Item: Apache Archiva
Rating: 8
Author: Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Apache Archiva is a maven artifact repository manager. We use it to store artifacts (libraries) used by the maven/java build for different projects. It helps with storing the entire organization's libraries at a centralized location and acts as a proxy for all the open-source repositories. We have hundreds of builds running almost every hour. Using Apache Archiva has helped with preserving valuable bandwidth for the organization. It also allows us to do security audits on the artifacts in use. Different teams are able to share the libraries (components) with each other thus speeding up the software development.

Pros and Cons

It's an open source project and therefore saves cost.
It allows exchange of artifacts/libraries between different teams.
It allows managing internal and external repositories with ease.

Muti-tenancy was hard to achieve.
UI can be improved. Its seems bit dated.
It is a bit tricky to setup.

Most Important Features

Managing proxies to remote/external repositories.
Storing artifacts produced by different teams.
Searching different artifacts.
Uploading artifacts to the repo.

Return on Investment

The impact of Apache Archiva on ROI has been positive. Since it is open source. It is free.
It has allowed teams to store artifacts centrally, thus leading to a reduced need for multiple servers
Security audits can be easily performed on the artifacts.

Alternatives Considered

JFrog Artifactory and Sonatype Nexus Platform

Apache Archiva is a great choice for organizations with a limited budget.
Alternatives are expensive to acquire Archiva comes offers REST API(s) which allows the creation of customized UI.
With Apache Archiva, it is easy to manage the remote proxy repositories.
RBAC helps with managing user access to the repository.
Configuration can be achieved using UI and stored in archiva.xml.
Backup of configuration is quite simple.

Key Insights

Do you think Apache Archiva delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Apache Archiva's feature set?

Yes

Did Apache Archiva live up to sales and marketing promises?

I wasn't involved with the selection/purchase process

Did implementation of Apache Archiva go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Apache Archiva again?

Yes

Other Software Used

IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, Webex Meetings

Likelihood to Recommend

Well suited for small organizations to medium-sized teams/organizations. Apache Archiva is well suited for:

It acts as a central repository/proxy of the artifacts generated and used by the teams.
It provides control on which open source repositories can be utilized by the team.
Saves network bandwidth by reducing outbound traffic.

Apache Archiva is less appropriate for organizations where immediate support/bug resolutions are required.

Apache Archiva, an excellent artifact repository manager

Overall Satisfaction with Apache Archiva