Jenkinsdevops~10 mins

Artifact retention policies in Jenkins - Step-by-Step Execution

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Process Flow - Artifact retention policies

Build completes

↓

Store artifacts

↓

Check retention policy

↓

Is artifact older than limit?

No→Keep artifact

Yes↓

Delete artifact

↓

End

This flow shows how Jenkins stores build artifacts, then checks if they are older than the retention policy allows, deleting them if so.

Execution Sample

Jenkins

pipeline {
  agent any
  options {
    buildDiscarder(logRotator(numToKeepStr: '3', artifactNumToKeepStr: '2'))
  }
  stages {
    stage('Build') { steps { echo 'Building...' } }
  }
}

This Jenkins pipeline keeps only the last 3 builds and retains artifacts only for the last 2 builds.

Process Table

Step	Build Number	Artifacts Stored	Retention Policy Check	Action
1	Build #1	Stored	No older builds to delete	Keep artifacts
2	Build #2	Stored	No older builds to delete	Keep artifacts
3	Build #3	Stored	Build #1 artifacts older than 2 builds	Delete Build #1 artifacts
4	Build #4	Stored	Build #2 artifacts older than 2 builds	Delete Build #2 artifacts
5	Build #5	Stored	Build #3 artifacts older than 2 builds	Delete Build #3 artifacts
6	Build #6	Stored	Build #4 artifacts older than 2 builds	Delete Build #4 artifacts
7	Build #7	Stored	Build #5 artifacts older than 2 builds	Delete Build #5 artifacts
8	Build #8	Stored	Build #6 artifacts older than 2 builds	Delete Build #6 artifacts
9	Build #9	Stored	Build #7 artifacts older than 2 builds	Delete Build #7 artifacts
10	Build #10	Stored	Build #8 artifacts older than 2 builds	Delete Build #8 artifacts

💡 After Build #10, only artifacts from builds #9 and #10 are kept as per retention policy.

Status Tracker

Build Number	Artifacts Stored	Artifacts Deleted
#1	Yes	No
#2	Yes	No
#3	Yes	No
#4	Yes	No
#5	Yes	No
#6	Yes	No
#7	Yes	No
#8	Yes	No
#9	Yes	No
#10	Yes	No

Key Moments - 3 Insights

Why are artifacts from Build #1 deleted after Build #3?

Does the retention policy delete the entire build or just the artifacts?

What happens if the retention policy is set to keep 0 artifacts?

Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

Test your understanding

Look at the execution table, at which build number are artifacts from Build #2 deleted?

ABuild #4

BBuild #5

CBuild #3

DBuild #6

Concept Snapshot

Jenkins artifact retention policies control how many build artifacts to keep.
Use 'buildDiscarder' with 'logRotator' to set limits.
Example: keep last 3 builds, artifacts for last 2 builds.
Older artifacts are deleted automatically after new builds.
This saves disk space and keeps recent artifacts accessible.

Full Transcript

This visual execution shows how Jenkins handles artifact retention. After each build, Jenkins stores artifacts. It then checks if artifacts are older than the retention policy allows. If yes, Jenkins deletes those old artifacts. For example, with a policy to keep artifacts for only the last 2 builds, artifacts from Build #1 are deleted after Build #3 completes. The execution table tracks each build's artifacts storage and deletion actions. The variable tracker shows which builds have artifacts stored or deleted over time. Key moments clarify common confusions like why only artifacts are deleted, not builds, and how the retention policy affects artifact lifespan. The quiz tests understanding of when artifacts are deleted and how changing the policy affects retention. The snapshot summarizes how to configure and what the policy does in Jenkins pipelines.

Build Number	Artifacts Stored	Artifacts Deleted
#1	Yes	No
#2	Yes	No
#3	Yes	No
#4	Yes	No
#5	Yes	No
#6	Yes	No
#7	Yes	No
#8	Yes	No
#9	Yes	No
#10	Yes	No

Build Number	Artifacts Stored	Artifacts Deleted
#1	Yes	No
#2	Yes	No
#3	Yes	No
#4	Yes	No
#5	Yes	No
#6	Yes	No
#7	Yes	No
#8	Yes	No
#9	Yes	No
#10	Yes	No

Build Number	Artifacts Stored	Artifacts Deleted
#1	Yes	No
#2	Yes	No
#3	Yes	No
#4	Yes	No
#5	Yes	No
#6	Yes	No
#7	Yes	No
#8	Yes	No
#9	Yes	No
#10	Yes	No