Delivering high-quality software at speed is a challenge many development teams face. That’s where CI/CD (Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment) comes in — allowing you to automate building, testing, and deploying Java applications with confidence.

In this guide, we’ll walk through how to integrate Java applications with popular CI/CD platforms like Jenkins, GitHub Actions, and GitLab CI/CD, highlighting tools, plugins, and best practices for each step of the pipeline.

What is CI/CD?

  • CI (Continuous Integration): Automatically build and test code every time a developer pushes changes. This helps detect bugs early.
  • CD (Continuous Deployment/Delivery): Automates the release process by deploying code to production or staging environments after passing all tests.

Benefits:

  • Faster releases
  • Fewer bugs
  • Repeatable deployments
  • Improved collaboration

Common CI/CD Workflow for Java

  1. Code is pushed to a Git repository.
  2. The CI/CD tool detects changes.
  3. Project is built using Maven or Gradle.
  4. Unit and integration tests run.
  5. Artifacts are generated and optionally deployed to Maven Central, Docker Hub, or a cloud environment.
  6. Notifications are sent (Slack, email, etc.).

Java + Jenkins Pipeline Example

Jenkins is one of the most widely used CI/CD tools in the Java ecosystem.

Install these plugins:

  • Git Plugin
  • Maven Integration Plugin
  • Pipeline Plugin

Sample Jenkinsfile for a Java Maven project:

pipeline {
agent any

    tools {
        maven 'Maven 3.8.6'
        jdk 'OpenJDK 17'
    }

    stages {
        stage('Checkout') {
            steps {
                git 'https://github.com/your-repo/java-app.git'
            }
        }
        stage('Build') {
            steps {
                sh 'mvn clean package'
            }
        }
        stage('Test') {
            steps {
                sh 'mvn test'
            }
        }
        stage('Deploy') {
            steps {
                sh './deploy.sh'
            }
        }
    }
}

This file automates the full development lifecycle from source to deployment.

Java + GitHub Actions

GitHub Actions provides a native CI/CD experience inside your GitHub repository.

Create a workflow file: .github/workflows/build.yml

name: Java CI

on:
push:
branches: [ main ]
pull_request:
branches: [ main ]

jobs:
build:

    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
      - name: Set up JDK
        uses: actions/setup-java@v3
        with:
          java-version: '17'
          distribution: 'temurin'
      - name: Build with Maven
        run: mvn clean install
      - name: Run Tests
        run: mvn test

GitHub Actions integrates well with Maven Central, Docker, AWS, and Kubernetes through community actions.

Java + GitLab CI/CD

For teams using GitLab, the .gitlab-ci.yml configuration allows for full pipeline automation.

Example:

stages:
- build
- test
- deploy

build-job:
stage: build
image: maven:3.8.6-openjdk-17
script:
- mvn clean compile

test-job:
stage: test
image: maven:3.8.6-openjdk-17
script:
- mvn test

deploy-job:
stage: deploy
script:
- echo "Deploying Java app..."

Use GitLab’s environments and auto-scaling runners for production-grade deployments.

Integrating Tests in Your Pipeline

Automate both unit tests and integration tests in CI:

mvn test
mvn verify

Include tools like:

  • JaCoCo for code coverage
  • PMD / SpotBugs for static analysis
  • OWASP Dependency Check for vulnerabilities

Add reports as artifacts to your pipelines for traceability.

Docker + Java in CI/CD

Containerizing your Java app ensures consistency across builds and environments.

Dockerfile:

FROM openjdk:17-jdk-alpine
COPY target/app.jar app.jar
ENTRYPOINT ["java", "-jar", "app.jar"]

CI pipelines can then push to Docker Hub or deploy via Kubernetes:

docker build -t myrepo/java-app:latest .
docker push myrepo/java-app:latest

Best Practices

  • Use environment variables for secrets
  • Keep build tools (Maven, Gradle) consistent across environments
  • Break pipelines into multiple stages with clear success/failure gates
  • Run tests in parallel when possible
  • Add manual approval for production deployments

Conclusion

CI/CD transforms the way Java applications are built and delivered. By automating your pipeline with Jenkins, GitHub Actions, or GitLab, you reduce human error, accelerate feedback, and ensure consistent deployments.

With tools like Maven, Docker, and static analysis baked in, CI/CD enables Java teams to focus on writing code — not managing releases.