Distributing Container Images

Table of contents


Distribution:

_the action of sharing something out among a number of recipients.

Distribution, or sharing of container images, is just as important as building them in the first place. If you can’t easily distribute your container, we lose a lot of the benefits we outlined in the first place.

Generally, you can think of distribution as having different components. I should be able to easily:

  • share: the container images that I create, across hosts, institutions, and time zones.
  • search: I should be able to find the container that I’m looking for.
  • obtain: If I find a container, and given I have permission to do so, I should be able to get it
  • verify: that the container I requested is the one that I wanted, and not some malicious entity.

Generally, a distribution comes down to a strategy that includes software, servers, and databases to fulfill these goals. The distribution specification helps to outline a lot of the interactions to make this possible.