upload-artifact is a GitHub Actions action that uploads workflow artifacts to GitHub's artifact storage system.
The action solves the problem of persisting build outputs and test results across workflow runs by providing a straightforward interface to store files generated during job execution. It works by accepting file paths or glob patterns as input and uploading the specified files to GitHub's artifact backend, internally powered by the @actions/artifact package. Users can upload individual files, entire directories, or sets of files matching wildcard patterns, with options to control compression levels and retention periods.
Teams should adopt this action if they need to preserve workflow outputs for later retrieval, debugging, or analysis. It suits any project using GitHub Actions that generates artifacts such as build binaries, test reports, or logs. The action integrates directly into GitHub's native artifact storage, making it the natural choice for workflows running on GitHub.
The project receives issue reports primarily from external users rather than the core team, indicating a substantial base of adopters relying on it in production. Responses to issues and pull requests typically arrive within one to two weeks. Development activity centers on bug fixes and enhancements, with significant focus on the v4 release line.
