What is Artifact Registry?
Artifact Registry is Google’s universal package manager for all build artifacts. The service has fully replaced the older Container Registry (which was shut down in 2025) and unifies container and language package repositories in a single, fully managed solution. Docker images, Maven JARs, npm packages, Python wheels and other formats are stored and managed centrally.
Core Features
- Multi-Format Support: Docker, Maven, npm, Python, Go, Apt and Helm in one service
- Vulnerability Scanning: Automatic detection of security vulnerabilities in container images
- IAM Integration: Fine-grained access control at repository and artifact level
- Regional Storage: Artifacts in EU regions for compliance and low latency
- Cleanup Policies: Automatic deletion of old versions for cost optimization
Typical Use Cases
CI/CD Pipeline
Artifact Registry stores all build artifacts centrally. Cloud Build pushes images and packages directly. GKE and Cloud Run pull containers without additional configuration.
Private Package Repository
Organizations host internal libraries as Maven, npm or Python packages. Developers use standard package manager commands after one-time authentication.
Container Security
Vulnerability scanning checks all pushed images automatically. Binary Authorization prevents deployment of insecure containers to GKE.
Benefits
- One solution for all artifact types
- Native integration with GCP developer tools
- Automatic scanning without additional tools
- Usage-based billing without minimum costs
Integration with innFactory
As a certified Google Cloud partner, innFactory supports you with Artifact Registry: repository strategy, CI/CD integration, vulnerability management and migration from existing registries like Container Registry, JFrog Artifactory or Nexus.
Available Tiers & Options
Standard
- Multi-format support
- Native GCP integration
- Vulnerability scanning
- Storage costs for large images
Typical Use Cases
Technical Specifications
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Artifact Registry?
Artifact Registry is Google's universal package manager for build artifacts. It supports Docker images, Maven, npm, Python, Go, Apt and Helm packages in a single managed solution.
What is the difference from Container Registry?
Artifact Registry is the successor to Container Registry and additionally supports language packages. Container Registry has already been shut down (writes stopped in March 2025, reads in June 2025); existing gcr.io endpoints were automatically migrated to Artifact Registry. New and existing projects should use Artifact Registry exclusively.
How does Vulnerability Scanning work?
Artifact Registry automatically scans Docker images for known security vulnerabilities. Results appear in the Console and can be used as a deployment gate in CI/CD pipelines.
How does Artifact Registry integrate with CI/CD?
Artifact Registry integrates natively with Cloud Build, GitHub Actions and other CI systems. Standard Docker and package manager commands work after one-time authentication.
Note: All product information on this page has been compiled with care, but is provided without guarantee and may be outdated or incomplete. Cloud services evolve rapidly — features, pricing, SLAs, and availability change frequently. Authoritative and up-to-date information can only be found on the official product page of Google Cloud (official documentation). This page does not represent an offer by Google Cloud.
