If you're managing containerized workloads on GCP, it's time to start planning for a key infrastructure change: Google Cloud has officially announced the deprecation of Container Registry (GCR), with a full shutdown planned for 2025. This represents a complete transition to Artifact Registry, Google Cloud’s new container image and artifact management service. As organizations increasingly rely on containers, proactively migrating to Artifact Registry will ensure seamless operations and enable you to leverage enhanced capabilities.

This blog provides an in-depth look at why GCR is being deprecated, highlights the critical Container Registry deprecation timeline, and offers a comprehensive migration plan. We'll explore the differences between GCR and Artifact Registry, along with practical steps to achieve a seamless, zero-downtime migration.

Key Deprecation Dates

Migrating off GCR is time-sensitive. Google has published a phased Container Registry deprecation timeline, giving users ample time (until 2025) to transition. Below are the key dates and what happens at each milestone:

• March 18, 2025: gcr.io write‑only endpoints are disabled – pushes fail
• May 20, 2025: Read traffic to Container Registry buckets is cut off – pulls fail
• July 17, 2025: If a gcr.io repository has been created in Artifact Registry, all gcr.io/* references are transparently served by Artifact Registry; images left behind in GCR buckets become inaccessible

In summary, by mid-2025 GCR will no longer function at all. You should aim to migrate from GCR to Artifact Registry well before the pull shutdown in May 2025 to avoid any risk.

Why Google is Deprecating GCR

Container Registry launched in 2015 as a convenience layer on top of multi‑regional Cloud Storage buckets. The industry (and CNCF) has since standardized on the OCI Distribution Specification, driving expectations around:

• Repository‑scoped IAM rather than bucket‑wide ACLs
• Regional hosting + VPC‑SC to reduce egress and satisfy data‑sovereignty rules
• Built‑in SBOM & vulnerability scanning that covers both OS layers and language packages
• Virtual / remote repositories for deterministic dependency caching and provenance
• First‑class integrations with Cloud Build, Cloud Run, GKE Autopilot, and Binary Authorization.

Artifact Registry ships all of the above while remaining API‑compatible with OCI clients (e.g. docker, nerdctl, crane).

Selecting Your Migration Strategy

Tip: You can mix both. Many teams stand up a us-docker.pkg.dev repo for new workloads while enabling gcr.io redirection for legacy pipelines.

Don't Delay: Act Now to Avoid Disruption

The deadline for the Google container images shutdown is fast approaching. It's crucial to start your migration to Artifact Registry today to avoid any potential service disruptions. By transitioning early, you not only ensure continued access to your container images but also gain access to the enhanced security, scalability, and management features offered by Artifact Registry.

For detailed guidance and step-by-step instructions, be sure to visit the official Google Cloud documentation on transitioning from Container Registry. Don't wait until the last minute – take charge of your container image strategy by moving to Google Cloud Artifact Registry today.