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Cloud · head to head

Skopeo vs Spring Cloud Gateway

Skopeo logo

Skopeo

Cloud

Inspect, copy and sign container images without pulling them

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Spring Cloud Gateway logo

Spring Cloud Gateway

APIs

API gateway built on Project Reactor for building microservices

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Skopeo single-purpose: it neither builds nor runs images, so it is one tool in a chain rather than a solution; Spring Cloud Gateway released under the Apache 2.0 license, free and open source with no commercial tier
  • They diverge on capability: Skopeo covers Remote inspection, Spring Cloud Gateway covers Routing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Skopeo and Spring Cloud Gateway actually diverge.

Attributes where Skopeo and Spring Cloud Gateway differ
AttributeSkopeoSpring Cloud Gateway
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feeopen-source
PlatformsLinux, macOSJava, Spring Boot
CategoryCloudAPIs
FoundedUnknown1998

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Skopeo

  • Remote inspection
  • Registry-to-registry copy
  • Format conversion
  • Image signing

Only in Spring Cloud Gateway

  • Routing
  • Path Rewriting
  • Circuit Breaker
  • Spring Boot
  • Spring Security
  • Spring Cloud
  • Java support
  • Spring Boot support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Skopeo

  • Promoting images between staging and production registries without a round tripnot Spring Cloud Gateway
  • Inspecting an image’s contents before deciding to deploy itnot Spring Cloud Gateway
  • Mirroring images into an air-gapped or internal registrynot Spring Cloud Gateway

Spring Cloud Gateway

  • API Developmentnot Skopeo
  • API Gatewaynot Skopeo
  • API Testingnot Skopeo
  • API Documentationnot Skopeo
  • Microservicesnot Skopeo

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Skopeo

  • Single-purpose: it neither builds nor runs images, so it is one tool in a chain rather than a solution
  • Command syntax with transport prefixes such as docker:// is unusual and trips people up initially
  • Documentation is sparse compared with the rest of the container ecosystem

Spring Cloud Gateway

  • Released under the Apache 2.0 license, free and open source with no commercial tier

Pricing, plan by plan

Skopeo

Free
  • SkopeoFree
    • Full functionality
    • No usage limits
    • Community support

Spring Cloud Gateway

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • Core Spring Cloud Gateway
    • Community support

Which should you pick?

Choose Skopeo if

  • You need remote inspection.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, macOS.
  • You also want registry-to-registry copy.
Skopeo review

Choose Spring Cloud Gateway if

  • You need routing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Java, Spring Boot.
  • You also want path rewriting.
Spring Cloud Gateway review

Questions people ask

Is Skopeo or Spring Cloud Gateway better?
Neither clearly leads. Skopeo starts at Free and Spring Cloud Gateway at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Skopeo or Spring Cloud Gateway?
Skopeo starts at Free and Spring Cloud Gateway at Free.
Does Skopeo or Spring Cloud Gateway run on more platforms?
Skopeo runs on Linux, macOS. Spring Cloud Gateway runs on Java, Spring Boot.
Can I use Skopeo for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Skopeo best used for?
Skopeo is most often used for promoting images between staging and production registries without a round trip, inspecting an image’s contents before deciding to deploy it, mirroring images into an air-gapped or internal registry. Of those, promoting images between staging and production registries without a round trip and inspecting an image’s contents before deciding to deploy it are not what Spring Cloud Gateway is typically brought in for.
What can Skopeo do that Spring Cloud Gateway cannot?
Skopeo covers Remote inspection, Registry-to-registry copy, Format conversion, Image signing. Spring Cloud Gateway covers Routing, Path Rewriting, Circuit Breaker, Spring Boot.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Skopeo: Is Skopeo free?

Yes, open source with no licence fee.

Spring Cloud Gateway: Is Spring Cloud Gateway free?

Yes, Spring Cloud Gateway is free and open-source software. It is part of the Spring ecosystem and available through GitHub repositories with open-source dependencies like spring-cloud-starter-gateway-server-webflux and spring-cloud-starter-gateway-server-webmvc.

Source
Skopeo: Why copy images without pulling them?

A registry-to-registry copy avoids downloading and re-uploading gigabytes, which is faster and much cheaper on bandwidth in CI.

Spring Cloud Gateway: What enterprise support is available for Spring Cloud Gateway?

Tanzu Spring provides optional enterprise support including Day 0 access to security patches for organizations requiring guaranteed support, but specific pricing is not published on the Spring Cloud Gateway project page.

Source
Skopeo: Can Skopeo run containers?

No. It only inspects, copies, signs and deletes images. Running them is Podman’s or Docker’s job.

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