Quay.io Github Actions

type: post title: “Set up GitHub Actions to Build and Push Docker Images to Quay.io” date: 2025-03-16 tags: [“quay.io”, “github-actions”, “docker”]

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🚀 How to Set Up GitHub Actions to Build and Push Docker Images to Quay.io

If you’re using GitHub Actions to automate your CI/CD workflow, and want to push your Docker images to Quay.io — a secure and reliable container registry — you’re in the right place.

This article walks you through how to:

1. Set up a Quay.io repository
2. Create a robot account for CI/CD access
3. Add GitHub secrets for authentication
4. Write a GitHub workflow to build and push your image

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🔧 Step 1: Create a Repository on Quay.io

1. Go to https://quay.io and sign in.

2. Click “+ New Repository”.

3. Choose:

   • Name (e.g., my-app)
   • Visibility (Public or Private)
   • Namespace: your username or an organization

4. Click “Create Repository”.

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🤖 Step 2: Create a Robot Account (Recommended for CI/CD)

1. Go to your namespace page: https://quay.io/organization/<your-namespace>/robots (For personal accounts: https://quay.io/user/<your-username>?tab=robots)

2. Click “Create Robot Account”.

   • Example: ci-bot
   • This will generate a username like yournamespace+ci-bot

3. After creation:

   • Copy the generated token/password

   • Assign the robot write permissions on your repository:

     • Go to the repository settings → Permissions tab
     • Add the robot account and give it Write or Admin access

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🔑 Step 3: Add Secrets to GitHub

In your GitHub repository:

1. Go to Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions
2. Click “New repository secret” and add:

Name	Value
QUAY_USERNAME	yournamespace+ci-bot
QUAY_PASSWORD	The robot account token

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🛠 Step 4: Write a GitHub Actions Workflow

Create .github/workflows/docker-build.yml:

name: Build and Push Docker Image

on:
  push:
    branches: [main] # Or your deployment branch

jobs:
  build-and-push:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

    steps:
      - name: Checkout code
        uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Log in to Quay.io
        run: echo "$" | docker login quay.io -u "$" --password-stdin

      - name: Build Docker image
        run: |
          docker build -t quay.io/$/my-app:latest .

      - name: Push Docker image
        run: |
          docker push quay.io/$/my-app:latest

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✅ Optional Enhancements

• Tag with Git SHA or date:

  IMAGE_TAG=$(git rev-parse --short HEAD)
  docker build -t quay.io/$/my-app:$IMAGE_TAG .
  docker push quay.io/$/my-app:$IMAGE_TAG
  

• Support multiple tags (e.g., latest + commit):

  - name: Tag and push
    run: |
      SHA=$
      docker tag quay.io/...:latest quay.io/...:$SHA
      docker push quay.io/...:$SHA
  

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🎉 Conclusion

By using a robot account and GitHub secrets, you can securely build and push Docker images to Quay.io in your CI/CD pipeline. Quay.io offers strong security, image scanning, and flexible access control, making it a great alternative to Docker Hub.