OSI-licensed open source
A container registry stores and serves container images and other OCI artifacts. Self-hosting one keeps images close to your clusters, avoids pull-rate limits and gives you control over access, retention and scanning.
Every tool here is OSI-licensed and its licence was read from its repository this run. The list covers dedicated registries (Harbor, Distribution, Quay, Zot) and Git forges that include a registry (Gitea, Forgejo, GitLab CE). It is for platform and DevOps teams choosing between a minimal registry and a full management platform.
Tools, licences and pricing checked against vendor and repository pages on November 7, 2026.
| Tool | Best for | Pricing | Licence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harbor | Full-featured self-hosted registry for teams | Free, open source | Apache-2.0 |
| CNCF Distribution | A minimal registry or a base to build on | Free, open source | Apache-2.0 |
| Project Quay | Registry with built-in team features and scanning | Free, open source | Apache-2.0 |
| Zot | OCI-native registry for artifacts | Free, open source | Apache-2.0 |
| Gitea | Small teams that want Git plus registry in one lightweight app | Free, open source | MIT |
| Forgejo | Community-governed forge with package registries | Free, open source | GPL-3.0-or-later |
| GitLab CE | Teams already on GitLab CI | Free, open source | MIT |
Best for: Full-featured self-hosted registry for teams · Free, open source
Harbor is a cloud native registry for container images and Helm charts. It builds on Docker Distribution to add access control, identity, replication and vulnerability scanning.
Best for: A minimal registry or a base to build on · Free, open source
Distribution implements the OCI Distribution Specification for storing and distributing container images and other content, and serves as a core component for several registry operators.
Best for: Registry with built-in team features and scanning · Free, open source
Project Quay is an open-source system for building, storing and distributing container images, with Docker Registry v2 and OCI support, team management and Clair-based vulnerability analysis.
Best for: OCI-native registry for artifacts · Free, open source
Zot is a production-ready, vendor-neutral registry for container images and OCI artifacts built entirely on the OCI Distribution Specification.
Best for: Small teams that want Git plus registry in one lightweight app · Free, open source
Gitea is a self-hosted all-in-one development platform with Git hosting, code review, issue tracking and CI/CD. Its package registry covers container images and other package formats.
Best for: Community-governed forge with package registries · Free, open source
Forgejo is a self-hosted Git forge with issue tracking, pull requests, wikis, package registries and CI integration, governed by an independent community.
Best for: Teams already on GitLab CI · Free, open source
GitLab Community Edition is the MIT-licensed core of GitLab, covering Git repositories, merge requests, CI/CD and more. The GitHub repository is a mirror; files under /ee are proprietary.
One email a week with the tools, launches and releases added to TechLogHub. Unsubscribe in one click.
One email a week: new and trending developer tools, fresh comparisons, and what shipped. Unsubscribe in one click.
| If you need… | Start with |
|---|---|
| Full registry with RBAC, scanning and replication | Harbor, Project Quay |
| Minimal registry | CNCF Distribution, Zot |
| OCI artifacts and supply-chain use | Zot, Harbor |
| Registry bundled with a Git forge | Gitea, Forgejo, GitLab CE |
Quick answers to common questions
CNCF Distribution, the reference implementation of the OCI Distribution Spec. It is minimal, with no UI or scanning.
Harbor adds vulnerability scanning on top of Distribution, and Project Quay supports Clair-based analysis.
For small teams, yes. Gitea and Forgejo include package registries, and GitLab CE includes a container registry. Larger teams often prefer Harbor for replication and policy.
No. This list contains only OSI-licensed software verified on each project's repository.
List it on TechLogHub and we'll review it for this guide.
