ARTIFACTORY: Docker access methods in JFrog Cloud and how to start utilising them

AuthorFullName__c
Aanchal Thakur
articleNumber
000006273
FirstPublishedDate
2024-12-15T08:02:24Z
lastModifiedDate
2025-07-22

ARTIFACTORY: Docker access methods in JFrog Cloud and how to start utilising them

JFrog SaaS platform provides two access methods for Docker repositories.

  • Repository-path method
  • Subdomain method.

Note: The Port method is only available for self-hosted instances. 
This article outlines the steps to utilise the two different access methods against the Docker repositories hosted in the JFrog cloud platform.

Default JFrog Cloud URL Vs JFrog Cloud enabled with custom CNAME:


Based on the requirements, we may consider using a custom CNAME instead of the default JFrog Cloud instance’s URL as described here. Based on this option, the way we access the docker repositories through the aforementioned methods would also divide into a few categories.

  1. Accessing the JFrog Cloud instance using the repository path method via default JFrog Cloud URL [that will be of the following format, servername.jfrog.io]
  2. Accessing the JFrog Cloud instance using the subdomain method via the default JFrog Cloud URL
  3. Accessing the JFrog Cloud instance using the repository path method via the custom CNAME.
  4. Accessing the JFrog Cloud instance using the subdomain method via the custom CNAME.

 

1. Accessing the JFrog Cloud instance using the repository path method via default JFrog Cloud URL [that will be of the following format, servername.jfrog.io] 
The repository method is enabled by default on your JFrog Cloud instance and allows access to Docker repositories using a specific URL format.

URL Format:
$ docker login <servername>.jfrog.io/<docker-repository-name>

Example: For a server named "jfrogserver" accessing a Docker repository named "docker-local": 

$ docker login jfrogserver.jfrog.io/docker-local


2. Accessing the JFrog Cloud instance using the subdomain method via default JFrog Cloud URL: Enablement of the Subdomain method on the cloud instance requires assistance from JFrog Support. Please reach out to the support team, to enable this method on your Cloud instance.

Upon the successful enablement of the sub-domain method, you should be able to access the docker repositories using the following command.

$ docker login <servername>-<docker-repository-name>.jfrog.io

Example: To access a Docker repository called "docker-local":

$ docker login servername-docker-local.jfrog.io

Important Note
If you are planning to migrate from a self-hosted JFrog instance to a Cloud instance and would like to use the Subdomain method, make sure to contact JFrog Support to enable it before the migration. It is recommended to enable the Subdomain method in the cloud instance prior to migration as it will create the DNS entries automatically which is necessary for managing repository request redirects from docker clients.

3. Accessing the JFrog Cloud instance using the repository path method via the custom CNAME
To access the Docker repository using the Repository-Path method with a Custom CNAME configured, use the following format:

$ docker login CNAME/<docker-repository-name>

Example: For a custom CNAME [test.com] and repository "docker-local", the command that would work is,

$ docker login test.com/docker-local

4. Accessing the JFrog Cloud instance using the subdomain method via the custom CNAME: To access the Subdomain method with your custom CNAME, use the following format: 

 

$ docker login <docker-repository>.CNAME

Example: Accessing the "docker-local" repository would look like this:

$ docker login docker-local.test.com

Conclusion


The Repository-Path method is straightforward and enabled by default, while the Subdomain method offers a more custom approach, requiring prior support activation. For any technical assistance to configure the sub-domain method against the cloud, you may always reach out to JFrog Support.