Backup, Restore, and Disaster Recovery

Scenario: Nightly volume snapshots exist, but nobody has restored one or verified encryption keys and external integrations.

Pipeline example

// Rebuild layers: pinned controller image, JCasC,
// encrypted JENKINS_HOME backup, external artifacts.

Back up irreplaceable state

JENKINS_HOME contains jobs, build records, plugin state, secrets, and encryption material. Omitting the secrets directory or master key can restore credential blobs that cannot be decrypted; copying changing files may produce inconsistency. Backups contain credentials and logs, so encrypt them, restrict access, test integrity, and apply retention as sensitive production data.

Separate reproducible layers: pin image, Java and plugins; manage global configuration and seed jobs as code; keep Jenkinsfiles in SCM; keep release binaries externally. Back up remaining durable state at a consistent boundary. Inventory DNS, TLS, identity provider, webhook URLs, artifact services, and agent credentials required after restoration.

Restore exercises define recovery

Restore into isolation with triggers and deployment egress disabled. Start expected versions and verify decryption, login, permissions, history, Pipeline loading, external links, and an agent smoke build. Measure actual recovery point and recovery time, then update the runbook and protect or rotate exercise credentials.

Disaster planning includes controller loss, agent fleet loss, and artifact repository dependency. A nightly snapshot proves that a backup task ran. Only a timed restore proving identities, configuration, history, and execution demonstrates recoverability.

Goal: Practice the concrete behavior in jenkins-scm-trigger-recovery. Learn sections have no Jenkins terminal; the Jenkins lab opens the real shared service in a new full-screen tab inside your private folder.