Plugin Migration Reference --- Jenkins Plugins to GitHub Actions¶

Audience: DevOps Engineer, Jenkins Administrator Reading time: 12 minutes Last updated: 2026-04-30

Overview¶

Jenkins' extensibility is built on plugins --- most Jenkins installations run 50--150 plugins. This reference maps the 30 most-used Jenkins plugins to their GitHub Actions equivalents: marketplace actions, built-in features, or recommended alternatives. Each mapping includes the action reference, configuration notes, and migration complexity.

Top 30 Jenkins plugins mapped¶

1. Git Plugin¶

Jenkins: git --- SCM checkout for Git repositories.

GitHub Actions: actions/checkout@v4 (built-in)

- uses: actions/checkout@v4
  with:
      fetch-depth: 0 # Full history (default is shallow clone)

Complexity: XS --- Drop-in replacement. GitHub Actions always checks out from GitHub; no SCM URL configuration needed.

2. Pipeline Plugin (Workflow)¶

Jenkins: workflow-aggregator --- Enables Jenkinsfile-based pipelines.

GitHub Actions: Native workflow YAML (.github/workflows/)

Complexity: XS --- This is the core of GitHub Actions. No plugin equivalent needed.

3. Docker Pipeline Plugin¶

Jenkins: docker-workflow --- Build, run, and push Docker images in pipelines.

GitHub Actions: docker/build-push-action@v6 + docker/login-action@v3

- uses: docker/login-action@v3
  with:
      registry: ghcr.io
      username: ${{ github.actor }}
      password: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}

- uses: docker/build-push-action@v6
  with:
      context: .
      push: true
      tags: ghcr.io/${{ github.repository }}:${{ github.sha }}
      cache-from: type=gha
      cache-to: type=gha,mode=max

Complexity: S --- Docker Buildx action provides more features (multi-platform builds, cache backends) than the Jenkins Docker Pipeline plugin.

4. Credentials Plugin¶

Jenkins: credentials --- Manages secrets, certificates, SSH keys.

GitHub Actions: GitHub Secrets (repository, environment, organization) + OIDC federation

env:
    API_KEY: ${{ secrets.API_KEY }}
    DB_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.DB_PASSWORD }}

Complexity: S --- See Secret Migration Guide for detailed credential-type mapping.

5. Credentials Binding Plugin¶

Jenkins: credentials-binding --- Binds credentials to environment variables in withCredentials blocks.

GitHub Actions: Direct secret reference in env: or action inputs.

- name: Deploy
  env:
      AZURE_CLIENT_SECRET: ${{ secrets.AZURE_CLIENT_SECRET }}
  run: az login --service-principal ...

Complexity: XS --- No wrapping block needed. Secrets are referenced directly.

6. SSH Agent Plugin¶

Jenkins: ssh-agent --- Provides SSH key authentication within pipeline steps.

GitHub Actions: webfactory/ssh-agent@v0.9

- uses: webfactory/ssh-agent@v0.9
  with:
      ssh-private-key: ${{ secrets.SSH_PRIVATE_KEY }}
- run: ssh user@server 'deploy.sh'

Complexity: S --- Direct mapping.

7. Slack Notification Plugin¶

Jenkins: slack --- Sends build notifications to Slack channels.

GitHub Actions: slackapi/slack-github-action@v1

- uses: slackapi/slack-github-action@v1
  with:
      channel-id: C0123456789
      slack-message: "Build ${{ job.status }}: ${{ github.server_url }}/${{ github.repository }}/actions/runs/${{ github.run_id }}"
  env:
      SLACK_BOT_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.SLACK_BOT_TOKEN }}

Complexity: S --- Supports both webhook and Bot Token methods.

8. JUnit Plugin¶

Jenkins: junit --- Publishes JUnit test results with trend graphs.

GitHub Actions: mikepenz/action-junit-report@v4 or dorny/test-reporter@v1

- uses: mikepenz/action-junit-report@v4
  if: always()
  with:
      report_paths: "**/test-results/*.xml"
      fail_on_failure: true
      include_passed: true

Complexity: S --- Test results appear as PR check annotations. No trend graphs natively, but GitHub's workflow run history provides similar visibility.

9. SonarQube Scanner Plugin¶

Jenkins: sonar --- Integrates SonarQube code quality analysis.

GitHub Actions: SonarSource/sonarqube-scan-action@v3 or SonarSource/sonarcloud-github-action@v3

- uses: SonarSource/sonarqube-scan-action@v3
  env:
      SONAR_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.SONAR_TOKEN }}
      SONAR_HOST_URL: ${{ secrets.SONAR_HOST_URL }}

Complexity: S --- Direct mapping. SonarCloud (hosted) works out of the box; SonarQube (self-hosted) requires network access from the runner.

