# Docker Distribution Registry vs Sonatype Nexus

> Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | Docker Distribution Registry | Sonatype Nexus |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 61/100 | 64/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #6 of 12 in Container Registry | #2 of 11 in Package Management |
| GitHub stars | 358 | 2 689 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | — | +34 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 0 | 30 ✓ |
| Latest release | — | release-3.97.2-02 · 23 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | EPL-1.0 |
| Main language | Dockerfile | Java |

## Which one should you pick?

Sonatype Nexus scores 64/100 against 61/100 for Docker Distribution Registry, so it is the safer default.

Sonatype Nexus ships more often: 30 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Docker Distribution Registry.

Sonatype Nexus is growing faster right now (+34 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [Docker Distribution Registry](https://selfhost.directory/project/docker-distribution-registry) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/docker-distribution-registry.md)
- [Sonatype Nexus](https://selfhost.directory/project/sonatype-nexus) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/sonatype-nexus.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/docker-distribution-registry-vs-sonatype-nexus