Add fallback registry support and alternative image mapping in docker-compose
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- Dominant language
- Go
- Stars
- 38.2k
- Forks
- 5.8k
- Avg merge
- 2d 14h
- Merged PRs (30d)
- 55
Description
Description
This feature request proposes adding native support in docker-compose for defining multiple container registries (primary and fallback) and enabling automatic failover when the primary registry is unavailable. It also introduces optional alternative image mappings per registry.
Problem
Currently, docker-compose only supports a single image reference per service:
services:
app:
image: myorg/myapp:1.0
If the primary registry (e.g. Docker Hub) becomes unavailable due to outage, rate limiting, or network issues, deployments fail immediately.
There is no built-in mechanism for:
- Automatic fallback to another registry (e.g. GHCR, ECR)
- Defining alternative image locations
- Transparent retry logic for image pulls
This forces users to rely on external scripts or CI/CD logic, increasing complexity and reducing reliability.
Proposed Solution
1. Global registry fallback configuration
x-registries:
primary: docker.io
fallback: ghcr.io
2. Service-level fallback image definition
services:
app:
image:
primary: myorg/myapp:1.0
fallback: ghcr.io/myorg/myapp:1.0
3. Automatic fallback behavior
When pulling images:
- Attempt to pull from primary registry
- If it fails (network error, timeout, 5xx errors):
- Automatically retry using fallback image
Example:
docker pull myorg/myapp:1.0
→ fails
docker pull ghcr.io/myorg/myapp:1.0
→ succeeds
4. Optional registry mapping per service
services:
app:
image: myorg/myapp:1.0
registry_fallback:
docker.io: myorg/myapp:1.0
ghcr.io: ghcr.io/myorg/myapp:1.0
Expected Behavior
- Primary registry is always attempted first
- Fallback registry is automatically used on failure
- No manual intervention required
- Works transparently with
docker compose up
Benefits
- Improved deployment reliability
- Resilience against registry outages (e.g. Docker Hub downtime)
- Simplified multi-registry strategies
- Better CI/CD and production robustness
- Reduced need for custom scripting
Use Cases
- Production systems requiring high availability
- CI/CD pipelines using multiple registries
- Organizations mirroring images across Docker Hub and GHCR
- Edge environments with unstable connectivity
- Disaster recovery scenarios
Alternatives Considered
- CI/CD-based image rewriting
- Manual multi-registry tagging and pushing
- Kubernetes-based imagePullPolicy strategies
These approaches are either external, complex, or not integrated into docker-compose workflows.
Summary
This feature would enhance docker-compose by adding native registry failover support, improving resilience and simplifying multi-registry deployments while preserving declarative configuration.
Contributor guide
First steps
- Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
- Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
- Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
- Open a pull request that references the issue number.
Research direction
No files, tests, or entry points are named. Start by tracing how docker-compose parses service image configuration and handles image pulls, then find existing configuration and integration tests. Done should include an agreed configuration schema, defined fallback failure behavior, and tests covering primary and fallback registry attempts.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- docker, docker-compose, go
- Domain
- devops, infrastructure
- Issue type
- Feature
- Difficulty
- 5/5
- Estimated time
- Over a week
- Activity status
- Quiet
- Clarity
- Mostly clear
- Newbie friendliness
- 32/100