Who needs it?
CloudBees CI Developers and Admins who maintain the pipelines need an easier way to find and understand errors within the CI pipeline (the reason the pipeline failed), so that they can return to higher-value work, such as delivering software.
The problem
When there is a problem in a pipeline, quick troubleshooting allows developers to find where things went wrong and to point to the errors for quicker resolution and less disruption to their processes. Troubleshooting pipelines are an integral part of the CI workflow and the less time developers spend to correct issues in their pipelines, the more time they can work on what matters to them.
The basic log view to debug pipelines works well for simple pipelines; however, as the complexity of pipelines increase and log files grow, these solutions are not designed to handle this effectively. Enterprises need more streamlined methods to troubleshoot their large and intricate pipelines.
CloudBees can help
The CloudBees Pipeline Explorer was born from the experiences and needs of our valued customers and our dedicated developers at CloudBees. They desired a more streamlined approach to debug pipelines, beyond the current solutions. This powerful tool emerged as a result of our thorough assessment of the usage of the log viewing tools in Jenkins, both by our team and our customers. Our goal was to enhance the log viewing experience, particularly when dealing with intricate pipelines. We collaborated closely with seasoned Jenkins users, aiming to simplify troubleshooting and create a smoother debugging process for complex pipelines.
The introduction of the CloudBees Pipeline Explorer log viewer represents just the beginning. We are committed to further optimization and to continually bring more value to our customers, ensuring that troubleshooting pipelines becomes an effortless part of their daily routine.
The solution
The CloudBees Pipeline Explorer tool is designed to optimize the log viewing experience and simplify troubleshooting in complex pipelines to allow for quick and focused debugging, so you can spend your time on higher priority tasks.
How we do it better
We all needed a much better log viewing experience, and it all comes down to how well it works with more complicated pipelines. We worked with people who have used Jenkins for a long time. We wanted to ease troubleshooting and optimize this task to make lives easier when debugging complex pipelines. With the new CloudBees Pipeline Explorer, you get the following value adds over other log viewers:
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Decrease the steps of troubleshooting - search within the console and jump to the cause of the failure or last line on load.
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Collaborative debugging - make collaboration nimble and easy with controls and functionality that support cross-team communication. Allows you to copy the filter, line numbers, search results, and the specific content of a line to keep the context.
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Responsive performance - for example, jumping through 50,000 lines is quick and responsive, and you do not need to wait for the UI to update after loading logs.
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Intuitive layout - visually easy to navigate between parallel branches with customizable highlighting, time stamps, and a modern UI look and feel.
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Treeview and filter - allow for a better understanding of complex pipelines by giving you an overview of the entire pipeline and filtering for each stage. You can filter out to specific branches and preserve the line numbers to keep the context of the branch in the log.
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Built-in Search - quickly search any size logs and remove/reduce the need for external tools. (If you have a 500 MB file, you can search the entire file without it slowing down the resources of your machine.)
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Permissions-based search - utilizes granular Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) and leaves the searches to those who debug your pipelines on your team.
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The CloudBees Pipeline Explorer is part of the CloudBees Assurance Program (CAP) and is directly supported by CloudBees.
The CloudBees Pipeline Explorer log viewer is only the beginning. We continue to optimize and bring more value to our customers to ensure that troubleshooting pipelines is an easy part of their day.
Proof points
The log viewer is necessary when you debug complex pipelines and the partners we have shared the CloudBees Pipeline Explorer with see this as a game changer for Jenkins users.
Use cases
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The CloudBees Pipeline Explorer allows you debug at scale. It allows pipeline admins to easily identify where things went wrong, access logs swiftly, and pinpoint errors for a quicker resolution.
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The CloudBees Pipeline Explorer optimizes pipeline troubleshooting by enabling pipeline admins to stay focused on the problem and not wait for the UI to update. This log viewer quickly loads, searches, and highlights the problems, regardless of your pipeline complexity or size.
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For any pipeline admin who relies on a log viewer for troubleshooting pipelines - the fast built-in search and advanced filtering streamlines this task and make pipeline troubleshooting an easy part of the day.
Learn more
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To view a video introduction of the CloudBees Pipeline Explorer, you can watch the following video.
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For more information about the CloudBees Pipeline Explorer, refer to CloudBees Pipeline Explorer Plugin.