Pipeline-as-Code and Visual Pipeline Editor

Harness provides both a robust "Pipeline-as-Code" approach (YAML-based) and an intuitive visual editor, making it flexible for both code-centric and UI-focused users. Pipeline definitions can be managed in Git or stored in-platform. Jenkins offers a Groovy based as-code experience, but abandoned it’s effort to create a more visual experience (Blue Ocean). 

AI-Driven Failure Remediation

Harness includes AI-based recommendations for failure remediation, helping users quickly address build and deployment issues. Logs are quickly analyzed and the AI suggests steps to remediate the broken pipelines. Jenkins does not have native AI capabilities. 

Test Intelligence for Build Acceleration

Harness’s selective test execution significantly speeds up build times, making it ideal for large codebases where test suites can be a bottleneck. Jenkins users may need to configure and manage plugins to achieve similar test efficiencies, often with limited functionality.

Continuous Verification

‍Harness’s Continuous Verification feature automates monitoring and verification after deployments, providing rapid feedback on performance and stability. Jenkins lacks native support, relying on external monitoring tools that are disconnected from the CI/CD process, adding manual oversight.

GitOps Support

Harness offers a centralized view for GitOps, and tight integration with popular GitOps tools like Argo CD and Flux, allowing easier management and visibility of deployments. Jenkins doesn’t natively support GitOps, requiring substantial customization to implement a similar solution.

Containerized Pipelines and Plugins

Harness’s containerized pipelines and plugins simplify scaling, improve reliability, and reduce the risk of dependency conflicts. Jenkins can use containerization through Docker, but it requires significant setup and expertise to manage at scale.

Automated Security and Vulnerability Management

Harness natively integrates security scanning, deduplication, and vulnerability prioritization through its Security Testing Orchestration module, streamlining DevSecOps practices. Jenkins relies heavily on third-party plugins for security, which often lack comprehensive integration and consistency across environments.

Policy-as-Code (OPA) Support

‍Harness supports Policy-as-Code via OPA (Open Policy Agent), enabling automated compliance and governance. OPA policies can ensure that while developers are given permission to edit pipelines, they can not delete critical steps like a security check or required approval. Jenkins lacks out-of-the-box support for OPA, requiring custom scripting or plugins for policy enforcement, which can be challenging to maintain.

Orchestrated Multi-Service Deployments

Harness excels in orchestrating complex multi-service and microservices deployments, ensuring consistency across services. These deployments can be extended outside of traditional service tiers, by adding Infrastructure-as-Code and Database Schema migrations to integrated pipelines. Jenkins, being primarily a CI tool, requires extensive plugin and additional tools support to target various platforms, with uneven quality across those plugins. It does not have a strong orchestration layer to tie together multiple services sourced from different builds. 

SLI/SLO Compliance (SLSA Level 3)

Harness meets SLSA Level 3 compliance standards for build integrity, supporting secure and traceable software delivery. Jenkins does not meet these standards natively, leaving organizations to manage additional security layers manually.