Docker Registry Explorer

Browse and manage images on private Docker Registry v2 / OCI distribution servers from the VS Code Explorer side bar.

Fork of the original extension, modernized for current VS Code and OCI registries.

Features

Add any number of registries

Point it at any server that implements the Docker Registry HTTP API V2 (or the OCI Distribution Spec). Credentials are stored via VS Code's built-in SecretStorage — no extra dependencies, no plaintext on disk.

Two authentication modes:

• Anonymous — no credentials sent, good for public mirrors and read-only internal registries.
• Basic — HTTP Basic auth with a username + password.

Browse the tree

Registry → repositories → tags → layers. Repository names with slashes (team/app) are handled correctly.

See image and layer sizes on hover

Hover a tag to see its total image size; hover a layer to see that layer's size.

Multi-arch images are resolved transparently: the manifest index is followed (preferring linux/amd64, then linux/arm64, then any usable linux entry) and the chosen platform's layers are shown.

Perform actions on tags

• Copy name — copies registry/repo:tag to the clipboard.
• Pull — opens a terminal pre-filled with docker pull ….
• Remove local — opens a terminal pre-filled with docker rmi ….
• Delete from repository — issues HEAD to resolve the manifest digest, then DELETE against the digest (the API v2 requirement). Registry must be started with REGISTRY_STORAGE_DELETE_ENABLED=true.

Manage registry entries

Refresh to reload, or delete an entry to remove it from the tree and purge its credentials from SecretStorage.

Requirements

• VS Code >= 1.90
• A registry implementing the Docker V2 / OCI Distribution API

Troubleshooting

Every request, error, and activation step is logged to an output channel. Open it via View → Output → Docker Registry Explorer, or run Docker Registry Explorer: Show logs from the command palette.

The channel auto-opens on the first error. Include the log when reporting a bug.

Known limitations

• Only Basic Authentication is supported. Bearer-token flows (Docker Hub's token service, registries behind OAuth2) are not yet implemented.
• Schema v1 manifests are not supported — they predate OCI and omit layer sizes. Images pushed with any modern docker/buildx are v2 or OCI and work.

License

MIT — see LICENSE.txt.