Vultr Container Registry

Introduction

Vultr Container Registry is a managed storage and distribution system for Open Container Initiative (OCI) images or related artifacts. You can securely host multiple container images, build and deploy your applications on platforms such as Docker or Kubernetes.

A Vultr Container Registry contains multiple repositories that match your main repository name. For instance, a registry name example creates repository names with the format example/container-name. In addition, every container image you push to the registry creates a new repository tag you can pull and distribute on your target platforms.

How to Create a New Vultr Container Registry

1. Open the Vultr Customer Portal.

2. Click Products on the left navigation menu and select Container Registry from the list of options.

3. Click Add Container Registry to set up a new registry.

   

4. Enter your desired repository name in the Choose Registry Name field.

5. Follow the recommended repository naming requirements below when selecting a new registry name:

   • Use lowercase alphanumeric characters.
   • Avoid using special characters.
   • Verify that your registry name is globally unique in the Vultr Container Registry. Popular names such as test, example, test registry, sample may not be available for use.

6. Select your desired Vultr Container Registry location.

7. Choose your preferred registry plan. The Start Up is free to use with up to 10 GB storage.

8. Click the optional Public checkbox to enable public access to your Vultr Container Registry. When unselected, your registry visibility is set to private and only accessible to authorized users.

   

9. Click Add Container Registry to create your new registry.

10. Wait for at least 2 minutes for your Vultr Container Registry deployment process to complete and verify that the new registry is available on your account.

How to Manage a Vultr Container Registry

1. Click Container Registry on the Products navigation menu and verify the list of your available registries.

   

2. Click the edit icon Manage Container Registry on your target registry to open the management panel.

3. Verify your Vultr Container Registry access credentials in the Overview tab which includes the following information:

   

   • Storage: Represents your Vultr Container Registry storage usage ratio. For example, a 1.86/10GB ratio represents a 1.86 GB total usage out of the maximum 10 GB available registry storage.
   • Location: Your Vultr Container Registry location.
   • Registry URL: The Vultr Container Registry URL that includes your repository name.
   • Username: The registry username you can use to access and log in to your Vultr Container Registry.
   • API Key: The registry password you can use to access and log in to the Vultr Container Registry. Click the eye Show API Key symbol to view the registry API key in plain text.
   • Example Commands: Contains auto-generated Docker commands you can use to log in, pull, tag, and push images to your Vultr Container Registry. Select and copy each command to directly use it with your Docker CLI application.

4. Navigate to the Repositories tab and verify all available registry tags, versions, statistics, creation, and the last push date.

5. Click the Settings tab to upgrade your Vultr Container Registry plan or change the visibility to Public to enable non-authenticated access to your registry. Click Update to apply any settings to your registry.

6. Navigate to the Docker/Kubernetes tab and generate new credentials to access your registry. Enter your desired credential expiry time in seconds in the Expires In (seconds) field and click Generate Docker Config JSON or Generate Kubernetes YAML depending on your target platform to generate new configurations.

Manage a Vultr Container Registry using the Vultr CLI

Vultr Command Line Interface (vultr-cli) is a terminal-based tool that provides access to Vultr API features you can use to manage your Vultr Container Registry. Follow the steps below to manage your registry using the Vultr CLI.

• Create a new Vultr Container Registry.

  console Copy

  $ vultr-cli container-registry create --name myexampleregistry --plan business --public false --region sjc
  

  The above Vultr CLI command creates a new Vultr Container Registry with the following specifications:

  • Registry Name: exampleregistry
  • Registry Plan: business
  • Visibility: private
  • Registry Location: Silicon Valley sjc

• List all Vultr Container Registries available on your Vultr account.

  console Copy

  $ vultr-cli container-registry list
  

• List all registry repositories.

  console Copy

  $ vultr-cli container-registry list repositories
  

  For more information about the Vultr CLI tool, visit the official project repository.

Manage a Vultr Container Registry using the Vultr API

Visit the following Vultr API endpoints to manage your Vultr Container Registry.

Manage Vultr Container Registries

• List all container registries on your account.
• Create a new container registry.
• Read container registry Information.
• Update a container registry.
• Delete a container registry.

Manage Repositories

• List all repositories in a container registry.
• Get Information about a single registry repository.
• Update a repository.
• Delete a container registry repository.

Additional Registry Endpoints

• Create Docker Credentials.
• Create Docker credentials for Kubernetes.
• List container registry regions.
• List container registry plans.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

• Can I create more than 1 free Vultr Container Registry?

  No, you cannot create multiple registries with the free Start Up plan. Choose other paid plans such as Business, Premium, and Enterprise depending on your registry storage needs.

• Can I use the Vultr Container Registry as an alternative to DockerHub?

  Yes, you can use the Vultr Container Registry as an alternative to DockerHub and securely push, build, store, and pull container images.

• Can I use Vultr Container Registry repositories on Kubernetes?

  Yes, you can use your Vultr Container Registry repositories on Kubernetes. Generate a Kubernetes secret YAML file in your Docker/Kubernetes tab to authenticate and use your container registry repositories.

• Can I change the visibility type when the registry is already created?

  Yes, you can change your registry visibility at any time depending on your needs. Navigate to the Settings tab and click the Public value to update your registry visibility.

• Can I change the Vultr Container Registry plan after it’s created?

  Yes, you can upgrade your container registry to a new plan depending on your needs. Navigate to the Settings tab, and click the Plans drop-down to select a new registry plan.

• What is the default Vultr Container Registry visibility type?

  Private unless you change the visibility option to Public in your registry settings.

• What’s the limit of Container Images I can upload to a Vultr Container Registry

  Unlimited container images unless you exceed your container registry storage limit. For example, the free Start Up plan supports up to 10 GB of storage, upgrade your registry plan when you exceed the storage limit to keep your repositories active.