How do you handle artifact storage and retention in continuous delivery?

1 Choose a suitable artifact repository

An artifact repository is a centralized storage system that provides version control, security, access control, metadata, and search capabilities for artifacts. It allows you to store and manage artifacts efficiently and consistently across different environments and teams. There are various types of artifact repositories, such as generic, language-specific, or package-specific. Some examples are Nexus, Artifactory, GitHub Packages, NPM Registry, and Docker Hub. You should choose an artifact repository that meets your needs and supports the formats and protocols that you use.

2 Define a clear naming convention

A naming convention is a set of rules or guidelines that define how to name and organize artifacts. A good naming convention should be consistent, descriptive, and meaningful. It should include information such as artifact type, project name, version number, build number, environment, date, and time. A naming convention can help you avoid confusion, duplication, and conflicts among artifacts. It can also help you find and retrieve artifacts easily and accurately.

3 Implement a retention policy

A retention policy is a set of rules or criteria that determine how long to keep artifacts and when to delete them. A retention policy can help you optimize your storage space, reduce costs, and comply with regulations. A retention policy should be based on factors such as artifact usage, value, frequency, and dependency. For example, you may want to keep artifacts that are used in production or testing longer than artifacts that are used in development or experimentation. You may also want to keep artifacts that are part of a release or a milestone longer than artifacts that are part of a snapshot or a branch.

4 Use a cleanup strategy

A cleanup strategy is a process or a tool that helps you implement your retention policy and remove unnecessary or outdated artifacts. A cleanup strategy can be manual or automated, depending on your preferences and resources. A manual cleanup strategy involves manually checking and deleting artifacts based on your retention policy. An automated cleanup strategy involves using scripts, commands, or tools that can perform cleanup tasks periodically or on demand. For example, you can use cron jobs, Jenkins pipelines, or repository features to automate your cleanup strategy.

5 Monitor and audit your artifact storage

Monitoring and auditing your artifact storage is a good practice to ensure that your artifact management is effective and efficient. Monitoring involves collecting and analyzing metrics and data about your artifact storage, such as size, usage, performance, availability, and security. Auditing involves checking and verifying that your artifact storage complies with your policies, standards, and regulations. Monitoring and auditing can help you identify and resolve issues, optimize your storage capacity and performance, and improve your security and compliance.