Drone vs Jenkins
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted ci/cd & build options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Drone
Container-based continuous delivery platform
VS
Jenkins
Extensible open-source automation server for CI/CD
| Feature | Drone | Jenkins |
|---|---|---|
| Category | CI/CD & Build | CI/CD & Build |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Go | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes | docker, bare-metal, helm |
| GitHub stars | ★ 37,713 | ★ 26,434 |
| First released | 2014 | 2011 |
| Replaces | Jenkins, CircleCI | CircleCI |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Drone or Jenkins better?
Neither is universally better. Drone has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Drone and Jenkins free and open-source?
Yes. Drone is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Jenkins under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Drone and Jenkins with Docker?
Drone: yes. Jenkins: yes.