What is difference between freestyle and pipeline in Jenkins?

Question

Can anyone tell me what is difference between freestyle and pipeline in Jenkins?

Answer 1

The main aim of the freestyle project is implementing, developing, or running simple jobs such as enabling you to specify the version control system from where you need to extract code and build it and call tests. Freestyle projects are for orchestration simple jobs for a project.

Pipeline Project is better either to set up a CD pipeline or to define the deployment pipeline as code. The pipeline project is suitable to build pipelines for complex jobs whereas the freestyle project is suitable for simple jobs.

If you want to learn Jenkins, check out this Jenkins Course by Intellipaat.

Also, watch this video on Jenkins Pipeline:

Answer 2

• Freestyle jobs in Jenkins are simple to set up and good for straightforward builds, but they lack flexibility and can become unwieldy for complex tasks. 

• Pipeline jobs, defined in a Jenkinsfile, offer more control and can handle intricate workflows with multiple stages and steps. This method enables you to design sophisticated, code-driven build and deployment procedures that include several stages and tasks. Better control over versions and parallel execution are examples of advanced capabilities they support. 

• Nevertheless, compared to the more approachable Freestyle jobs, Pipelines need a little more initial setup and an initial learning process.