ECR Hybrid Image Distribution

Overview

Architected a hybrid ECR distribution strategy combining Cross-Region Replication and Pull-Through Cache across 7 global AWS regions. Reduced 5GB image pull times from ~7m49s to ~2m57s and generated $163K in annualized savings.

Tech Stack

Challenge

Cross-Region Replication was storing everything everywhere — 18,005 replicated images across regions, most never used. 5GB images took up to 7m49s to pull in distant APAC regions. Cross-region data transfer costs exceeded $1,400/month per region.

Solution

Hybrid distribution: Cross-Region Replication for DR + Lambda (AWS limitation), Pull-Through Cache for everything else. Kube-admission mutating webhook for transparent URI rewriting with zero engineering effort. Differentiated lifecycle policies per image type per region.