Overview
An artifact repository (also known as a binary repository) stores the output of the build process (e.g., JARs, WARs, Docker images, NPM packages). It provides a single source of truth for deployable components and ensures that the same artifact is used across all environments.
Key Features
- Versioning: Keeps track of different versions of an artifact.
- Access Control: Restricts who can push or pull artifacts.
- Vulnerability Scanning: Automatically checks artifacts for known security issues.
- Caching: Speeds up builds by caching external dependencies.
Popular Solutions
- JFrog Artifactory
- Sonatype Nexus
- Harbor (for Docker images)
- Cloud-native registries (Amazon ECR, Google Artifact Registry)