Amazon ECR vs Google Container Registry: What are the differences?

Introduction: In this article, we will compare the key differences between Amazon Elastic Container Registry (ECR) and Google Container Registry. Both ECR and Google Container Registry are container image registries that allow users to store, manage, and deploy container images.

1. Pricing Model: Amazon ECR charges for storage and data transfer separately, where storage costs are based on the amount of data stored in the registry and data transfer costs are based on the amount of data transferred out of the registry. On the other hand, Google Container Registry offers a simplified pricing model with a single cost for storage and data transfer combined.

2. Integration with Cloud Providers: Amazon ECR is tightly integrated with the Amazon Web Services (AWS) ecosystem, enabling seamless integration with other AWS services like Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS) and AWS Fargate. In contrast, Google Container Registry is optimized for use with Google Cloud Platform (GCP) services, such as Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) and Cloud Run.

3. Registry Accessibility: Amazon ECR provides both public and private registries, allowing users to choose whether their container images are publicly accessible or restricted to specific users and accounts. Google Container Registry, on the other hand, only supports private registries, ensuring that container images are accessible only to authorized users and projects.

4. Cross-Region Replication: Amazon ECR offers cross-region replication, which allows users to automatically replicate container images across different AWS regions for improved availability and disaster recovery. Google Container Registry, however, does not currently provide built-in cross-region replication functionality.

5. Custom Domain Mapping: Amazon ECR supports custom domain mapping, allowing users to associate their own domain names with their container registries, providing a more personalized experience. Google Container Registry does not have native support for custom domain mapping, making it more difficult to use custom domain names.

6. Image Vulnerability Scanning: Amazon ECR integrates with services like AWS Security Hub and AWS Fargate to provide built-in image vulnerability scanning for container images stored in the registry. Google Container Registry also offers image vulnerability scanning through the integration with Google Cloud Security Command Center.

In Summary, Amazon ECR offers a more comprehensive integration with AWS services, supports public and private registries, provides cross-region replication, allows custom domain mapping, and offers built-in image vulnerability scanning. On the other hand, Google Container Registry has a simplified pricing model, optimized integration with GCP services, and focuses on private registries security.