Artifact retention policies in Jenkins - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to set the number of builds to keep in Jenkins.

Jenkins

properties([buildDiscarder(logRotator(numToKeepStr: '[1]'))])

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A10

B5

C20

D0

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 0 will keep no builds, which might delete all artifacts.

The numToKeepStr parameter sets how many builds Jenkins keeps. Here, 5 means only the last 5 builds are kept.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to keep artifacts for 14 days in Jenkins.

Jenkins

properties([buildDiscarder(logRotator(artifactDaysToKeepStr: '[1]'))])

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A7

B0

C14

D30

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 0, which deletes artifacts immediately.

The artifactDaysToKeepStr parameter sets how many days Jenkins keeps build artifacts. 14 means artifacts older than 14 days are deleted.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the retention policy syntax.

Jenkins

properties([buildDiscarder(logRotator(numToKeepStr: '[1]', daysToKeepStr: '10'))])

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A10

B0

C-10

Dten

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using words like 'ten' instead of '10'.

Using negative numbers.

The numToKeepStr must be a string representing a positive integer. '10' is correct; 'ten' is invalid.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to keep 7 builds and artifacts for 30 days.

Jenkins

properties([buildDiscarder(logRotator(numToKeepStr: '[1]', artifactDaysToKeepStr: '[2]'))])

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A7

B14

C30

D0

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Mixing up the two parameters.

Using 0 which disables retention.

numToKeepStr is set to 7 to keep 7 builds, and artifactDaysToKeepStr is set to 30 to keep artifacts for 30 days.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to keep 10 builds, artifacts for 7 days, and no artifact days limit.

Jenkins

properties([buildDiscarder(logRotator(numToKeepStr: '[1]', daysToKeepStr: '[2]', artifactDaysToKeepStr: '[3]'))])

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A10

B7

C0

D5

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Confusing artifactDaysToKeepStr with daysToKeepStr.

Using non-numeric values.

Set numToKeepStr to 10 builds, daysToKeepStr to 7 days, and artifactDaysToKeepStr to 0 to disable artifact days limit.

Practice

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

easy

A. To manage disk space by deleting old build files

B. To speed up the build process by caching dependencies

C. To increase the number of builds stored indefinitely

D. To automatically trigger builds on code changes

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand artifact retention policies

   Artifact retention policies control how long build files are kept to avoid using too much disk space.

2. Step 2: Identify the main goal

   The main goal is to delete old build files to free up disk space.

3. Final Answer:

   To manage disk space by deleting old build files -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Artifact retention = disk space management [OK]

Hint: Retention policies delete old builds to save space [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing retention with build triggering
• Thinking retention speeds up builds
• Assuming retention keeps all builds forever

2. Which Jenkins pipeline syntax correctly sets a retention policy to keep only the last 5 builds?

easy

A. archiveArtifacts(numToKeepStr: '5')

B. buildDiscarder(keepLast: 5)

C. buildDiscarder(logRotator(numToKeepStr: '5'))

D. archiveArtifacts(logRotator(numToKeepStr: '5'))

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify correct syntax for retention

   Retention uses buildDiscarder with logRotator to specify how many builds to keep.

2. Step 2: Check option correctness

   buildDiscarder(logRotator(numToKeepStr: '5')) uses correct syntax: buildDiscarder(logRotator(numToKeepStr: '5')). Others misuse archiveArtifacts or wrong parameters.

3. Final Answer:

   buildDiscarder(logRotator(numToKeepStr: '5')) -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Retention uses buildDiscarder + logRotator [OK]

Hint: Retention = buildDiscarder with logRotator [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using archiveArtifacts to set retention
• Wrong parameter names like keepLast
• Nesting logRotator inside archiveArtifacts

3. Given this Jenkins pipeline snippet:

pipeline {
  options {
    buildDiscarder(logRotator(numToKeepStr: '3', daysToKeepStr: '7'))
  }
  stages {
    stage('Build') {
      steps {
        echo 'Building...'
      }
    }
  }
}

What happens to builds older than 7 days or beyond the last 3 builds?

medium

A. They are deleted to free disk space

B. They are archived permanently

C. They trigger a new build automatically

D. They are kept indefinitely

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand logRotator parameters

   It keeps only the last 3 builds and deletes builds older than 7 days.

2. Step 2: Determine effect on old builds

   Builds older than 7 days or beyond the last 3 are deleted to save space.

3. Final Answer:

   They are deleted to free disk space -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   logRotator deletes old builds [OK]

Hint: logRotator deletes builds older than days or count [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking builds are archived permanently
• Assuming builds trigger new builds
• Believing builds are kept forever

4. You wrote this Jenkins pipeline snippet to keep artifacts for 10 days:

options {
  buildDiscarder(logRotator(artifactDaysToKeep: '10'))
}

But artifacts are not deleted after 10 days. What is the likely problem?

medium

A. logRotator does not support artifact retention

B. The buildDiscarder option must be inside stages

C. You must use archiveArtifacts to delete old artifacts

D. The parameter name should be artifactDaysToKeepStr, not artifactDaysToKeep

Solution

1. Step 1: Check logRotator parameter names

   logRotator parameters for strings end with 'Str', like artifactDaysToKeepStr.

2. Step 2: Identify the syntax issue

   Missing 'Str' means the parameter is not recognized, so default retention applies and artifacts aren't deleted after 10 days.

3. Final Answer:

   The parameter name should be artifactDaysToKeepStr, not artifactDaysToKeep -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   logRotator params end with 'Str' [OK]

Hint: logRotator params like artifactDaysToKeepStr end with Str [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using wrong parameter names
• Expecting logRotator to delete artifacts
• Placing buildDiscarder outside options block

5. You want to keep artifacts only for the last 4 builds and delete older artifacts automatically, while keeping older builds. Which Jenkins pipeline snippet correctly applies this retention policy?

hard

A. steps { archiveArtifacts artifacts: '**/*', onlyIfSuccessful: true, retentionDays: 4 }

B. options { buildDiscarder(logRotator(artifactNumToKeepStr: '4')) }

C. options { buildDiscarder(logRotator(numToKeepStr: '4')) } steps { archiveArtifacts artifacts: '**/*', onlyIfSuccessful: true }

D. steps { archiveArtifacts artifacts: '**/*', keepOnlyLast: 4 }

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand roles for artifact-specific retention

   To keep artifacts from only the last 4 builds while retaining builds, use artifactNumToKeepStr.

2. Step 2: Check option correctness

   options { buildDiscarder(logRotator(artifactNumToKeepStr: '4')) }: buildDiscarder(logRotator(artifactNumToKeepStr: '4')) keeps artifacts from last 4 builds, deletes older artifacts, keeps all builds. C deletes old builds too. B/D use invalid params.

3. Final Answer:

   options { buildDiscarder(logRotator(artifactNumToKeepStr: '4')) } -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   artifactNumToKeepStr for artifacts only [OK]

Hint: artifactNumToKeepStr keeps artifacts from last N builds [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using invalid parameters like retentionDays or keepOnlyLast
• Trying to control retention only via archiveArtifacts
• Misplacing buildDiscarder outside options block