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Open Policy Containers is a project that adds a Docker-inspired workflow for packaging Open Policy Agent (OPA) policies as OCI images. Its policy CLI can build, tag, push, pull, sign, and interactively evaluate policy images; OPA remains the engine that evaluates policy, while an OCI registry stores and distributes the images.
What are Open Policy Containers?
Open Policy Containers is a project for turning OPA policy code and related bundle content into OCI images that can be tagged and distributed through compatible registries. The project describes itself as “A Docker-inspired workflow for OPA policies” and identifies itself as a Cloud Native Computing Foundation sandbox project on its homepage.
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The project name is easy to confuse with OPA’s broader support for policy bundles and OCI registries. Open Policy Containers is a specific project and CLI workflow; it does not replace OPA, and it does not mean every OPA deployment has to use policy images.
What does the workflow add?
The policy CLI gives policy authors container-style operations for policy artifacts: build an image from policy files, tag it, push it to a registry, pull it, sign it, and open it in a REPL. The registry is the storage and distribution layer. OPA is still responsible for evaluating policy.
- Package: Bundle manifest, Rego files, and associated content become an OCI image.
- Distribute: Tags and registry access let teams publish and retrieve policy versions using familiar OCI infrastructure.
- Evaluate: OPA evaluates the policy, including through the CLI’s interactive REPL.
What do you need to use it?
The documented starting requirements are the policy CLI and a registry that supports the relevant OCI artifact media type. The project introduction lists ECR, Docker Hub, GHCR, GCR, and OPCR as registries tested with the CLI; that list does not guarantee identical behavior in every account, configuration, or environment. Check registry compatibility and your organization’s authentication and access-control requirements before adopting one.
The CLI documentation covers Linux, macOS, and Windows, with installation through release archives, Homebrew, WinGet, or Go. Because release and package details can change, use the project’s current CLI installation page rather than relying on a fixed version or download link.
How do you build and push an OPA policy image?
The project’s tutorial starts with either an existing OPA project containing Rego and data files or a sample repository. The build reference expects the source directory to contain an OPA bundle manifest and the Rego files that make up the policy.
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- Prepare the policy directory. Include the bundle manifest and relevant Rego files, along with any associated content needed by the policy.
- Install the CLI. Follow the installation instructions for your operating system.
- Authenticate to your registry. Use the authentication method required by the registry where the image will be stored.
- Build with an explicit tagged reference. The documented syntax is
policy build <directory> -t <registry>/<organization>/<repository>:<tag>. For example, replace each angle-bracketed value with your directory and registry details, and choose a valid OCI tag. - Push the image. Publish the built image to the registry using the project’s documented CLI workflow and the access you configured.
The build reference warns that the implicit default tag is not an accepted OCI reference for pushing. Specify an explicit tag that follows OCI reference conventions to avoid that problem.
How do you evaluate a policy image?
For interactive evaluation, the project documents policy repl <registry>/<organization>/<repository>:<tag>. The image must first be pushed to an OCI-compliant registry; the REPL documentation describes the command and prerequisite. This provides a way to explore policy evaluation interactively, but it does not change OPA’s role as the evaluator.
How does Open Policy Containers relate to OPA bundles?
OPA bundles are a broader mechanism for delivering policy and data. OPA’s bundle documentation covers remote distribution and OCI-compatible registries for policies stored as containers. Open Policy Containers supplies a Docker-like CLI workflow around OCI policy images; bundle-based delivery and policy images are related distribution choices, not interchangeable requirements for every deployment.
Choose based on your operational needs rather than assuming one approach is universally better:
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches- Use OCI policy images when your team wants to build and tag policy artifacts through registry infrastructure it already operates, subject to compatibility and access controls.
- Consider other bundle delivery options when your current OPA setup already distributes policy and data from a remote server or has requirements that favor that arrangement.
- Compare update cadence and payload needs. How often policies change, how much data they include, and the deployment’s operational constraints all affect which distribution path fits best.
The OPA ecosystem’s Open Policy Containers entry describes OPCR as a reference policy registry built and hosted on GCP. That is one registry option, not a requirement to use OPCR instead of an organization’s existing registry.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What does signing protect—and what does it not?
The project demonstrates signing and verifying policy image layers with Sigstore’s cosign. Signing can support checks on image provenance and integrity only when the publisher’s identity or keys are managed correctly and consumers enforce an appropriate verification policy.
A valid signature does not prove that a policy is correct, safe, or compliant. Teams still need to review policy logic, define who is allowed to publish, and decide how verification is enforced before an image is trusted in a deployment.
When is this a good fit?
- Your policy team wants a container-style build and distribution workflow for OPA policies.
- Your organization already has an OCI registry and can confirm it supports the artifact type used by the CLI.
- You want policy versions represented by tagged artifacts and have a clear process for registry authentication and publisher trust.
It may be less suitable when registry compatibility or access controls are unresolved, or when another OPA bundle delivery method better fits the deployment’s update and data requirements. The project documentation establishes workflow and installation options, but does not provide comparative performance benchmarks, adoption figures, or security guarantees.
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