Free Docker Registry Options (Excluding GitHub)

Analysis of free Docker registry alternatives since GitHub Packages is at capacity.

Summary Recommendation

For your use case (self-hosted infrastructure + private images): ✅ Docker Hub Free Tier - Best option

• 1 private repository (enough for multi-tag strategy)
• Unlimited public repositories
• No bandwidth limits
• Easy integration with existing tools

---

Option 1: Docker Hub (Recommended)

Provider: Docker Inc. Free Tier: Yes (with limits) Website: https://hub.docker.com/

Free Tier Limits

• Private Repositories: 1
• Public Repositories: Unlimited
• Pulls: Unlimited (for authenticated users)
• Pushes: Unlimited
• Storage: No explicit limit (soft limit ~10GB total)
• Bandwidth: Unlimited
• Image Retention: Permanent

Multi-Tag Strategy

Since you only get 1 private repo, use tags for different environments:

# Build and push
tags: |
  username/faiht-fetcher:latest
  username/faiht-fetcher:sandbox-${{ github.sha }}
  username/faiht-fetcher:prod-${{ github.sha }}

GitHub Actions Integration

- name: Login to Docker Hub
  uses: docker/login-action@v3
  with:
    username: ${{ secrets.DOCKERHUB_USERNAME }}
    password: ${{ secrets.DOCKERHUB_TOKEN }}

- name: Build and Push
  uses: docker/build-push-action@v6
  with:
    context: services/fetcher
    push: true
    tags: |
      ${{ secrets.DOCKERHUB_USERNAME }}/faiht-fetcher:latest
      ${{ secrets.DOCKERHUB_USERNAME }}/faiht-fetcher:${{ github.sha }}

Pros

• ✅ Industry standard, well-supported
• ✅ No bandwidth limits
• ✅ Easy setup
• ✅ Good documentation
• ✅ Works with self-hosted runners

Cons

• ❌ Only 1 private repository
• ❌ Requires Docker Hub account

---

Option 2: Quay.io

Provider: Red Hat Free Tier: Yes Website: https://quay.io/

Free Tier Limits

• Private Repositories: Unlimited
• Public Repositories: Unlimited
• Storage: No explicit limit
• Bandwidth: Unlimited
• Image Retention: Permanent
• Build Triggers: Yes (can auto-build from GitHub)

GitHub Actions Integration

- name: Login to Quay.io
  uses: docker/login-action@v3
  with:
    registry: quay.io
    username: ${{ secrets.QUAY_USERNAME }}
    password: ${{ secrets.QUAY_PASSWORD }}

- name: Build and Push
  uses: docker/build-push-action@v6
  with:
    context: services/fetcher
    push: true
    tags: |
      quay.io/${{ secrets.QUAY_USERNAME }}/faiht-fetcher:latest
      quay.io/${{ secrets.QUAY_USERNAME }}/faiht-fetcher:${{ github.sha }}

Pros

• ✅ Unlimited private repositories (best free tier!)
• ✅ Advanced features (vulnerability scanning, geo-replication)
• ✅ No bandwidth limits
• ✅ Red Hat backed (reliable)

Cons

• ❌ Less popular than Docker Hub
• ❌ UI can be less intuitive

---

Option 3: GitLab Container Registry

Provider: GitLab Free Tier: Yes Website: https://gitlab.com/

Free Tier Limits

• Private Repositories: Unlimited
• Public Repositories: Unlimited
• Storage: 10 GB (across all projects)
• Bandwidth: Unlimited
• Image Retention: Configurable
• CI/CD Minutes: 400 minutes/month (can build images)

GitHub Actions Integration

You'd need to mirror your repo to GitLab or use GitLab CI/CD instead. Not recommended if you want to keep GitHub Actions.

Pros

• ✅ Unlimited private repositories
• ✅ Built-in CI/CD
• ✅ 10GB storage

Cons

• ❌ Requires mirroring GitHub repo to GitLab
• ❌ CI/CD minutes limit (400/month)
• ❌ Complicates workflow

---

Option 4: Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Registry (OCIR)

Provider: Oracle Cloud Free Tier: Yes (Always Free) Website: https://cloud.oracle.com/

Free Tier Limits

• Private Repositories: Unlimited
• Storage: 20 GB (across all regions)
• Bandwidth: 10 TB outbound/month
• Image Retention: Permanent
• Regions: Available in all OCI regions

GitHub Actions Integration

- name: Login to OCIR
  uses: docker/login-action@v3
  with:
    registry: <region>.ocir.io
    username: ${{ secrets.OCI_USERNAME }}
    password: ${{ secrets.OCI_AUTH_TOKEN }}

- name: Build and Push
  uses: docker/build-push-action@v6
  with:
    context: services/fetcher
    push: true
    tags: |
      <region>.ocir.io/<tenancy>/<repo-name>/faiht-fetcher:latest
      <region>.ocir.io/<tenancy>/<repo-name>/faiht-fetcher:${{ github.sha }}

