JFrog Artifactory: Automation Tools

Course Duration: 30 minutes

Automation in software development provides a way for developers to build, test, deploy, and manage binary files. In this course, you will learn about the different options for automating tasks integrated with or within Artifactory, including the REST API, the JFrog CLI, Artifactory's extensible plugin framework, and its built-in integration with other automation tools. We will also provide an overview of metadata management which is the properties feature in Artifactory and show how you can use properties to enrich artifact management and achieve better managed artifact resolution.

JFrog Artifactory is a DevOps tool for end-to-end automation and management of binaries. This course demonstrates the benefits and advantages of using JFrog Artifactory in a continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) environment and the tools that can plug into its extensible framework. We also explain how to work with Artifactory in a cloud native environment including those with containers and tools such as Kubernetes.

By design, all of the JFrog products, including Artifactory, are open for integration and enable full automation of all the commonly used tasks and processes, eliminating the need of having manual or UI based interactions. Understanding the importance of automation in development, this course also explains how JFrog Artifactory tools and plugin framework allows for a massively scalable software development lifecycle (SDLC) and exposes a RESTful API for advanced automation. Any custom automation tool or one that works with a RESTful API can take advantage of Artifactory’s extensible framework and benefits allowing enterprise teams to massively scale their development.

In addition to integrating automation tools with Artifactory, we also cover the Artifactory Query Language (AQL) used in advanced searches for artifacts. Use flexible filters, search criteria and output fields to customize your interface. These advanced AQL searches can then be used in custom or third-party automation tools and can open up the case for metadata driven processes like retention, promotion, cleanup etc.

IN this course we will cover

• Artifact properties and how they integrate with automation tools
• REST API and the JFrog CLI for built-in integration options
• Artifactory Query Language for advanced searches and filters
• Developing user plugins for extensible Artifactory functionality

Who should take this DevOps course?

Administrators, developers, release managers, automation engineers and DevOps engineers who would like to gain basic knowledge and understanding of JFrog Artifactory. Anyone interested in learning the extensible Artifactory framework, AQL, and the ways that Artifactory can be integrated into other automation tools should take this course to learn DevOps best practices.

Course Completion

In order to complete the course, you must answer at least 70% of the quiz questions correctly.

Additional free online DevOps courses available on JFrog Academy:

JFrog Artifactory: Overview (2020+)
JFrog Artifactory: Advanced Administration (2020+)
JFrog Artifactory: Build Tools Integration (2020+)

Working with properties may end up being one of your favorite features in Artifactory. The use of metadata lies at the heart of automation. If you use properties to their fullest extent, you can master some powerful options for automation. Because properties are so important, we have a number of ways you can set them. The first option for setting properties is the Artifact UI. And since any task accomplished in the UI can be done using the REST API, then you know there’s an option for that. You can also set properties using the JFrog CLI. Anytime you set a property on a directory, you can make it recursive to its subdirectories and the artifacts inside them. You can do this using either the UI, REST API and the CLI. Even user plugins can be built to alter properties. In fact, a great deal of user plugins exist simply for the purpose of setting properties in certain circumstances. For example, a plugin might be used to provide matrix parameters for artifacts as they’re being deployed. This technique is a common function in many of our build plugins. Some of the ways you might use properties could be for managing the sources of artifacts, their lifecycle stage, and project details. Simple property settings can be used in so many ways, but we’ll leave that strategy up to you. For now, let’s go into Artifactory to set properties. Perhaps that will inspire you to think of ways you can use properties.