Glossary

Key terms and definitions used throughout CloudRepo documentation.

API Key: A secure token used for programmatic access to CloudRepo. API keys are preferred over passwords for automation and CI/CD integration.
Artifact: A file produced by a software build process. Examples include JAR files, Python wheels, Docker images, or any compiled binary. Artifacts are the primary content stored in CloudRepo repositories.
Artifactory: JFrog’s artifact repository manager. CloudRepo provides an affordable, managed alternative.
Audit Log: Record of all repository activities. Comprehensive audit logging is planned for CloudRepo (in development).
Blob Store: The underlying storage system for artifacts. CloudRepo manages blob storage automatically.
Build Tool: Software that automates compiling, packaging, and testing code. Examples: Maven, Gradle, pip, npm.
Cache: Temporary storage of downloaded artifacts. Both CloudRepo proxy repositories and clients maintain caches.
CDN: Content Delivery Network - CloudRepo uses a global CDN to ensure fast artifact downloads worldwide.
Checksum: A hash value (MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256) used to verify artifact integrity. CloudRepo automatically calculates and validates checksums.
CI/CD: Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment - Automated software development practices that CloudRepo integrates with.
Classifier: Additional identifier for Maven artifacts. Used for variants like sources, javadoc, or platform-specific builds.
Coordinate: The unique identifier for an artifact. Format varies by package type (Maven GAV, Python name-version, etc.).
Dependency: An external library or module required by your software. CloudRepo stores and manages dependencies.
Deploy: The process of uploading artifacts to CloudRepo. In Maven: mvn deploy, in Python: twine upload.
Distribution Management: Maven/Gradle configuration for publishing artifacts. Specifies where to upload release and snapshot artifacts.
Downstream: Consumers of artifacts from a repository. Your build processes are downstream from CloudRepo.
Egress: Data transfer out of CloudRepo. Unlike competitors, CloudRepo doesn’t charge for egress (with reasonable limits per plan).
Extension: File type of an artifact (.jar, .war, .pom, .whl, .tar.gz, etc.).
GAV: Acronym for GroupId, ArtifactId, Version - the three components that identify a Maven artifact.
Group Repository: A virtual repository that aggregates multiple repositories under a single URL. Simplifies client configuration by providing a single endpoint for multiple artifact sources.
High Availability: System design ensuring continuous operation. CloudRepo provides 99.9%+ historical uptime with global CDN edge caching.
HTTPS: Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure - All CloudRepo communication uses HTTPS for security.
Immutable: Cannot be changed once written. In CloudRepo this is a repository setting rather than a property of the storage: with Overwrite Protection enabled, which is the default, a publish that would replace an existing release artifact is refused, which is what keeps builds reproducible.
Index: A catalog of available packages in a repository. Python repositories provide a “simple” index for pip.
LDAP: Lightweight Directory Access Protocol - Enterprise user directory protocol. Not currently supported by CloudRepo.
License Compliance: Verifying artifact licenses meet organizational requirements. CloudRepo can track license metadata.
Maven Central: The primary public repository for Maven artifacts. Often proxied through CloudRepo for caching.
Maven Coordinates: The combination of groupId, artifactId, and version that uniquely identifies a Maven artifact. Example: com.example:my-app:1.0.0
Metadata: Information about artifacts including version, dependencies, and description. Metadata helps package managers resolve dependencies.
Mutable: Can be updated. Snapshot artifacts are mutable during development and stay overwritable even when Overwrite Protection is enabled.
Namespace: A grouping mechanism for artifacts. In Maven: groupId, in Python: package prefix.
Nexus: Sonatype’s repository manager. CloudRepo offers similar functionality as a fully managed service.
OAuth: Open Authorization - Protocol for secure API authorization without sharing passwords.
On-Premise: Self-hosted software. CloudRepo is SaaS-only, avoiding on-premise complexity.
Organization: Your CloudRepo account representing your company or team. Each organization has a unique identifier used in repository URLs.
Package Manager: Tool for installing and managing software dependencies. Examples: pip for Python, Maven for Java, npm for JavaScript.
Permission: Specific access rights for repositories. Permissions include read (download), write (upload), and admin (manage).
POM: Project Object Model - Maven’s XML file (pom.xml) that contains project information and configuration details.
Proxy Repository: A repository that caches artifacts from external sources like Maven Central or PyPI. Proxy repositories improve build performance and provide resilience against upstream outages.
PyPI: Python Package Index - The official repository for Python packages. CloudRepo can proxy PyPI and host private Python packages.
Registry: Another term for repository, commonly used for Docker and npm.
Release: A stable, versioned artifact intended for production use. By convention a release version stays fixed once published. CloudRepo enforces that with Overwrite Protection, which is enabled by default on every Maven, Python and npm repository and can be turned off per repository.
Repository: A storage location for artifacts. Repositories can be configured for specific package formats (Maven, Python, etc.) and access levels (private, public).
Repository Layout: The directory structure for storing artifacts. CloudRepo uses standard layouts for each package type.
Repository URL: The HTTPS endpoint for accessing a repository. Format: https://[org-id].mycloudrepo.io/repositories/[repo-name]
Resolve: The process of downloading dependencies from CloudRepo during builds.
REST API: Representational State Transfer Application Programming Interface - CloudRepo’s programmatic interface for automation.
Retention Policy: Rules for automatically removing old artifacts. Useful for managing storage and cleaning up snapshot versions.
Role: A set of permissions assigned to users. CloudRepo has three default roles: Admin, Developer, and Reader.
SaaS: Software as a Service - CloudRepo’s delivery model, eliminating infrastructure management.
SAML: Security Assertion Markup Language - the standard CloudRepo’s upcoming SSO integration supports.
Semantic Versioning: Version numbering convention: MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH (e.g., 2.1.0). CloudRepo supports but doesn’t enforce SemVer.
Simple Index: Python repository format defined in PEP 503. Used by pip to discover available packages.
SLA: Service Level Agreement - CloudRepo’s commitment to uptime and performance.
Snapshot: A development version of an artifact that can be updated. Snapshots typically have “-SNAPSHOT” suffix and are used during active development.
SSL/TLS: Secure Sockets Layer/Transport Layer Security - Encryption protocols used to secure communication with CloudRepo.
SSO: Single Sign-On - Authentication via corporate identity provider. Will be included on all CloudRepo plans when SSO launches (in development). Supports SAML 2.0, OAuth 2.0, and OIDC.
Staging Repository: A temporary repository for validating artifacts before promoting to production repositories.
Transitive Dependency: A dependency of your dependencies. Package managers automatically resolve transitive dependencies from CloudRepo.
Upstream: The source repository for a proxy repository. For example, Maven Central is upstream to a CloudRepo Maven proxy.
User: An individual with access to CloudRepo. Users can have different roles and permissions for various repositories.
Version: A unique identifier for a specific artifact release. CloudRepo supports semantic versioning and custom schemes.
Virtual Repository: A repository that doesn’t store artifacts but aggregates other repositories. Similar to group repositories.
Vulnerability Scanning: Automated detection of security issues in artifacts. CloudRepo recommends external tools (Snyk, Trivy, Dependabot) integrated via CI/CD pipeline.
Webhook: An HTTP callback triggered by repository events. Webhooks enable integration with external systems and automation workflows.
Wheel: A built distribution format for Python packages (.whl files). Wheels are faster to install than source distributions.