Docker Repositories in JFrog Artifactory¶

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JFrog Artifactory is a fully OCI-compliant Docker registry. You can push, pull, and proxy Docker images through Artifactory — eliminating direct DockerHub dependency, avoiding pull rate limits, and keeping all images in a controlled registry.

All steps use JFrog SaaS at https://<company>.jfrog.io.

What You'll Build¶

docker-dev-local       [LOCAL]  → images built by CI (dev/feature builds)
docker-prod-local      [LOCAL]  → promoted production-ready images
dockerhub-remote       [REMOTE] → proxy of DockerHub (avoid rate limits)
docker-virtual         [VIRTUAL]→ single registry URL for all consumers

Step 1: Create Local Repository — Dev Builds¶

Go to Administration → Repositories → + New Repository
Select Local
Choose Docker
Set Repository Key: docker-dev-local
Click Create Local Repository

Step 2: Create Local Repository — Production Images¶

Repeat — set Repository Key: docker-prod-local
Click Create Local Repository

Why Two Docker Local Repos?¶

Repo	Purpose	Who promotes here
`docker-dev-local`	Feature branch builds, CI builds	CI pipeline on every commit
`docker-prod-local`	Vetted, security-scanned images	Promotion pipeline after approval

Step 3: Create Remote Repository — DockerHub Proxy¶

Without this, every docker pull hits DockerHub and counts against rate limits (100 pulls/6h for unauthenticated users).

Go to Administration → Repositories → + New Repository
Select Remote
Choose Docker
Set Repository Key: dockerhub-remote
Set URL: https://registry-1.docker.io
(Optional) Add DockerHub credentials under Advanced → Authentication to increase rate limits
Click Create Remote Repository

Step 4: Create Virtual Repository¶

Go to Administration → Repositories → + New Repository
Select Virtual
Choose Docker
Set Repository Key: docker-virtual
Add repositories in order:
docker-prod-local
docker-dev-local
dockerhub-remote
Click Create Virtual Repository

Step 5: Push a Docker Image to JFrog SaaS¶

Log in to JFrog Docker Registry¶

docker login <company>.jfrog.io \
  --username your-username \
  --password your-access-token

Tag and Push an Image¶

# Tag your local image with the JFrog SaaS registry
docker tag my-app:latest <company>.jfrog.io/docker-dev-local/my-app:1.0.0

# Push to JFrog
docker push <company>.jfrog.io/docker-dev-local/my-app:1.0.0

Step 6: Pull an Image from JFrog SaaS¶

Pull your own image:¶

docker pull <company>.jfrog.io/docker-virtual/my-app:1.0.0

Pull a DockerHub image via JFrog proxy (avoid rate limits):¶

# Instead of: docker pull nginx:latest
docker pull <company>.jfrog.io/docker-virtual/nginx:latest

Artifactory checks dockerhub-remote → fetches from DockerHub → caches → returns image. Next pull is served from cache.

Step 7: Configure Docker Daemon (Optional — Pull via Virtual)¶

To avoid typing the full JFrog URL every time, configure Docker to use JFrog as a registry mirror:

Edit /etc/docker/daemon.json:

{
  "registry-mirrors": ["https://<company>.jfrog.io/docker-virtual"]
}

Restart Docker:

sudo systemctl restart docker

Repository Comparison Summary¶

Feature	Local	Remote	Virtual
Store your built images	✅	❌	❌
Proxy DockerHub (cache)	❌	✅	❌
Single registry endpoint	❌	❌	✅
Push target for CI	✅	❌	Delegates to local
Pull target for devs	✅	✅	✅ (best choice)
Avoids DockerHub rate limits	❌	✅	✅ (via remote)

Use Cases¶

Scenario	Solution
CI builds Docker image on every commit	Push to `docker-dev-local`
Security-scanned image approved for production	Promote to `docker-prod-local`
Developer pulls `nginx:latest`	Routed via `dockerhub-remote` proxy — cached in JFrog
Avoid DockerHub rate limit failures in CI	Configure all `docker pull` to use `docker-virtual`
Single registry config for whole team	Point `.docker/config.json` at `docker-virtual`

Next Steps¶

👉 npm Repositories 👉 Build Info & Promotion

🧠 Quick Quiz¶

#

What is the main reason to create a Remote Docker repository in JFrog Artifactory for DockerHub?

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