Practical guide
Reduce Artifact Registry transfer cost with location
Choose Artifact Registry repository location from runtime and consumer paths to avoid avoidable data-transfer charges.
Updated · Sources checked
Repository location is a cost input
Google prices Artifact Registry transfer by repository location and destination. Same-location delivery and some same-continent region/multi-region paths are free under the documented table; other cross-region, cross-continent, and internet paths can be billed.
For 500 GiB monthly image pulls, split 400 GiB to same-location GKE nodes and 100 GiB to a different continent. Price each path separately. Moving the repository may reduce the transfer line but can change deployment, replication, and resilience requirements.
The Artifact Registry Cost Calculator models storage only, not these transfer paths. Verify real pulls from billing data and price transfer from Google’s table. Delete unneeded versions only under a tested retention policy.
FAQ
Are virtual repositories billed for storage?
Google says virtual repositories do not store artifacts; their upstream repositories carry usage cost.