Glossary · Automation software engineering and architecture
Build artifact
Also known as: Build output
German: Build-Artefakt
In software engineering, a build artifact is a file or package produced by a build process, such as an executable, library, firmware image, container image, compiled PLC project or generated documentation, that is stored, tested and deployed as a unit.
- Software engineering
In one sentence
A build artifact is a file or package produced by a build, such as a binary, firmware image or container image, that is tested and deployed.
Example
The pipeline produces a signed firmware image and a compiled PLC archive as build artifacts, each tagged with the source commit and build number.
How it applies
- Engineering: Build once, deploy many times: the same artifact moves through test, staging and production, so what was tested is what gets installed. Rebuilding for each stage risks subtle differences.
- Release: Artifacts should be versioned, immutable and stored in an Artifact repository. Checksums or signatures let service tools verify that an artifact has not been altered.
- Documentation: Link each artifact to its source revision, Build configuration, test results and release notes. Generated documentation, such as API references or parameter lists, can itself be a build artifact of the same pipeline, which keeps it in step with the software.
Build artifact vs. source code
Source code is the input that developers maintain; build artifacts are derived outputs. Artifacts are normally not kept in the source repository, because they can be regenerated and would bloat the history. The exception is when a build cannot be reproduced, for example with an unavailable legacy toolchain; then the artifact itself must be archived.