---
description: Explains how to run a registry on macOS
keywords: registry, on-prem, images, tags, repository, distribution, macOS, recipe,
  advanced
title: macOS setup guide
---

{{< include "registry.md" >}}

## Use-case

This is useful if you intend to run a registry server natively on macOS.

### Alternatives

You can start a VM on macOS, and deploy your registry normally as a container using Docker inside that VM.

### Solution

Using the method described here, you install and compile your own from the git repository and run it as an macOS agent.

### Gotchas

Production services operation on macOS is out of scope of this document. Be sure you understand well these aspects before considering going to production with this.

## Setup golang on your machine

To set up golang on your machine, run:

```
bash < <(curl -s -S -L https://raw.githubusercontent.com/moovweb/gvm/master/binscripts/gvm-installer)
source ~/.gvm/scripts/gvm
gvm install go1.4.2
gvm use go1.4.2
```

See [How to Write Go Code](https://golang.org/doc/code.html), for more details.

## Checkout the Docker Distribution source tree

```
mkdir -p $GOPATH/src/github.com/docker
git clone https://github.com/docker/distribution.git $GOPATH/src/github.com/docker/distribution
cd $GOPATH/src/github.com/docker/distribution
```

## Build the binary

```
GOPATH=$(PWD)/Godeps/_workspace:$GOPATH make binaries
sudo mkdir -p /usr/local/libexec
sudo cp bin/registry /usr/local/libexec/registry
```

## Setup

Copy the registry configuration file in place:

```
mkdir /Users/Shared/Registry
cp docs/recipes/osx/config.yml /Users/Shared/Registry/config.yml
```

## Run the Docker Registry under launchd

Copy the Docker registry plist into place:

```
plutil -lint docs/recipes/osx/com.docker.registry.plist
cp docs/recipes/osx/com.docker.registry.plist ~/Library/LaunchAgents/
chmod 644 ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.docker.registry.plist
```

Start the Docker registry:

```
launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.docker.registry.plist
```

### Restart the docker registry service

```
launchctl stop com.docker.registry
launchctl start com.docker.registry
```

### Unload the docker registry service

```
launchctl unload ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.docker.registry.plist
```