What is our primary use case?
I primarily used JFrog Artifactory for package management because it provides a remote proxy and caching that helped accelerate our release lifecycle and made our releases much easier and faster. We were uploading all of our artifacts to this repository, and it provides build tools like Maven. Since we were using the JBoss application, uploading our JAR and WAR files directly to JFrog Artifactory really helped us deploy applications in a fast manner.
Earlier, we used Git and GitHub for our version control system and uploaded all our JAR and WAR files directly to GitHub. However, when we discovered that JFrog Artifactory is a tool that helps in directly uploading all those artifacts, the versioning feature stood out to us. It also provides the build tool within itself, so we do not need to build the source code individually or on another system. As soon as we discovered these features in JFrog Artifactory, we switched to using it, and it has helped us with many releases. For example, if we deployed the application today on version one and the artifacts for version one are already stored in JFrog Artifactory, after a couple of days if we need to add other features, it will be version two and we need not commit again and again or undo the commit to get the release. We simply deploy our changes and version two is created in JFrog Artifactory, and if we want to roll back those changes, we can simply click from version two to version one and the changes are rolled back.
We have used JFrog Artifactory in a limited capacity, as they have many other features but that depends on their cost and models. We used the free version earlier and then moved to the Pro version.
What is most valuable?
JFrog Artifactory offers many features, but the system's stability stands out the most to me since whenever we want to use those artifacts, they are almost always available globally. I work from India and my colleagues work from Europe or the USA and they can also access those artifacts without issues. It is a great tool for managing binaries across different environments such as Development, QA, Prod, Non-prod, and SIT, handling all those environments without issues, and it provides very good security and access control if we are using the Pro version, allowing us to monitor who made changes and when. We started using it with Docker, which also helps in managing and distributing our Docker images, so that is a very great feature.
In our day-to-day operations, we were using Docker since we had the chance to containerize our application, so we were using a repo server to manage all those images. However, JFrog Artifactory has the feature to keep those images within itself, making it very easy for us to keep all those images in one place. This was the feature we started using once we discovered it. Regarding security and access control, we can easily trace changes. For example, if I work on an application today and make changes, a version one is created for this application and tomorrow a colleague makes some changes creating version two. My manager can easily identify the changes I made versus my colleague's changes with the help of traceability and access control on the system.
Since we started using JFrog Artifactory, we no longer manage our own server just to keep source code and binary code. All our binary repositories are in JFrog Artifactory, so I can say it is a very good repository manager. This is where we can store all our artifacts without needing to find another server or directory, and it is very easily accessible so we do not have to wait for JFrog Artifactory to be down or for our application to be unavailable. We have not experienced that. Another very good feature is that it provides a proxy for remote applications, enabling us to use build tools not available within our intranet, allowing us to compile our source code into binary code easily, which has transformed our release process to be faster.
What needs improvement?
I think JFrog Artifactory already has good features and has evolved since its inception, incorporating AI/ML and supporting Kubernetes and Docker images. JFrog Artifactory is progressing well, and I do not see many other features according to my requirements that are needed. I would only suggest that the cost could be reduced for older customers or made consumption-based so that more people can opt for it.
The user interface can be better. It has evolved significantly since I started using JFrog Artifactory, so it can improve further.
I choose a nine out of ten because, as mentioned in my previous answer, it sometimes faces performance issues due to slow repository response and long download times for artifacts, which affects overall performance. That is why I feel it needs improvement to achieve a perfect ten.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used JFrog Artifactory for over one year in my previous company.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
In my experience, JFrog Artifactory is stable and available for usage most of the time globally. It does have performance issues at times for certain locations, but overall, it has been a very good experience.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have effectively used JFrog Artifactory within a good team of ten to twelve people. However, there are performance issues when two or three people are using it simultaneously for our code, which results in performance lags.
How are customer service and support?
We have utilized support from JFrog Artifactory, which has been very good. Opening a ticket on the customer portal yields a response, especially if using the Pro or Enterprise version. For the free trial, support is unavailable, but the assistance we received was fast and helpful, with easy tracking of ticket status and history on their portal.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously used Git and GitHub, which just stored repositories and artifacts, but without the additional features JFrog Artifactory offers. Hence, we switched from GitHub to JFrog Artifactory.
How was the initial setup?
The setup was very easy, and the setup cost was reasonable. We started with a free trial before moving to the Pro version, which costs around one hundred dollars per month for us. We had a ticket with the support team, who provided very good discounts, although I cannot share the specifics, but they were very helpful.
What about the implementation team?
We have definitely seen a return on investment in terms of savings. Money has been saved through intelligent utilization. It has positively impacted both money and time saved, facilitating the downloading of artifacts and uploading of source code into a central repository easily. Thus, there is no need for more than two or three people to manage it, making it a cost-saving solution.
What was our ROI?
We have definitely seen a return on investment in terms of savings. Money has been saved through intelligent utilization. It has positively impacted both money and time saved, facilitating the downloading of artifacts and uploading of source code into a central repository easily. Thus, there is no need for more than two or three people to manage it, making it a cost-saving solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The setup was very easy, and the setup cost was reasonable. We started with a free trial before moving to the Pro version, which costs around one hundred dollars per month for us.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We have not tried any other options besides Git and GitHub. Once we started working with JFrog Artifactory, we never looked back.
What other advice do I have?
If you want to minimize efforts in compiling source code without frequently downloading and maintaining a server, you should definitely consider JFrog Artifactory. They offer vast tools for different coding environments such as Maven and NuGet, and they are continuously evolving, adding support for Docker images and Kubernetes. Companies utilizing Docker or Kubernetes will benefit significantly from a reliable tool to compile their source code into binary code. I recommend trying JFrog Artifactory once because you will probably start loving it. I have rated this product as a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?