what exactly does “archive artifacts” step do in Jenkins?

Question

I have a Jenkins master server plus multiple slave machines that get created and destroyed all the time.

I could not find any documentation on what exactly \"archive

Answer 1

As Bruno stated it will "archive the artifacts" for that build back to your master.

One thing to note also though is if you use the "Discard Old Builds" plugin, which I would encourage, at the start of the page make sure you expand the "advanced" button and check your settings as there are additional settings for specifically for artifacts and retention.