Jenkins UI is not working but backend is fine

Question

We are running into issues were the Jenkins UI stops working but backend is fine and is able to process all traffic.

Is there a way we can restart just the front end of jenkins ?

Thanks

Answer 1

I did some research about Jenkins UI freeze and found that in most of the times it happens due to the java garbage collector. Luckily it is something that you can configure, so this is what I suggest:

1. read about java garbage collector if you are not familiar with it.
2. enable GC logging for your Jenkins instance
3. analyze GC logs with tools such as http://gceasy.io/
4. add relevant GC flags to your Jenkins Java Opts
5. repeat 2-4 until satisfied

For further reading see:

• my slides from a talk I did about this subject: https://www.slideshare.net/TidharKleinOrbach/why-does-my-jenkins-freeze-sometimes-and-what-can-i-do-about-it
• a post I made about the subject: http://engineering.taboola.com/5-simple-tips-boosting-jenkins-performance/

more resources:

• https://www.cloudbees.com/blog/joining-big-leagues-tuning-jenkins-gc-responsiveness-and-stability
• https://jenkins.io/blog/2016/11/21/gc-tuning/