Maven / GitLab CI Basics Interview Questions

What is the difference between cache and artifacts in GitLab CI?

Cache and artifacts are both mechanisms for persisting files across jobs, but they serve very different purposes and have different behaviours.

Cache vs Artifacts
Aspect	Cache	Artifacts
Purpose	Speed up jobs by reusing downloaded dependencies	Pass build outputs between stages/jobs
Storage	Runner's local disk or shared S3/GCS	GitLab server
Scope	Same runner, same branch (by cache key)	Any runner, same pipeline
Typical content	node_modules/, .m2/, pip cache	dist/, binaries, test reports
Reliability	Not guaranteed (may not exist)	Guaranteed (always transferred)
Downloaded by	Only the same runner (by default)	All jobs in later stages
Expiry	Configurable; can be cleared manually	expire_in (default: 30 days)

# Cache example: reuse npm packages across pipeline runs
cache:
  key: "$CI_COMMIT_REF_SLUG"   # different cache per branch
  paths:
    - node_modules/
  policy: pull-push           # default: download at start, upload at end

# Artifacts example: pass build output to next stage
build:
  script: npm run build
  artifacts:
    paths:
      - dist/

# Best practice: use both together
build-job:
  cache:
    paths:
      - node_modules/  # cache deps for speed
  script:
    - npm ci
    - npm run build
  artifacts:
    paths:
      - dist/          # pass output to deploy stage

Key insight: cache is not reliable for passing required build outputs between jobs - it is a performance optimisation only. For guaranteed file transfer between jobs, always use artifacts.

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What is the primary purpose of cache in GitLab CI/CD?Passing build outputs between pipeline stages

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Speeding up jobs by reusing previously downloaded files like dependencies

✓ Correct! Well done.

Storing encrypted credentials for deployment

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Backing up job logs permanently

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Why should you NOT use cache to pass required build files between stages?Cache files are automatically deleted between stages

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Cache is not guaranteed to exist - it's a performance optimisation, not a reliable data transfer mechanism; use artifacts for guaranteed transfer

✓ Correct! Well done.

Cache can only be used in the build stage

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Cache requires a special runner executor

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Maven / GitLab CI Basics Interview Questions

What is the difference between cache and artifacts in GitLab CI?

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