Table of Contents

Container Registry: Nexus

Sonatype Nexus Repository Manager is a feature-rich artifact repository that supports Docker images, Helm charts, npm packages, Maven artifacts, and more. It is the right choice when you need a single registry for multiple artifact formats.

What this page covers

  • Nexus vs. Distribution Registry: when to choose Nexus
  • Installing Nexus: Docker Compose (Docker track) and Kubernetes manifests (K3s track)
  • Configuring a Docker (hosted) repository
  • Configuring a Docker (proxy) repository for Docker Hub caching
  • Authenticating from Docker and from CI workflows
  • Nexus SSL setup behind Traefik

When to choose Nexus

Choose Nexus when:

  • You need to host multiple artifact types (not just Docker images).
  • You want to proxy and cache Docker Hub or other registries.
  • You need fine-grained access control by repository.
  • You want a browsable UI for artifacts.

Docker Compose installation

# docker-compose.yml (excerpt)
services:
  nexus:
    image: sonatype/nexus3:latest
    volumes:
      - nexus-data:/nexus-data
    ports:
      - "8081:8081"   # Nexus UI
      - "5000:5000"   # Docker registry port

K3s installation

Kubernetes Deployment and PersistentVolumeClaim manifests for Nexus will be documented here.