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Jenkins: Accessing Private NPM Repository

For a Jenkins build server to publish packages to an NPM repository, the jenkins user account must be able to authenticate to the NPM repository.

We have a couple ways to do this:

  • Run a one-time pipeline step that will create the jenkins user.
  • Run as a jenkins user in a shell

For either method, we need to install a package, called: npm-cli-adduser.

Do this, to install it:

npm install -g npm-cli-adduser

The above, will install the tool, globally.
So, there shouldn't be a need to install in a Jenkins user shell session.

Next, we need to decide which method we will employ to create the new NPM repository user and get an authentication token for it.

Regardless of the choice, a successful outcome will create a new account on the repository, and give Jenkins an authentication token for publishing packages.

One-Time Pipeline Step

Doing this method involves creating a temporary Jenkins build job that includes the following pipeline step:

// NOTE: If you have to do this again, set the password to something valid.
stage('Add User')
  {
    // This step is enabled once, to add the jenkins user to the registry, under the jenkins service account context.
    steps
    {
        // NOTE: Make sure the user name is unique.
        // We don't really care about what it is, as we only want the auth token put in the jenkins ~/ folder.
        sh "npm-cli-adduser -u <username> -p <set-a-valid-password> -e LeeWhite187@gmail.com -r https://npmrepo.ogsofttech.com:4873/"
      }
    }

NOTE: Be sure to a username and password that Jenkins will use to authenticate to the NPM repository.

Running the above pipeline step in a build job will create the user on the NPM repository, and return an authentication token that will be stored in the Jenkins home folder "~/".

From a Jenkins Shell

Open an SSH connection to the Jenkins build server, and execute the following to gain a shell session as the jenkins system account:

sudo su jenkins

NOTE: If you haven't already modified the kjenkins account to have a defined shell and profile, follow the steps, here: Ubuntu: Converting a System Account to Interactive

With a shell open as the jenkins user, we can run the same command as the pipeline, above:

npm-cli-adduser -u jenkins-build<username> -p <set-a-valid-password> -e LeeWhite187@gmail.com -r https://npmrepo.ogsofttech.com:4873/

NOTE: Be sure to a username and password that Jenkins will use to authenticate to the NPM repository.

Success

Once we've done either of the above methods, the Jenkins build server will have an auth token that it can used to publish packages to the NPM repository.

 

 

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