Chapter 9. Public and private software distribution
This chapter covers
- Choosing a project distribution method
- Using hosted infrastructure
- Running and using your own registry
- Understanding manual image distribution workflows
- Distributing image sources
You have your own images of software you’ve written, customized, or just pulled from the internet. But what good is an image if nobody can install it? Docker is different from other container management tools because it provides image distribution features.
There are several ways to get your images out to the world. This chapter explores those distribution paradigms and provides a framework for making or choosing one or more for your own projects.
Hosted registries offer both public and private repositories with automated build tools. By contrast, running a private registry lets you hide and customize your image distribution infrastructure. Heavier customization of a distribution workflow might require you to abandon the Docker image distribution facilities and build your own. Some systems might abandon the image as the distribution unit altogether and distribute the source files for images instead. This chapter will teach you how to select and use a method for distributing your images to the world or just at work.