Repository (Repo) in Kubernetes (K8s).

 What is a Repository (Repo) in Kubernetes (K8s)?

repository (repo) is a storage location for various components such as Helm charts, container images, operators, and manifests. These repositories help deploy, manage, and version control Kubernetes applications.

Types of Repositories for Kubernetes (K8s).

In Kubernetes, repositories store different types of resources like Helm charts, container images, manifests, and operator packages. Below are the main types of repositories used in Kubernetes:

1.Helm Repositories.

Used to store and distribute Helm charts for deploying applications in Kubernetes.

Examples:

• Helm Hub (ArtifactHub.io) – Public Helm charts
• ChartMuseum – Self-hosted Helm repo
• Harbor, Nexus, Artifactory – Private Helm chart storage
• Simple HTTP-based Repo – Local Helm repo using an HTTP server

# helm repo list

 

2.Container Image Repositories (OCI).

Used to store and manage Docker/OCI container images for Kubernetes deployments.

Examples:

• Docker Hub – Public registry
• Harbor, Nexus, Artifactory – Private registries
• Amazon ECR, Google GCR, Azure ACR – Cloud-based container registries
• Quay.io – Red Hat’s container registry

image: myrepo/myimage:latest

 

3.Kubernetes Manifest Repositories (GitOps).

Used to store YAML manifests for deployments, services, and CRDs in a Git repository for GitOps workflows.

Examples:

• GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket – Storing Kubernetes manifests.
• ArgoCD & FluxCD – GitOps tools for automatic deployment.
• Kustomize Repos – Managing Kubernetes YAML customizations.

 

# git clone https://github.com/user/k8s-manifests.git

 

4.OperatorHub Repositories.

Used to store and distribute Kubernetes Operators, which automate application deployment and management.

Examples:

• OperatorHub.io – Public operator repository
• OLM (Operator Lifecycle Manager) – Manages operators in Kubernetes
• Red Hat Marketplace – Certified operators for OpenShift

# kubectl apply -f my-operator.yaml

 

5.Custom CRD Repositories (Custom Controllers) .

Used to store Custom Resource Definitions (CRDs) and custom controllers for extending Kubernetes functionality.

Examples:

• GitHub Repos – Store CRD YAML files.
• Helm Charts – Package CRDs as Helm charts.
• Kubebuilder/Operator SDK – Develop and manage custom controllers.

# kubectl apply -f my-crd.yaml

Summary of Repository Types in Kubernetes.

Repository Type	Purpose	Examples
Helm Repositories	packaging and deploying applications	Helm Hub, ChartMuseum, Harbor, Artifactory
Container Image Repositories (OCI)	Store & distribute container images	Docker Hub, ECR, GCR, Harbor
Kubernetes Manifest Repositories (GitOps)	Store raw Kubernetes YAML manifests	GitHub, GitLab, ArgoCD, FluxCD
OperatorHub Repositories	Store Kubernetes Operators	OperatorHub.io, Red Hat Marketplace
CRD Repositories	Store Custom Resources & Controllers	GitHub, Kubebuilder, Operator SDK

CLI tool for interacting with containerd.

# ctr image pull docker.io/library/nginx:latest

# ctr images list

Or

# ctr -n k8s.io images list

# ctr namespaces list

# ctr images push myregistry.com/myimage:latest

# ctr containers list

# ctr -n  k8s.io  c ls

 

Pull Image from Private Registry (Authentication Required).

# kubectl create secret docker-registry my-registry-secret \

  --docker-server=myrepo.com \

  --docker-username=shashikant11 \

  --docker-password=xxxxxxx \

  --docker-email=shashi.brain11@gmail.com

# kubectl get secrets

 

# vim tomcat-deployment.yaml

apiVersion: apps/v1

kind: Deployment

metadata:

  name: tomcat-deployment

spec:

  replicas: 1

  selector:

    matchLabels:

      app: tomcat

  template:

    metadata:

      labels:

        app: tomcat

    spec:

      containers:

      - name: tomcat

        image: shashikant11/tomcat8:latest

        imagePullPolicy: Always

      imagePullSecrets:

      - name: my-registry-secret  # Reference the secret here

# kubectl apply -f tomcat-deployment.yaml

# kubectl describe pods tomcat-deployment-7b7c8548f6-h8j59

 

Pull image from JFrog Artifactory.

# kubectl create secret docker-registry artifactory-secret \

  --docker-server=artifactory.example.com \

  --docker-username=admin \

  --docker-password=password

Deploy a pod:

image: artifactory.example.com/docker-local/myimage:latest

imagePullSecrets:

- name: artifactory-secret