Package Registries

Choosing where to publish is part of distribution. Most products use more than one channel.

Language / ecosystem registries

Ecosystem Common registry

JavaScript/TypeScript

npm registry (prefer pnpm for installs in our shops; Bun is a fine OSS speed path; see npm package managers)

Python

PyPI

Rust

crates.io

.NET

NuGet

Java/Kotlin

Maven Central

Go

Module proxy / pkg.go.dev (modules from VCS)

D

DUB registry

Flutter/Dart

pub.dev

Use registries for libraries and often for CLI tools that install as packages.

OS and desktop package managers

  • Windows: winget (see Winget registration), optional Chocolatey/Scoop, Microsoft Store

  • macOS: Homebrew formulae/casks, Mac App Store

  • Linux: distro packages, Flathub, AppImage, Snap (policy-dependent)

Containers and services

  • GHCR, Docker Hub, or cloud ECR/GCR/ACR for service images

  • Prefer digest-pinned deploys in production

GitHub / GitLab Releases

Always useful as the canonical artifact shelf (installers, checksums, SBOMs) even when a registry is primary. Updaters and winget manifests often point at Release assets.

Selection tips

  • Libraries → ecosystem registry first

  • GUI apps → OS package manager + Release assets; Store optional

  • Internal tools → private registry or org Package feed + Releases

  • Avoid relying on a single CDN URL with no version history

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