--- stage: Verify group: Pipeline Insights info: To determine the technical writer assigned to the Stage/Group associated with this page, see https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/product/ux/technical-writing/#assignments --- # Jobs artifacts administration **(FREE SELF)** This is the administration documentation. To learn how to use job artifacts in your GitLab CI/CD pipeline, see the [job artifacts configuration documentation](../ci/pipelines/job_artifacts.md). An artifact is a list of files and directories attached to a job after it finishes. This feature is enabled by default in all GitLab installations. ## Disabling job artifacts To disable artifacts site-wide: **In Omnibus installations:** 1. Edit `/etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb` and add the following line: ```ruby gitlab_rails['artifacts_enabled'] = false ``` 1. Save the file and [reconfigure GitLab](restart_gitlab.md#omnibus-gitlab-reconfigure) for the changes to take effect. **In installations from source:** 1. Edit `/home/git/gitlab/config/gitlab.yml` and add or amend the following lines: ```yaml artifacts: enabled: false ``` 1. Save the file and [restart GitLab](restart_gitlab.md#installations-from-source) for the changes to take effect. ## Storing job artifacts GitLab Runner can upload an archive containing the job artifacts to GitLab. By default, this is done when the job succeeds, but can also be done on failure, or always, with the [`artifacts:when`](../ci/yaml/index.md#artifactswhen) parameter. Most artifacts are compressed by GitLab Runner before being sent to the coordinator. The exception to this is [reports artifacts](../ci/yaml/index.md#artifactsreports), which are compressed after uploading. ### Using local storage To change the location where the artifacts are stored locally, follow the steps below. **In Omnibus installations:** _The artifacts are stored by default in `/var/opt/gitlab/gitlab-rails/shared/artifacts`._ 1. To change the storage path for example to `/mnt/storage/artifacts`, edit `/etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb` and add the following line: ```ruby gitlab_rails['artifacts_path'] = "/mnt/storage/artifacts" ``` 1. Save the file and [reconfigure GitLab](restart_gitlab.md#omnibus-gitlab-reconfigure) for the changes to take effect. **In installations from source:** _The artifacts are stored by default in `/home/git/gitlab/shared/artifacts`._ 1. To change the storage path for example to `/mnt/storage/artifacts`, edit `/home/git/gitlab/config/gitlab.yml` and add or amend the following lines: ```yaml artifacts: enabled: true path: /mnt/storage/artifacts ``` 1. Save the file and [restart GitLab](restart_gitlab.md#installations-from-source) for the changes to take effect. ### Using object storage If you don't want to use the local disk where GitLab is installed to store the artifacts, you can use an object storage like AWS S3 instead. This configuration relies on valid AWS credentials to be configured already. Use an object storage option like AWS S3 to store job artifacts. If you configure GitLab to store artifacts on object storage, you may also want to [eliminate local disk usage for job logs](job_logs.md#prevent-local-disk-usage). In both cases, job logs are archived and moved to object storage when the job completes. WARNING: In a multi-server setup you must use one of the options to [eliminate local disk usage for job logs](job_logs.md#prevent-local-disk-usage), or job logs could be lost. [Read more about using object storage with GitLab](object_storage.md). #### Object Storage Settings NOTE: In GitLab 13.2 and later, we recommend using the [consolidated object storage settings](object_storage.md#consolidated-object-storage-configuration). This section describes the earlier configuration format. For source installations the following settings are nested under `artifacts:` and then `object_store:`. On Omnibus GitLab installs they are prefixed by `artifacts_object_store_`. | Setting | Default | Description | |---------------------|---------|-------------| | `enabled` | `false` | Enable or disable object storage. | | `remote_directory` | | The bucket name where Artifacts are stored. Use the name only, do not include the path. | | `proxy_download` | `false` | Set to `true` to enable proxying all files