Artifacts & Workspace Management – Overview
This section covers how Jenkins handles build outputs and data sharing. Misunderstanding artifacts and workspaces is a common cause of data loss, flaky pipelines, and disk issues.
What Are Artifacts in Jenkins?
Artifacts are files produced during a build that Jenkins preserves after execution.
Examples:
- Test reports (HTML, XML)
- Logs
- Build outputs (JAR, WAR)
- Screenshots
Artifacts help with:
- Debugging
- Auditing
- Traceability
Workspace vs Artifacts (High-Level)
| Concept | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Workspace | Temporary execution directory |
| Artifacts | Persisted build outputs |
Workspace is temporary. Artifacts are retained.
Why This Section Matters
Real-world pipelines must:
- Share data between stages
- Preserve reports after build
- Manage disk usage safely
- Track artifact lineage
Without proper artifact handling:
- Builds become non-repeatable
- Debugging becomes impossible
- Jenkins disks fill up
Core Concepts Covered
This section is split into focused documents:
archiveArtifacts(persisting files)stash/unstash(sharing data between stages)- Fingerprints (tracking artifact usage)
- Copy Artifacts (sharing between jobs)
Each concept has real-world examples and pitfalls.
Typical Real-World Scenarios
- Archive test reports after execution
- Stash build output and unstash in deploy stage
- Copy artifacts from upstream jobs
- Track which build produced which artifact
Common Beginner Mistakes
- Assuming workspace is preserved
- Using stash instead of archiveArtifacts
- No artifact retention policy
- Storing huge files unnecessarily
Interview Perspective
- Difference between stash and archiveArtifacts is frequently asked
- Artifact lifecycle questions are common
- Disk usage problems are real-world discussion topics