What does "artifact" mean in programming?
artifact is one of the most common terms in software development. This guide explains what it means, how it is used in practice, and why it matters, with real examples from the developer world.
Definition
A file or package produced by a build process: a compiled binary, a Docker image, a JAR file, a bundled JavaScript file, or a zip archive. Artifacts are the output of CI that gets stored, versioned, and eventually deployed. Artifact registries (Docker Hub, npm, GitHub Packages) store and distribute them.
Example
"The CI pipeline builds a Docker image artifact and pushes it to the registry. The deploy job pulls that artifact and runs it in production."
Related terms
Ready to practice your English at work?
Lingua-e has interactive exercises built around real developer conversations: standups, code reviews, retrospectives, and more. Practice until it comes naturally.
Try Lingua-e for free