---
description: Using repositories on Docker Hub
keywords: Docker, docker, trusted, registry, accounts, plans, Dockerfile, Docker Hub, webhooks, docs, documentation
title: Repositories
redirect_from:
- /engine/tutorials/dockerrepos/
---

Docker Hub repositories allow you share container images with your team,
customers, or the Docker community at large.

Docker images are pushed to Docker Hub through the [`docker push`](https://docs.docker.com/engine/reference/commandline/push/)
command. A single Docker Hub repository can hold many Docker images (stored as
**tags**).

## Creating repositories

To create a repository, sign into Docker Hub, click on **Repositories** then
**Create Repository**:

![Create repo](images/repos-create.png)

When creating a new repository:

* You can choose to put it in your Docker ID namespace, or in any
  [organization](orgs.md) where you are an [_owner_](orgs.md#the-owners-team).
* The repository name needs to be unique in that namespace, can be two
  to 255 characters, and can only contain lowercase letters, numbers, hyphens (`-`),
  and underscores (`_`).
* The description can be up to 100 characters and is used in the search result.
* You can link a GitHub or Bitbucket account now, or choose to do it later in
  the repository settings.

![Setting page for creating a repo](images/repo-create-details.png)

After you hit the **Create** button, you can start using `docker push` to push
images to this repository.

## Pushing a Docker container image to Docker Hub

To push an image to Docker Hub, you must first name your local image using your
Docker Hub username and the repository name that you created through Docker Hub
on the web.

You can add multiple images to a repository by adding a specific `:<tag>` to
them (for example `docs/base:testing`). If it's not specified, the tag defaults
to `latest`.

Name your local images using one of these methods:

* When you build them, using `docker build -t <hub-user>/<repo-name>[:<tag>]`
* By re-tagging an existing local image `docker tag <existing-image> <hub-user>/<repo-name>[:<tag>]`
* By using `docker commit <existing-container> <hub-user>/<repo-name>[:<tag>]`
  to commit changes

Now you can push this repository to the registry designated by its name or tag.

```console
$ docker push <hub-user>/<repo-name>:<tag>
```

The image is then uploaded and available for use by your teammates and/or
the community.

## Private repositories

Private repositories let you keep container images private, either to your
own account or within an organization or team.

To create a private repository, select **Private** when creating a repository:

![Create Private Repo](images/repo-create-private.png){: style="max-width: 60%"}

You can also make an existing repository private by going to its **Settings** tab:

![Convert Repo to Private](images/repo-make-private.png){: style="max-width: 60%"}

You get one private repository for free with your Docker Hub user account (not
usable for organizations you're a member of). If you need more private
repositories for your user account, upgrade your Docker Hub plan from your
[Billing Information](https://hub.docker.com/billing/plan) page.

Once the private repository is created, you can `push` and `pull` images to and
from it using Docker.

> **Note**: You need to be signed in and have access to work with a
> private repository.

> **Note**: Private repositories are not currently available to search through
> the top-level search or `docker search`.

You can designate collaborators and manage their access to a private
repository from that repository's **Settings** page. You can also toggle the
repository's status between public and private, if you have an available
repository slot open. Otherwise, you can upgrade your
[Docker Hub](https://hub.docker.com/account/billing-plans/) plan.

## Collaborators and their role

A collaborator is someone you want to give access to a private repository. Once
designated, they can `push` and `pull` to your repositories. They are not
allowed to perform any administrative tasks such as deleting the repository or
changing its status from private to public.

> **Note**
>
> A collaborator cannot add other collaborators. Only the owner of
> the repository has administrative access.

You can also assign more granular collaborator rights ("Read", "Write", or
"Admin") on Docker Hub by using organizations and teams. For more information
see the [organizations documentation](orgs.md).


## Viewing repository tags

Docker Hub's individual repositories view shows you the available tags and the
size of the associated image. Go to the **Repositories** view and click on a
repository to see its tags.

![Repository View](images/repos-create.png)

![View Repo Tags](images/repo-overview.png)

Image sizes are the cumulative space taken up by the image and all its parent
images. This is also the disk space used by the contents of the `.tar` file
created when you `docker save` an image.

To view individual tags, click on the **Tags** tab.

![Manage Repo Tags](images/repo-tags-list.png)

An image is considered stale if there has been no push/pull activity for more
than 1 month, i.e.:

* It has not been pulled for more than 1 month
* And it has not been pushed for more than 1 month

A multi-architecture image is considered stale if all single-architecture images
part of its manifest are stale.

To delete a tag, select the corresponding checkbox and select **Delete** from the
**Action** drop-down list.

> **Note**
>
> Only a user with administrative access (owner or team member with Admin
> permission) over the repository can delete tags.

Select a tag's digest to view details.

![View Tag](images/repo-image-layers.png)

## Searching for Repositories

You can search the [Docker Hub](https://hub.docker.com) registry through its
search interface or by using the command line interface. Searching can find
images by image name, username, or description:

```console
$ docker search centos

NAME                                 DESCRIPTION                                     STARS     OFFICIAL   AUTOMATED
centos                               The official build of CentOS.                   1034      [OK]
ansible/centos7-ansible              Ansible on Centos7                              43                   [OK]
tutum/centos                         Centos image with SSH access. For the root...   13                   [OK]
...
```

There you can see two example results: `centos` and `ansible/centos7-ansible`.
The second result shows that it comes from the public repository of a user,
named `ansible/`, while the first result, `centos`, doesn't explicitly list a
repository which means that it comes from the top-level namespace for
[official images](official_images.md). The `/` character separates
a user's repository from the image name.

Once you've found the image you want, you can download it with `docker pull <imagename>`:

```console
$ docker pull centos

latest: Pulling from centos
6941bfcbbfca: Pull complete
41459f052977: Pull complete
fd44297e2ddb: Already exists
centos:latest: The image you are pulling has been verified. Important: image verification is a tech preview feature and should not be relied on to provide security.
Digest: sha256:d601d3b928eb2954653c59e65862aabb31edefa868bd5148a41fa45004c12288
Status: Downloaded newer image for centos:latest
```

You now have an image from which you can run containers.

## Starring Repositories

Your repositories can be starred and you can star repositories in return. Stars
are a way to show that you like a repository. They are also an easy way of
bookmarking your favorites.

## Service accounts

A service account is a Docker ID used by a bot for automating the build pipeline
for containerized applications. Service accounts are typically used in automated
workflows, and do not share Docker IDs with the members in the Team plan.

To create a new service account for your Team account:

1. Create a new Docker ID.
2. Create a [team](orgs.md#create-a-team) in your organization and grant it read-only access to your private repositories.
3. Add the new Docker ID to your [organization](orgs.md#working-with-organizations).
4. Add the new Docker ID  to the [team](orgs.md#add-a-member-to-a-team) you created earlier.
5. Create a new [personal access token (PAT)](/access-tokens.md) from the user account and use it for CI.

To create a new service account for your Pro account:

1. Create a new Docker ID.
2. Click **Repositories** from the main menu.
3. Select a repository from the list and go to the **Collaborators** tab.
4. Add the new Docker ID as a collaborator.
5. Create a new [personal access token (PAT)](/access-tokens.md) from the user account and use it for CI.

> **Note**
>
> If you want a read-only PAT just for your open source repos, or to access
> official images and other public images, you do not have to grant any access permissions to the new Docker ID.
