS patched with the latest security updates.
Use strong passwords. Set complex passwords for both the Windows and Jenkins admin accounts.

Support

If you have any issue with this image, contact SecureAnyCloud support:

Email: sales@secureanycloud.com
Website: secureanycloud.com
Support hours: 24/7 with a guaranteed 24-hour response SLA

Deploy on AWS

Launch Jenkins on Windows with 24/7 support from SecureAnyCloud.

View on Marketplace

Need Help?

Our support team is available 24/7.

sales@secureanycloud.com