Availability & Latency
If your registry is down, Kubernetes can't schedule pods. Runtime registries must match or exceed your cluster SLA. Consider geographic proximity and replication strategy.
Which Registry Approach Fits Your Team?
Cloud registries, artifact platforms, self-hosted Harbor, or managed Harbor -- understand the trade-offs and make the right choice.
Runtime Registry vs Build-Time Artifact Store
Not every registry solves the same problem. Understanding whether you need a runtime registry or a build-time artifact store is the first step to choosing the right tool.
Runtime Registry
Serve images to production
- Kubernetes pulls images at pod scheduling time
- Availability directly impacts deployment uptime
- Low latency and high throughput required
- Security scanning gates production workloads
- Replication across regions for HA
Build-Time Store
Store artifacts during CI/CD
- CI pipelines push images after build
- Outages delay builds but don't break production
- Universal format support (Maven, npm, PyPI, OCI)
- Dependency proxying and caching
- License compliance and SBOM generation
Cloud registries and Harbor are runtime registries -- they serve images to Kubernetes and must be highly available. Artifact platforms like JFrog Artifactory and Sonatype Nexus are primarily build-time stores that also support OCI images alongside other package formats.
Many teams need both. The question is which role is primary for your use case.
Key Factors When Choosing a Registry
Security & Compliance
Vulnerability scanning, image signing, RBAC, audit logging, and content trust. Regulated industries need provenance chains and compliance reporting.
CI/CD Integration
Seamless authentication from pipelines, webhook triggers, and promotion workflows. Build-time stores excel here; runtime registries need explicit integration.
Multi-Cloud & Portability
Cloud registries lock you into one provider. Harbor and artifact platforms work across clouds. Evaluate migration cost and data sovereignty requirements.
Operational Overhead
Self-hosted means you own upgrades, backups, and scaling. Managed services trade control for convenience. Evaluate your team's capacity honestly.
Cost Model
Cloud registries charge per-GB storage plus egress. Artifact platforms use per-user licensing. Harbor is free but infrastructure isn't. Compare total cost of ownership.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Capability | Cloud Registries | Artifact Platforms | Self-Hosted Harbor | 8gears Container Registry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary use case | Runtime (single cloud) | Build-time artifact store | Runtime (any infra) | Runtime (any infra, managed) |
| OCI image support | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multi-format artifacts | -- | ✓ | OCI + Helm | OCI + Helm |
| Vulnerability scanning | Basic | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Image signing & trust | Varies | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Replication / geo-distribution | Single cloud | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multi-cloud / portable | -- | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Enterprise SSO (OIDC/SAML) | IAM only | ✓ | OIDC/LDAP | ✓ |
| Audit & compliance reporting | CloudTrail etc. | ✓ | Basic | ✓ |
| Operational overhead | None (managed) | Medium (SaaS or self-hosted) | High (self-managed) | None (fully managed) |
| Vendor lock-in risk | High | Medium | None (open source) | Low (open-source core) |
| Cost model | Storage + egress | Per-user license | Infrastructure only | Flat monthly fee |
Registry Approaches in Detail
Cloud Registries
AWS ECR, Azure ACR, Google GAR, and Docker Hub. Tightly integrated with their cloud ecosystem. Zero operational overhead but limited to a single provider.
- Deeply integrated with provider IAM and services
- Auto-scaling, no capacity planning needed
- Egress fees for cross-region or external pulls
- No portability -- locked to one cloud
- Limited scanning and policy enforcement
Artifact Platforms
JFrog Artifactory and Sonatype Nexus. Universal artifact management for all package types. Strong in CI/CD but container features can lag.
- Multi-format: Maven, npm, PyPI, OCI, and more
- Dependency proxying and virtual repositories
- Per-user licensing can get expensive at scale
- Container features secondary to package management
- Complex setup for advanced OCI workflows
Self-Hosted Harbor
CNCF-graduated, open-source container registry. Full control and zero licensing cost, but you own every aspect of operations.
- Full control over data and infrastructure
- No vendor lock-in, runs anywhere
- Rich feature set: scanning, replication, RBAC
- Significant operational burden on your team
- No vendor support, community-only
Recommended
8gears Container Registry
Enterprise Harbor distribution with managed operations. All the power of Harbor without the operational burden.
- Harbor-based -- no lock-in, full OCI support
- Managed upgrades, backups, and monitoring
- Enterprise SSO, SAML 2.0, and group sync
- Compliance reporting and audit log shipping
- Flat pricing -- no egress or per-user fees
- Dedicated support with SLA
Ready to Simplify Your Registry?
Start with a free trial or talk to our team about your requirements.