# Distribution vs Pulp

**Leader by Vioscale score:** Distribution

| Attribute | Distribution | Pulp |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 59.4 (67% (medium)) | 43.7 (60% (medium)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 8 | 49 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 2,403 | 65 |
| adoption.github_stars | 10,582 | 586 |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true,"on_prem":true,"self_hosted":true}` | `{"cloud":true,"on_prem":true,"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | 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. | Pulp enables developers and operators to fetch, upload, organize, and distribute software packages across on-premises infrastructure or cloud environments. It supports multiple content types through a plugin architecture and provides tools for repository management at scale. |
| features.capabilities | `{"web_ui":false,"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":false}` | `{"rbac":false,"web_ui":true,"hosting":"both","sbom_support":false,"image_signing":false,"oci_compliant":true,"private_repos":true,"artifact_types":"universal","cloud_iam_native":false,"pull_rate_limits":"none","high_availability":false,"pull_through_cache":false,"replication_mirroring":false,"vulnerability_scanning":false}` |
| integrations.count | - | 2 |
| integrations.list | - | `[{"name":"OpenAI API"},{"name":"GitHub"}]` |
| language.primary | Go | Python |
| license.spdx | Apache-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| market.availability | - | `{"hqCountry":"US","primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true,"linux":true}` | `{"cli":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","summary":"Open source under Apache license","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://distribution.github.io/distribution/","retrievedAt":"2026-08-13T20:46:36.181Z"}` | `{"type":"open_source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://pulpproject.org","retrievedAt":"2026-08-16T21:32:46.974Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | open_source | open_source |
| pricing.price_level | free | free |
| pricing.transparent | yes | 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"}]` | `[{"url":"https://github.com/pulp/pulpcore/releases/tag/3.116.0","date":"2026-08-12T18:28:59Z","type":"stable","version":"3.116.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/pulp/pulpcore/releases/tag/3.105.16","date":"2026-08-12T16:55:30Z","type":"stable","version":"3.105.16"},{"url":"https://github.com/pulp/pulpcore/releases/tag/3.85.28","date":"2026-07-29T15:10:38Z","type":"stable","version":"3.85.28"},{"url":"https://github.com/pulp/pulpcore/releases/tag/3.63.45","date":"2026-07-29T15:11:51Z","type":"stable","version":"3.63.45"},{"url":"https://github.com/pulp/pulpcore/releases/tag/3.49.68","date":"2026-07-29T15:11:41Z","type":"stable","version":"3.49.68"},{"url":"https://github.com/pulp/pulpcore/releases/tag/3.115.3","date":"2026-07-28T20:41:04Z","type":"stable","version":"3.115.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/pulp/pulpcore/releases/tag/3.105.15","date":"2026-07-28T20:40:51Z","type":"stable","version":"3.105.15"},{"url":"https://github.com/pulp/pulpcore/releases/tag/3.105.14","date":"2026-07-28T08:02:29Z","type":"stable","version":"3.105.14"},{"url":"https://github.com/pulp/pulpcore/releases/tag/3.85.27","date":"2026-07-28T20:40:30Z","type":"stable","version":"3.85.27"},{"url":"https://github.com/pulp/pulpcore/releases/tag/3.73.41","date":"2026-07-28T20:40:26Z","type":"stable","version":"3.73.41"},{"url":"https://github.com/pulp/pulpcore/releases/tag/3.63.44","date":"2026-07-28T20:39:47Z","type":"stable","version":"3.63.44"},{"url":"https://github.com/pulp/pulpcore/releases/tag/3.49.67","date":"2026-07-28T20:39:20Z","type":"stable","version":"3.49.67"},{"url":"https://github.com/pulp/pulpcore/releases/tag/3.105.13","date":"2026-07-27T14:15:34Z","type":"stable","version":"3.105.13"},{"url":"https://github.com/pulp/pulpcore/releases/tag/3.115.2","date":"2026-07-22T12:50:08Z","type":"stable","version":"3.115.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/pulp/pulpcore/releases/tag/3.115.1","date":"2026-07-21T17:06:56Z","type":"stable","version":"3.115.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/pulp/pulpcore/releases/tag/3.115.0","date":"2026-07-21T15:16:40Z","type":"stable","version":"3.115.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/pulp/pulpcore/releases/tag/3.114.2","date":"2026-07-20T17:19:08Z","type":"stable","version":"3.114.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/pulp/pulpcore/releases/tag/3.105.12","date":"2026-07-20T17:20:16Z","type":"stable","version":"3.105.12"},{"url":"https://github.com/pulp/pulpcore/releases/tag/3.85.26","date":"2026-07-20T17:20:28Z","type":"stable","version":"3.85.26"},{"url":"https://github.com/pulp/pulpcore/releases/tag/3.73.40","date":"2026-07-20T17:21:51Z","type":"stable","version":"3.73.40"}]` |
| reliability.status_page | yes | - |
| security.gdpr | - | 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"}` | `{"count":2,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=pypi&package_name=pulpcore&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":"HIGH"}` |

## Capabilities (Container Registries)

| Capability | Distribution | Pulp |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Hosting | Self-hosted only | Cloud + self-hosted |
| **Standards** |  |  |
| OCI Distribution Spec compliant | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Scope** |  |  |
| Artifact types | Container images only | Universal (images + language packages) |
| **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 | - | None |
| **UX** |  |  |
| Web UI / console | ✗ | ✓ |
| **Ops** |  |  |
| High-availability deployment | ✓ | ✗ |

*Source: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T16:53:15.947Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*