Eclipse Hudson
Continuous integration tools
DevOps software
CI/CD tools
- Features
- Ease of use
- Ease of management
- Quality of support
- Affordability
- Market presence
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What is Eclipse Hudson
Eclipse Hudson is an open-source continuous integration server used to automate build, test, and packaging workflows for software projects. It is typically used by development and DevOps teams to run jobs on a schedule or in response to source control changes and to publish build results and artifacts. Hudson is Java-based and extensible through plugins, with a web UI for job configuration and monitoring. It is commonly deployed on self-managed infrastructure rather than as a fully managed service.
Mature CI job model
Hudson provides a well-understood model for defining CI jobs, running builds on agents, and tracking build history. It supports common CI patterns such as scheduled builds, parameterized jobs, and post-build actions. For teams that need a straightforward CI server, the core workflow is stable and familiar. This can reduce process change compared with adopting newer, opinionated delivery platforms.
Plugin-based extensibility
Hudson supports extensions via plugins to integrate with build tools, version control systems, and notification endpoints. This allows teams to tailor the server to their toolchain without rewriting core functionality. Plugin support also enables incremental adoption, where only required integrations are added. In environments with heterogeneous stacks, this flexibility can be useful.
Self-hosted deployment control
Hudson can be installed and operated on-premises or in a private cloud, which helps organizations meet internal network and data-handling requirements. Teams can control upgrade timing, runtime configuration, and access policies. This is relevant where managed CI services are not permitted or where build workloads require custom infrastructure. It also allows integration with internal systems that are not exposed publicly.
Limited modern CD capabilities
Hudson primarily focuses on continuous integration and does not provide a comprehensive, integrated continuous delivery feature set out of the box. Advanced deployment orchestration, environment governance, and progressive delivery patterns typically require additional tooling. As a result, teams often assemble a broader CI/CD toolchain around Hudson. This increases integration and operational overhead compared with more end-to-end platforms.
Plugin ecosystem variability
Functionality often depends on plugins, and plugin quality, maintenance status, and compatibility can vary. Upgrades may require careful testing to avoid breaking changes across plugin dependencies. Organizations may need to standardize and curate a supported plugin set to keep the system reliable. This can add ongoing administrative effort.
Operational maintenance burden
Running Hudson as a self-managed server requires patching, backups, credential management, and capacity planning. High availability and scaling typically require additional infrastructure design (for example, agent pools and externalized storage). Teams without dedicated CI administration may find this burdensome. This contrasts with products that provide managed hosting and built-in scaling.
Plan & Pricing
Pricing model: Open-source / Free to download and self-host (no paid tiers) Details: Hudson is distributed under the Eclipse Public License 1.0 and the project is hosted on the Eclipse Foundation project pages. The official project pages list downloads and documentation but do not advertise any paid plans, hosted service, or commercial tiers.
Seller details
Eclipse Foundation AISBL
Brussels, Belgium
2004
Non-profit
https://www.eclipse.org/
https://x.com/EclipseFdn
https://www.linkedin.com/company/eclipse-foundation/