served. Option allows to reduce egress traffic as this allows clients to download directly from remote storage instead of proxying all data. | | `connection` | | Various connection options described below. | #### Connection settings See [the available connection settings for different providers](object_storage.md#connection-settings). **In Omnibus installations:** _The artifacts are stored by default in `/var/opt/gitlab/gitlab-rails/shared/artifacts`._ 1. Edit `/etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb` and add the following lines, substituting the values you want: ```ruby gitlab_rails['artifacts_enabled'] = true gitlab_rails['artifacts_object_store_enabled'] = true gitlab_rails['artifacts_object_store_remote_directory'] = "artifacts" gitlab_rails['artifacts_object_store_connection'] = { 'provider' => 'AWS', 'region' => 'eu-central-1', 'aws_access_key_id' => 'AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID', 'aws_secret_access_key' => 'AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY' } ``` NOTE: If you're using AWS IAM profiles, omit the AWS access key and secret access key/value pairs. For example: ```ruby gitlab_rails['artifacts_object_store_connection'] = { 'provider' => 'AWS', 'region' => 'eu-central-1', 'use_iam_profile' => true } ``` 1. Save the file and [reconfigure GitLab](restart_gitlab.md#omnibus-gitlab-reconfigure) for the changes to take effect. 1. [Migrate any existing local artifacts to the object storage](#migrating-to-object-storage). **In installations from source:** _The artifacts are stored by default in `/home/git/gitlab/shared/artifacts`._ 1. Edit `/home/git/gitlab/config/gitlab.yml` and add or amend the following lines: ```yaml artifacts: enabled: true object_store: enabled: true remote_directory: "artifacts" # The bucket name connection: provider: AWS # Only AWS supported at the moment aws_access_key_id: AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID aws_secret_access_key: AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY region: eu-central-1 ``` 1. Save the file and [restart GitLab](restart_gitlab.md#installations-from-source) for the changes to take effect. 1. [Migrate any existing local artifacts to the object storage](#migrating-to-object-storage). ### Migrating to object storage After [configuring the object storage](#using-object-storage), use the following task to migrate existing job artifacts from the local storage to the remote storage. The processing is done in a background worker and requires **no downtime**. **In Omnibus installations:** ```shell gitlab-rake gitlab:artifacts:migrate ``` **In installations from source:** ```shell sudo -u git -H bundle exec rake gitlab:artifacts:migrate RAILS_ENV=production ``` You can optionally track progress and verify that all job artifacts migrated successfully using the [PostgreSQL console](https://docs.gitlab.com/omnibus/settings/database.html#connecting-to-the-bundled-postgresql-database): - `sudo gitlab-rails dbconsole` for Omnibus GitLab 14.1 and earlier. - `sudo gitlab-rails dbconsole --database main` for Omnibus GitLab 14.2 and later. - `sudo -u git -H psql -d gitlabhq_production` for source-installed instances. Verify `objectstg` below (where `store=2`) has count of all job artifacts: ```shell gitlabhq_production=# SELECT count(*) AS total, sum(case when file_store = '1' then 1 else 0 end) AS filesystem, sum(case when file_store = '2' then 1 else 0 end) AS objectstg FROM ci_job_artifacts; total | filesystem | objectstg ------+------------+----------- 19 | 0 | 19 ``` Verify that there are no files on disk in the `artifacts` folder: ```shell sudo find /var/opt/gitlab/gitlab-rails/shared/artifacts -type f | grep -v tmp | wc -l ``` In some cases, you need to run the [orphan artifact file cleanup Rake task](../raketasks/cleanup.md#remove-orphan-artifact-files) to clean up orphaned artifacts. WARNING: JUnit test report artifact (`junit.xml.gz`) migration [was not supported until GitLab 12.8](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/27698#note_317190991) by the `gitlab:artifacts:migrate` Rake task. ### Migrating from object storage to local storage **In Omnibus installations:** To migrate back to local storage: 1. Run `gitlab-rake gitlab:artifacts:migrate_to_local`. 