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Latchu@DevOps
Latchu@DevOps

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Part-119: 🚀Getting Started with Google Artifact Registry in GKE

#googlecloud #devops #cloud #learning

If you’ve been working with containers on Google Cloud, you probably know about the Google Container Registry (GCR).
However, GCR is now considered legacy, and Google recommends using the Artifact Registry — a more modern, secure, and flexible solution.

🧠 What is Google Artifact Registry?

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Google Artifact Registry is a universal artifact management service that allows you to store and manage different types of build artifacts — including Docker images, npm packages, Maven artifacts, and more — all in a single, centralized location.

Think of it as your private, Google-managed DockerHub + Package Registry.

Key Benefits:

  • Centralized storage for all your build artifacts
  • Native integration with Google Cloud IAM for fine-grained access control
  • Fully managed and scalable
  • Supports regional and multi-regional repositories
  • Recommended replacement for Google Container Registry (GCR)

🧩 What You’ll Learn

In this tutorial, we’ll cover everything from building an image locally to deploying it via GKE using Google Artifact Registry.

Here’s the plan:

  1. Build a Docker image on your local desktop or Google Cloud Shell
  2. Run and test the image locally
  3. Create a Google Artifact Repository to store your Docker image
  4. Configure authentication for pushing images to Artifact Registry
  5. Tag and push the image to your Artifact Repository
  6. Verify the uploaded image in the Artifact Registry
  7. Update your Kubernetes manifests to pull images from the registry
  8. Deploy to GKE and confirm that the image is successfully pulled from Artifact Registry

🛠️ Step-by-Step Overview

Step 1: Build a Docker Image

We’ll start by creating a simple Docker image on your local machine or Google Cloud Shell using a basic app (for example, Nginx or Node.js).

Step 2: Run and Test It Locally

Before pushing, make sure it works! Run the image locally using Docker and test it through a browser or curl.

Step 3: Create an Artifact Repository

Go to the Google Cloud Console:

  • Navigate to Artifact Registry > Repositories
  • Click Create Repository
  • Choose Format: Docker
  • Select a Region
  • Give it a name (e.g., my-docker-repo)
  • Click Create

Step 4: Configure Authentication

To push to Artifact Registry, you’ll need to authenticate Docker with Google Cloud:

gcloud auth configure-docker REGION-docker.pkg.dev
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Replace REGION with your repository’s region (for example: asia-south1).

Step 5: Tag and Push the Image

Now, tag your local image with the Artifact Registry path and push it:

docker tag myapp:latest asia-south1-docker.pkg.dev/PROJECT_ID/my-docker-repo/myapp:1.0
docker push asia-south1-docker.pkg.dev/PROJECT_ID/my-docker-repo/myapp:1.0
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Step 6: Verify in the Console

Go to Artifact Registry → Your Repository → Packages
You should now see your Docker image listed.

Step 7: Update Kubernetes Deployment

In your Kubernetes manifest (deployment.yaml), update the image path:

containers:
  - name: myapp
    image: asia-south1-docker.pkg.dev/PROJECT_ID/my-docker-repo/myapp:1.0
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Step 8: Deploy and Verify

Apply the manifest:

kubectl apply -f deployment.yaml
kubectl get pods
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Then, confirm the image is being pulled from the Artifact Registry.

🎯 Final Thoughts

By the end of this guide, you’ve:

  • Built and pushed Docker images securely
  • Set up a modern, scalable artifact storage system
  • Integrated Artifact Registry seamlessly with your Kubernetes workloads

Artifact Registry isn’t just a replacement for GCR — it’s a complete, future-ready solution for managing all your build artifacts under one roof.

🌟 Thanks for reading! If this post added value, a like ❤️, follow, or share would encourage me to keep creating more content.

— Latchu | Senior DevOps & Cloud Engineer

☁️ AWS | GCP | ☸️ Kubernetes | 🔐 Security | ⚡ Automation
📌 Sharing hands-on guides, best practices & real-world cloud solutions

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