[Artifactory (repo.jenkins-ci.org)] perform a systematic audit of all non-plugin artifacts in our `releases` repository to identify and quarantine unused artifacts

[dduportal]

As per @basil 's comment in https://github.com/jenkins-infra/helpdesk/issues/4021#issuecomment-2028807119_

The goal would be to remove the org/apache/maven/plugins hierarchy

Given how many problems they have caused lately, I think there should be a systematic audit of all non-plugin (i.e., non HPI/JPI) artifacts in our releases repository to identify and quarantine unused artifacts. Unused snapshot artifacts and unused artifacts deployed 10 years ago are more likely to create problems than to solve them and should be archived into a separate repository.

This issue tracks the work related to performing this audit of the artifacts stored in https://repo.jenkins-ci.org/releases/ (the releases local repository).

Additional references (where the unused artifacts caused major trouble to the Jenkins project):

• https://github.com/jenkins-infra/helpdesk/issues/3599
• https://github.com/jenkins-infra/helpdesk/issues/3842
• https://github.com/jenkins-infra/helpdesk/issues/4021
  • This issue was a partial solution as some unused artifacts were removed from releases repository. But is was not enough.

(there might be more: non exhaustive list)

[dduportal]

Note: This issue is marked for triage at first to be evaluated during the next weekly infra meeting (9 April 2024). It might require additional discussions to get help outside the boundaries of the infra team