1. Disable object_storage for artifacts in `gitlab.rb`: - Set `gitlab_rails['artifacts_object_store_enabled'] = false`. - Comment out all other `artifacts_object_store` settings, including the entire `artifacts_object_store_connection` section, including the closing `}`. 1. [Reconfigure GitLab](restart_gitlab.md#omnibus-gitlab-reconfigure). ## Expiring artifacts If [`artifacts:expire_in`](../ci/yaml/index.md#artifactsexpire_in) is used to set an expiry for the artifacts, they are marked for deletion right after that date passes. Otherwise, they expire per the [default artifacts expiration setting](../user/admin_area/settings/continuous_integration.md). Artifacts are cleaned up by the `expire_build_artifacts_worker` cron job which Sidekiq runs every 7 minutes (`*/7 * * * *`). To change the default schedule on which the artifacts are expired, follow the steps below. **In Omnibus installations:** 1. Edit `/etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb` and add the following line (or uncomment it if it already exists and is commented out), substituting your schedule in cron syntax: ```ruby gitlab_rails['expire_build_artifacts_worker_cron'] = "*/7 * * * *" ``` 1. Save the file and [reconfigure GitLab](restart_gitlab.md#omnibus-gitlab-reconfigure) for the changes to take effect. **In installations from source:** 1. Edit `/home/git/gitlab/config/gitlab.yml` and add or amend the following lines: ```yaml expire_build_artifacts_worker: cron: "*/7 * * * *" ``` 1. Save the file and [restart GitLab](restart_gitlab.md#installations-from-source) for the changes to take effect. If the `expire` directive is not set explicitly in your pipeline, artifacts expire per the default artifacts expiration setting, which you can find in the [CI/CD Administration settings](../user/admin_area/settings/continuous_integration.md). ## Set the maximum file size of the artifacts If artifacts are enabled, you can change the maximum file size of the artifacts through the [Admin Area settings](../user/admin_area/settings/continuous_integration.md#maximum-artifacts-size). ## Storage statistics You can see the total storage used for job artifacts on groups and projects in the administration area, as well as through the [groups](../api/groups.md) and [projects APIs](../api/projects.md). ## Implementation details When GitLab receives an artifacts archive, an archive metadata file is also generated by [GitLab Workhorse](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-workhorse). This metadata file describes all the entries that are located in the artifacts archive itself. The metadata file is in a binary format, with additional Gzip compression. GitLab doesn't extract the artifacts archive to save space, memory, and disk I/O. It instead inspects the metadata file which contains all the relevant information. This is especially important when there is a lot of artifacts, or an archive is a very large file. When selecting a specific file, [GitLab Workhorse](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-workhorse) extracts it from the archive and the download begins. This implementation saves space, memory and disk I/O. ## Troubleshooting ### Job artifacts using too much disk space Job artifacts can fill up your disk space quicker than expected. Some possible reasons are: - Users have configured job artifacts expiration to be longer than necessary. - The number of jobs run, and hence artifacts generated, is higher than expected. - Job logs are larger than expected, and have accumulated over time. - The file system might run out of inodes because [empty directories are left behind by artifact housekeeping](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/17465). [The Rake task for _orphaned_ artifact files](../raketasks/cleanup.md#remove-orphan-artifact-files) removes these. - Artifact files might be left on disk and not deleted by housekeeping. Run the [Rake task for _orphaned_ artifact files](../raketasks/cleanup.md#remove-orphan-artifact-files) to remove these. This script should always find work to do, as it also removes empty directories (see above). - [Artifact housekeeping was changed significantly](#artifacts-housekeeping-disabled-in-gitlab-146-to-152), and you might need to enable a feature flag to used the updated system. In these and other cases, identify the projects most responsible for disk space usage, figure out what types of artifacts are using the most space, and in some cases, manually delete job artifacts to reclaim disk space. #### Artifacts housekeeping disabled in GitLab 14.6 to 15.2 Artifact housekeeping was significantly changed in GitLab 14.10, and the changes were back ported to GitLab 14.6 and later. The updated housekeeping must be enabled with feature flags [until GitLab 15.3](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/merge_requests/92931). To check if the feature flags are enabled: 1. Start a [Rails console](operations/rails_console.md#starting-a-rails-console-session). 