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Distr is an open-source control plane for distributing applications to self-hosted, on-premise, and BYOC customer environments. It provides centralized management, deployment automation, license control, and a container registry—all self-hostable or cloud-hosted.
Key facts
Objective fields from the source. Values we can't verify are shown as “Unknown” rather than guessed.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Repository | distr-sh/distr |
| Owner | distr-sh |
| Primary language | Go |
| License | Apache-2.0 — OSI-approved |
| Stars | 1.2k |
| Forks | 47 |
| Open issues | 16 |
| Latest release | 2.25.1 (2026-07-07) |
| Last updated | 2026-07-08 |
| Source | https://github.com/distr-sh/distr |
What distr is
Written in Go, Distr orchestrates Docker Compose, Docker Swarm, and Helm-based deployments via prebuilt agents that handle logs, metrics, and remote troubleshooting. It includes a PostgreSQL-backed hub, OCI-compatible registry, object storage integration, and REST API with JavaScript SDK support.
Get the distr source
Clone the repository and explore it locally.
git clone https://github.com/distr-sh/distr.gitcd distr# follow the project's README for install & configurationNeed it deployed, integrated, or customized instead? DEV.co ships production installs.
Best use cases
Implementation considerations
- PostgreSQL and object storage (S3-compatible) are required infrastructure; plan for HA/backup if production-critical.
- Agent deployment to customer infrastructure requires network connectivity and appropriate firewall/security group rules; air-gapped deployments need artifact pre-positioning.
- License management and white-label portal features must be configured upfront; integration with existing billing/entitlement systems requires custom API work.
- SDK is JavaScript-only; backend integrations via REST API may require custom middleware or glue code.
- Self-hosted deployments require monitoring, patching, and PostgreSQL maintenance; hosted version shifts operational burden to vendor.
When to avoid it — and what to weigh
- Simple SaaS-only deployments — If your customers run fully managed cloud infrastructure, standard CI/CD pipelines may be more practical than a distribution control plane.
- Minimal operational overhead required — Self-hosting Distr requires PostgreSQL, object storage, and container orchestration—unsuitable if you want zero infrastructure management.
- Non-containerized application stack — Distr is tightly coupled to Docker Compose, Swarm, and Helm; legacy VM or bare-metal deployments are not primary targets.
- Enterprise support and SLA guarantees needed immediately — Project is young (created Nov 2024); enterprise support availability and track record are Unknown.
License & commercial use
Licensed under Apache License 2.0, a permissive open-source license allowing commercial use, modification, and distribution with attribution and liability disclaimer.
Apache 2.0 permits commercial use and closed-source derivatives. However, project maturity is early (created Nov 2024, 1196 stars, 16 open issues); no explicit commercial support tiers or SLAs are documented in the repository. A hosted version and enterprise plans are referenced (https://distr.sh/pricing/) but terms are external. Requires review before production commitments.
DEV.co evaluation signals
Editorial assessment — not user reviews. Directional, with an explicit confidence level.
| Signal | Assessment |
|---|---|
| Maintenance | Active |
| Documentation | Adequate |
| License clarity | Clear |
| Deployment complexity | High |
| DEV.co fit | Good |
| Assessment confidence | Medium |
Distr handles artifact distribution and customer deployment orchestration; security implications include: (1) Container registry access control granularity—review role-based policies; (2) Agent-to-hub communication encryption and authentication—check TLS enforcement and API key rotation policies; (3) PostgreSQL and object storage hardening responsibility (self-hosted) or vendor responsibility (SaaS); (4) License enforcement and entitlement logic—audit anti-tampering measures; (5) Multi-tenancy isolation if shared registry used. No security audit, CVE history, or threat model provided in repository.
Alternatives to consider
ArgoCD + Sealed Secrets
Kubernetes-native GitOps for declarative deployments; lighter operational footprint but requires Kubernetes on all customer sites.
Spacelift or Env0
IaC-focused platforms supporting Terraform/Helm with multi-tenancy and policy engines; mature SaaS with enterprise support but higher licensing costs.
Pulumi Automation API
Programmatic infrastructure orchestration with custom control planes; requires engineering effort but offers fine-grained deployment logic.
Build on distr with DEV.co software developers
Start with a self-hosted Docker deployment (10 min setup) or review the GitHub repo discussions. For enterprise support questions, visit https://distr.sh/pricing/ or contact the team.
Talk to DEV.coRelated open-source tools
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distr FAQ
Can I use Distr for non-containerized deployments?
Is the JavaScript SDK the only programmatic interface?
What happens if I self-host and then want to migrate to the Distr SaaS?
Does Distr support air-gapped (offline) deployments?
Build it with a software development company
DEV.co is a software development company delivering production systems to teams building on open source. Our engineers design, integrate, and ship across web, APIs, AI, data, and cloud. If distr is part of your open-source devops roadmap, we can implement, customize, migrate, and maintain it.
Ready to evaluate Distr for your deployment workflow?
Start with a self-hosted Docker deployment (10 min setup) or review the GitHub repo discussions. For enterprise support questions, visit https://distr.sh/pricing/ or contact the team.