Harbor vs Quay.io: What are the differences?

Introduction:

Here is a comparison between Harbor and Quay.io, two popular container image registries used in the field of software development.

1. Integration of Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) Projects: Harbor provides native integration and support for CNCF projects, including Kubernetes, Prometheus, and Notary, making it easy to use these technologies in combination with Harbor. On the other hand, Quay.io doesn't have this native integration and relies on third-party tools or custom configurations to achieve similar functionality.

2. Enterprise-Grade Features: Harbor offers enterprise-grade features like fine-grained access controls, vulnerability scanning, image replication, and automated image signing and notary support. These features are designed to meet the needs of large organizations and ensure the security and reliability of container images. Quay.io, while being a reliable registry, may lack some of these enterprise-grade features out-of-the-box.

3. Support for Multiple Cloud and Container Platforms: Harbor supports multiple popular cloud and container platforms, including Kubernetes, Docker, OpenShift, and more. It provides a consistent experience across different platforms and can be easily integrated into existing infrastructure. Quay.io, on the other hand, primarily focuses on container platforms and may not have the same level of flexibility and compatibility with different cloud platforms.

4. Self-Hosted or Managed Service Options: Harbor provides both self-hosted and managed service options, allowing organizations to choose the deployment model that best suits their needs. It can be deployed on-premises, in the cloud, or as a hybrid solution. Quay.io, on the other hand, is primarily a managed service offered by Red Hat, and organizations may have limited control over the deployment and customization of the registry.

5. Scalability and High Availability: Harbor is designed to be highly scalable and can handle large-scale deployments with high availability requirements. It supports multi-master and multi-replica setups, allowing organizations to distribute the load and ensure uninterrupted access to container images. Quay.io, while being scalable, may have limitations in terms of scalability and high availability compared to Harbor.

6. Open Source vs. Proprietary: Harbor is an open-source project, which means it can be freely used, modified, and distributed by the community. This gives organizations the flexibility to customize and extend the functionality of the registry as per their requirements. Quay.io, being a managed service, is a proprietary solution offered by Red Hat, and may have limitations in terms of customization and extensibility.

In summary, Harbor offers native integration with CNCF projects, enterprise-grade features, support for multiple cloud and container platforms, self-hosted or managed service options, scalability, and high availability. On the other hand, Quay.io may lack some of these features out-of-the-box and is a proprietary solution.