Package Store and Artifact Hub Overview
Now that you understand package structure and dependencies, you need to understand how packages integrate with the C3 Agentic AI Platform's development tools and workflows. Packages move through different stages as you develop, collaborate with teams, and deploy to production. The C3 Agentic AI Platform uses different storage mechanisms at each stage to support these workflows.
Package lifecycle integration
Packages move through distinct stages in the development lifecycle, and the C3 Agentic AI Platform manages storage differently at each stage:
Development: Edit packages in C3 AI Studio or VS Code using writable storage backends. You can modify Type definitions, add methods, and test changes immediately.
Collaboration: When your team uses Git for version control, the C3 Agentic AI Platform syncs packages between C3 AI Studio and Git repositories. This enables branch workflows, code review, and team coordination.
Distribution: Publishing to Artifact Hub packages your code as immutable ZIP archives. Other developers declare these as dependencies, and the platform downloads them automatically.
Production: When packages are deployed to production environments, they run from read-only ZIP archives downloaded from Artifact Hub. This ensures consistent, versioned deployments across all nodes.
How the C3 Agentic AI Platform manages package storage
The C3 Agentic AI Platform uses Pkg.Store as the internal abstraction that powers package integration across tools and workflows. When you edit a file in VSCode, commit changes to Git, or deploy to production, Pkg.Store routes operations to the appropriate storage backend.
The tools you use (C3 AI Studio, VSCode, Jarvis, Artifact Hub) automatically configure package storage based on what you're doing. However, understanding how storage works helps you debug issues, optimize workflows, and understand error messages you might encounter.
Storage backends by lifecycle stage
The C3 Agentic AI Platform uses two main storage backends that correspond to different lifecycle stages:
| Stage | Storage Backend | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Development & Collaboration | Pkg.Store.Db | Editable packages for development and team collaboration. |
| Distribution & Production | Pkg.Store.Zip | Immutable packages for distribution and production deployments. |
The C3 Agentic AI Platform automatically selects the appropriate backend based on context. For example, when you edit a package in C3 AI Studio, it uses Pkg.Store.Db (writable). When you publish to Artifact Hub, it creates a Pkg.Store.Zip (read-only). When your team collaborates with Git, the C3 Agentic AI Platform synchronizes between your local editable store and Git repositories.
Artifact Hub and package distribution
Artifact Hub is the central repository for versioned packages. When you build a package for distribution, it's uploaded to Artifact Hub as a ZIP archive. This is how packages become reusable dependencies that other projects can consume.
The workflow:
- Develop your package in C3 AI Studio (Pkg.Store.Db).
- Build your package using Jarvis or Studio's build tools.
- Publish to Artifact Hub as a versioned ZIP artifact.
- Declare as a dependency in other package's manifests.
- Automatic download when other packages resolve dependencies.
This workflow connects package development to the broader release management process, which includes build automation, artifact validation, and deployment orchestration.
Common integration scenarios
You'll encounter package storage in several development scenarios:
Editing in VSCode: The VSCode extension uses Pkg.Store to power autocomplete, go-to-definition, and Type checking. If packages aren't loading correctly, these features break.
Git workflows: When you use C3 AI Studio's Git integration, the C3 Agentic AI Platform manages syncing between your editable packages (Pkg.Store.Db), and Git repositories configured.
Dependency resolution: When you declare dependencies in your package manifest, the C3 Agentic AI Platform downloads them from Artifact Hub and configures Pkg.Store.Zip to provide read-only access.
UI bundling: Building UI components requires writable packages. If your package is read-only (from Artifact Hub), the C3 Agentic AI Platform can copy it to a writable store first.
Production deployment: Deploying to production uses immutable ZIP artifacts from Artifact Hub to ensure consistent versions across all nodes.
Next steps
To learn more about how package storage works and how to troubleshoot common issues:
- The Store Types - Detailed information about each storage backend, error scenarios, and configuration options.
- Artifact Hub - How to publish packages, manage versions, and distribute to other projects.
- Release Management - The complete workflow from development through production deployment.