container registry
also: image repository, container image registry
A centralized repository service that stores and distributes container images, allowing users to push, pull, and manage containerized applications.
A container registry is a server that hosts container images—the packaged, executable versions of applications with all their dependencies. It functions similarly to a package manager repository but for containers, enabling teams to store, version, and share Docker images, Podman images, and other container formats across an organization or publicly.
Popular registries include Docker Hub (public and free), Amazon ECR, Google Container Registry, and private solutions like Harbor. Users authenticate with a registry, then use commands like docker push myapp:v1.0 to upload images and docker pull myapp:v1.0 to download them for deployment.
Container registries typically support image tagging (versioning), access control policies, image scanning for vulnerabilities, and integration with CI/CD pipelines to automate the build-and-publish workflow.