Docker Inc. is stepping up its efforts to tap into the Chinese market with the launch of the first Docker Public Registry in the country. The release provides Chinese users with free access to community-generated content that includes official Docker images.

Docker said that China is already home to the third-largest community of Docker container users, despite the lack of any local services. With the launch of the registry, however, Chinese users now have access to thousands of popular container images that can be used to build new, distributed applications.

The Docker Registry in China will be managed by Docker itself while hosting will be provided by the company’s local partner Alibaba Cloud, which is the cloud computing arm of well-known Chinese e-commerce firm Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd. According to Docker officials, the main benefit of the launch is that local users can enjoy faster downloads and response rates, meaning they can build and ship containerized applications, which run on multiple operating systems, up to seven times faster than before.

“Docker has always had a large community in China and by providing a local registry mirror on Alibaba Cloud, organizations can now benefit from faster image downloads and a more performant Docker experience,” David Messina, chief marketing officer at Docker, said in a statement.  “As we deepen our roots into the Asian market, our focus will be on providing the in-region resources and support organizations need to containerize legacy applications, accelerate their hybrid cloud deployments and build new microservices.”

Docker also announced that its Docker Enterprise Edition platform for developers and information technology teams will now be available on the Alibaba Cloud. The Docker EE platform integrates a container runtime with multi-tenant orchestration, management and security, and is designed to provide better controls to application life cycles without affecting agility or portability. The platform has also been integrated with Alibaba’s Apsara Stack Agility cloud, which runs on bare-metal systems and provides users with infrastructure as a service and containers as a service features.

“Apsara Stack Agility could be deployed in enterprise’s existing data centers, and is particularly applicable for dedicated enterprise cloud and hybrid cloud environments,” Tang Hong, Chief Architect of Alibaba Cloud, said in a statement. “With the launch of Docker Hub China, developers will find it much convenient to access the container technology.”

Docker also announced the launch of its new localized Chinese website.

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