Jenkins vs Tekton
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?
Jenkins
Extensible open-source automation server for CI/CD
VS
Tekton
Cloud-native CI/CD building blocks for Kubernetes
| Feature | Jenkins | Tekton |
|---|---|---|
| Category | CI/CD & Build | CI/CD & Build |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Java | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, helm | kubernetes, helm |
| GitHub stars | ★ 26,434 | ★ 9,030 |
| First released | 2011 | 2018 |
| Replaces | CircleCI | Jenkins, GitHub Actions |
Why pick each one
Choose Tekton if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Mature project with 9k GitHub stars
- Written in Go
Frequently asked questions
Is Jenkins or Tekton better?
Jenkins is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Tekton if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Jenkins and Tekton free and open-source?
Yes. Jenkins is licensed under MIT and Tekton under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Jenkins and Tekton with Docker?
Jenkins: yes. Tekton: check the project docs for container support.