GlossaryArtifact

Artifact

An artifact is a file produced by a build, test, or deployment process, such as a binary, container image, log, report, or screenshot.

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Table of Contents

Further Reading

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What Does Artifact Mean?

An artifact is a file produced as the output of a build, test, or deployment process. Artifacts are evidence of what happened during a run. Teams store, analyze, and share them.

  • Build artifacts: executable binaries and container images
  • Test artifacts: reports, logs, screenshots, and videos
  • Deployment artifacts: configuration files and manifests

Common Types of Test Artifacts

Artifact Type What It Shows Typical Source
Logs Step-by-step execution output Every test run
JUnit or HTML reports Pass and fail results per test Test frameworks and runners
Screenshots and videos What the UI looked like at failure Cypress, Playwright, Selenium
Performance reports Latency, throughput, and errors under load k6, JMeter, Gatling
Coverage reports Which code the tests exercised Unit test tools

Why Artifacts Matter in Testing

  • Traceability: a record of what was built, tested, and deployed
  • Debugging: preserved logs, errors, and screenshots
  • Compliance: retained test results for audits
  • Collaboration: one source of truth for Dev, QA, and Ops

Without artifacts, test results disappear when a run ends. Issues become hard to track and quality hard to prove.

Common Challenges with Artifacts

  • Storage sprawl: large suites generate huge amounts of data.
  • Inconsistent retention: files get deleted too fast or kept forever without a policy.
  • Scattered locations: artifacts spread across CI tools and cloud buckets.
  • Limited visibility: developers cannot reach artifacts from other teams' workflows.

How Testkube Handles Artifacts

  • Automatic collection: logs, reports, and screenshots are saved after each execution.
  • Central access: results and files appear in the Testkube dashboard, CLI, and API.
  • Retention control: teams set how long artifacts are kept.
  • Flexible storage: artifacts can live in S3-compatible or cloud object storage.

Artifacts stay attached to their executions, so teams always have context for debugging, auditing, and centralized test observability.

Real-World Examples

  • B2B SaaS UI testing: a QA team keeps Cypress screenshots and videos to debug failed UI tests.
  • Performance monitoring: a DevOps team reviews k6 load reports to track behavior under stress.
  • Regulated industries: an enterprise retains PDF test reports for compliance audits.

When a checkout test fails only in staging, the stored video often shows the cause in seconds. Without it, engineers rerun and hope to reproduce.

Best Practices for Managing Artifacts

  • Capture on failure at minimum: screenshots and logs matter most when tests fail.
  • Set retention policies: balance storage cost with audit needs.
  • Name artifacts clearly: include test name, run ID, and environment.
  • Centralize storage: one location beats files spread across CI tools.
  • Use standard formats: JUnit XML makes reports easy to aggregate.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What types of artifacts does Testkube store?

Testkube stores logs, reports, screenshots, and other files generated by a test execution.

Where are Testkube artifacts stored?

Testkube stores artifacts in object storage. Teams can configure S3-compatible or cloud storage such as Amazon S3 or Google Cloud Storage.

How long are artifacts retained in Testkube?

Retention depends on your configuration. Set policies that balance storage costs with compliance needs.

Can artifacts be shared with other teams?

Yes. Artifacts are available through the Testkube dashboard, CLI, and API, so Dev, QA, and Ops can all access them.

Are artifacts only related to tests?

No. In software engineering, artifacts also include build outputs, container images, and deployment manifests.

Related Terms and Concepts

Continuous Testing

Continuous testing is the practice of running automated tests at every stage of the software delivery pipeline to give fast, ongoing feedback on quality.
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Continuous Testing Platform

A continuous testing platform is software that automates, orchestrates, and reports on testing across tools, environments, and pipelines throughout the delivery lifecycle.
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Test Orchestration

Test orchestration coordinates when, where, and how automated tests run across tools, environments, and infrastructure so teams get reliable feedback without slowing delivery.
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