# DigitalOcean Container Registry vs Distribution

**Leader by vioscaleAI score:** Distribution

| Attribute | DigitalOcean Container Registry | Distribution |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 56.4 (72% (medium)) | 63.5 (77% (high)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | - | 69 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | - | 2,403 |
| adoption.github_stars | - | 10,649 |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"A managed, private container registry fully integrated with Docker CLI and DigitalOcean Kubernetes for secure image storage, management, and deployment. It is indexed under Container Registries.","source":"https://www.digitalocean.com/pricing/container-registry","question":"What is DigitalOcean Container Registry?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"DigitalOcean Container Registry offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Paid plans start at $0.02. Prices are published openly on the vendor's own pricing page. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://www.digitalocean.com/pricing/container-registry","question":"Is DigitalOcean Container Registry free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"DigitalOcean Container Registry supports the web and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://www.digitalocean.com/pricing/container-registry","question":"What platforms does DigitalOcean Container Registry support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for DigitalOcean Container Registry, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://www.digitalocean.com/pricing/container-registry","question":"Can DigitalOcean Container Registry be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 3 integrations for DigitalOcean Container Registry, including Docker CLI, DigitalOcean Kubernetes and App Platform. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://www.digitalocean.com/pricing/container-registry","question":"What does DigitalOcean Container Registry integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"DigitalOcean Container Registry is available worldwide. Its primary market is the United States.","source":"https://www.digitalocean.com/pricing/container-registry","question":"Where is DigitalOcean Container Registry available?","confidence":0.5}]` | `[{"answer":"Open-source registry implementing OCI Distribution Spec version 1.0.1 that enables you to store and distribute container images with full control over your distribution pipeline. It is indexed under Container Registries.","source":"https://distribution.github.io/distribution/","question":"What is Distribution?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Distribution is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. It is released under the Apache-2.0 licence. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://distribution.github.io/distribution/","question":"Is Distribution free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Distribution supports Linux and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://distribution.github.io/distribution/","question":"What platforms does Distribution support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Distribution can be deployed cloud / SaaS, on-premise and self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://distribution.github.io/distribution/","question":"Can Distribution be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Distribution is published under the Apache-2.0 licence, a permissive licence that generally allows commercial use and modification. Licence terms can change between releases, so verify against the repository for the version you intend to use.","source":"https://github.com/distribution/distribution","question":"Is Distribution open source?","confidence":0.95}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true}` | `{"cloud":true}` |
| description.long | Store and manage private container images with high-speed HTTPS transfer across multiple data centers. Integrates natively with DigitalOcean Droplets and Kubernetes for container deployment. | A cloud-based container image registry where developers can publish, discover, and collaborate on containerized applications. Includes user management, access controls, automated builds, and webhooks for integration into development workflows. |
| features.capabilities | `{"rbac":true,"web_ui":true,"hosting":"cloud","private_repos":true,"artifact_types":"images"}` | `{"rbac":true,"web_ui":true,"hosting":"self","sbom_support":false,"image_signing":true,"oci_compliant":true,"private_repos":true,"artifact_types":"images","cloud_iam_native":false,"high_availability":true,"vulnerability_scanning":true}` |
| integrations.count | 2 | 2 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Docker CLI"},{"name":"DigitalOcean Kubernetes"},{"name":"App Platform"},{"name":"DigitalOcean Droplets","native":true,"direction":"outbound"}]` | `[{"name":"GitHub","native":true,"direction":"inbound"},{"name":"Webhooks","native":true,"direction":"outbound"},{"name":"Warp terminal","native":false}]` |
| language.primary | - | Go |
| license.spdx | - | Apache-2.0 |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":["US"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | - |
| platform.support | `{"web":true}` | `{"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"free","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Free","summary":"1 repository, 500 MiB storage","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"storage":"500 MiB","repositories":"1"}}],"summary":"Free tier: 1 repository with 500 MiB storage","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.digitalocean.com/pricing","retrievedAt":"2026-10-13T10:29:30.489Z"}` | `{"type":"hybrid","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://distribution.github.io/distribution/","retrievedAt":"2026-09-11T16:12:43.477Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | free | freemium |
