Terminology

This section of the documentation uses a number of terms as defined in the Jenkins UI. For a full list of the Jenkins terms, see the Jenkins user documentation.

Agent
A machine which connects to a Jenkins master and executes tasks when directed by the master.1
Job
A deprecated term, synonymous with project.
Master
The central, coordinating machine which stores configuration, loads plugins, and renders the various user interfaces for Jenkins.2
Node
A machine which is part of the Jenkins environment and capable of executing pipelines or projects. Both the master and agents are considered to be nodes.
Pipeline
A user-defined model of a continuous delivery pipeline.3
Plugin
An extension that provides additional functionality that is not provided by standard Jenkins.
Project
A user-configured description of work which Jenkins should perform, such as building a piece of software.