Harbor vs Kraken by Uber: What are the differences?

Introduction

Here we will discuss the key differences between Harbor and Kraken by Uber.

1. Implementation Approach: Harbor is an open-source cloud-native registry, while Kraken by Uber is a scalable and fault-tolerant Docker registry.
2. Purpose and Focus: Harbor primarily focuses on cloud-native environments, providing advanced features like vulnerability scanning, role-based access control, and replication. In contrast, Kraken by Uber focuses on scalability and optimizing the distribution of Docker images across a large fleet of hosts.
3. Architecture: Harbor is built on top of the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) project, while Kraken by Uber is a standalone system utilizing the Quay.io technology stack.
4. Supported Ecosystem: Harbor works well in a Kubernetes ecosystem and is compatible with popular container runtimes, including Docker and Kubernetes. On the other hand, Kraken by Uber is primarily optimized for distributing Docker images in Uber-scale infrastructure.
5. Storage Solution: Harbor supports various storage backends, including AWS S3, Azure Blob Storage, and Google Cloud Storage, providing flexibility to choose the most suitable option. Kraken by Uber offers a distributed, scalable storage solution specifically designed to handle vast amounts of Docker image data at Uber's scale.
6. Community Support: Harbor benefits from a large and active open-source community, with regular contributions, enhancements, and bug fixes. Kraken by Uber, while based on Quay.io which is open-source, has a smaller community and may have more limited community support.

In summary, Harbor is an open-source cloud-native registry focused on advanced features and compatibility with popular container runtimes, while Kraken by Uber is a scalable and fault-tolerant Docker registry specifically designed for distributing Docker images in large-scale infrastructure.