When dealing with Jenkins storage management, it's crucial to understand the two key directories:

• workspace/ - Contains active working copies during build execution
• jobs/ - Stores historical build data, configurations, and artifacts

Using deleteDir() in the post-build section is a good start, but has limitations:

post {
    always {
        deleteDir()  // Only cleans current workspace, not historical data
    }
}

While you can manually delete contents, consider these precautions:

1. Stop Jenkins service before deletion
2. Back up $JENKINS_HOME entirely
3. Use Jenkins' built-in tools first

1. Using Discard Old Build Plugin

Configure in job settings:

options {
    buildDiscarder(logRotator(
        daysToKeepStr: '7',
        numToKeepStr: '10',
        artifactDaysToKeepStr: '7',
        artifactNumToKeepStr: '5'
    ))
}

2. Groovy Script Console Cleanup

For bulk operations, run this in Script Console:

Jenkins.instance.getAllItems(Job.class).each { job ->
    if (job.isBuildable()) {
        job.builds.each { build ->
            if (build.number < job.nextBuildNumber - 20) {
                build.delete()
            }
        }
    }
}

3. Workspace Cleanup Plugin

Add this to your pipeline:

cleanWs(
    cleanWhenAborted: true,
    cleanWhenFailure: true,
    cleanWhenNotBuilt: true,
    cleanWhenSuccess: true,
    deleteDirs: true
)

If you must delete manually:

1. Stop Jenkins: sudo systemctl stop jenkins
2. Navigate to $JENKINS_HOME
3. For workspaces: rm -rf workspace/*
4. For jobs: find jobs -name "builds" -exec rm -rf {}/[0-9]* \;
5. Restart Jenkins: sudo systemctl start jenkins

Install the Disk Usage plugin to track space and set up alerts. Configure in Manage Jenkins > System Configuration.

---

When managing a Jenkins instance, it's crucial to understand two key directories under $JENKINS_HOME:

jobs/
  └── [job_name]/
      ├── builds/
      ├── workspace/
      └── config.xml
workspace/
  └── [job_name]/
      └── [working_files]

While manually deleting files might seem straightforward, consider these safer methods:

Method 1: Using Built-in Jenkins Cleanup

The safest approach is through Jenkins' web interface:

1. Navigate to Manage Jenkins → Script Console
2. Run this Groovy script:

import hudson.model.*
import jenkins.model.Jenkins

// Clean workspaces
Jenkins.instance.computers.each { computer ->
  computer.workspaceCleanup()
}

// Clean builds older than 30 days
Jenkins.instance.getAllItems(Job.class).each { job ->
  job.builds.findAll { it.number.toInteger() < job.nextBuildNumber - 30 }.each { 
    it.delete() 
  }
}

Method 2: Pipeline Post-Action Cleanup

For ongoing maintenance, modify your pipelines:

pipeline {
  agent any
  stages {
    stage('Build') {
      steps {
        // Your build steps
      }
    }
  }
  post {
    always {
      cleanWs()  // Prefer over deleteDir() for Jenkins workspaces
      script {
        // Keep last 10 builds
        currentBuild.getRawBuild().getParent().getBuilds()
          .drop(10)
          .each { build ->
            build.delete()
          }
      }
    }
  }
}

If you must delete files manually:

# Recommended procedure for manual cleanup
cd $JENKINS_HOME
# For workspaces (safe to delete)
find workspace/ -mindepth 1 -maxdepth 1 -type d -exec rm -rf {} \;

# For job artifacts (more dangerous)
find jobs/ -path "*/builds/*" -not -path "*/last*" -type d -mtime +30 -exec rm -rf {} \;

Critical notes:

• Never delete the jobs/[job_name]/config.xml files
• Stop Jenkins before major manual deletions
• Create backups before proceeding

For enterprise environments, consider these plugins:

# Recommended plugins
- Workspace Cleanup Plugin
- JobConfigHistory Plugin
- ThinBackup Plugin

Configuration example for Workspace Cleanup Plugin:

// In Jenkinsfile
cleanWs(
  cleanWhenAborted: true,
  cleanWhenFailure: true,
  cleanWhenNotBuilt: true,
  cleanWhenSuccess: true,
  deleteDirs: true
)