Beginning April 1, 2025, Docker is going to introduce new pull rate limits in Docker Hub, which follow previous limits introduced in 2020. In this blog, we will discuss how Docker Hub's upcoming pull rate limits will impact software development life cycles and how Sonatype Nexus Repository can help.
The new Docker Hub limits starting April 1, 2025 are:
-
Unauthenticated users are limited to 10 pulls/hour.
-
Authenticated users with a free account are limited to 100 pulls/hour.
-
Authenticated Docker Hub Pro, Team or Business users have unlimited pulls.
Previously, the pull rate limit was 100 pulls per 6 hours per IP address for anonymous users and 200 pulls per 6-hour period for authenticated users with a Docker ID. These rate limits were added to Docker Hub in 2020.
The new limits are much more strict for unauthenticated users, so much more likely to cause problems day to day.
How do new pull rate limits impact DevOps teams?
The new rate limits on Docker image pulls can significantly impact various users, including CI systems, production environments, and individual developers. If these users pull images directly from Docker Hub without authentication, they are highly likely to encounter these limits.
The errors resulting from exceeding these rate limits can be unpredictable and disruptive, particularly for CI systems and deployment processes. This unpredictability can lead to failed builds, delayed deployments, and overall instability in the software development life cycle (SDLC).
Similarly, Sonatype Nexus Repository Docker Hub Proxies that are not configured to use authentication are also susceptible to hitting these Docker image pull rate limits. This occurs when new image requests are made, and the proxy attempts to pull the images directly from Docker Hub without authentication.
How does Nexus Repository help?
Sonatype Nexus Repository offers a solution to the limitations imposed by Docker Hub's pull rate limits. By allowing users to authenticate, Nexus Repository enables them to leverage either free or paid accounts to adjust or bypass these restrictions altogether. This authentication process provides greater flexibility and control over interactions with Docker Hub.
Furthermore, utilizing a Proxy repository within Nexus Repository plays a vital role in optimizing the efficiency of Docker image pulls. Through the implementation of caching mechanisms, the Proxy repository significantly reduces the number of direct pulls from Docker Hub. This caching strategy not only improves overall performance but also minimizes the potential impact of Docker Hub's rate limits.
All Docker Hub users should make sure they are using a proxy repository to access Docker Hub for their CI system and at the very least authenticating with a free account to increase their limits.
Actions to take in Docker Hub
Standardizing on a single base operating system image can both help to track security updates and reduce the number of pulls from Docker Hub by making the best use of Proxy caching.
Using a latest tag can cause extra new requests to Docker Hub, using specific tags increase the chance of an image already being cached.
Using the same Proxy from development to CI to production will increase the chances of an image already being in your Proxy cache. Sonatype Nexus Repository replication can also assist in making sure those images are quick to download for dispersed teams.
How to limit impact
If you're not already using Sonatype Nexus Repository, consider getting started with Sonatype Nexus Repository Community Edition. This free edition allows teams to set up a Docker proxy repository, cache images locally, and reduce direct requests to Docker Hub — helping mitigate the effect of rate limits.
Beyond addressing rate limits, the Community Edition offers additional benefits:
-
Centralized access to Docker images and other components across your development pipeline.
-
Improved build performance through local caching.
-
Reduced bandwidth consumption and faster recovery from outages or upstream issues.
-
Support for multiple formats, including Maven, npm, NuGet, and more — not just Docker.
For teams beginning to adopt DevOps best practices or looking to stabilize their CI/CD workflows, our Community Edition is a great entry point. As your needs grow, you can upgrade to the Pro edition and unlock features like high availability, repository replication, and advanced security controls — ensuring your software supply chain scales with you.
