Blog

Latest updates, tutorials, and insights about software distribution and self-hosted software

Introducing Distr v3

After 26 minor feature releases in the 2.x series, Distr v3 replaces the log storage backend with Grafana Loki for longer log retention.

How to Give Customers Access to Your Container Images and Helm Charts Without Exposing Your Private Registry

Use a pull-through cache as a customer-facing distribution layer so customers get one clean endpoint while your internal registry stays private.

Should I Run Plain Docker Compose in Production in 2026?

Yes, plain Docker Compose can still run production workloads in 2026, but only if you close the operational gaps it leaves: cleanup, healing, image pinning, socket security, and updates.

Mounting Configuration Files in Docker Compose

A practical guide to shipping configuration files like postgresql.conf inside a Docker Compose deployment. Covers bind mounts, custom images, the Compose configs top-level keyword with inline content, and Compose secrets for sensitive values.

How to Protect Your Source Code and IP in Docker and Kubernetes Deployments

Shipping software on-prem means your customers have access to your container images. Here is what they can actually see, what they cannot, and the practical steps to protect your source code, model weights, and intellectual property.

Support Bundles: Structured Diagnostics Without Giving Up SSH

When your software runs in a customer environment, debugging means asking them to paste logs in Slack. Support Bundles replace that with a single command that collects exactly what you need.

Your Helm Chart Works. But Does It Work on Your Customer's Kubernetes?

Kubernetes ships three minor versions a year. Your customers run whatever their platform team approved two years ago. How ISVs stop finding out about the gap from a support ticket.

Usage Limits, Seat Counts and Feature Gates for Self-Hosted Software

SaaS licensing is a solved problem. Enforcing usage limits, seat counts, and feature flags for self-hosted customers is not. Here's how Distr handles it, including fully offline and air-gapped environments.

Container Logs and Metrics From Every Customer Deployment

Distr now collects container logs and system metrics from every connected customer deployment and surfaces them in your vendor portal without SSH, screen sharing, or waiting.

Automated Vulnerability Scanning for Every Software Release

How to automatically scan your application for CVEs in CI/CD and attach the report to every release your customers see in Distr.

Load Balancing and Routing in Docker Swarm

Learn how to set up load balancing, reverse proxying, and SSL termination in Docker Swarm. Covers two approaches: built-in routing mesh and Traefik with automatic HTTPS, plus monitoring with Prometheus and Grafana.

Distr Now Alerts You When Deployments Go Wrong

Distr alerts close the visibility gap for self-hosted customer deployments. Get notified when updates fail, deployments go dark, or apps crash, before your customers tell you.

Adding Cron Jobs to a Docker Compose application

Learn three production-ready approaches to implement cron jobs in Docker Compose: lightweight schedulers, integrated solutions, and dedicated job launchers. Includes code examples, architecture diagrams, and trade-off analysis.

Docker Compose vs Kubernetes: A Practical Decision Guide for Software Distribution

A practical guide to choosing between Docker Compose and Kubernetes for software distribution.

Distr Launch Week: Our docs are now built with Starlight instead of Docusaurus

Comparing Docusaurus vs Distr incl. Design, SEO, DevEx, Extensibility and how we structured our technical documentation

Distr Launch Week: The Distr Artifact Registry is GA

A built-in OCI registry with tag-based access control, audit logs, and support for Helm, Docker & more, designed to simplify self-hosted software distribution for both vendors and customers.

Distr Launch Week: The new Dashboard

The new Distr Dashboard comes with support for multi application deployments per target, avatars, metrics.

Distr Launch Week: Distributing Applications to Docker Swarm

Distr now supports distributing applications via Docker Swarm

Distr Launch Week: Easy Onboarding with Distr Tutorials

We are happy to introduce the new Distr Tutorials which improves your onboarding experience.

Container Registry Comparison 2026: 12 Options Ranked

12 container registries compared: Docker Hub, ECR, Google AR, ACR, Harbor, JFrog, GitHub, GitLab + 4 more. Pricing, self-hosting, open source, and scale.

Distr v1.4 is here!

All the details about Distr v1.4

Distr v1.2 has landed!

All the details about Distr v2.0

Distr v1.1 is Here!

All the details about the inaugural release of Distr v1.0

5 Ways Vendors Can Succeed Without Access to Customer Environments

Software vendors don't have it easy, especially when trying to serve their self-hosted customers, here are 5 tips that are sure to help.

Choosing the Right Software Deployment Model: Self-Hosted, SaaS, or BYOC

Software vendors and customers have to navigate a confusing landscape of deployment models and target environments. In this piece we untangle the differences between SaaS, BYOC, and self-hosted deployments.