Container Registry Selection Decision Tree

Container Registry Selection Decision Tree A workflow diagram generated by Archify. 01 / Decision criteria 02 / Recommended registry Air-gap support needed? · disconnected, no internet access · Decision criteria Air-gap support needed? disconnected, no internet access Running on AWS / EKS? · single-cloud on AWS · Decision criteria Running on AWS / EKS? single-cloud on AWS Compliance-heavy production? · audit + access-control requirements · Decision criteria Compliance-heavy production? audit + access-control requirements Harbor · self-hosted, full air-gap support · Recommended registry Harbor self-hosted, full air-gap support Amazon ECR · managed, IAM-integrated · Recommended registry Amazon ECR managed, IAM-integrated Harbor or Docker Hub Business · RBAC, scanning, audit · Recommended registry Harbor or Docker Hub Business RBAC, scanning, audit Docker Hub Free/Pro · individuals, small teams, open source · Recommended registry Docker Hub Free/Pro individuals, small teams, open source no yes no yes no yes Legend Decision criterion Default fit for AWS/EKS workloads Recommended registry

By team size

  • • 1-5 people: Docker Hub Pro — simple, low cost
  • • 5-50 people: Amazon ECR — managed, scalable
  • • 50+ people: ECR or Harbor — governance, multi-team support

By security level

  • • Basic: Docker Hub Team — RBAC, scanning
  • • Intermediate: ECR Enhanced — Inspector integration, IAM
  • • Advanced: Harbor — signing, audit, air-gap

By cloud strategy

  • • Single cloud on AWS: Amazon ECR
  • • Multi-cloud: Harbor (central) + per-cloud cache
  • • Hybrid: Harbor (on-premises) + ECR (AWS)
  • • Air-gapped: Harbor