In a CI/CD pipeline, why is a build artifact (e.

In cloud native CI/CD workflows, build artifacts such as Docker/OCI images are pushed to a central container registry to ensure consistent, reproducible deployments. Option A is correct because registries serve as a single source of truth where immutable artifacts are stored, versioned, and distributed across environments. Deployment systems like Kubernetes pull images from these registries, ensuring that the same tested artifact is deployed in staging and production.

Option B is incorrect because images cannot be directly transformed back into source code. Option C partially describes benefits (version tracking) but misses the primary function of deployment consistency. Option D is misleading—registries typically don’t run automated tests; CI/CD pipelines do that before pushing the image.

By using OCI-compliant registries, organizations gain portability, interoperability, and compliance with supply chain security practices such as image signing and SBOM attestation. This ensures traceability, reliability, and secure distribution of artifacts across the platform.