1. Check if the feature flags are enabled. - GitLab 14.10 and earlier: ```ruby Feature.enabled?(:ci_detect_wrongly_expired_artifacts, default_enabled: :yaml) Feature.enabled?(:ci_update_unlocked_job_artifacts, default_enabled: :yaml) Feature.enabled?(:ci_destroy_unlocked_job_artifacts, default_enabled: :yaml) ``` - GitLab 15.00 and later: ```ruby Feature.enabled?(:ci_detect_wrongly_expired_artifacts) Feature.enabled?(:ci_update_unlocked_job_artifacts) Feature.enabled?(:ci_destroy_unlocked_job_artifacts) ``` 1. If any of the feature flags are disabled, enable them: ```ruby Feature.enable(:ci_detect_wrongly_expired_artifacts) Feature.enable(:ci_update_unlocked_job_artifacts) Feature.enable(:ci_destroy_unlocked_job_artifacts) ``` These changes include switching artifacts from `unlocked` to `locked` if they [should be retained](../ci/pipelines/job_artifacts.md#keep-artifacts-from-most-recent-successful-jobs). Artifacts created before this feature was introduced have a status of `unknown`. After they expire, these artifacts are not processed by the new housekeeping jobs. You can check the database to confirm if your instance has artifacts with the `unknown` status: 1. Start a database console, on Omnibus: ```shell sudo gitlab-psql ``` 1. Run this query: ```sql select expire_at, file_type, locked, count(*) from ci_job_artifacts where expire_at is not null and file_type != 3 group by expire_at, file_type, locked having count(*) > 1; ``` If records are returned, then there are artifacts which the housekeeping job is unable to process. For example: ```plaintext expire_at | file_type | locked | count -------------------------------+-----------+--------+-------- 2021-06-21 22:00:00+00 | 1 | 2 | 73614 2021-06-21 22:00:00+00 | 2 | 2 | 73614 2021-06-21 22:00:00+00 | 4 | 2 | 3522 2021-06-21 22:00:00+00 | 9 | 2 | 32 2021-06-21 22:00:00+00 | 12 | 2 | 163 ``` Artifacts with locked status `2` are `unknown`. Check [issue #346261](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/346261#note_1028871458) for more details. The Sidekiq worker that processes all `unknown` artifacts is enabled by default in GitLab 15.3 and later. It analyzes the artifacts returned by the above database query and determines which should be `locked` or `unlocked`. Artifacts are then deleted by that worker if needed. The worker can be enabled on self-managed instances running GitLab 14.10 and later: 1. Start a [Rails console](operations/rails_console.md#starting-a-rails-console-session). 1. Check if the feature is enabled. - GitLab 14.10: ```ruby Feature.enabled?(:ci_job_artifacts_backlog_work, default_enabled: :yaml) ``` - GitLab 15.0 and later: ```ruby Feature.enabled?(:ci_job_artifacts_backlog_work) ``` 1. Enable the feature, if needed: ```ruby Feature.enable(:ci_job_artifacts_backlog_work) ``` The worker processes 10,000 `unknown` artifacts every seven minutes, or roughly two million in 24 hours. There is a related `ci_job_artifacts_backlog_large_loop_limit` feature flag which causes the worker to process `unknown` artifacts [in batches that are five times larger](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/356319). This flag is not recommended for use on self-managed instances. #### List projects and builds with artifacts with a specific expiration (or no expiration) Using a [Rails console](operations/rails_console.md), you can find projects that have job artifacts with either: - No expiration date. - An expiration date more than 7 days in the future. Similar to [deleting artifacts](#delete-job-artifacts-from-jobs-completed-before-a-specific-date), use the following example time frames and alter them as needed: - `7.days.from_now` - `10.days.from_now` - `2.weeks.from_now` - `3.months.from_now` Each