Artifact retention policies in Jenkins - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is an artifact in Jenkins?

An artifact is a file or set of files produced by a Jenkins build, such as compiled code, reports, or logs, that can be saved and used later.

beginner

Why do we need artifact retention policies in Jenkins?

To control how long build artifacts are kept, saving storage space and keeping Jenkins clean by deleting old or unnecessary files automatically.

intermediate

How can you configure artifact retention in a Jenkins job?

By setting 'Discard old builds' in the job configuration and specifying how many builds or days to keep artifacts and builds.

beginner

What happens if you do not set an artifact retention policy?

Artifacts and builds will be kept forever, which can use a lot of disk space and slow down Jenkins over time.

intermediate

Can artifact retention policies be automated in Jenkins pipelines?

Yes, using pipeline scripts you can add steps to delete old artifacts or limit how many builds keep artifacts automatically.

What is the main purpose of artifact retention policies in Jenkins?

A To backup artifacts to cloud storage

B To speed up the build process

C To increase the number of builds stored

D To save disk space by deleting old build artifacts

Artifact retention policies help manage disk space by removing old or unnecessary build artifacts.

Where do you configure artifact retention settings in a Jenkins freestyle job?

A In the 'Discard old builds' section of the job configuration

B In the Jenkins global settings

C In the build triggers section

D In the post-build actions

The 'Discard old builds' section allows you to set how many builds and artifacts to keep.

What is a risk of not setting artifact retention policies?

A Jenkins will delete all builds automatically

B Artifacts will be uploaded to the wrong location

C Disk space may fill up causing Jenkins to slow down or fail

D Builds will not run

Without retention policies, artifacts accumulate and can fill disk space, impacting Jenkins performance.

Can artifact retention be controlled in Jenkins pipelines?

A No, only freestyle jobs support retention policies

B Yes, using pipeline scripts to delete or limit artifacts

C Only by installing plugins

D Only through Jenkins global configuration

Pipeline scripts can include steps to manage artifact retention automatically.

Which of these is NOT a typical retention policy setting in Jenkins?

A Maximum artifact file size

B Number of days to keep builds

C Number of builds to keep

D Delete artifacts older than a certain date

Jenkins retention policies do not usually limit artifact file size, but focus on build count or age.

Explain how artifact retention policies help maintain Jenkins performance and storage.

Think about what happens if old files are never deleted.

Describe the steps to set up artifact retention in a Jenkins freestyle job.

Look for the section that controls old build cleanup.