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What You Gain With Nexus Repository

Accelerate development with instant access to trusted components — without sacrificing governance of policies or license rules.

What is a binary repository manager?

A binary repository manager like Sonatype Nexus Repository is purpose-built to store compiled binaries and artifacts (JARs, Docker images, npm packages, etc.). Unlike Git, which handles code, Nexus Repository manages the output of your builds — ensuring you have a reliable, secure, and scalable way to share and consume components in CI/CD pipelines.

Why do I need a binary repository manager?

Without a central repository, development teams risk inconsistent builds, security exposure, and slower delivery cycles. Nexus Repository gives you a single source of truth for all binaries, enabling faster, more secure software development at scale. Customers running Nexus at scale report saving the equivalent of a full engineer-day, per day, across their CI pipelines.

What is the difference between GitHub and Nexus Repository?

GitHub or other git-based platforms host your source code. Sonatype Nexus Repository manages your binaries. Together, they support the full SDLC — GitHub for collaboration and code, Nexus Repository as a binary artifact repository manager to store, organize, and secure the artifacts that power your releases.

What types of artifacts does Nexus Repository manage?

Sonatype Nexus Repository supports 20+ artifact formats including Maven, npm, Docker, PyPI, RubyGems, NuGet, Helm, and more — across both open source and proprietary components.

Can I run Nexus Repository in the cloud?

Yes, Sonatype Nexus Repository is available as a SaaS offering, as a self-hosted version for data centers and cloud deployments, and a fully disconnected version for air-gapped environments. If you are currently on a self-hosted or air-gapped version or are on an alternative artifact repository solution like JFrog Artifactory,explore how easy it is to make the switch to Nexus Repository Cloud.

How does Nexus Repository handle security?

Sonatype Nexus Repository secures your components with role-based access control (RBAC), TLS encryption, and SAML-based Single Sign-On (SSO) for centralized identity management. It supports immutable artifacts to prevent tampering, encrypts stored credentials, and provides detailed audit logs to track access and changes — giving you full control over who can publish, access, and promote binaries.

What version of Nexus Repository is best for my organization?

Sonatype offers both a paid and free version of Nexus Repository. Community Edition is a free solution, ideal for small teams looking for a reliable binary repository manager. For organizations that need advanced features like single sign-on (SSO), SAML, and authentication tokens, the Pro Edition is the way to go. It’s designed to meet the demands of enterprise-scale operations, offering capabilities such as high availability, disaster recovery, replication, and access to world-class support.

Is there a migration path from other binary repositories like Artifactory?

As a top alternative to JFrog Artifactory and other binary artifact repository managers, Sonatype makes migration easy. Let our Professional Services team plan and execute the entire migration for you. It's fast, fully supported, and proven.

Does Nexus Repository integrate with other Sonatype products?

Yes. Sonatype Nexus Repository works hand-in-hand with Repository Firewall for threat prevention and Lifecycle for policy enforcement and SBOM generation — creating a complete software supply chain management solution.

Does Nexus Repository help with managing AI/ML models?

Yes. Sonatype Nexus Repository can be used to store and manage large binaries like AI/ML models, datasets, and Python wheels — ensuring reproducibility, versioning, and secure storage and sharing across data science and platform teams.