The Challenge
As containerized application estates grow, container registry management becomes a significant operational burden. Teams accumulate thousands of image tags, struggle to identify which versions are safe to deploy, and spend time manually cleaning up outdated images.
- Registry storage costs spiral as old image versions accumulate without automated cleanup
- Deployment pipelines break when the wrong image version is selected for an environment
- Security vulnerabilities in container images go undetected due to lack of automated scanning workflows
- Teams lack a programmatic way to query which tags exist across multiple registry repositories
The Autohive Solution
By connecting GitLab to Autohive, you can build intelligent workflows that interact directly with your container registries — querying tags, inspecting manifests, orchestrating deployments, and automating lifecycle management at scale.
Automated Image Inventory and Tagging
Retrieve lists of container repository tags and their associated metadata, including manifest digests, across all your GitLab projects. Build inventory workflows that maintain an always-current view of what images exist and when they were created.
Deployment Version Orchestration
Query container registry repositories programmatically to identify the correct image version for each deployment environment. Pair this with deployment workflows to ensure the right image tag is always selected — eliminating manual version lookups.
Registry Cleanup Automation
Build scheduled workflows that identify old, unused, or policy-violating image tags and flag them for cleanup. Use metadata and manifest information to make intelligent decisions about which images to retain and which to purge.
Benefits
- Reduced registry storage costs - Automated cleanup of old image versions prevents unbounded storage growth
- Consistent deployments - Programmatic version selection eliminates human error in choosing which image to deploy
- Improved security posture - Integrate image scanning into automated workflows to catch vulnerabilities before deployment
- Full registry visibility - Maintain a comprehensive, always-current inventory of container images across all projects
How It Works
- Connect GitLab - Set up the GitLab integration in Autohive from the marketplace
- Define your registry workflows - Specify which registry repositories to monitor and what management actions to automate
- Query tags and manifests - Autohive retrieves registry data including tag lists, manifest digests, and metadata from GitLab
- Orchestrate deployments - Use the retrieved tag data to select and validate the correct image version for each environment
- Automate cleanup - Run scheduled workflows to identify and flag stale images for removal based on your retention policies
Getting Started
- Sign up at app.autohive.com
- Connect your GitLab instance from the marketplace
- Configure your container registry management workflow
- Deploy your agents to automate image lifecycle management
Learn more about the GitLab integration.