of the following scripts also limits the search to 50 results with `.limit(50)`, but this number can also be changed as needed: ```ruby # Find builds & projects with artifacts that never expire builds_with_artifacts_that_never_expire = Ci::Build.with_downloadable_artifacts.where(artifacts_expire_at: nil).limit(50) builds_with_artifacts_that_never_expire.find_each do |build| puts "Build with id #{build.id} has artifacts that don't expire and belongs to project #{build.project.full_path}" end # Find builds & projects with artifacts that expire after 7 days from today builds_with_artifacts_that_expire_in_a_week = Ci::Build.with_downloadable_artifacts.where('artifacts_expire_at > ?', 7.days.from_now).limit(50) builds_with_artifacts_that_expire_in_a_week.find_each do |build| puts "Build with id #{build.id} has artifacts that expire at #{build.artifacts_expire_at} and belongs to project #{build.project.full_path}" end ``` #### List projects by total size of job artifacts stored List the top 20 projects, sorted by the total size of job artifacts stored, by running the following code in the Rails console (`sudo gitlab-rails console`): ```ruby include ActionView::Helpers::NumberHelper ProjectStatistics.order(build_artifacts_size: :desc).limit(20).each do |s| puts "#{number_to_human_size(s.build_artifacts_size)} \t #{s.project.full_path}" end ``` You can change the number of projects listed by modifying `.limit(20)` to the number you want. #### List largest artifacts in a single project List the 50 largest job artifacts in a single project by running the following code in the Rails console (`sudo gitlab-rails console`): ```ruby include ActionView::Helpers::NumberHelper project = Project.find_by_full_path('path/to/project') Ci::JobArtifact.where(project: project).order(size: :desc).limit(50).map { |a| puts "ID: #{a.id} - #{a.file_type}: #{number_to_human_size(a.size)}" } ``` You can change the number of job artifacts listed by modifying `.limit(50)` to the number you want. #### List artifacts in a single project List the artifacts for a single project, sorted by artifact size. The output includes the: - ID of the job that created the artifact - artifact size - artifact file type - artifact creation date - on-disk location of the artifact ```ruby p = Project.find_by_id() arts = Ci::JobArtifact.where(project: p) list = arts.order(size: :desc).limit(50).each do |art| puts "Job ID: #{art.job_id} - Size: #{art.size}b - Type: #{art.file_type} - Created: #{art.created_at} - File loc: #{art.file}" end ``` To change the number of job artifacts listed, change the number in `limit(50)`. #### Delete job artifacts from jobs completed before a specific date WARNING: These commands remove data permanently from both the database and from disk. Before running them, we highly recommend seeking guidance from a Support Engineer, or running them in a test environment with a backup of the instance ready to be restored, just in case. If you need to manually remove job artifacts associated with multiple jobs while **retaining their job logs**, this can be done from the Rails console (`sudo gitlab-rails console`): 1. Select jobs to be deleted: To select all jobs with artifacts for a single project: ```ruby project = Project.find_by_full_path('path/to/project') builds_with_artifacts = project.builds.with_downloadable_artifacts ``` To select all jobs with artifacts across the entire GitLab instance: ```ruby builds_with_artifacts = Ci::Build.with_downloadable_artifacts ``` 1. Delete job artifacts older than a specific date: NOTE: This step also erases artifacts that users have chosen to ["keep"](../ci/pipelines/job_artifacts.md#download-job-artifacts). ```ruby builds_to_clear = builds_with_artifacts.where("finished_at < ?", 1.week.ago) builds_to_clear.find_each do |build| Ci::JobArtifacts::DeleteService.new(build).execute build.update!(artifacts_expire_at: Time.now) end ``` In [GitLab 15.3 and earlier](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/372537), use the following instead: ```ruby builds_to_clear = builds_with_artifacts.where("finished_at < ?", 1.week.ago) builds_to_clear.find_each do |build| build.artifacts_expire_at = Time.now build.erase_erasable_artifacts! end ``` `1.week.ago` is a Rails `ActiveSupport::Duration` method which calculates a new date or time in the past. Other valid examples are: - `7.days.ago` - `3.months.ago` - `1.year.ago` `erase_erasable_artifacts!