| pricing.price_level | free | low |
| pricing.transparent | yes | no |
| release.cadence_days | - | 55 |
| release.history | - | `[{"url":"https://github.com/distribution/distribution/releases/tag/v3.1.2","date":"2026-09-24T12:21:27Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.1.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/distribution/distribution/releases/tag/v3.1.1","date":"2026-05-01T15:51:50Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.1.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/distribution/distribution/releases/tag/v3.1.0","date":"2026-04-06T17:09:31Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.1.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/distribution/distribution/releases/tag/v3.0.0","date":"2025-04-03T06:25:36Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.0.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/distribution/distribution/releases/tag/v3.0.0-rc.4","date":"2025-03-22T14:59:29Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v3.0.0-rc.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/distribution/distribution/releases/tag/v3.0.0-rc.3","date":"2025-02-11T16:21:07Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v3.0.0-rc.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/distribution/distribution/releases/tag/v3.0.0-rc.2","date":"2024-12-18T15:23:19Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v3.0.0-rc.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/distribution/distribution/releases/tag/v3.0.0-rc.1","date":"2024-11-07T21:04:41Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v3.0.0-rc.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/distribution/distribution/releases/tag/v3.0.0-beta.1","date":"2024-07-10T13:22:40Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v3.0.0-beta.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/distribution/distribution/releases/tag/v3.0.0-alpha.1","date":"2023-12-19T16:03:36Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v3.0.0-alpha.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/distribution/distribution/releases/tag/v2.8.3","date":"2023-10-02T18:23:54Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.8.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/distribution/distribution/releases/tag/v2.8.2","date":"2023-05-11T10:47:43Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.8.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/distribution/distribution/releases/tag/v2.8.2-beta.2","date":"2023-05-09T23:32:56Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.8.2-beta.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/distribution/distribution/releases/tag/v2.8.2-beta.1","date":"2023-05-09T22:42:12Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.8.2-beta.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/distribution/distribution/releases/tag/v2.8.1","date":"2022-03-08T18:19:10Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.8.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/distribution/distribution/releases/tag/v2.8.0","date":"2022-02-07T15:53:07Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.8.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/distribution/distribution/releases/tag/v2.8.0-beta.1","date":"2022-01-21T16:49:13Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.8.0-beta.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/distribution/distribution/releases/tag/v2.7.1","date":"2019-01-17T23:22:32Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.7.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/distribution/distribution/releases/tag/v2.7.0","date":"2018-12-04T00:20:01Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.7.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/distribution/distribution/releases/tag/v2.7.0-rc.0","date":"2018-09-28T23:23:36Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.7.0-rc.0"}]` |
| reliability.status_page | yes | yes |
| security.disclosure_policy | yes | - |
| security.scorecard | - | 7.6 |
| security.vulnerabilities | - | `{"count":4,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=go&package_name=github.com%2Fdistribution%2Fdistribution%2Fv3&per_page=100","last_12m":3,"max_severity":"HIGH"}` |

## Capabilities (Container Registries)

| Capability | DigitalOcean Container Registry | Distribution |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Hosting | Cloud only | Self-hosted only |
| **Standards** |  |  |
| OCI Distribution Spec compliant | - | ✓ |
| **Scope** |  |  |
| Artifact types | Container images only | Container images only |
| **Security** |  |  |
| Built-in vulnerability scanning | - | ✓ |
| Image signing (Cosign/Notation) | - | ✓ |
| SBOM generation / storage | - | ✗ |
| **Access** |  |  |
| Fine-grained RBAC / robot accounts | ✓ | ✓ |
| Private repositories | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Distribution** |  |  |
| Geo-replication / mirroring | - | - |
| Pull-through cache / proxy | - | - |
| **Integration** |  |  |
| Native cloud IAM integration | - | ✗ |
| **Pricing** |  |  |
| Pull-rate limits | - | - |
| **UX** |  |  |
| Web UI / console | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Ops** |  |  |
| High-availability deployment | - | ✓ |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T21:42:25.577Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*