Share your experience using IBM Cloud Container Registry

JFrog Container Registry acts as a single solution for storing and managing all of our software artifacts. This includes packages, files, and containers throughout our software supply chain. 

We have a central JFrog server, and we integrate various tools with it. The artifacts are stored there. It helps us manage the process from build to release.

There are several aspects. We use it to store container access information securely. We've also implemented authentication mechanisms like SAML, download blocking, and virtual IT consoles. 

For repository optimization, we've used the file store feature within JFrog Container Registry.

The security features in JFrog Container Registry have helped protect the integrity of the Docker images.

From my perspective, it allows us to integrate our development and operations workflows seamlessly. It's self-hosted and works well in hybrid SaaS environments. Plus, it supports multi-cloud deployments across AWS, Azure, and GCP.

In my experience, there was a bit of a learning curve at the beginning. It can be somewhat challenging to install and get started. However, once you gain some experience, working with JFrog becomes much easier. 

Overall, it's manageable for beginners, but there might be a bit of a learning curve. I'd call myself an intermediate user.

We've been using it in my organization for about two and a half years now.

From my experience, it's stable. I've used it heavily for CI/CD workflows, and the automation is fast without any breakdowns. We've even integrated it with IoT device management.

Based on my observations across multiple projects, I'd estimate that around 50-70% of our teams use JFrog in some capacity.

The companies I've worked with, like Walmart and others, already had JFrog deployed when I joined. Often, with larger companies, it's not feasible to switch major tools once they're in place.

As a DevOps engineer, I found the initial setup straightforward to install and use. I've even set up and managed JFrog Artifactory instances from scratch earlier in my career. I know JFrog well from the artifact storage perspective.

Assuming everything is set up correctly, it should take about half an hour – maybe 15 to 30 minutes.

It's cloud-based. We use AWS.

It offers valuable features and is worth the money.

The pricing is somewhat expensive compared to its competitors.   

We use the Pro version because we have a data consumption of 6GB in our organization. We considered the Enterprise plan as well, which is around $750, but we're still evaluating that option. For now, we're sticking with the base Pro package.

I'd definitely recommend it. It's a good choice for those starting out, especially if you're focused on container-based workflows. It's easy to understand and deploy, and you can even use the JFrog interface directly. There might be even better options depending on your specific needs.

Overall, I would rate the solution an eight out of ten.

We use the solution for multi-architecture and microservices applications. We must create a Dockerfile for applications and build the image using Dockerfile. After that, push this Docker image on Amazon ECR, using AWS CI/CD and building processes. 

One feature of Amazon ECR that I find particularly useful is its web interface, which makes management easy. The ability to manage and support token image updates is crucial for us. Moreover, utilizing load balancers via AWS features allows us to manage all traffic. 

There are multiple roles, such as AM roles, security groups, etc., to improve security. We can get AWS-friendly dashboards. 

Amazon ECR needs to improve its downtime. 

I have been using the product for four years. 

I rate Amazon ECR's stability a nine out of ten. 

By creating multiple replicas of a service, such as the front end, running on different Docker images, we can easily increase the number of replicas from, for instance, four to five. This scaling process ensures there is no downtime. It is similar to Kubernetes ports.

I rate the tool's scalability a nine out of ten. Our organization has around ten users who manage and create resources like Amazon ECR. The number of users accessing ECR can vary, with some months experiencing heavier usage, particularly for e-commerce websites with heavy traffic. In contrast, other websites, like school websites, may have limited users.

I haven't contacted technical support since we can manage the tool ourselves. 

The tool's deployment time varies depending on the application and source code. Typically, it can take five to ten minutes for Docker images to be deployed. The duration largely depends on factors such as the size and complexity of the Docker images. It is easy. 

I rate the overall product a nine out of ten.