In every modern CI/CD pipeline, there is one element that quietly powers the entire automation process — artifacts.
They play a crucial role in how software moves from code → build → deployment.
If you’re new to DevOps or Google Cloud, this guide will help you clearly understand:
✔ What artifacts are
✔ Why they matter in CI/CD
✔ How they are stored and managed
✔ Artifact Repository vs Container Registry
✔ Why Google recommends Artifact Registry
Let’s break it down in simple terms.
🔍 What Are Artifacts?
When your CI pipeline builds code, it produces output files.
These files — called artifacts — are the deliverables used later during deployment.
🧩 Artifacts include:
- Jar files
- Packages
- Binaries
- Docker images
- Configuration files
- Documents or reports
- Any compiled or generated output
Think of artifacts as the results of your build stage (CI), which are then consumed by the deployment stage (CD).
⚙️ Types of Artifacts
Artifacts generally fall into two categories:
1️⃣ Container Artifacts
These are container images — typically Docker images — used to deploy applications in Kubernetes, Cloud Run, Cloud Functions, etc.
2️⃣ Non-Container Artifacts
These include:
- Java .jar files
- Node/npm packages
- Python wheels
- Terraform modules
- Helm charts
- Config files
Both types need reliable storage and versioning.
📦 Why Do We Need Artifact Management?
Once the CI pipeline generates artifacts, they must be:
✔ Stored in a central place
✔ Versioned properly
✔ Made accessible to CD pipelines
✔ Secure and scanned for vulnerabilities
✔ Managed consistently
An Artifact Management System solves these challenges by acting as the single source of truth for all build outputs.
🏛 Artifact Repositories Explained
An Artifact Repository is a centralized storage system specifically designed for storing and managing artifacts in CI/CD workflows.
Key benefits:
- Acts as the single source of truth
- Supports version management
- Scans artifacts for vulnerabilities
- Helps apply approval workflows
- Ensures consistency across build and deploy stages
- Enhances DevOps efficiency and organizational performance
Artifact repositories are essential for both monolithic and microservices architectures.
🗂 Options for Storing Artifacts in Google Cloud
Google Cloud offers two main services for storing artifacts:
🏗️ 1. Artifact Registry (Recommended)
Artifact Registry is the next generation of Google’s artifact storage solution.
It replaces Container Registry and supports more artifact types.
⭐ Key Features:
- Stores container and non-container artifacts
- Native support for multiple formats (Docker, npm, Maven, Python, etc.)
- Fully integrated with Google Cloud Build, GKE, Cloud Run
- Allows creation of regional or multi-regional repositories
- Offers vulnerability scanning
- Provides fine-grained IAM control
- Charges based on usage (storage + network egress)
Artifact Registry is now the default and recommended option.
🚢 2. Container Registry (Legacy)
Container Registry was Google's original solution for storing Docker images.
📌 Features:
- Stores Docker images in private repositories
- Supports Docker Image Manifest V2 & OCI formats
- Vulnerability scanning for early detection
- Compatible with standard Docker CLI (docker push, docker pull)
- Charges for underlying Cloud Storage usage
- Still works — but Google Cloud is migrating users to Artifact Registry
If you're starting new, always choose Artifact Registry.
🎯 Final Thoughts
Artifacts form the backbone of any CI/CD pipeline.
They ensure that:
- Code is transformed into deployable assets
- Build outputs remain consistent and traceable
- Deployment workflows are reliable and secure
Google Cloud’s Artifact Registry provides a modern, unified, secure, and scalable way to manage container and non-container artifacts — making it the ideal choice for DevOps teams.
🌟 Thanks for reading! If this post added value, a like ❤️, follow, or share would encourage me to keep creating more content.
— Latchu | Senior DevOps & Cloud Engineer
☁️ AWS | GCP | ☸️ Kubernetes | 🔐 Security | ⚡ Automation
📌 Sharing hands-on guides, best practices & real-world cloud solutions
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