Distribution Registry UI vs Quay
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted developer tools & git options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Distribution Registry UI | Quay |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 82 · Excellent | 87 · Excellent |
| Category | Developer Tools & Git | Developer Tools & Git |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Riot | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 4,096 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, kubernetes |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,534 | ★ 2,824 |
| First released | 2017 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Docker Hub | Docker Hub, Harbor |
What are Distribution Registry UI and Quay?
Distribution Registry UI
A lightweight web user interface that sits in front of the Docker Distribution registry, letting teams browse, search, and delete container images. It adds a usable front end to the bare registry API.
- Browse registry images
- Tag and digest viewing
- Image deletion
- Search across repositories
Quay
Project Quay is an open-source container image registry that stores, scans, and serves container images and artifacts. It includes vulnerability scanning, geo-replication, and fine-grained access control.
- Container image hosting
- Built-in vulnerability scanning
- Geo-replication
- Robot accounts and ACLs
Distribution Registry UI vs Quay: key differences
Distribution Registry UI is written in Riot, while Quay is built with Python. Licensing differs — MIT for Distribution Registry UI versus Apache-2.0 for Quay. Distribution Registry UI is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 4,096 MB for Quay. Distribution Registry UI is the more established project (first released 2017), while Quay arrived in 2019.
Why pick each one
Choose Distribution Registry UI if…
- Adds usability to bare registry
- Tiny footprint
Watch out for
- No authentication of its own
- Requires a running registry
Choose Quay if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Active community (2.8k GitHub stars)
Frequently asked questions
Is Distribution Registry UI or Quay better?
Distribution Registry UI is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Quay if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Distribution Registry UI and Quay free and open-source?
Yes. Distribution Registry UI is licensed under MIT and Quay under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Distribution Registry UI and Quay with Docker?
Distribution Registry UI: yes. Quay: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Distribution Registry UI or Quay?
Distribution Registry UI has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 4,096 MB for Quay. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.