Lifecycle policy in Yandex Cloud Registry

A lifecycle policy consists of rules that manage storage or deletion of artifacts in a registry. Policies automate the cleanup of old or unused artifact versions to save space and reduce storage costs.

Rules are specified as a JSON array of rule objects when creating a lifecycle policy.

Each policy rule includes a filter by path_prefix. It indicates which artifacts the rule applies to.

Examples

Prefix	Apply the rule to
.*	All artifacts in the registry
ubuntu/.*	Artifacts whose paths start with ubuntu/

Types of rulesTypes of rules

Lifecycle policy rules:

• Apply only to artifacts matching the filter.
• Determine which of these artifacts to retain or delete.

KEEPKEEP

Rules of the KEEP type describe which artifacts the lifecycle policy should retain. These rules have higher priority than deletion rules (HARD_DELETE and SOFT_DELETE).

The retention conditions include:

• Age: Keeps artifacts younger than the specified age in days.
• Number of versions: Keeps the specified number of the latest artifact versions, e.g., the five most recently created versions.

HARD_DELETEHARD_DELETE

A rule of the HARD_DELETE type permanently deletes artifacts matching the rule conditions. After the rule applies, the artifacts are permanently deleted, and you cannot restore them.

The deletion conditions include:

• Age: Deletes artifacts older than the specified age in days.
• Number of versions: Deletes the oldest artifacts if they exceed the specified number (the oldest versions are deleted).
• Always: Deletes all artifacts.

SOFT_DELETESOFT_DELETE

A rule of the SOFT_DELETE type marks artifacts for deletion but does not delete them immediately. The artifacts remain in the registry during the cooldown period specified in the rule. After this period ends, the artifacts are permanently deleted.

The SOFT_DELETE and HARD_DELETE rule conditions are the same.

Rule filtersRule filters

Each rule includes filters indicating which artifacts the rule applies to:

• Path prefix (path_prefix): Determines which artifacts the rule applies to based on their path. If you specify .*, the rule will apply to all artifacts of all packages in the registry. You can provide a specific path prefix, e.g., @path/prefix.*.
• Docker filters: Additional filters for Docker images by tag status (with tags, no tags).
• Maven filters: Additional filters for Java artifacts by version type (release versions, snapshots).

Rules based on the number of versions or date apply to artifacts matching all the specified filters.

Applying policiesApplying policies

Lifecycle policies apply automatically according to a schedule. Rules are processed daily at the specified time. Policy changes are not immediate and take effect with the next processing cycle.

Rules apply in the following priority order:

1. KEEP rules: Determine which artifacts to retain.
2. HARD_DELETE and SOFT_DELETE rules: Determine which artifacts to delete, ignoring those protected by the KEEP rules.

Rule object (LifecycleRule)Rule object (LifecycleRule)

The keep_by_age, keep_by_version, and delete fields are mutually exclusive; you can only specify one action per rule.

Field	Type	Description
path_prefix	string	Path prefix indicating which artifacts the rule applies to. If it is not specified, the rule will apply to all artifacts.
keep_by_age	KeepByAgeLifecycleRule	Keeping artifacts based on their age.
keep_by_version	KeepByVersionLifecycleRule	Keeping artifacts based on the number of versions.
delete	DeleteLifecycleRule	Deleting artifacts.
docker_filters	DockerFilters	Filters for rules applied to Docker images.
maven_filters	MavenFilters	Filters for rules applied to Java artifacts.
version_regexp	string	Regular expression to search for a package version or Docker image tag.

KeepByAgeLifecycleRule objectKeepByAgeLifecycleRule object

Field	Type	Description
younger_than_days	integer	Keep artifacts younger than the specified number of days.

KeepByVersionLifecycleRule objectKeepByVersionLifecycleRule object

Field	Type	Description
keep_versions_count	integer	Keep the specified number of artifact versions.

DeleteLifecycleRule objectDeleteLifecycleRule object

The older_than_days, version_condition, and always fields are mutually exclusive; you can only specify one deletion condition.

Field	Type	Description
type	string	Deletion type: HARD_DELETE: Permanently delete artifacts. SOFT_DELETE: Mark artifacts for deletion with an option to restore.
cooldown_period_days	integer	Waiting period before deletion, in days.
older_than_days	integer	Delete artifacts older than the specified number of days.
version_condition	DeleteByVersionCondition	Delete artifacts based on the number of versions.
always	boolean	Delete all matching artifacts.

DeleteByVersionCondition objectDeleteByVersionCondition object

Field	Type	Description
versions_count_greater_than	integer	Delete artifacts if their versions exceed the specified number.

DockerFilters objectDockerFilters object

Field	Type	Description
tag_status	string	Filter Docker images by tag status: TAG_STATUS_ANY: Any status. TAGGED: Only Docker images with a tag. UNTAGGED: Only Docker images with no tags.

MavenFilters objectMavenFilters object

Field	Type	Description
version_type	string	Filter Java artifacts by version type: VERSION_TYPE_ANY: Any type RELEASE: Only release versions SNAPSHOT: Only snapshots

See alsoSee also

• Creating a lifecycle policy
• Configuring lifecycle policies
• Creating a registry