Quay vs zot
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted developer tools & git options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Quay | zot |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 87 · Excellent | 87 · Excellent |
| Category | Developer Tools & Git | Developer Tools & Git |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Python | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes | docker, kubernetes, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,824 | ★ 2,799 |
| First released | 2019 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Docker Hub, Harbor | Docker Hub, Harbor |
What are Quay and zot?
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
zot
zot is an OCI-native container image registry focused exclusively on the OCI spec. It supports image signing, vulnerability scanning, and a web UI for browsing repositories.
- OCI-only registry
- Built-in image scanning
- Web UI included
- Image signing support
Quay vs zot: key differences
Quay is written in Python, while zot is built with Go. Zot is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 4,096 MB for Quay.
Why pick each one
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)
Choose zot if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
Frequently asked questions
Is Quay or zot better?
Neither is universally better. Quay has the larger community, while zot is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Quay and zot free and open-source?
Yes. Quay is licensed under Apache-2.0 and zot under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Quay and zot with Docker?
Quay: yes. zot: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Quay or zot?
zot has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 4,096 MB for Quay. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.