Alternative: GitHub CodeQL provides native code scanning without SonarQube dependency.

10. Artifactory Plugin¶

Jenkins: artifactory --- Integrates JFrog Artifactory for artifact management.

GitHub Actions: jfrog/setup-jfrog-cli@v4

- uses: jfrog/setup-jfrog-cli@v4
  env:
      JF_URL: ${{ secrets.JF_URL }}
      JF_ACCESS_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.JF_ACCESS_TOKEN }}
- run: jf rt upload "build/*.jar" my-repo/

Complexity: S --- JFrog provides an official GitHub Action. OIDC federation is supported for Artifactory Cloud.

Alternative: GitHub Packages provides built-in package hosting for npm, Maven, NuGet, Docker, and RubyGems without an external artifact server.

11. OWASP Dependency-Check Plugin¶

Jenkins: dependency-check-jenkins-plugin --- Scans dependencies for known vulnerabilities.

GitHub Actions: Dependabot (native) + github/codeql-action/analyze

# Dependabot configuration
# .github/dependabot.yml
version: 2
updates:
    - package-ecosystem: npm
      directory: /
      schedule:
          interval: daily
    - package-ecosystem: pip
      directory: /
      schedule:
          interval: daily

Complexity: XS --- Dependabot is built into GitHub and requires only a configuration file. It automatically creates PRs for vulnerable dependencies.

12. Blue Ocean Plugin¶

Jenkins: blueocean --- Modern pipeline visualization UI.

GitHub Actions: GitHub Actions tab (built-in)

Complexity: XS --- GitHub Actions provides native workflow visualization showing job graph, duration, status, and log streaming. No plugin needed.

13. Email Extension Plugin¶

Jenkins: email-ext --- Configurable email notifications.

GitHub Actions: dawidd6/action-send-mail@v3

- uses: dawidd6/action-send-mail@v3
  with:
      server_address: smtp.example.com
      server_port: 587
      username: ${{ secrets.MAIL_USERNAME }}
      password: ${{ secrets.MAIL_PASSWORD }}
      subject: "Build ${{ job.status }} - ${{ github.repository }}"
      body: "See run at ${{ github.server_url }}/${{ github.repository }}/actions/runs/${{ github.run_id }}"
      to: team@example.com

Complexity: S --- Direct mapping with SMTP configuration.

14. Pipeline Stage View Plugin¶

Jenkins: pipeline-stage-view --- Visualizes pipeline stages in Jenkins UI.

GitHub Actions: Built-in workflow visualization

Complexity: XS --- Native in GitHub Actions UI. No equivalent needed.

15. Timestamper Plugin¶

Jenkins: timestamper --- Adds timestamps to console output.

GitHub Actions: Built-in (all log lines are timestamped)

Complexity: XS --- Automatic; no configuration needed.

16. AnsiColor Plugin¶

Jenkins: ansicolor --- Renders ANSI escape codes in console output.

GitHub Actions: Built-in (ANSI colors rendered natively)

Complexity: XS --- Automatic; no configuration needed.

17. Workspace Cleanup Plugin¶

Jenkins: ws-cleanup --- Cleans workspace before or after build.

GitHub Actions: Not needed (hosted runners are ephemeral)

Complexity: XS --- Hosted runners provide a fresh workspace for every job. Self-hosted runners should use a cleanup step.

18. Matrix Authorization Strategy Plugin¶

Jenkins: matrix-auth --- Fine-grained permissions per user/group/job.

GitHub Actions: Repository permissions + organization roles + environment protection rules

Complexity: M --- Different model. GitHub uses repository-level access control with environment protection for deployment authorization.

19. NodeJS Plugin¶

Jenkins: nodejs --- Installs and manages Node.js versions.

GitHub Actions: actions/setup-node@v4

- uses: actions/setup-node@v4
  with:
      node-version: 20
      cache: npm
      registry-url: https://npm.pkg.github.com

Complexity: XS --- Drop-in replacement with built-in caching support.

20. Maven Integration Plugin¶

Jenkins: maven-plugin --- Maven build integration.

GitHub Actions: actions/setup-java@v4 + run: mvn

- uses: actions/setup-java@v4
  with:
      java-version: 17
      distribution: temurin
      cache: maven
- run: mvn -B verify

Complexity: XS --- Setup Java action handles JDK installation and Maven caching.

21. Azure CLI Plugin¶

Jenkins: azure-cli --- Runs Azure CLI commands with Azure credentials.

GitHub Actions: azure/login@v2 + run: az ...