` is a synchronous method, and upon execution the artifacts are immediately removed; they are not scheduled by a background queue. #### Delete job artifacts and logs from jobs completed before a specific date WARNING: These commands remove data permanently from both the database and from disk. Before running them, we highly recommend seeking guidance from a Support Engineer, or running them in a test environment with a backup of the instance ready to be restored, just in case. If you need to manually remove **all** job artifacts associated with multiple jobs, **including job logs**, this can be done from the Rails console (`sudo gitlab-rails console`): 1. Select the jobs to be deleted: To select jobs with artifacts for a single project: ```ruby project = Project.find_by_full_path('path/to/project') builds_with_artifacts = project.builds.with_existing_job_artifacts(Ci::JobArtifact.trace) ``` To select jobs with artifacts across the entire GitLab instance: ```ruby builds_with_artifacts = Ci::Build.with_existing_job_artifacts(Ci::JobArtifact.trace) ``` 1. Select the user which is mentioned in the web UI as erasing the job: ```ruby admin_user = User.find_by(username: 'username') ``` 1. Erase the job artifacts and logs older than a specific date: ```ruby builds_to_clear = builds_with_artifacts.where("finished_at < ?", 1.week.ago) builds_to_clear.find_each do |build| print "Ci::Build ID #{build.id}... " if build.erasable? Ci::BuildEraseService.new(build, admin_user).execute puts "Erased" else puts "Skipped (Nothing to erase or not erasable)" end end ``` In [GitLab 15.3 and earlier](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/369132), replace `Ci::BuildEraseService.new(build, admin_user).execute` with `build.erase(erased_by: admin_user)`. `1.week.ago` is a Rails `ActiveSupport::Duration` method which calculates a new date or time in the past. Other valid examples are: - `7.days.ago` - `3.months.ago` - `1.year.ago` ### Error `Downloading artifacts from coordinator... not found` When a job attempts to download artifacts from an earlier job, you might receive an error message similar to: ```plaintext Downloading artifacts from coordinator... not found id=12345678 responseStatus=404 Not Found ``` This can be caused by a `gitlab.rb` file with the following configuration: ```ruby gitlab_rails['artifacts_object_store_background_upload'] = false gitlab_rails['artifacts_object_store_direct_upload'] = true ``` To prevent this, comment out or remove those lines, or switch to their [default values](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/omnibus-gitlab/blob/master/files/gitlab-config-template/gitlab.rb.template), and then run `sudo gitlab-ctl reconfigure`. ### Job artifact upload fails with error 500 If you are using object storage for artifacts and a job artifact fails to upload, review: - The job log for an error message similar to: ```plaintext WARNING: Uploading artifacts as "archive" to coordinator... failed id=12345 responseStatus=500 Internal Server Error status=500 token=abcd1234 ``` - The [workhorse log](logs/index.md#workhorse-logs) for an error message similar to: ```json {"error":"MissingRegion: could not find region configuration","level":"error","msg":"error uploading S3 session","time":"2021-03-16T22:10:55-04:00"} ``` In both cases, you might need to add `region` to the job artifact [object storage configuration](#connection-settings). ### Job artifact upload fails with `500 Internal Server Error (Missing file)` Bucket names that include folder paths are not supported with [consolidated object storage](object_storage.md#consolidated-object-storage-configuration). For example, `bucket/path`. If a bucket name has a path in it, you might receive an error similar to: ```plaintext WARNING: Uploading artifacts as "archive" to coordinator... POST https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/jobs/job_id/artifacts?artifact_format=zip&artifact_type=archive&expire_in=1+day: 500 Internal Server Error (Missing file) FATAL: invalid argument ``` If a job artifact fails to upload with the above error when using consolidated object storage, make sure you are [using separate buckets](object_storage.md#use-separate-buckets) for each data type.