Organization folders in Jenkins - Commands & Configuration

Introduction

Managing many Jenkins jobs can get confusing. Organization folders help group related jobs together automatically by scanning source code repositories. This keeps your Jenkins dashboard neat and organized.

When you have multiple projects stored in a single GitHub or Bitbucket organization and want Jenkins to create jobs for each automatically

When you want Jenkins to scan a folder of repositories and create pipelines for each without manual setup

When you want to keep your Jenkins dashboard clean by grouping jobs by team or project

When you want Jenkins to automatically detect new repositories and create jobs for them

When you want to apply common settings or credentials to all jobs inside a folder

Config File - organization-folder-config.xml

organization-folder-config.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<com.cloudbees.hudson.plugins.folder.Folder plugin="cloudbees-folder@6.15">
  <actions/>
  <description>Folder for all example organization repositories</description>
  <properties/>
  <folderViews class="com.cloudbees.hudson.plugins.folder.views.DefaultFolderViewHolder">
    <views>
      <hudson.model.AllView>
        <name>All</name>
        <filterExecutors>false</filterExecutors>
        <filterQueue>false</filterQueue>
        <properties class="hudson.model.View$PropertyList"/>
      </hudson.model.AllView>
    </views>
    <primaryView>All</primaryView>
  </folderViews>
  <healthMetrics/>
  <icon class="com.cloudbees.hudson.plugins.folder.icons.StockFolderIcon"/>
  <orphanedItemStrategy class="com.cloudbees.hudson.plugins.folder.computed.DefaultOrphanedItemStrategy" plugin="cloudbees-folder@6.15">
    <pruneDeadBranches>true</pruneDeadBranches>
    <daysToKeep>7</daysToKeep>
    <numToKeep>10</numToKeep>
  </orphanedItemStrategy>
  <triggers/>
  <com.cloudbees.hudson.plugins.folder.computed.FolderComputation plugin="cloudbees-folder@6.15">
    <scmSources>
      <jenkins.branch.OrganizationFolder$SCMSource>
        <id>example-org-github</id>
        <credentialsId>github-credentials</credentialsId>
        <repoOwner>example-org</repoOwner>
        <apiUri>https://api.github.com/</apiUri>
        <traits>
          <jenkins.plugins.git.traits.BranchDiscoveryTrait/>
          <jenkins.plugins.git.traits.TagDiscoveryTrait/>
          <jenkins.plugins.git.traits.OriginPullRequestDiscoveryTrait>
            <strategyId>1</strategyId>
          </jenkins.plugins.git.traits.OriginPullRequestDiscoveryTrait>
          <jenkins.plugins.git.traits.ForkPullRequestDiscoveryTrait>
            <strategyId>1</strategyId>
            <trust class="jenkins.plugins.git.traits.ForkPullRequestDiscoveryTrait$TrustEveryone"/>
          </jenkins.plugins.git.traits.ForkPullRequestDiscoveryTrait>
        </traits>
      </jenkins.branch.OrganizationFolder$SCMSource>
    </scmSources>
    <projectFactories>
      <jenkins.branch.WorkflowMultiBranchProjectFactory>
        <scriptPath>Jenkinsfile</scriptPath>
      </jenkins.branch.WorkflowMultiBranchProjectFactory>
    </projectFactories>
  </com.cloudbees.hudson.plugins.folder.computed.FolderComputation>
</com.cloudbees.hudson.plugins.folder.Folder>

This XML config defines an Organization Folder in Jenkins.

repoOwner is the GitHub organization to scan.

credentialsId is the Jenkins credential to access GitHub.

traits define what branches, tags, and pull requests to discover.

scriptPath tells Jenkins where to find the pipeline script in each repo.

This config automatically creates jobs for each repository in the organization.

Commands

This command creates an Organization Folder job in Jenkins using the XML config file. It tells Jenkins to scan the example-org GitHub organization.

Terminal

java -jar jenkins-cli.jar -s http://localhost:8080 create-job example-org-folder < organization-folder-config.xml

Expected Output

Created job example-org-folder

→

-s - Specifies the Jenkins server URL

This command triggers Jenkins to scan the organization folder and create jobs for each repository found.

Terminal

java -jar jenkins-cli.jar -s http://localhost:8080 build example-org-folder

Expected Output

Started build #1 for example-org-folder

→

-s - Specifies the Jenkins server URL

This command lists all jobs created inside the organization folder, showing the repositories Jenkins found and created jobs for.

Terminal

java -jar jenkins-cli.jar -s http://localhost:8080 list-jobs

Expected Output

repo1

repo2

repo3

→

-s - Specifies the Jenkins server URL

Key Concept

Organization folders automatically scan a source code organization and create Jenkins jobs for each repository to keep your CI/CD organized.

