Introducing the next generation of the GitLab.com Container Registry

This post details the second phase of the migration of GitLab.com's Container Registry to a new, metadata database-backed architecture. This phase focuses on migrating existing repositories created before January 2022. The new architecture includes an automatic online garbage collector for untagged images and enables features such as storage visibility, performance improvements for API/UI list operations, and UI redesigns. The migration plan is phased by tier (GitLab internal, Free, Premium, Ultimate) and involves a brief read-only period for each repository during migration. Untagged images will be removed during garbage collection. Users are advised to tag any untagged images they wish to preserve and can optionally activate cleanup policies.