Registry Migration Guide

Migrate your artifacts from JFrog Artifactory or Nexus Repository Manager to Harness Artifact Registry using the CLI’s automated migration tool.

Overview

The migration tool provides:

Automated transfers from JFrog and Nexus registries
Multiple artifact types including Docker, Maven, NPM, Helm, Python, and more
Concurrent operations for faster migration
Dry-run mode to preview what will be migrated
Graceful shutdown with interrupt signal handling

Supported Source Registries

JFrog Artifactory
Nexus Repository Manager

Supported Artifact Types

Docker

Maven

NPM

Helm

Python

Go

NuGet

Generic

Conda

Additional supported types: HELM_LEGACY, RPM, COMPOSER, DART

Configuration File

Create a YAML configuration file defining your source and destination registries:

config.yaml

version: 1.0.0
concurrency: 5
overwrite: false

source:
  endpoint: https://source-registry.example.com
  type: JFROG                    # JFROG or NEXUS
  credentials:
    username: source_user
    password: source_password
  insecure: false

destination:
  endpoint: https://pkg.harness.io
  type: HAR
  credentials:
    username: harness_user
    password: harness_api_key

mappings:
  - artifactType: DOCKER
    sourceRegistry: docker-repo
    destinationRegistry: harness-docker-repo

  - artifactType: MAVEN
    sourceRegistry: maven-releases
    destinationRegistry: harness-maven

  - artifactType: NPM
    sourceRegistry: npm-local
    destinationRegistry: harness-npm

  - artifactType: HELM
    sourceRegistry: helm-charts
    destinationRegistry: harness-helm

Configuration Options

version

string

required

Configuration version (use 1.0.0)

concurrency

integer

default:"1"

Number of concurrent operations for faster migration

overwrite

boolean

default:"false"

Allow overwriting existing artifacts in destination

dryRun

boolean

default:"false"

Run in dry-run mode (no uploads, generates reports)

source.endpoint

string

required

Source registry URL

source.type

string

required

Registry type: JFROG or NEXUS

source.credentials

object

required

Username and password/token for authentication

destination

object

required

Same structure as source, with type: HAR

mappings

array

required

List of artifact mappings from source to destination

Environment Variables

You can use environment variables in your configuration:

source:
  credentials:
    username: ${SOURCE_USERNAME}
    password: ${SOURCE_PASSWORD}

destination:
  credentials:
    username: ${HARNESS_USERNAME}
    password: ${HARNESS_API_KEY}

Migration Workflow

Create Configuration File

Create a config.yaml file with your source and destination registry details.

cat > config.yaml <<EOF
version: 1.0.0
concurrency: 5
source:
  endpoint: https://jfrog.example.com
  type: JFROG
  credentials:
    username: ${SOURCE_USER}
    password: ${SOURCE_TOKEN}
destination:
  endpoint: https://pkg.harness.io
  type: HAR
  credentials:
    username: ${HARNESS_USER}
    password: ${HARNESS_API_KEY}
mappings:
  - artifactType: DOCKER
    sourceRegistry: docker-local
    destinationRegistry: my-docker-repo
EOF

Run Dry-Run (Optional)

Test your configuration with a dry-run to see what will be migrated:

hc registry migrate -c config.yaml --dry-run

This generates two files in the dry-run-output/ directory:

file_list_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.json - List of all files to be migrated
directory_structure_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.json - Directory structure report

[
  {
    "registry": "docker-local",
    "package": "nginx",
    "version": "1.21.0",
    "path": "/v2/nginx/manifests/1.21.0",
    "size": 12345
  }
]

Execute Migration

Run the migration:

hc registry migrate -c config.yaml

The tool will:

Load and validate your configuration
Create API clients for source and destination
Process each mapping concurrently
Display progress and transfer statistics

Monitor Progress

The migration displays real-time progress:

Starting migration process
Processing registry migration: docker-local -> harness-docker-repo
Transferring: nginx:1.21.0 [████████████████████] 100%
Transferring: redis:6.2 [████████████████████] 100%
Migration process completed

Press Ctrl+C to gracefully shutdown if needed.