Common Mistakes

Not providing correct credentialsId in the config

Jenkins cannot access the GitHub API and fails to scan repositories

Create and use a valid Jenkins credential with access to the GitHub organization and reference its ID in the config

Using wrong repoOwner name or misspelling the organization

Jenkins will not find any repositories and create no jobs

Double-check the exact GitHub organization name and use it in the repoOwner field

Not triggering a build after creating the folder

Jenkins does not scan the organization automatically and no jobs are created

Run a build on the organization folder to start scanning and job creation

Summary

Create an organization folder in Jenkins using an XML config that defines the GitHub organization and credentials.

Trigger a build on the folder to scan repositories and create jobs automatically.

List jobs inside the folder to verify Jenkins found and created jobs for each repository.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of an Organization Folder in Jenkins?

easy

A. To automatically group and manage multiple projects from source control

B. To manually create individual jobs one by one

C. To store Jenkins system configuration files

D. To run Jenkins on multiple servers

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the role of Organization Folders

   Organization Folders scan source control and group many projects automatically.

2. Step 2: Compare options with this role

   Only To automatically group and manage multiple projects from source control describes automatic grouping and management from source control.

3. Final Answer:

   To automatically group and manage multiple projects from source control -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Organization Folder = automatic project grouping [OK]

Hint: Organization folders auto-group projects from repos [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking organization folders create jobs manually
• Confusing folders with Jenkins system files
• Assuming folders run Jenkins on servers

2. Which of the following is the correct way to create an Organization Folder in Jenkins UI?

easy

A. Manage Jenkins > Configure System > Add Organization Folder

B. New Item > Enter name > Select 'Organization Folder' > OK

C. Dashboard > New Job > Select 'Freestyle Project'

D. Manage Plugins > Install Organization Folder Plugin

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall how to create new items in Jenkins

   New items are created via 'New Item' on the dashboard.

2. Step 2: Identify the correct selection for Organization Folder

   Choosing 'Organization Folder' after naming is the correct step.

3. Final Answer:

   New Item > Enter name > Select 'Organization Folder' > OK -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Create folder via New Item > Organization Folder [OK]

Hint: Create folder via New Item, then choose Organization Folder [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Trying to add folder in Configure System
• Selecting Freestyle Project instead of Organization Folder
• Confusing plugin installation with folder creation

3. Given an Organization Folder configured to scan a GitHub organization, what will Jenkins do when it scans the source control?

medium

A. Delete all existing jobs and create a single job for the organization

B. Fail to scan unless manually triggered each time

C. Only scan the first repository and ignore others

D. Create individual jobs for each repository found in the organization

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand scanning behavior of Organization Folders

   They scan all repositories in the source control organization and create jobs for each.

2. Step 2: Evaluate options against this behavior

   Create individual jobs for each repository found in the organization matches this automatic job creation per repo.

3. Final Answer:

   Create individual jobs for each repository found in the organization -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Scan creates jobs per repo automatically [OK]

Hint: Scan creates jobs for all repos found [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking it deletes all jobs
• Assuming only first repo is scanned
• Believing manual trigger is always needed

4. You created an Organization Folder but Jenkins does not show any jobs inside it after scanning. What is the most likely cause?

medium

A. Jenkins does not support Organization Folders

B. The Organization Folder plugin is not installed

C. The source control credentials are missing or incorrect

D. The Jenkins server is offline

Solution

1. Step 1: Check common reasons for empty scan results

   Missing or wrong credentials prevent Jenkins from accessing repos.

2. Step 2: Rule out other options

   Plugin must be installed to create folder; if folder exists, plugin is installed. Jenkins supports folders. Server offline would prevent all jobs, not just empty folder.

3. Final Answer:

   The source control credentials are missing or incorrect -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Missing credentials cause empty scan [OK]

Hint: Check credentials if folder scan shows no jobs [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming plugin is missing after folder creation
• Thinking Jenkins lacks folder support
• Blaming server offline without checking credentials

5. You want to configure an Organization Folder to scan a GitHub Enterprise server with multiple teams. Which two settings must you configure to ensure Jenkins discovers all repositories correctly?

hard

A. Set the GitHub Enterprise API endpoint and provide valid credentials

B. Enable Jenkins master node to run all jobs manually

C. Install the GitHub plugin and disable scanning

D. Configure the folder to scan only one team at a time

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify key settings for GitHub Enterprise scanning

   Jenkins needs the correct API endpoint URL and valid credentials to access the Enterprise server.

2. Step 2: Evaluate other options

   Running jobs manually or disabling scanning prevents auto-discovery. Scanning one team at a time limits coverage.

3. Final Answer:

   Set the GitHub Enterprise API endpoint and provide valid credentials -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   API endpoint + credentials = full repo discovery [OK]

Hint: Set API endpoint and credentials for Enterprise scan [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Disabling scanning disables discovery
• Assuming manual job runs help discovery
• Limiting scan to one team misses repos