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Alex Spinov
Alex Spinov

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Harbor Has a Free API — Enterprise Container Registry You Can Self-Host

#docker #kubernetes #api #devops

Harbor is the CNCF graduated container registry for enterprises. It provides vulnerability scanning, RBAC, image replication, and artifact management — all self-hosted.

Free, open source. A production-grade alternative to Docker Hub or ECR.

Why Use Harbor?

  • Self-hosted — full control over your container images
  • Vulnerability scanning — Trivy integration scans every image
  • RBAC — project-level access control
  • Image replication — sync between registries across regions
  • Artifact management — Helm charts, OCI artifacts, not just Docker images
  • Quota management — control storage per project

Quick Setup

1. Install 

# Download and install
wget https://github.com/goharbor/harbor/releases/download/v2.11.0/harbor-online-installer-v2.11.0.tgz
tar xzf harbor-online-installer-v2.11.0.tgz
cd harbor

# Configure
cp harbor.yml.tmpl harbor.yml
# Edit harbor.yml — set hostname, password, etc.

./install.sh --with-trivy
# Harbor runs on port 80/443
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2. Push an Image 

# Login
docker login harbor.example.com -u admin -p Harbor12345

# Tag and push
docker tag my-app:latest harbor.example.com/my-project/my-app:v1.0
docker push harbor.example.com/my-project/my-app:v1.0
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3. API — List Projects 

HARBOR="https://harbor.example.com"
AUTH="admin:Harbor12345"

curl -s -u $AUTH "$HARBOR/api/v2.0/projects" | jq '.[] | {name: .name, repo_count: .repo_count, public: .metadata.public}'
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4. List Repositories & Tags 

# Repositories in a project
curl -s -u $AUTH "$HARBOR/api/v2.0/projects/my-project/repositories" | jq '.[] | {name: .name, artifact_count: .artifact_count, pull_count: .pull_count}'

# Artifacts (tags) for a repository
curl -s -u $AUTH "$HARBOR/api/v2.0/projects/my-project/repositories/my-app/artifacts" | jq '.[] | {digest: .digest[:16], tags: [.tags[]?.name], size_mb: (.size/1048576 | floor), vulnerabilities: .scan_overview}'
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5. Scan for Vulnerabilities 

# Trigger scan
curl -s -X POST -u $AUTH "$HARBOR/api/v2.0/projects/my-project/repositories/my-app/artifacts/v1.0/scan"

# Get scan results
curl -s -u $AUTH "$HARBOR/api/v2.0/projects/my-project/repositories/my-app/artifacts/v1.0?with_scan_overview=true" | jq '.scan_overview'
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6. Image Replication 

# Create replication policy
curl -s -X POST -u $AUTH "$HARBOR/api/v2.0/replication/policies" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "replicate-to-dr",
    "src_registry": {"id": 0},
    "dest_registry": {"id": 1},
    "filters": [{"type": "name", "value": "my-project/**"}],
    "trigger": {"type": "event_based"}
  }'
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Python Example 

import requests

HARBOR = "https://harbor.example.com"
auth = ("admin", "Harbor12345")

# List projects
projects = requests.get(f"{HARBOR}/api/v2.0/projects", auth=auth).json()
for p in projects:
    print(f"Project: {p['name']} | Repos: {p['repo_count']}")

# List images in project
repos = requests.get(f"{HARBOR}/api/v2.0/projects/my-project/repositories", auth=auth).json()
for r in repos:
    print(f"  Image: {r['name']} | Pulls: {r['pull_count']} | Artifacts: {r['artifact_count']}")
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Key Endpoints

Endpoint Description
/api/v2.0/projects Manage projects
/api/v2.0/projects/{name}/repositories List repos
/api/v2.0/.../artifacts List/manage artifacts
/api/v2.0/.../artifacts/{ref}/scan Trigger vulnerability scan
/api/v2.0/replication/policies Replication policies
/api/v2.0/users User management
/api/v2.0/systeminfo System information
/api/v2.0/health Health check

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