- uses: azure/login@v2
  with:
      client-id: ${{ secrets.AZURE_CLIENT_ID }}
      tenant-id: ${{ secrets.AZURE_TENANT_ID }}
      subscription-id: ${{ secrets.AZURE_SUBSCRIPTION_ID }}
- run: az group list

Complexity: S --- OIDC federation eliminates stored credentials.

22. Azure Credentials Plugin¶

Jenkins: azure-credentials --- Manages Azure service principal credentials.

GitHub Actions: OIDC federation (no stored credentials)

Complexity: S --- OIDC eliminates credential storage entirely. See Secret Migration Guide.

23. Terraform Plugin¶

Jenkins: terraform --- Terraform plan/apply integration.

GitHub Actions: hashicorp/setup-terraform@v3

- uses: hashicorp/setup-terraform@v3
  with:
      terraform_version: 1.7.0
- run: terraform init
- run: terraform plan -out=tfplan
- run: terraform apply tfplan

Complexity: S --- Direct mapping. Terraform Cloud integration also available.

24. GitHub Branch Source Plugin¶

Jenkins: github-branch-source --- Enables multibranch pipeline discovery from GitHub.

GitHub Actions: Not needed (native GitHub integration)

Complexity: XS --- GitHub Actions runs directly in the repository; no external discovery needed.

25. Pipeline Utility Steps Plugin¶

Jenkins: pipeline-utility-steps --- Utility steps (readJSON, readYAML, zip, unzip).

GitHub Actions: Shell commands or dedicated actions

# Read JSON
- id: read-json
  run: echo "version=$(jq -r '.version' package.json)" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT

# Zip
- run: zip -r artifact.zip dist/

# Unzip
- run: unzip artifact.zip -d output/

Complexity: S --- Shell commands replace utility steps. jq, yq, zip, unzip are pre-installed on hosted runners.

26. Publish Over SSH Plugin¶

Jenkins: publish-over-ssh --- Deploys artifacts via SSH/SCP.

GitHub Actions: appleboy/scp-action@v0.1 + appleboy/ssh-action@v1

- uses: appleboy/scp-action@v0.1
  with:
      host: ${{ secrets.SSH_HOST }}
      username: ${{ secrets.SSH_USER }}
      key: ${{ secrets.SSH_KEY }}
      source: dist/*
      target: /var/www/app/

- uses: appleboy/ssh-action@v1
  with:
      host: ${{ secrets.SSH_HOST }}
      username: ${{ secrets.SSH_USER }}
      key: ${{ secrets.SSH_KEY }}
      script: sudo systemctl restart app

Complexity: S --- Direct mapping with separate actions for file transfer and command execution.

27. Docker Compose Build Step Plugin¶

Jenkins: docker-compose-build-step --- Runs Docker Compose in pipeline.

GitHub Actions: run: docker compose up (Docker Compose is pre-installed)

- run: docker compose -f docker-compose.test.yml up --abort-on-container-exit
- run: docker compose -f docker-compose.test.yml down

Complexity: XS --- Docker Compose V2 is pre-installed on GitHub-hosted runners.

28. Cobertura Plugin¶

Jenkins: cobertura --- Code coverage reporting.

GitHub Actions: irongut/CodeCoverageSummary@v1 or codecov/codecov-action@v4

- uses: codecov/codecov-action@v4
  with:
      files: coverage/cobertura.xml
      token: ${{ secrets.CODECOV_TOKEN }}

Complexity: S --- Codecov, Coveralls, or custom summary actions replace Cobertura.

29. Build Timeout Plugin¶

Jenkins: build-timeout --- Sets maximum build duration.

GitHub Actions: timeout-minutes: on job (built-in)

jobs:
    build:
        timeout-minutes: 30
        runs-on: ubuntu-latest

Complexity: XS --- Direct mapping. Also supported at step level.

30. Parameterized Trigger Plugin¶

Jenkins: parameterized-trigger --- Triggers downstream jobs with parameters.

GitHub Actions: workflow_dispatch API call or workflow_run trigger

# Trigger another workflow via API
- run: |
      gh workflow run deploy.yml \
        --field environment=staging \
        --field version=${{ github.sha }}
  env:
      GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}

Complexity: S --- Use gh CLI or GitHub API to trigger workflows with inputs.

Summary table¶

Plugins with no direct equivalent¶

Some Jenkins plugins have no marketplace action equivalent and require alternative approaches:

Next steps¶

1. Export your plugin list --- In Jenkins, go to Manage Jenkins > Plugins > Installed and export the list.
2. Cross-reference this table --- Identify which plugins have XS/S mappings (migrate first) and which need custom solutions.
3. Migrate credentials --- Many plugins are authentication-related. See Secret Migration Guide.
4. Start converting pipelines --- Follow the Pipeline Migration Guide.