Freedom251 › Container Registries
olareg
What olareg is
olareg is a free, open-source container registry that stores images using the OCI Layout structure, with directory storage and an ephemeral in-memory option. The directory-based layout makes content portable and suitable for preloading. The project is intended for Go unit tests as a simple registry for tools that use container registries; it can also serve as a cache in edge deployments. It runs as a container image, standalone binary, or Go package and avoids external dependencies. Authentication supports basic credentials and opaque tokens, plus users, groups, and repository access rules for reading, writing, and deleting. Passwords are stored as salted bcrypt hashes. Opaque tokens expire after five minutes, so clients must authenticate again periodically. The project advises enabling authentication on publicly accessible installations that allow writes. Its binaries and container images are signed with cosign, with verification instructions available. Listed platforms include API, Linux, macOS, self-hosted deployments, and Windows.
Who it suits
olareg suits developers who need a lightweight registry for Go unit tests, or operators who want a cache in an edge environment. Its storage and authentication options also suit deployments that need repository-level access rules.
What it does well
- Free and open source.
- Runs as a container, binary, or Go package.
- Supports directory and ephemeral in-memory storage.
- Repository ACLs can grant read, write, and delete access.
- Binaries and images are signed with cosign.
What to know first
- Opaque tokens expire after five minutes.
- Public writable installs should have authentication configured.
Verdict
olareg focuses on registry use in tests and edge caches, with both persistent directory storage and ephemeral memory storage. Periodic reauthentication and authentication setup for public writable deployments are considerations for operators.
Facts from olareg's own pages
- Access control
- Authentication configuration supports users, groups, and repository ACLs with read, write, and delete access options. · olareg.org, 11 Oct 2026
- Artifact signatures
- The installation guide says binaries and container images are signed with cosign and provides verification commands. · olareg.org, 11 Oct 2026
- Authentication
- The documentation describes basic authentication and opaque token authentication; opaque tokens expire after five minutes. · olareg.org, 11 Oct 2026
- Container setup
- The installation guide provides Docker commands for persistent storage and for an ephemeral in-memory registry. · olareg.org, 11 Oct 2026
- Dependencies
- The project avoids external dependencies and is designed for embedding in unit tests or deployment in an edge environment as a cache. · olareg.org, 11 Oct 2026
- Deployment
- olareg can be deployed as a container image, a standalone binary, or used as a Go package. · olareg.org, 11 Oct 2026
- Limits
- Opaque authentication tokens expire after five minutes and require clients to reauthenticate periodically. · olareg.org, 4 Oct 2026
- Maker
- The opened olareg pages identify the project and its documentation but do not state a maker organization, headquarters, or founding date. · olareg.org, 11 Oct 2026
- Password handling
- The auth guide says user passwords are stored as bcrypt hashes generated with a salt. · olareg.org, 11 Oct 2026
- Platforms
- The installation guide gives a linux/amd64 binary download example and mentions removing macOS quarantine on downloaded binaries. · olareg.org, 11 Oct 2026
- Product
- olareg is a minimal OCI conformant container registry designed around the OCI Layout structure for storing images in a directory. · olareg.org, 11 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- olareg is a minimal OCI conformant container registry designed around the OCI Layout structure for storing images in a directory. · olareg.org, 4 Oct 2026
- Release artifacts
- The GitHub releases page lists Darwin amd64 and arm64 binaries and says the v0.2.2 release added linux/riscv64 artifacts. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Security
- The documentation advises configuring authentication on publicly facing installs that are not read-only. · olareg.org, 4 Oct 2026
- Security guidance
- The installation guide recommends configuring authentication for publicly facing installs that are not read-only. · olareg.org, 11 Oct 2026
- Signing
- The project says its binaries and images are signed with cosign and provides instructions for verifying signatures. · olareg.org, 4 Oct 2026
- Storage
- It supports directory storage and ephemeral in-memory storage. · olareg.org, 4 Oct 2026
- Storage portability
- The GitHub project page says OCI Layout storage makes content portable and easy to preload. · github.com, 4 Oct 2026
- Target use
- The project describes use in unit tests and deployment in an edge environment as a cache. · olareg.org, 4 Oct 2026
- Testing
- The project is designed to be embedded in Go unit tests as a simple registry for testing tools that work with container registries. · olareg.org, 4 Oct 2026
- Testing use
- The installation guide describes using olareg with an httptest-based server in Go unit tests. · olareg.org, 11 Oct 2026
Where olareg stands on Freedom251
- Container Registries#49 of 60