How to Get a List of Images on a Docker Registry v2

If you’re running your own private Docker Registry v2, you may want to query it and list all available repositories and image tags. While Docker Hub provides a web UI and API, a private registry often requires direct API calls.

This guide shows how to fetch a list of images and tags from a Docker Registry v2.

Table of Contents

1️⃣ Docker Registry HTTP API v2

The Registry API v2 exposes REST endpoints to interact with repositories, images, and tags.
The most useful ones:

List all repositories GET /v2/_catalog
List tags for a repository GET /v2/<repository_name>/tags/list

2️⃣ Example: List All Repositories

If your registry is running at https://myregistry.example.com, use:

curl https://myregistry.example.com/v2/_catalog

Example response:

{
  "repositories": [
    "app-backend",
    "app-frontend",
    "database"
  ]
}

This lists all repositories stored in your registry.

3️⃣ Example: List Tags for a Repository

To list all tags of a repository (e.g., app-backend):

curl https://myregistry.example.com/v2/app-backend/tags/list

Example response:

{
  "name": "app-backend",
  "tags": [
    "latest",
    "v1.0.0",
    "v1.1.0"
  ]
}

4️⃣ Authentication (If Enabled)

If your registry requires authentication, log in first:

docker login myregistry.example.com

Or pass credentials directly in curl:

curl -u username:password https://myregistry.example.com/v2/_catalog

5️⃣ Pagination

For large registries, the /v2/_catalog API may return paginated results. Use the n parameter to limit results per page:

curl "https://myregistry.example.com/v2/_catalog?n=100"

If more results exist, the response includes a Link header with the next page.

📌 Summary

Use GET /v2/_catalog → lists all repositories
Use GET /v2/<repository>/tags/list → lists all tags for a repository
Supports authentication (docker login) and pagination (n parameter)

With these API calls, you can programmatically explore and manage images stored in a private Docker Registry v2.