Pros

• ✅ 20GB storage (generous)
• ✅ Unlimited repositories
• ✅ Oracle's "Always Free" tier (truly free, not trial)
• ✅ Good for enterprise-level reliability

Cons

• ❌ More complex setup (OCI account, tenancy, auth tokens)
• ❌ Less popular/documented
• ❌ Overkill for simple use case

---

Option 5: Self-Hosted Harbor (If you have infrastructure)

Provider: Self-hosted Free Tier: N/A (open source) Website: https://goharbor.io/

Requirements

• Kubernetes cluster OR Docker Compose
• Storage (you provide)
• Domain + SSL certificate

Features

• ✅ Truly unlimited (your infrastructure)
• ✅ Enterprise features (vulnerability scanning, policy enforcement)
• ✅ Full control
• ✅ CNCF graduated project (reliable)

GitHub Actions Integration

- name: Login to Harbor
  uses: docker/login-action@v3
  with:
    registry: registry.yourdomain.com
    username: ${{ secrets.HARBOR_USERNAME }}
    password: ${{ secrets.HARBOR_PASSWORD }}

Pros

• ✅ No limits (you control everything)
• ✅ Enterprise features for free
• ✅ Privacy (your infrastructure)

Cons

• ❌ Requires server/infrastructure
• ❌ Maintenance overhead
• ❌ Need domain + SSL

---

Comparison Table

Registry	Private Repos	Storage	Bandwidth	Ease of Setup	Recommendation
Docker Hub	1	~10GB	Unlimited	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Easy	✅ Best for simplicity
Quay.io	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	⭐⭐⭐⭐ Good	✅ Best free tier
GitLab	Unlimited	10GB	Unlimited	⭐⭐⭐ Medium	❌ Requires mirroring
Oracle OCIR	Unlimited	20GB	10TB/mo	⭐⭐ Complex	❌ Overkill
Self-Hosted Harbor	Unlimited	Your limit	Your limit	⭐ Hard	❌ Only if you have infra

---

Recommended: Docker Hub Multi-Tag Strategy

Since you only get 1 private repo on Docker Hub, use a multi-tag strategy:

Repository Structure

username/faiht-services:fetcher-sandbox-latest
username/faiht-services:fetcher-prod-latest
username/faiht-services:scheduler-sandbox-latest
username/faiht-services:scheduler-prod-latest
username/faiht-services:fetcher-<git-sha>
username/faiht-services:scheduler-<git-sha>

Updated Workflow for Docker Hub

# .github/workflows/_worker.yml
name: Reusable Docker Worker Deployment

on:
  workflow_call:
    inputs:
      service_name:
        required: true
        type: string
      environment:
        required: true
        type: string
      context_path:
        required: true
        type: string
      image_name:
        required: true
        type: string
    secrets:
      DOCKERHUB_USERNAME:
        required: true
      DOCKERHUB_TOKEN:
        required: true

jobs:
  build-push:
    runs-on: self-hosted
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Login to Docker Hub
        uses: docker/login-action@v3
        with:
          username: ${{ secrets.DOCKERHUB_USERNAME }}
          password: ${{ secrets.DOCKERHUB_TOKEN }}

      - name: Set up Docker Buildx
        uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@v3

      - name: Build and Push
        uses: docker/build-push-action@v6
        with:
          context: ${{ inputs.context_path }}
          file: ${{ inputs.context_path }}/Dockerfile
          push: true
          tags: |
            ${{ secrets.DOCKERHUB_USERNAME }}/faiht-services:${{ inputs.image_name }}-${{ inputs.environment }}-latest
            ${{ secrets.DOCKERHUB_USERNAME }}/faiht-services:${{ inputs.image_name }}-${{ github.sha }}

---

Migration Steps (From Private Registry to Docker Hub)

1. Create Docker Hub Account

# Sign up at https://hub.docker.com/signup
# Create access token at https://hub.docker.com/settings/security

2. Add GitHub Secrets

gh secret set DOCKERHUB_USERNAME --body "your-username"
gh secret set DOCKERHUB_TOKEN --body "dckr_pat_xxxxx"

3. Update Workflow File

Replace .github/workflows/_worker.yml with the updated version above.

4. Update Portainer/Docker Compose

Update image references:

# Before
image: 192.168.18.20:5000/faiht-fetcher-worker:latest

# After
image: username/faiht-services:fetcher-sandbox-latest

5. Test Deployment

# Trigger workflow
git commit --allow-empty -m "test: docker hub migration"
git push origin sandbox

---

Final Recommendation

Use Docker Hub with the multi-tag strategy for:

• ✅ Simplicity
• ✅ No migration complexity
• ✅ Industry standard
• ✅ Works perfectly with self-hosted runners
• ✅ Free forever (Docker's commitment)

Alternative: Quay.io if you need:

• ✅ Multiple private repositories
• ✅ More advanced features
• ✅ Slightly better free tier

Avoid: GitLab (too complex), Oracle OCIR (overkill), Harbor (unless you already have infrastructure)