External artifact repositories (Nexus, Artifactory) in Jenkins - Step-by-Step Execution

Process Flow - External artifact repositories (Nexus, Artifactory)

Build Project

↓

Package Artifact

↓

Upload Artifact to Repository

↓

Artifact Stored in Nexus/Artifactory

↓

Other Jobs Download Artifact

↓

Deploy or Use Artifact

This flow shows how Jenkins builds a project, packages it, uploads the artifact to an external repository like Nexus or Artifactory, and then other jobs can download and use it.

Execution Sample

Jenkins

pipeline {
  agent any
  stages {
    stage('Build') {
      steps {
        sh 'mvn clean package'
      }
    }
    stage('Publish') {
      steps {
        nexusArtifactUploader artifacts: [[artifactId: 'app', file: 'target/app.jar', type: 'jar']],
          credentialsId: 'nexus-creds',
          groupId: 'com.example',
          nexusUrl: 'http://nexus.example.com',
          repository: 'maven-releases',
          version: '1.0.0'
      }
    }
  }
}

This Jenkins pipeline builds a Maven project and uploads the resulting jar artifact to a Nexus repository.

Process Table

Step	Action	Command/Plugin	Result	Notes
1	Build project	sh 'mvn clean package'	target/app.jar created	Maven compiles and packages the app
2	Prepare artifact info	Define artifactId, file, type	Artifact details ready	Needed for upload plugin
3	Upload artifact	nexusArtifactUploader plugin	Artifact uploaded to Nexus	Stored in 'maven-releases' repo
4	Verify upload	Check Nexus UI or API	Artifact visible in repository	Artifact ready for other jobs
5	Download artifact	Other Jenkins jobs use 'mvn dependency:get' or curl	Artifact retrieved	Used for deployment or testing
6	End	N/A	Process complete	Artifact lifecycle finished

💡 All steps complete; artifact successfully stored and ready for use

Status Tracker

Variable	Start	After Build	After Upload	Final
artifactFile	null	target/app.jar	target/app.jar	target/app.jar
artifactId	null	app	app	app
version	null	1.0.0	1.0.0	1.0.0
uploadStatus	not started	not started	success	success

Key Moments - 3 Insights

Why does the artifact file path need to be exact in the upload step?

Because the upload plugin uses the file path to find the artifact. If the path is wrong, the upload fails. See execution_table step 3 where 'target/app.jar' is specified.

What happens if the credentials for Nexus are incorrect?

The upload will fail with an authentication error. The pipeline will stop at step 3 in the execution_table because it cannot connect to Nexus.

How do other Jenkins jobs get the artifact after upload?

They download it from Nexus using tools like Maven or curl, as shown in step 5 of the execution_table.

Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

Look at the execution_table, what is the artifact file name after the build step?

A app.jar

B target/app.jar

C app-1.0.0.jar

D artifact.jar

💡 Hint

Check the 'Result' column in step 1 of the execution_table.

At which step does the artifact become available in the Nexus repository?

A Step 4

B Step 2

C Step 3

D Step 5

💡 Hint

Look for the step where the artifact is confirmed visible in the repository.

If the 'version' variable changed to '1.0.1', what would change in the execution_table?

A The artifact file path would change

B The upload step would fail

C The version in the upload details would be '1.0.1'

D No change at all

💡 Hint

Check the 'version' variable in variable_tracker and how it is used in the upload step.

Concept Snapshot

External artifact repositories store build outputs for reuse.
Jenkins builds and packages artifacts, then uploads them using plugins.
Artifacts are stored with groupId, artifactId, version, and repository info.
Other jobs download artifacts from Nexus or Artifactory for deployment.
Correct file paths and credentials are essential for upload success.

Full Transcript

This visual execution shows how Jenkins interacts with external artifact repositories like Nexus or Artifactory. First, Jenkins builds the project and creates an artifact file, such as a jar. Then it prepares artifact details including artifactId and version. Using a plugin like nexusArtifactUploader, Jenkins uploads the artifact to the repository. After upload, the artifact is visible and stored in Nexus. Other Jenkins jobs can then download this artifact for deployment or testing. Variables like artifactFile and version track the artifact state. Key points include ensuring the file path is correct and credentials are valid. The execution table traces each step from build to upload and verification, helping beginners see the process clearly.