Harbor

Self-Hosted

Open-source container registry with enterprise-grade security features

Overview

Harbor is an open-source, CNCF-graduated container registry designed to store, sign, and scan container images with enterprise-grade security. It supports Kubernetes integration via Helm charts, offers role-based access control (RBAC), OIDC authentication, vulnerability scanning (Trivy integration), and image replication across registries. Deployable via Docker Compose (standalone) or Helm (Kubernetes clusters), Harbor ensures compliance and integrity for containerized apps while giving full control over image storage infrastructure.

Self-Hosting Resources

Find Official Image on Docker Hub View Source & Docs

Below is a reference structure for docker-compose.yml. ⚠️ Do NOT run blindly. Replace placeholders with official values.

docker-compose.template.yml TEMPLATE


version: '3'
services:
  harbor:
    image: <OFFICIAL_IMAGE_NAME>:latest
    container_name: harbor
    ports:
      - "8080:<APP_INTERNAL_PORT>"
    volumes:
      - ./data:/app/data
    restart: unless-stopped

Key Features

Enterprise-grade container image management
Vulnerability scanning (Trivy integration)
Role-based access control (RBAC) & OIDC authentication
Cross-registry image replication

Frequently Asked Questions

? Is Harbor hard to install?

Harbor offers simple installation via Docker Compose (small deployments) or Helm Chart (Kubernetes clusters). Official docs provide step-by-step guides, but familiarity with container tools is recommended for production (e.g., SSL setup, persistent storage).

? Is it a good alternative to AWS ECR?

Yes—Harbor avoids vendor lock-in and gives full control over your images. It includes enterprise features like vulnerability scanning and RBAC that are paid in cloud registries, but at no cost.

? Is it completely free?

Harbor is licensed under Apache 2.0, so it’s fully open-source and free to use, modify, or distribute. There are no hidden fees or subscription requirements.

Top Alternatives

Docker Hub (Paid Private Tiers) Search Google

AWS Elastic Container Registry (ECR) Search Google

Tool Info

Pricing Open Source

Category File Transfer - Object Storage & File Servers

Platform Self-Hosted

Pros

⊕ Self-hosted (full control over data privacy)
⊕ No subscription fees (open-source Apache 2.0 license)
⊕ Kubernetes-native (Helm chart for easy deployment)
⊕ Enterprise features missing in basic cloud registry tiers

Cons

⊖ Requires basic Docker/Kubernetes knowledge for setup
⊖ Production tuning needs SSL, persistent storage, and scaling
⊖ Depends on external services (PostgreSQL, Redis, etc.)