Review Results

After completion, review the statistics table:

Name	Registry	Size	Status	Uri	Error
nginx:1.21.0	docker-local	128 MB	SUCCESS	pkg.harness.io/docker/nginx:1.21.0	-
redis:6.2	docker-local	45 MB	SUCCESS	pkg.harness.io/docker/redis:6.2	-

Command Reference

Basic Usage

hc registry migrate -c config.yaml

With Options

hc registry migrate \
  --config config.yaml \
  --concurrency 10 \
  --overwrite \
  --dry-run

Command Options

--config, -c

string

required

Path to configuration file (default: config.yaml)

--pkg-url

string

Base URL for the API (overrides config)

--concurrency

integer

default:"1"

Number of concurrent operations (overrides config)

--overwrite

boolean

default:"false"

Allow overwriting artifacts (overrides config)

--dry-run

boolean

default:"false"

Run migration in dry-run mode (no uploads, generates reports)

Migration Strategies

JFrog Artifactory Migration

When migrating from JFrog:

The migration tool uses JFrog’s REST API to:

Discover packages via catalog endpoints
Download artifacts and metadata
Extract Maven, NPM, and Python package information
Handle Helm charts and Docker images via OCI protocol

Special considerations:

Docker/Helm (OCI): Migrated using container registry protocols
Maven: Extracts from maven-metadata.xml and POM files
NPM: Reads from package.json embedded in tarballs
Python: Parses .pypi/simple.html for package discovery
Helm Legacy: Uses index.yaml for chart enumeration

Nexus Repository Migration

When migrating from Nexus:

The migration tool uses Nexus V3 API to:

Search components via /service/rest/v1/search
Download assets with proper authentication
Discover Docker ports automatically
Handle Maven, NPM, Python, and other formats

Special considerations:

Docker: Automatically discovers Docker connector ports
Maven: Groups by groupId/artifactId/version
Hosted repositories only: Proxy repos are not migrated

Advanced Scenarios

Multiple Artifact Types

Migrate multiple artifact types in one configuration:

mappings:
  - artifactType: DOCKER
    sourceRegistry: docker-prod
    destinationRegistry: prod/docker

  - artifactType: MAVEN
    sourceRegistry: maven-releases
    destinationRegistry: prod/maven

  - artifactType: NPM
    sourceRegistry: npm-registry
    destinationRegistry: prod/npm

  - artifactType: HELM
    sourceRegistry: helm-stable
    destinationRegistry: prod/helm

High-Concurrency Migration

For large migrations, increase concurrency:

version: 1.0.0
concurrency: 20  # Process 20 artifacts simultaneously

mappings:
  - artifactType: GENERIC
    sourceRegistry: binaries
    destinationRegistry: prod/binaries

High concurrency may impact source registry performance. Start with lower values and increase gradually.

Selective Migration with Patterns

Filter which artifacts to migrate using include and exclude patterns:

mappings:
  - artifactType: DOCKER
    sourceRegistry: docker-repo
    destinationRegistry: prod/docker
    includePatterns:
      - "nginx*"
      - "redis*"
    excludePatterns:
      - "*-snapshot"
      - "*-dev"

Custom Package Hostname

For Docker/OCI registries with custom hostnames:

mappings:
  - artifactType: DOCKER
    sourceRegistry: docker-virtual
    destinationRegistry: prod/docker
    sourcePackageHostname: docker.jfrog.io

Troubleshooting

Authentication Errors

Invalid credentials

Error: failed to validate credentialsSolution:

Verify username and password/token in config
For JFrog, use API key or identity token
For Nexus, ensure user has appropriate permissions
Test credentials manually with curl

Token expiration

Error: 401 UnauthorizedSolution:

Regenerate API tokens
Use service accounts with non-expiring tokens
Set tokens as environment variables for easy rotation

Migration Failures

Network timeouts

Error: context deadline exceededSolution:

Reduce concurrency value
Check network connectivity
Use --pkg-url to specify alternative endpoint
Verify firewall rules allow outbound connections

Registry not found

Error: get registry: registry not foundSolution:

Verify registry names in source system
Check registry identifiers are correct
Ensure destination registries exist in Harness
Use hc registry list to view available registries

Artifact already exists

Error: artifact already existsSolution:

Use --overwrite flag to replace existing artifacts
Or add overwrite: true to config file
Consider using different destination registry

Performance Issues

Slow migration

Symptoms: Very slow transfer speedsSolutions:

Increase concurrency value (try 5, 10, or 20)
Check source registry performance
Verify network bandwidth
Run migration from server with better connectivity

High memory usage

Symptoms: Process consuming too much RAMSolutions:

