
By Automic Blog | Article Rating: |
|
March 11, 2016 07:00 PM EST | Reads: |
238 |
Why You Need an Artifact Repository for Continuous Delivery
By Ron Gidron
Both prospects and customers often ask me why we need an artifact repository. Some think that as their favorite CI (Continuous Integration) server such as Jenkins already stores the output of each build, maybe there's no need to add an artifact repository to their existing tool chain. Others simply wonder why they need such a repository at all.
In this blog post I'll discuss why it's essential for any continuous delivery and deployment project to version everything, and why artifact repositories such as Artifactory or Nexus are great choices for managing binary and other artifacts.
What repositories do
Let's start with some basics: Artifact repositories manage collections of artifacts (binaries or any type of files really) and metadata in a defined directory structure. They are typically used by software build tools such as Maven (in the Java world) as sources for retrieving and storing needed artifacts. But there is really no limit to what you can store in an artifact repository. Some examples:
- Any type of binary
- Source archives
- Flash archives
- Documentation bundles
Why use a repository?
Artifact repositories are great at managing multilevel dependencies, much better then the old text file with a list that developers update and maintain. This dependency management is critical for reducing errors and ensuring the right pieces make it with each build/deployment/release, especially in large-scale business applications.
Repositories also support the notion of snapshot and release versions, where snapshots are intermediate versions of said artifact (usually marked with a data and timestamp attached to the version number) and release versions are those that are marked for "official" release. Metadata that describes each artifact and its dependencies is great for governance and security.
How repositories work
Artifact repositories use a standard addressing mechanism for accessing artifacts, which really simplifies automation. It also assists the parameterization of searching and retrieving versioned artifacts from these repositories, often using a REST call with a URL translation for the directory structure...OK, now I'm geeking out more than is necessary for this blog entry!
Basically, if you're in the process of designing a continuous delivery and automated deployment process for either an application, a department or even your entire IT landscape, we highly recommend you take a look at an artifact repository and make sure to version everything.
Published March 11, 2016 Reads 238
Copyright © 2016 SYS-CON Media, Inc. — All Rights Reserved.
Syndicated stories and blog feeds, all rights reserved by the author.
More Stories By Automic Blog
Automic, a leader in business automation, helps enterprises drive competitive advantage by automating their IT factory - from on-premise to the Cloud, Big Data and the Internet of Things.
With offices across North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, Automic powers over 2,600 customers including Bosch, PSA, BT, Carphone Warehouse, Deutsche Post, Societe Generale, TUI and Swisscom. The company is privately held by EQT. More information can be found at www.automic.com.
![]() Mar. 12, 2016 02:30 AM EST Reads: 328 |
By Elizabeth White ![]() Mar. 12, 2016 12:45 AM EST Reads: 397 |
By Elizabeth White ![]() Mar. 11, 2016 08:00 PM EST Reads: 236 |
By Elizabeth White ![]() Mar. 11, 2016 08:00 PM EST Reads: 397 |
By Elizabeth White ![]() Mar. 11, 2016 05:45 PM EST Reads: 535 |
By Pat Romanski ![]() Mar. 11, 2016 05:30 PM EST Reads: 427 |
By Liz McMillan ![]() Mar. 11, 2016 05:30 PM EST Reads: 432 |
By Pat Romanski Mar. 11, 2016 03:45 PM EST Reads: 272 |
By Liz McMillan ![]() Mar. 11, 2016 03:45 PM EST Reads: 301 |
By Elizabeth White ![]() Mar. 11, 2016 03:45 PM EST Reads: 407 |
By Liz McMillan ![]() Mar. 11, 2016 03:45 PM EST Reads: 334 |
By Pat Romanski ![]() Mar. 11, 2016 02:30 PM EST Reads: 506 |
By Pat Romanski ![]() Mar. 11, 2016 01:45 PM EST Reads: 284 |
By Pat Romanski ![]() Mar. 11, 2016 01:45 PM EST Reads: 255 |
By Liz McMillan ![]() Mar. 11, 2016 12:00 PM EST Reads: 302 |
By Elizabeth White ![]() Mar. 11, 2016 12:00 PM EST Reads: 271 |
By Pat Romanski ![]() Mar. 11, 2016 11:00 AM EST Reads: 673 |
By Liz McMillan Mar. 11, 2016 09:45 AM EST Reads: 275 |
By Elizabeth White ![]() Mar. 11, 2016 09:00 AM EST Reads: 470 |
By Pat Romanski ![]() Mar. 11, 2016 08:45 AM EST Reads: 268 |