Docker Registry Cache
Description
Cluster-local Docker Hub pull-through cache. Worker nodes pull base images via
this mirror instead of going to registry-1.docker.io for every node,
eliminating duplicate network transfers and avoiding Docker Hub rate limits.
Overview
The role deploys a single registry:2 instance in pull-through proxy mode on its inventory
group's host. Because the group typically holds exactly one host (the swarm
manager), DEPLOYMENT_MODE resolves to compose for the role; multi-host
fan-out for the cache itself is out of scope for v1.
Any host that should consume the cache joins the role's group as well. The
shared daemon.json template then emits a registry-mirrors block pointing at
http://<cache-host>:<cache-port> plus an insecure-registries entry so
plain-HTTP communication with the cache is permitted.
Cosmos
The diagram places Docker Registry Cache in the Infinito.Nexus cosmos: the components it deploys (capabilities), the central services it consumes (dependencies), and its outward reach (federation and bridged external networks).
flowchart LR
subgraph deps [Dependencies]
dep_svc_bkp_volume_2_local["svc-bkp-volume-2-local 💻"]
dep_svc_swarm_node["svc-swarm-node 💻"]
end
subgraph role [svc-registry-cache 🐳]
svc_node["node"]
svc_cache["cache"]
svc_container_backup["container_backup"]
end
dep_svc_bkp_volume_2_local -- "1:1" --> svc_container_backup
dep_svc_swarm_node -- "1:1" --> svc_node
Solid 1:1 edges are fixed relationships; dashed 0..1 edges are conditional (enabled only in matching deployments); red 0..0 edges are turned off in this role. Node markers show the role's deploy modes (💻 host, 🐳 compose, 🐝 swarm); ❌ marks a service that is explicitly turned off, and ⚙️ an Ansible role dependency declared in meta/main.yml.
Features
- Transparent Docker Hub mirror via
registry:2's built-in proxy mode. - Idempotent: subsequent role runs reuse the populated cache volume.
- Zero per-image configuration: any image normally pulled from Docker Hub is cached on first access and served from local disk afterwards.
- First pull of any image: cache miss, fetched upstream, persisted to disk.
- Subsequent pulls of the same image from any node: served from local cache over LAN. On a 3-node cluster pulling identical base images this is the difference between three full Hub downloads and one Hub download plus two LAN copies.
Quick Setup
Development
Clone, set up the workstation, and deploy Docker Registry Cache onto the local stack:
git clone https://github.com/infinito-nexus/core.git
cd core
make onboard
make compose-deploy mode=reinstall apps=svc-registry-cache full_cycle=false
Production
Run the published image to provision the inventory and deploy Docker Registry Cache to a managed server (the mounted volume persists the inventory):
APP=svc-registry-cache
HOST=<your-server>
DOMAIN=<your-domain>
TLS_MODE=self_signed
SSH_PUBLIC_KEY="<your-ssh-public-key>"
docker run --rm -it \
-v "$PWD/inventories:/etc/infinito.nexus/inventories" \
-e APP="$APP" -e HOST="$HOST" -e DOMAIN="$DOMAIN" -e TLS_MODE="$TLS_MODE" -e SSH_PUBLIC_KEY="$SSH_PUBLIC_KEY" \
ghcr.io/infinito-nexus/core/debian bash -c '
INVENTORY=/etc/infinito.nexus/inventories/production
infinito administration inventory provision "$INVENTORY" \
--inventory-file "$INVENTORY/devices.yml" \
--host "$HOST" \
--include "$APP" \
--vars "{\"TLS_MODE\": \"$TLS_MODE\", \"DOMAIN_PRIMARY\": \"$DOMAIN\", \"users\": {\"administrator\": {\"authorized_keys\": [\"$SSH_PUBLIC_KEY\"]}}}" &&
infinito administration deploy dedicated "$INVENTORY/devices.yml" \
--password-file "$INVENTORY/.password" \
--diff -vv'
Credits
Implemented by Kevin Veen-Birkenbach. Part of the Infinito.Nexus Project and maintained by Kevin Veen-Birkenbach. Licensed under the Infinito.Nexus Community License (Non-Commercial).