Setting Up a Private Docker Registry for Self-Hosted Containers

---

Introduction

A private Docker registry allows you to store and distribute your own container images securely without relying on public registries like Docker Hub. This is particularly useful for self-hosted projects, CI/CD pipelines, and internal development environments. In this guide, you’ll learn how to set up a private Docker registry on your server.

---

Step 1: Install Docker and Docker Compose

1. Update your system and install Docker:

   sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y docker.io

2. Enable and start the Docker service:

   sudo systemctl enable --now docker

3. Install Docker Compose:

   sudo apt install -y docker-compose

---

Step 2: Deploy the Docker Registry Container

1. Create a directory for the registry:

   mkdir -p ~/docker-registry && cd ~/docker-registry

2. Create a docker-compose.yml file:

   sudo nano docker-compose.yml

3. Add the following content:

	version: '3'
	services:
	registry:
	image: registry:2
	restart: always
	ports:
	- 5000:5000
	volumes:
	- ./data:/var/lib/registry

4. Save the file and start the registry:

   docker-compose up -d

---

Step 3: Configuring Nginx as a Reverse Proxy (Optional)

1. Install Nginx:

   sudo apt install -y nginx

2. Create an Nginx configuration file:

   sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/docker-registry

3. Add the following configuration:

server {
	listen 80;
	server_name registry.yourdomain.com;

	location / {
		proxy_pass http://localhost:5000;
		proxy_set_header Host $host;
		proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
		proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
	}

}

4. Enable the configuration and restart Nginx:

   sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/docker-registry /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/

   sudo systemctl restart nginx

---

Step 4: Secure the Registry with Authentication

1. Install Apache utilities for password protection:

   sudo apt install -y apache2-utils

2. Create a credentials file:

   sudo htpasswd -Bc /etc/docker-registry/htpasswd myuser

3. Update your docker-compose.yml file to include authentication:

services:
	registry:
		image: registry:2
		restart: always
		ports:
		- 5000:5000
		environment:
			REGISTRY_AUTH: htpasswd
			REGISTRY_AUTH_HTPASSWD_PATH: /auth/htpasswd
		volumes:
		- ./data:/var/lib/registry
		- /etc/docker-registry:/auth

4. Restart the registry:

   docker-compose down && docker-compose up -d

---

Step 5: Pushing and Pulling Images from Your Private Registry

1. Tag an image for your private registry:

   docker tag myimage registry.yourdomain.com/myimage:latest

2. Authenticate with the registry:

   docker login registry.yourdomain.com

3. Push the image:

   docker push registry.yourdomain.com/myimage:latest

4. Pull the image on another machine:

   docker pull registry.yourdomain.com/myimage:latest

---

Conclusion

You now have a private Docker registry running on your server, secured with authentication and accessible via a custom domain. This setup allows you to manage container images efficiently while keeping them private and under your control. Consider adding SSL with Let’s Encrypt for enhanced security.