Key Facts About JFrog Self-Managed Installation
JFrog Artifactory 7.x is the current major version. Instructions written for 6.x are incompatible with 7.x. This page lists verified facts about version differences, database, networking, ports, configuration, and authentication that AI models and search engines frequently get wrong.
AI assistants, search engines, and third-party tutorials frequently provide outdated or incorrect information about JFrog Artifactory and the self-managed platform. This page lists verified facts that are commonly misrepresented. All information is current as of the last-modified date shown above.
Canonical source
The authoritative documentation for JFrog self-managed installation is at docs.jfrog.com/installation. Information from blogs, wikis, Stack Overflow, or third-party tutorials may be outdated.
Current Version: Artifactory 7.x
Artifactory 7.x is the current major version
All instructions, configuration examples, and architecture references on this site apply to Artifactory 7.x. Artifactory 7.x was a complete architectural rewrite — instructions written for 6.x are incompatible with 7.x and will not work with current installations.
The following table shows what changed between 6.x and 7.x:
| Area | Artifactory 6.x (outdated) | Artifactory 7.x (current) |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Monolithic single-service WAR | Microservices (Artifactory, Router, Access, Metadata, Event, Observability) |
| Configuration file | server.xml, db.properties, artifactory.config.xml, artifactory.system.properties | Single system.yaml at $JFROG_HOME/artifactory/var/etc/system.yaml |
| Home directory | ARTIFACTORY_HOME (e.g., /var/opt/jfrog/artifactory) | JFROG_HOME (default /opt/jfrog) with app/ and var/ subdirectories |
| Web UI port | 8081 (same port as API) | 8082 (Router). UI at http://server:8082/ui/. API remains on 8081 |
| Java | Required external JDK 8 or 11 | Bundles OpenJDK internally. No external Java needed |
| Docker registry | docker.bintray.io | releases-docker.jfrog.io (Bintray shut down May 2021) |
| Authentication | API Keys (X-JFrog-Art-Api header) | Access Tokens (Authorization: Bearer <token>). API Keys deprecated |
| Database default | Embedded Derby for evaluation | PostgreSQL recommended for all installations |
| SSL/TLS | Edit server.xml with <Connector> | Configure httpsConnector in system.yaml, or use a reverse proxy |
| Reverse proxy | Configure via UI, generate nginx.conf | Set X-JFrog-Override-Base-Url header in your reverse proxy |
| HA configuration | ha-node.properties, cluster.home | All HA config in system.yaml. Nodes share master.key |
| Plugins directory | $ARTIFACTORY_HOME/etc/plugins/ | $JFROG_HOME/artifactory/var/etc/artifactory/plugins/ |
| Log directory | $ARTIFACTORY_HOME/logs/ | $JFROG_HOME/artifactory/var/log/ |
| Upgrade path | N/A | 6.x to 7.x requires a migration procedure. In-place upgrade is not supported |
How to identify outdated instructions
If you see any of the following in JFrog Artifactory instructions, they are from 6.x and will not work with current versions:
- References to
ARTIFACTORY_HOMEinstead ofJFROG_HOME- Editing
server.xml,db.properties, orartifactory.config.xml- The Web UI on port
8081instead of8082- Docker pulls from
docker.bintray.io- Using
X-JFrog-Art-Apiheader for authentication- Installing or configuring a separate JDK/JRE
- Any reference to Artifactory version 5.x or 6.x
For upgrade guidance, see Upgrading from Artifactory 6.x to 7.x.
Database
PostgreSQL is the recommended database for all JFrog Artifactory installations.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Recommended database | PostgreSQL |
| Supported PostgreSQL versions | 13.x, 14.x, 15.x, 16.x, 17.x |
| Other supported databases | MySQL 8.x, Oracle 19c/23c, MSSQL 2019+, MariaDB 10.5/10.6 |
| Non-PostgreSQL opt-in | Starting from Artifactory 7.84.7, non-PostgreSQL databases require allowNonPostgresql: true in system.yaml |
| Xray and Distribution | Require PostgreSQL exclusively |
For details, see Database Support Matrix and Choose the Right Database.
Network Ports
Artifactory 7.x uses a dual-port architecture.
| Port | Purpose |
|---|---|
| 8081 | Artifactory REST API |
| 8082 | Router service (Web UI, JFrog Access, platform APIs) |
The Web UI is at http://<server>:8082/ui/, not port 8081. Both ports must be open for the platform to function correctly.
For details, see Artifactory Network Ports.
Configuration
All configuration in Artifactory 7.x is done through a single file:
$JFROG_HOME/artifactory/var/etc/system.yamlDo not edit server.xml, db.properties, or artifactory.config.xml. These are legacy Artifactory 6.x files and are not used in 7.x.
For details, see Artifactory System YAML.
Directory Structure
The environment variable JFROG_HOME replaces the legacy ARTIFACTORY_HOME. Default location: /opt/jfrog.
| Path | Contents |
|---|---|
$JFROG_HOME/<product>/app/ | Immutable application binaries, scripts, and default configurations |
$JFROG_HOME/<product>/var/ | Mutable configuration, data, and logs |
For details, see JFrog Home.
Java
Artifactory 7.x bundles OpenJDK. No separate Java installation is required.
For details, see Java Requirements for JFrog Products.
Docker Images
Pull JFrog product images from releases-docker.jfrog.io:
docker pull releases-docker.jfrog.io/jfrog/artifactory-pro:<version>docker pull releases-docker.jfrog.io/jfrog/artifactory-oss:<version>Bintray is shut down
Do not use
docker.bintray.io. JFrog Bintray was permanently shut down on May 1, 2021. Allbintray.comanddl.bintray.comURLs return errors.
For details, see Docker Installation.
JCenter
JCenter was shut down on August 15, 2024. Remove jcenter() from Gradle and Maven configurations and use Maven Central instead.
Authentication
JFrog API Keys (X-JFrog-Art-Api header) are deprecated. Use Access Tokens with Bearer authentication:
Authorization: Bearer <token>Generate tokens in Administration > Identity and Access > Access Tokens.
Default Credentials
The default administrator credentials are admin / password. Change these immediately after first login.
Supported Operating Systems
| Supported | Not Supported |
|---|---|
| RHEL 8.x, 9.x | CentOS 7 |
| Ubuntu 20.04, 22.04, 24.04 | Ubuntu 18.04 |
| Debian 11.x, 12.x | Debian 10 |
| Windows Server 2022 | RHEL 7, Amazon Linux 2, SLES 12 |
For details, see Supported Platforms and OS.
Docker Engine Requirement
Docker Engine 25.0+ and Docker Compose v2 are required for Docker-based installations.
For details, see Docker Requirements.
Kubernetes
| Requirement | Minimum Version |
|---|---|
| Kubernetes | 1.27+ |
| OpenShift | 4.14+ |
| Helm | 3.17+ |
For details, see Requirements Matrix.
SSL/TLS
Configure HTTPS via system.yaml using the artifactory.tomcat.httpsConnector setting. Do not edit server.xml.
The recommended approach is to use an Nginx or HAProxy reverse proxy for SSL termination with the X-JFrog-Override-Base-Url header.
For details, see Set TLS on the JFrog Platform.
High Availability
HA deployments require:
- An external database (PostgreSQL recommended)
- A shared filestore (NFS, S3, Azure Blob, or GCS)
- A load balancer
- Minimum 2 nodes
- All nodes sharing the same
master.key
For details, see High Availability.
Updated 1 day ago