Documentation Plugins Jenkins data source Installation

Install and upgrade the Jenkins data source plugin

This document covers how to install, upgrade, and verify the Jenkins data source plugin across different Grafana deployment environments. After the plugin is installed, refer to the Jenkins data source overview to configure a connection.

Before you begin

Verify the following requirements before installing:

Activate the Enterprise plugin

The Jenkins data source is a Grafana Enterprise plugin. Before you can install it, the plugin must be licensed and activated for your environment. If the plugin isn’t activated, the Install button doesn’t appear, and Save & test returns a generic Plugin health check failed error.

Grafana Cloud

To activate the plugin on Grafana Cloud:

1. Go to grafana.com/orgs and sign in.
2. Select your organization and open the Plugins tab to verify the plugin is activated.
3. If it isn’t listed, confirm your Cloud plan is Pro or Advanced, and contact your Grafana account team to add it.

Self-managed Grafana Enterprise

To activate the plugin on self-managed Grafana Enterprise:

1. Confirm your Grafana Enterprise license includes the plugin.
2. Provide the license using the GF_ENTERPRISE_LICENSE_TEXT environment variable or a license file path. Refer to Activate an Enterprise license.
3. Restart Grafana and confirm the license is active under Administration > General > Stats and license.

Install the plugin

Choose the installation method that matches your Grafana deployment.

Grafana Cloud

To install the plugin on Grafana Cloud:

1. Navigate to Administration > Plugins and data > Plugins.
2. Search for Jenkins and click Install.

Self-managed Grafana (CLI)

Use the Grafana CLI to install the plugin, then restart Grafana:

Bash Copy

grafana cli plugins install grafana-jenkins-datasource

Docker

Set the GF_INSTALL_PLUGINS environment variable and provide the Enterprise license with GF_ENTERPRISE_LICENSE_TEXT:

Bash Copy

docker run -d \
  -p 3000:3000 \
  -e "GF_INSTALL_PLUGINS=grafana-jenkins-datasource" \
  -e "GF_ENTERPRISE_LICENSE_TEXT=<YOUR_LICENSE_TEXT>" \
  grafana/grafana-enterprise

Kubernetes

Add the plugin to your Helm values or the GF_INSTALL_PLUGINS environment variable. If you don’t control the Helm chart, use an init container to download and unzip the plugin into the plugins volume. Provide the Enterprise license through the GF_ENTERPRISE_LICENSE_TEXT environment variable or a mounted license file.

Air-gapped (offline) installation

To install the plugin without internet access on the Grafana server:

1. Download the plugin ZIP on a machine with internet access from the plugin catalog.
2. Transfer the ZIP to the Grafana server and extract it into the plugins directory.
3. Set ownership of the extracted files to the Grafana service account and restart Grafana.
4. If Grafana reports an unsigned plugin error, allow it with allow_loading_unsigned_plugins in grafana.ini.

Verify the installation

To verify that the plugin is installed:

1. Navigate to Administration > Plugins and data > Plugins.
2. Search for Jenkins and verify it shows a status of Installed.

Upgrade the plugin

Keep the plugin up-to-date to get the latest features and fixes.

To upgrade on self-managed Grafana, use the Grafana CLI and restart Grafana:

Bash Copy

grafana cli plugins update grafana-jenkins-datasource

To install a specific version, append the version to the plugin ID:

Bash Copy

grafana cli plugins install grafana-jenkins-datasource <VERSION>

To roll back on self-managed Grafana, install the previous known-good version using the same command with the earlier version number, then restart Grafana.

Uninstall the plugin

To remove the plugin on self-managed Grafana, use the Grafana CLI and restart Grafana:

Bash Copy

grafana cli plugins remove grafana-jenkins-datasource

For Docker and Kubernetes, remove the plugin ID from GF_INSTALL_PLUGINS and redeploy. Existing data source configurations are preserved in the Grafana database but become non-functional until the plugin is reinstalled.

Troubleshoot installation issues

The following table lists common installation issues and how to resolve them:

For more troubleshooting guidance, refer to Troubleshoot the Jenkins data source.