Myth: OCI-Native Registries and OCI-Compliant Registries Are Different

While reviewing container registry documentation and cloud provider blogs, I repeatedly noticed the term OCI-native registry being used as a differentiator.

In design discussions, teams often ask questions like:

• “Is ECR OCI-native or just OCI-compliant?”

• “Do we need an OCI-native registry for ORAS artifacts?”

• “Will an OCI-native registry behave differently with containerd?”

These questions assume two separate registry categories, which leads to unnecessary confusion during platform design and tool selection.

Why This Myth Exists?

This myth exists mainly because of:

• Marketing terminology

  • Vendors use “OCI-native” to suggest better integration, performance, or modern design.

• Conflation of concepts

  • People mix up:
    • OCI Image Specification
    • OCI Distribution Specification
    • Vendor-specific registry features (UI, auth, scanning, replication)

• Docker legacy assumptions

  • Some still believe OCI is an extension of Docker rather than an independent standard.

The Reality

There is no official concept called “OCI-native registry” in any OCI specification.

The Open Container Initiative defines:

• Image Specification
• Runtime Specification
• Distribution Specification

A registry either:

• Implements the OCI Distribution Specification - it is OCI-compliant
• Does not implement the OCI Distribution Specification - it is not an OCI-Compliant registry

That’s it.

There is no second classification based on “native” behavior

Experiment & Validate

Step 1: Take an OCI image or artifact

• A standard container image

• Or an OCI artifact using ORAS

Step 2: Push and pull it using OCI tools

• docker

• ctr

• crictl

• oras

Step 3: Use multiple registries:

• Docker Hub

• Amazon ECR

• Google Artifact Registry

• Azure Container Registry

• Harbor

• Artifactory

If the same artifact works across all registries without conversion, the registry is OCI-compliant.

No registry behaves differently at the protocol level because:

The API contract is identical

The artifact format is identical

Differences exist only in features, not in OCI behavior.

Key Takeaways

• “OCI-native registry” is not a technical or standards-based term

• OCI-compliant is the only valid classification

• All major container registries are OCI-compliant

• Registry differences are about capabilities, not OCI compatibility

• Treat “OCI-native” as marketing language, not architecture