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This version of GitHub Enterprise was discontinued on 2023-01-18. No patch releases will be made, even for critical security issues. For better performance, improved security, and new features, upgrade to the latest version of GitHub Enterprise. For help with the upgrade, contact GitHub Enterprise support.

Configuring a package's access control and visibility

Choose who has read, write, or admin access to your container image and the visibility of your container images on GitHub.

GitHub Packages is available with GitHub Free, GitHub Pro, GitHub Free for organizations, GitHub Team, GitHub Enterprise Cloud, GitHub Enterprise Server 3.0 or higher, and GitHub AE. For more information about upgrading your GitHub Enterprise Server instance, see "About upgrades to new releases" and refer to the Upgrade assistant to find the upgrade path from your current release version.

A package inherits the permissions and visibility of the repository that owns the package. For more information about permissions for packages, packages-related scopes for PATs, or managing permissions for your actions workflows, see "About permissions for GitHub Packages."

Configuring access to container images for your personal account

If you have admin permissions to a container image that's owned by a personal account, you can assign read, write, or admin roles to other users. For more information about these permission roles, see "Visibility and access permissions for container images."

If your package is private or internal and owned by an organization, then you can only give access to other organization members or teams.

  1. Search for and select your package.
  2. In the top right of your package's landing page, click Package settings. Package settings button
  3. On the package settings page, click Invite teams or people and enter the name, username, or email of the person you want to give access. Teams cannot be given access to a container image owned by a personal account. Container access invite button
  4. Next to the username or team name, use the "Role" drop-down menu to select a desired permission level. Container access options

The selected users will automatically be given access and don't need to accept an invitation first.

Configuring access to container images for an organization

If you have admin permissions to an organization-owned container image, you can assign read, write, or admin roles to other users and teams. For more information about these permission roles, see "Visibility and access permissions for container images."

If your package is private or internal and owned by an organization, then you can only give access to other organization members or teams.

  1. On GitHub, navigate to the main page of your organization.

  2. Under your organization name, click Packages.

    Packages tab on org landing page

  3. Search for and select your package.

  4. In the top right of your package's landing page, click Package settings. Package settings button

  5. On the package settings page, click Invite teams or people and enter the name, username, or email of the person you want to give access. You can also enter a team name from the organization to give all team members access. Container access invite button

  6. Next to the username or team name, use the "Role" drop-down menu to select a desired permission level. Container access options

The selected users or teams will automatically be given access and don't need to accept an invitation first.

Inheriting access for a container image from a repository

To simplify package management through GitHub Actions workflows, you can enable a container image to inherit the access permissions of a repository by default.

If you inherit the access permissions of the repository where your package's workflows are stored, then you can adjust access to your package through the repository's permissions.

Once a repository is synced, you can't access the package's granular access settings. To customize the package's permissions through the granular package access settings, you must remove the synced repository first.

  1. On GitHub, navigate to the main page of your organization.

  2. Under your organization name, click Packages.

    Packages tab on org landing page

  3. Search for and select your package.

  4. In the top right of your package's landing page, click Package settings. Package settings button

  5. Under "Repository source", select Inherit access from repository (recommended). Inherit repo access checkbox

Ensuring workflow access to your package

To ensure that a GitHub Actions workflow has access to your package, you must give explicit access to the repository where the workflow is stored.

The specified repository does not need to be the repository where the source code for the package is kept. You can give multiple repositories workflow access to a package.

Note: Syncing your container image with a repository through the Actions access menu option is different than connecting your container to a repository. For more information about linking a repository to your container, see "Connecting a repository to a package."

GitHub Actions access for user-account-owned container images

  1. Search for and select your package.
  2. In the top right of your package's landing page, click Package settings. Package settings button
  3. In the left sidebar, click Actions access. "Actions access" option in left menu
  4. To ensure your workflow has access to your container package, you must add the repository where the workflow is stored. Click Add repository and search for the repository you want to add. "Add repository" button
  5. Using the "role" drop-down menu, select the default access level that you'd like the repository to have to your container image. Permission access levels to give to repositories

To further customize access to your container image, see "Configuring access to container images for your personal account."

GitHub Actions access for organization-owned container images

  1. On GitHub, navigate to the main page of your organization.

  2. Under your organization name, click Packages.

    Packages tab on org landing page

  3. Search for and select your package.

  4. In the top right of your package's landing page, click Package settings. Package settings button

  5. In the left sidebar, click Actions access. "Actions access" option in left menu

  6. Click Add repository and search for the repository you want to add. "Add repository" button

  7. Using the "role" drop-down menu, select the default access level that you'd like repository members to have to your container image. Outside collaborators will not be included. Permission access levels to give to repositories

To further customize access to your container image, see "Configuring access to container images for an organization."

Configuring visibility of container images for your personal account

When you first publish a package, the default visibility is private and only you can see the package. You can modify a private or public container image's access by changing the access settings.

A public package can be accessed anonymously without authentication. Once you make your package public, you cannot make your package private again.

  1. Search for and select your package.

  2. In the top right of your package's landing page, click Package settings. Package settings button

  3. Under "Danger Zone", choose a visibility setting:

    • To make the container image visible to anyone, click Make public.

      Warning: Once you make a package public, you cannot make it private again.

    • To make the container image visible to a custom selection of people, click Make private. Container visibility options

Container creation visibility for organization members

You can choose the visibility of containers that organization members can publish by default.

  1. In the top right corner of GitHub Enterprise Server, click your profile photo, then click Your organizations. Your organizations in the profile menu
  2. Next to the organization, click Settings. The settings button
  3. On the left, click Packages.
  4. Under "Container creation", choose whether you want to enable the creation of public, private, or internal container images.
    • To enable organization members to create public container images, click Public.
    • To enable organization members to create private container images that are only visible to other organization members, click Private. You can further customize the visibility of private container images.
    • To enable organization members to create internal container images that are visible to all organization members, click Internal. If the organization belongs to an enterprise, the container images will be visible to all enterprise members. Visibility options for container images published by organization members

Configuring visibility of container images for an organization

When you first publish a package, the default visibility is private and only you can see the package. You can grant users or teams different access roles for your container image through the access settings.

A public package can be accessed anonymously without authentication. Once you make your package public, you cannot make your package private again.

  1. On GitHub, navigate to the main page of your organization.

  2. Under your organization name, click Packages.

    Packages tab on org landing page

  3. Search for and select your package.

  4. In the top right of your package's landing page, click Package settings. Package settings button

  5. Under "Danger Zone", choose a visibility setting:

    • To make the container image visible to anyone, click Make public.

      Warning: Once you make a package public, you cannot make it private again.

    • To make the container image visible to a custom selection of people, click Make private. Container visibility options