What is Jenkins email notification?

Jenkins email notification is a feature that allows users to receive email notifications about the status of their builds, tests, and other events in Jenkins. By default, Jenkins sends email notifications to the user who triggered the build or event, but it’s also possible to configure Jenkins to send notifications to additional recipients, such as team members or stakeholders.

Email notifications can be customized to include various information about the build or event, such as the build status, test results, commit messages, and other details. This helps developers stay informed about the status of their projects and enables them to take action if necessary.

How to configure email notification recipients in Jenkins

To configure email notification recipients in Jenkins, you need to follow these steps:

Step 1: Install and configure the email extension plugin

Before you can start configuring email notification recipients, you need to install and configure the email extension plugin in Jenkins. This plugin allows you to customize the content and recipients of email notifications.

To install the email extension plugin, go to the Jenkins dashboard, click on “Manage Jenkins” and select “Manage Plugins”. Then, search for “Email Extension Plugin” and install it.

Once the plugin is installed, you need to configure it by going to “Manage Jenkins” and selecting “Configure System”. In the “Extended E-mail Notification” section, you can configure the email server, default recipient, and other settings for email notifications.

Step 2: Configure email notification recipients in the job configuration

After installing and configuring the email extension plugin, you need to configure email notification recipients for each Jenkins job you want to receive notifications for.

To do this, go to the job configuration page, click on “Configure”, and scroll down to the “Post-build Actions” section. Click on “Add post-build action” and select “Editable Email Notification”.

In the “Editable Email Notification” section, you can configure the email notification recipients by entering email addresses separated by a comma, semi-colon, or space. You can also use variables to dynamically set the email recipients based on the build result or other criteria.

Step 3: Test the email notification configuration

After configuring email notification recipients for a Jenkins job, it’s important to test the configuration to ensure that email notifications are sent correctly.

To test the configuration, run a build for the job and verify that the email notification is sent to the expected recipients. You can also view the email content to ensure that it includes the desired information about the build or event.

Jenkins email notification recipients separator

When configuring email notification recipients in Jenkins, you can use various separators to separate multiple email addresses. The most commonly used separators are comma, semi-colon, and space.

Comma separator: The comma separator is the most commonly used separator for email addresses in Jenkins. It’s easy to use and can be used to separate multiple email addresses in a single line. For example:

[email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

Semi-colon separator: The semi-colon separator can also be used to separate multiple email addresses in Jenkins. However, it’s less commonly used than the comma separator. For example:

[email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]

Space separator: The space separator can be used to separate multiple email addresses in Jenkins, but it’s not recommended as it can cause issues with email clients that don’t support spaces as email address separators. For example:

[email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

Best practices for managing email notification recipients in Jenkins

To ensure that email notifications are sent to the right recipients and are received and read by the intended audience, it’s important to follow some best practices for managing email notification recipients in Jenkins.

Use groups instead of individual email addresses

Instead of adding individual email addresses to the Jenkins job configuration, it’s recommended to use groups to manage email notification recipients. This allows you to easily add or remove members from the group without having to modify the Jenkins job configuration.

You can create email groups in your email client or email server and use the group email address as the recipient in Jenkins. This also makes it easier to manage access to email notifications, as you can control who has access to the group email address.

Use variables to dynamically set email notification recipients

Jenkins allows you to use variables to dynamically set email notification recipients based on the build result or other criteria. This can be useful for sending notifications to different teams or stakeholders based on the project or build status.

For example, you can use the following variable to send email notifications to the developers and QA team when a build fails:

$DEFAULT_RECIPIENTS, $DEVELOPERS_EMAIL, $QA_EMAIL

This will send the email notification to the default recipients (which is usually the user who triggered the build), as well as the developers and QA team email addresses.

Use email templates to standardize email content

Jenkins allows you to customize the content of email notifications using email templates. This allows you to standardize the content of email notifications and ensure that all recipients receive the same information.

You can create email templates that include placeholders for variables such as the build status, test results, and commit messages. This can make it easier to read and understand email notifications and can help recipients quickly identify any issues that need to be addressed.

Conclusion

Jenkins email notification is a powerful feature that can help developers stay informed about the status of their builds and projects. By configuring email notification recipients using separators and following best practices, you can ensure that email notifications are sent to the right recipients and are received and read by the intended audience.

Using groups instead of individual email addresses, using variables to dynamically set email notification recipients, and using email templates to standardize email content can all help to streamline the email notification process and make it more effective. With the right configuration and best practices in place, Jenkins email notification can be a valuable tool for improving the software development process.