Reduce concurrency value
Process registries one at a time
Split large migrations into smaller batches

Best Practices

Test with Dry-Run First

Always run with --dry-run flag first to:

Validate configuration
Preview what will be migrated
Estimate migration size and duration
Identify potential issues early

Use Environment Variables for Secrets

Store credentials in environment variables:

export SOURCE_PASSWORD="your-jfrog-api-key"
export HARNESS_API_KEY="your-harness-token"
hc registry migrate -c config.yaml

Start with Low Concurrency

Begin with concurrency: 1 or concurrency: 5, then increase based on:

Source registry capacity
Network bandwidth
Migration performance

Monitor Source Registry

During migration:

Watch source registry load
Monitor network traffic
Check error logs
Be prepared to pause if issues occur

Plan for Large Migrations

For migrations with thousands of artifacts:

Split into multiple configuration files
Migrate during off-peak hours
Allow ample time for completion
Have rollback plan ready

Examples

Migrate Docker Images from JFrog

version: 1.0.0
concurrency: 10

source:
  endpoint: https://jfrog.company.com/artifactory
  type: JFROG
  credentials:
    username: ${JFROG_USER}
    password: ${JFROG_TOKEN}

destination:
  endpoint: https://pkg.harness.io
  type: HAR
  credentials:
    username: ${HARNESS_USER}
    password: ${HARNESS_KEY}

mappings:
  - artifactType: DOCKER
    sourceRegistry: docker-prod
    destinationRegistry: production/docker
    sourcePackageHostname: company.jfrog.io

Migrate Maven Artifacts from Nexus

version: 1.0.0
concurrency: 5

source:
  endpoint: https://nexus.company.com
  type: NEXUS
  credentials:
    username: ${NEXUS_USER}
    password: ${NEXUS_PASSWORD}

destination:
  endpoint: https://pkg.harness.io
  type: HAR
  credentials:
    username: ${HARNESS_USER}
    password: ${HARNESS_KEY}

mappings:
  - artifactType: MAVEN
    sourceRegistry: maven-releases
    destinationRegistry: prod/maven

Multi-Type Migration

version: 1.0.0
concurrency: 8
overwrite: false

source:
  endpoint: https://artifactory.example.com
  type: JFROG
  credentials:
    username: ${SOURCE_USER}
    password: ${SOURCE_TOKEN}

destination:
  endpoint: https://pkg.harness.io
  type: HAR
  credentials:
    username: ${HARNESS_USER}
    password: ${HARNESS_KEY}

mappings:
  - artifactType: DOCKER
    sourceRegistry: docker-local
    destinationRegistry: company/docker

  - artifactType: HELM
    sourceRegistry: helm-local
    destinationRegistry: company/helm

  - artifactType: NPM
    sourceRegistry: npm-local
    destinationRegistry: company/npm

  - artifactType: PYTHON
    sourceRegistry: pypi-local
    destinationRegistry: company/python

Get Started

Core Concepts

Guides

Documentation Index

​Overview

​Supported Source Registries

​Supported Artifact Types

Docker

Maven

NPM

Helm

Python

Go

NuGet

Generic

Conda

​Configuration File

​Configuration Options

​Environment Variables

​Migration Workflow

​Command Reference

​Basic Usage

​With Options

​Command Options

​Migration Strategies

​JFrog Artifactory Migration

​Nexus Repository Migration

​Advanced Scenarios

​Multiple Artifact Types

​High-Concurrency Migration

​Selective Migration with Patterns

​Custom Package Hostname

​Troubleshooting

​Authentication Errors

​Migration Failures

​Performance Issues

​Best Practices

​Examples

​Migrate Docker Images from JFrog

​Migrate Maven Artifacts from Nexus

​Multi-Type Migration

​Next Steps

Artifact Management

Registry Commands

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

Supported Source Registries

Supported Artifact Types

Configuration File

Configuration Options

Environment Variables

Migration Workflow

Command Reference

Basic Usage

With Options

Command Options

Migration Strategies

JFrog Artifactory Migration

Nexus Repository Migration

Advanced Scenarios

Multiple Artifact Types

High-Concurrency Migration

Selective Migration with Patterns

Custom Package Hostname

Troubleshooting

Authentication Errors

Migration Failures

Performance Issues

Best Practices

Examples

Migrate Docker Images from JFrog

Migrate Maven Artifacts from Nexus

Multi-Type Migration

Next Steps