# Remote Build Trigger of Jenkins Jobs

#### How to use an API request to build your Jenkins jobs with authentication.

Jenkins is a powerful, free and open-source software which aids in automating the parts of building, deployment and testing of an application.

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*usnItHWo44YiKTNvpnT6UA.png align="center")

Jenkins is used heavily in companies as it is such a popular CI/CD tool. Jenkins provides a number of functionalities, however, what we are going to focus today on is Jenkins builds.

Jenkins builds can be triggered in a couple of ways one popular way is when we push code to a git-hub repository, today we are going to see how to initiate a Jenkins build trigger by sending a request to our Jenkins server using python.

**Step 1: Log in** to your Jenkins Server.

In my case, I have configured Jenkins in my localhost system.

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*WDTkoAF0dfP_MnvpJC1gWQ.png align="center")

User: DevOps login to Jenkins Server

**Step 2:** Create a unique token for your user.

Head over to Jenkins → { your user } -> Configure and create a new API Token.

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*ldcpkUVR6zEMsi9J1-sCnA.png align="center")

API Token

This API token can only be used by that particular user, make sure to note down the token as it cannot be viewed later on.

**Step 3:** Configure Job.

Let's start configuring the job now, to keep it simple we will be running a bash script which will take parameterised inputs and write it to a file.

First, enter the parameters.

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*o9VJbWnOm-iwNXp8dLa-gQ.png align="center")

The main parameters required

Next, we write the bash script we want to run which takes the parameters and writes it to a file in /tmp/sample.txt

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*aMwDmh5KQvVUji4sSfCQDg.png align="center")

The main bash code

**Step 4:** Get a unique token for the job.

To trigger builds remotely Jenkins under Build Trigger provides an option called Trigger Builds Remotely through which a URL can be set to trigger the builds, this token can be set manually by the user.

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*m-efi6Ey_pw8cU4WKlWCYA.png align="center")

Set Jenkins Job token

If the option of build trigger remotely is not available you have to enable a plugin [Authentication Tokens API Plugin](https://plugins.jenkins.io/authentication-tokens) and also in user settings enable this option under manage Jenkins -> configure global security.

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*tbihX0Of-48WU6J4gjJfjw.png align="center")

Set security realm

**Step 5:** Python Script

The URL where we will be sending our request will be something like this:

```plaintext
URL = {jenkins-server}/job/{job-name}/buildWithParameters?token={job-token}
```

and the unique user's tokens are stored in a tuple.

```plaintext
auth = ( {username} , {user-token}
```

we use the python requests package to send a get request to the URL storing the parameters we want to pass in a params dictionary.

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*sjnUHZ2mACo7dTryswU04w.png align="center")

Python code

The jenkins\_params holds the parameters we need in JSON format, headers used is content-type: application/JSON

Execute the python script and your job must run successfully returning a status code of 201.

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*AqGFT-HbN4aOQeZ5e8Rc5Q.png align="center")

printing the URL and params

Check the console output of the job and also your file at /tmp/sample.txt

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*3NQ_3aEzgw8YTvlKCW43Gg.png align="center")

Successfully executed

The scripts can be found in this repository [https://github.com/DiptoChakrabarty/Jenkins-QuickStart](https://github.com/DiptoChakrabarty/Jenkins-QuickStart)

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This was just a small sneak peek into what Jenkins is and how to initiate a Jenkins build trigger by sending a request to our Jenkins server.

*Feel free to respond to this blog below for any doubts and clarifications.*