Enable GitLab Container Registry

Update docker-compose.yml

Add these lines to enable and expose the registry.

gitlab_rails['registry_enabled'] = true
registry_external_url 'http://localhost:5001'

Restart Containers

Run docker compose up --build --force-recreate

Setup a New Repository

1. Login to GitLab: Create a new repository and access the Container Registry section.
2. Add a Dockerfile to the project root for testing purposes.

Configure Pipeline for Image Build and Push

1. Register a GitLab Runner as a Docker executor (if not done already).
2. Setup gitlab-ci.yml Pipeline:

   build:
       stage: build
       image: docker:latest
       tags:
           - docker
       script:
           - echo "$CI_REGISTRY_PASSWORD" | docker login $CI_REGISTRY -u $CI_REGISTRY_USER --password-stdin
           - docker build -t "$CI_REGISTRY_IMAGE:${CI_COMMIT_SHA:0:8}" .
           - docker push "$CI_REGISTRY_IMAGE:${CI_COMMIT_SHA:0:8}"

   This pipeline logs into the registry, builds the Docker image, tags it, and pushes it to GitLab’s Container Registry.

Pull Image from Registry

1. Copy the Image Path from the registry and run:

   docker pull localhost:5001/root/build-with-lal:<tag>

2. Authenticate if Needed:

   docker login --username <user> --password <password> localhost:5001

Container Registry Storage Backends

• File System (default): registry_path can be customized in gitlab.rb.
• Other Options: Azure, Google Cloud Storage, and S3.

Notes

• Third-Party Registries are no longer supported as of GitLab 16.0.
• Registry Authentication: GitLab manages authentication for secure image access.