# CNCF Distribution vs DigitalOcean Container Registry

| Attribute | CNCF Distribution | DigitalOcean Container Registry |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 57.6 (66% (medium)) | 58.5 (73% (medium)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 8 | - |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 2,403 | - |
| adoption.github_stars | 10,582 | - |
| deployment.options | `{"on_prem":true,"self_hosted":true}` | `{"cloud":true}` |
| description.long | Open-source implementation of the OCI Distribution Specification for storing and distributing container images. Enables organizations to tightly control their image storage and distribution pipeline with full ownership of their distribution infrastructure. | A managed, private container registry fully integrated with Docker CLI and DigitalOcean Kubernetes for secure image storage, management, and deployment. |
| features.capabilities | `{"hosting":"self","image_signing":true,"oci_compliant":true,"private_repos":true,"artifact_types":"images"}` | `{"rbac":true,"web_ui":true,"hosting":"cloud","private_repos":true,"artifact_types":"images"}` |
| integrations.count | - | 3 |
| integrations.list | - | `[{"name":"Docker CLI"},{"name":"DigitalOcean Kubernetes"},{"name":"App Platform"}]` |
| language.primary | Go | - |
| license.spdx | Apache-2.0 | - |
| market.availability | - | `{"primaryMarkets":["US"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | - | `{"cli":true,"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","sourceUrl":"https://distribution.github.io/distribution/","retrievedAt":"2026-08-13T18:17:59.377Z"}` | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Starter","summary":"Free","features":["1 repository","500 MiB storage","No overage charges"],"commitment":"monthly","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":0,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"storage":"500 MiB","repositories":"1"}},{"free":false,"name":"Basic","summary":"$5/month base + $0.02/GiB overage","features":["5 repositories","5 GiB storage","$0.02/GiB storage overage"],"commitment":"monthly","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":5,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"GiB"},"kind":"metered","amount":0.02,"currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"storage":"5 GiB","repositories":"5"}},{"free":false,"name":"Professional","summary":"$20/month base + $0.02/GiB overage","features":["Unlimited repositories","100 GiB storage","$0.02/GiB storage overage"],"commitment":"monthly","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":20,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"GiB"},"kind":"metered","amount":0.02,"currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"storage":"100 GiB","repositories":"Unlimited"}}],"summary":"Free Starter tier. Paid plans from $5/month (Basic) to $20/month (Professional) with storage overage at $0.02/GiB.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.digitalocean.com/pricing/container-registry","retrievedAt":"2026-08-13T18:15:49.721Z","startingPrice":{"amount":0.02,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | - | yes |
| pricing.model | open_source | freemium |
| pricing.price_level | free | low |
| pricing.transparent | - | yes |
| release.cadence_days | 55 | - |
| release.history | `[{"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"},{"url":"https://github.com/distribution/distribution/releases/tag/v2.6.2","date":"2017-07-20T21:20:00Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.6.2"}]` | - |
| reliability.status_page | yes | yes |
| security.disclosure_policy | - | yes |
| security.scorecard | 7.9 | - |
| 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 | CNCF Distribution | DigitalOcean Container Registry |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Hosting | Self-hosted only | Cloud 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: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T17:32:45.835Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*