Lesson 21 / 23
Build Artifacts & Registries
Store versioned, immutable build artifacts in a registry so the same tested output is deployed everywhere.
What an artifact is
An artifact is the concrete output of the build stage — a Docker image, a JAR, a compiled binary, a static JS bundle. It's what actually gets tested and deployed, not the source code itself.
Versioning
Every artifact gets an immutable identifier — a semantic version, a git commit SHA, or a build number. This lets you say precisely what's running in production, and redeploy that exact same build if needed.
A labelled warehouse
An artifact registry (Docker Hub, npm registry, a private registry) is a warehouse where every box (artifact) has a clear label (version). Anywhere that needs to deploy just orders the exact labelled box — no guessing which one is which.
Quick check: Why should each build artifact get an immutable version identifier?
- It makes the build run faster
- It removes the need for a registry
- It makes images smaller
- It lets you know exactly what's running and redeploy that exact build later
Answer
It lets you know exactly what's running and redeploy that exact build later — A stable, unique identifier turns 'some build' into a traceable, reproducible artifact you can point at and redeploy.