Distribution
Cloud-hosted repository for storing, managing, and sharing Docker container images
- Vendor
- Docker Inc.
- Also known as
- distribution
What is Distribution?
A centralized platform for teams to store and distribute containerized applications as Docker images. Provides access control, automated builds, and development tool integrations to streamline container image management across environments.
Distribution pricing
We don't have Distribution's full plan breakdown yet (its pricing page resisted automated reading). Here's what we could confirm. Always check live pricing for exact numbers.
What Distribution does
The capabilities that matter for container registries, normalised so it lines up with every alternative. “-” means we haven't confirmed it, not that it's missing.
- Hosting
- Self-hosted only
- OCI Distribution Spec compliant
- ✓
- Artifact types
- Container images only
- Built-in vulnerability scanning
- ✓
- Image signing (Cosign/Notation)
- ✓
- SBOM generation / storage
- ✗
- Fine-grained RBAC / robot accounts
- ✓
- Private repositories
- ✓
- Geo-replication / mirroring
- -
- Pull-through cache / proxy
- -
- Native cloud IAM integration
- ✗
- Pull-rate limits
- -
- Web UI / console
- ✓
- High-availability deployment
- ✓
Platform & deployment
Independently observed- Web
- Cloud / SaaS
Integrations (1)
Independently observed- GitHub←•
Security & compliance
Known vulnerabilities: 4 (3 in the last 12 months), max severity HIGH sourcea count reflects scale & disclosure, not quality
Distribution FAQ
Common questions about Distribution, answered from independent, dated evidence.
What is Distribution?
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.
Is Distribution free to use?
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.
What platforms does Distribution support?
Distribution supports Linux and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.
Can Distribution be self-hosted?
Yes. Distribution can be deployed cloud / SaaS, on-premise and self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.
Is Distribution open source?
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.
Distribution alternatives
Other container registries we track, ranked by the same independent score.
- HarborOpen-source container image registry with built-in security, signing, and vulnerability scanning for cloud-native environmentshigh · 78%
- Google Artifact RegistryA hosted repository service for organizing and managing build artifacts and package dependencies across multiple formatsmedium · 54%
- Docker HubA central registry for storing, managing, and sharing container images with your team and the broader developer communityhigh · 75%
- CloudsmithUniversal registry platform with integrated security scanning for managing artifacts across your software supply chainmedium · 52%
- Azure Container RegistryHosted storage for containerized application imagesmedium · 53%
- CNCF DistributionA cloud-hosted registry for discovering, publishing, and managing containerized applicationsmedium · 67%
Compare Distribution
Side by side against other container registries, attribute by attribute, with a source on every value.
The vioscaleAI score: one lens on the evidence
Not user reviews and not a paid placement: a confidence-weighted blend of the independent signals below (adoption, activity, security posture, and more), which you can sort and re-weight yourself. Vendors can correct their listing but can never move their rank, and stars are weighted low as a vanity metric. It is one way to read the evidence for Distribution, not the verdict.
| Signal | Score | Weight | Contribution | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capabilities | 87 | 0.09 | 7.6 | ✓ |
| Security score | 76 | 0.08 | 6.2 | ✓ |
| Release cadence | 69 | 0.07 | 4.7 | ✓ |
| Dependent projects | 56 | 0.07 | 3.8 | ✓ |
| Development activity | 35 | 0.11 | 3.8 | ✓ |
| Stars | 76 | 0.03 | 2.1 | ✓ |
| Integrations | 9 | 0.05 | 0.5 | ✓ |
| Security posture | 0 | 0.18 | 0.0 | - |
| Package downloads | 0 | 0.15 | 0.0 | - |
| Developer Q&A activity | 0 | 0.05 | 0.0 | - |
Computed . Re-weight it by intent, or see the full method.
All data & sourcesshow ↓
Every value we hold, with its source, retrieval date, and confidence. This is the evidence behind the score: don't trust it, verify it.
Activity
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Commits last 30d | 12 | mediumsource · 2026-09-11 · 65% |
Adoption
Content
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Faq | 5 items | mediumsource · 2026-09-10 · 67% |
Features
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Capabilities | Rbac: Yes · Web ui: Yes · Hosting: self · Sbom support: No · Image signing: Yes · Oci compliant: Yes | mediumsource · 2026-09-14 · 60% |
Integrations
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Count | 1 | mediumsource · 2026-09-14 · 60% |
Language
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | Go | highsource · 2026-09-11 · 90% |
License
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Spdx | Apache-2.0 | highsource · 2026-09-11 · 95% |
Pricing
Release
Reliability
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Status page | Yes | mediumsource · 2026-08-03 · 60% |
Security
Is Distribution the right choice for you?
Tell us the job, the constraints and what you weigh most, and we will rank Distribution against the rest of the container registries we index, using the same dated evidence weighted your way.
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