# Distribution vs Zot

**Leader by Vioscale score:** Distribution

| Attribute | Distribution | Zot |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 59.4 (67% (medium)) | 53.4 (78% (high)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 8 | 54 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 2,403 | 0 |
| adoption.github_stars | 10,582 | 2,659 |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true,"on_prem":true,"self_hosted":true}` | `{"cloud":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. | A lightweight, self-contained registry for managing container images that fully implements OCI standards. It runs as a single binary without elevated privileges and includes built-in security scanning, access control, garbage collection, and image deduplication. |
| 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":true,"hosting":"both","oci_compliant":true,"private_repos":true,"artifact_types":"images","vulnerability_scanning":true}` |
| integrations.count | - | 1 |
| integrations.list | - | `[{"name":"Stacker"}]` |
| language.primary | Go | Go |
| license.spdx | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true,"linux":true}` | `{"cli":true,"mac":true,"linux":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://zotregistry.dev","retrievedAt":"2026-08-03T13:02:43.251Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | open_source | open_source |
| pricing.price_level | free | free |
| pricing.transparent | yes | yes |
| release.cadence_days | 55 | 29 |
| 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/project-zot/zot/releases/tag/v2.1.20","date":"2026-08-04T17:51:30Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.1.20"},{"url":"https://github.com/project-zot/zot/releases/tag/v2.1.19","date":"2026-08-04T06:46:22Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.1.19"},{"url":"https://github.com/project-zot/zot/releases/tag/v2.1.18","date":"2026-06-24T15:30:19Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.1.18"},{"url":"https://github.com/project-zot/zot/releases/tag/v2.1.17","date":"2026-05-18T05:44:37Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.1.17"},{"url":"https://github.com/project-zot/zot/releases/tag/v2.1.16","date":"2026-04-19T06:26:29Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.1.16"},{"url":"https://github.com/project-zot/zot/releases/tag/v2.1.15","date":"2026-03-08T22:31:57Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.1.15"},{"url":"https://github.com/project-zot/zot/releases/tag/v2.1.14","date":"2026-01-25T17:14:38Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.1.14"},{"url":"https://github.com/project-zot/zot/releases/tag/v2.1.13","date":"2025-12-23T10:14:48Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.1.13"},{"url":"https://github.com/project-zot/zot/releases/tag/v2.1.12","date":"2025-12-21T20:45:14Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.1.12"},{"url":"https://github.com/project-zot/zot/releases/tag/v2.1.11","date":"2025-11-20T20:14:44Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.1.11"},{"url":"https://github.com/project-zot/zot/releases/tag/v2.1.10","date":"2025-10-18T18:46:36Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.1.10"},{"url":"https://github.com/project-zot/zot/releases/tag/v2.1.9","date":"2025-10-14T16:18:49Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.1.9"},{"url":"https://github.com/project-zot/zot/releases/tag/v2.1.8","date":"2025-09-01T19:20:42Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.1.8"},{"url":"https://github.com/project-zot/zot/releases/tag/v2.1.7","date":"2025-08-03T16:35:59Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.1.7"},{"url":"https://github.com/project-zot/zot/releases/tag/v2.1.6","date":"2025-07-27T01:14:14Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.1.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/project-zot/zot/releases/tag/v2.1.5","date":"2025-06-17T18:04:11Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.1.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/project-zot/zot/releases/tag/v2.1.4","date":"2025-06-06T02:31:04Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.1.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/project-zot/zot/releases/tag/v2.1.3","date":"2025-05-22T17:04:49Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.1.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/project-zot/zot/releases/tag/v2.1.3-rc6","date":"2025-05-02T19:50:48Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.1.3-rc6"},{"url":"https://github.com/project-zot/zot/releases/tag/v2.1.3-rc5","date":"2025-04-17T17:00:51Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.1.3-rc5"}]` |
| reliability.status_page | yes | - |
| security.scorecard | 7.9 | 8.2 |
| 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":1,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=go&package_name=zotregistry.dev%2Fzot%2Fv2&per_page=100","last_12m":1,"max_severity":"HIGH"}` |

## Capabilities (Container Registries)

| Capability | Distribution | Zot |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Hosting | Self-hosted only | Cloud + self-hosted |
| **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 2026-09-01T16:32:50.683Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*