Developing with Docker and Sonatype: Building secure software at scale
4 minute read time
Docker remains a cornerstone of modern development environments, helping teams containerize applications, speed up delivery pipelines, and standardize across systems. But as container usage grows, so do concerns about software supply chain security, dependency management, and image provenance.
Docker's announcement of its latest feature, focused on strengthening software supply chain security, comes at a pivotal time. Developers need more than just speed — they need confidence in the components powering their containers.
At Sonatype, we are committed to helping developers build secure-by-default workflows that scale. With Sonatype Nexus Repository, teams can extend Docker's capabilities with enhanced visibility, control, and protection across their development environments.
"Securing containers at scale is a growing challenge for developers working with modern software," said Mitchell Johnson, Chief Product Development Officer at Sonatype. "By combining Docker's vast developer reach with Sonatype's expertise in managing open-source dependencies, this collaboration empowers developers to build secure software faster and with more innovation. It streamlines secure-by-default software supply chains, helping teams focus on what matters most — delivering high-quality code quickly and confidently."
Docker and software supply chain security
Developers love Docker for its simplicity, but pulling images from public registries like Docker Hub introduces potential risks. These registries may include outdated, unverified, or even malicious components.
As the line between development and security continues to blur, teams realize that a secure Docker development environment depends on one key capability: managing software dependencies with precision.
Sonatype Nexus Repository acts as a powerful Docker proxy and secure container registry. It sits between your development environment and external sources like Docker Hub, caching images locally and giving your team full control over what gets pulled, stored, and deployed.
Best practices for developing with Docker and Sonatype
To make the most of Docker for development and strengthen your software supply chain, we recommend a few key best practices.
Use a Docker proxy to improve speed and security
Set up a Docker proxy repository in Sonatype Nexus Repository to cache remote images from Docker Hub. This reduces rate-limiting issues, boosts performance, and helps ensure consistency across environments.
You can also configure reverse proxy strategies to scale securely as your team grows. This is especially useful for enterprises running multiple Docker clients or needing access control across many teams.
Group repositories for simplified access
Instead of manually managing access to multiple Docker repositories, use group repositories in Sonatype Nexus Repository. This allows you to safely expose read access to both internal and external images through a single endpoint, streamlining developer workflows.
Secure authentication and access control
Secure your registry with Docker-native authentication. Sonatype Nexus Repository supports role-based access controls, token authentication, and integration with enterprise identity providers, ensuring only trusted users can pull or push images.
Pull and share images securely
Once authenticated, developers can easily pull images from their Sonatype-managed repositories, whether from cached public sources or private images.
To distribute custom images internally, push them to a hosted Docker repository and group them for team-wide access.
Follow Docker security best practices
Sonatype's Docker Security Best Practices Guide outlines steps every team should take to harden their containerized development environments.
These practices include the following:
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Only use trusted base images
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Keep images small and scoped
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Remove unnecessary packages
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Regularly scan for vulnerabilities
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Avoid running containers as root
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Enforce least privilege with RBAC and network policies
By integrating these practices with Sonatype tools, teams can reduce attack surfaces and confidently meet software supply chain security requirements.
Secure your Docker development environment with Sonatype
As Docker expands its focus on software supply chain security, the integration with Sonatype Nexus Repository provides developers with the tools they need to develop safely and efficiently.
From dependency management and repository grouping to container image caching and policy enforcement, Sonatype empowers teams to turn Docker environments into secure-by-default workflows.
Whether you are managing a few containers or operating at enterprise scale, the combination of Docker and Sonatype ensures your software supply chain is fast, flexible, and secure.
Aaron is a technical writer on Sonatype's Marketing team. He works at a crossroads of technical writing, developer advocacy, software development, and open source. He aims to get developers and non-technical collaborators to work well together via experimentation, feedback, and iteration so they ...
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