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CircleCI Orb Registry

Developer Tools

CircleCI · Developer tools & code hosting

Best for: Teams that want to package, version, test, and share reusable CircleCI commands, jobs, or executors across projects or organizations.

Overview

CircleCI Orb Registry is a public catalog for shareable CircleCI configuration packages called orbs. Orbs can include reusable commands, jobs, and executors, allowing teams to simplify and standardize pipeline configuration. Registry orbs may be public for community use or private within an organization, follow semantic versioning, and are immutable after publication. Authors create an orb from a GitHub repository, initialize it with the CircleCI CLI and Orb Development Kit, then use an automated CircleCI pipeline to pack, test, and publish versions. The registry provides discoverability, metadata, usage examples, and filtering across partner, community, and CircleCI-authored orbs.

How to build & ship

  1. 1Connect a GitHub account to CircleCI and claim one namespace for the organization.
  2. 2Create an empty GitHub repository and run circleci orb init, choosing public or private mode.
  3. 3Select the automated setup or configure the CircleCI Orb Template manually.
  4. 4Push the generated project, then develop and test orb changes through the included CircleCI pipeline.
  5. 5Publish the first production version and subsequent immutable SemVer versions through the orb publishing process.

Key APIs & SDKs

CircleCI CLI
Orb Development Kit and CircleCI Orb Template
CircleCI Orb Registry
CircleCI pipelines and CI/CD jobs
CircleCI contexts and Security Groups

Integration types

Connector
Workflow action
Embedded app

Authentication & security

  • Primary auth: CircleCI personal API token used by the CLI and orb-publishing context
  • Also supports: Connected GitHub account, CircleCI organization namespace and permissions
  • Security review: Required
  • Safe publishing requires storing the personal API token in an orb-publishing context and restricting access with Security Groups; no mandatory human marketplace review or certification gate is publicly documented.
  • The documented process is automated: the template pipeline packs, tests, and publishes the orb. No separate mandatory human review process is publicly documented.
  • Not publicly specified
Auth docs Store policies

Monetization

Free
Onboarding
Not publicly specified
Commission
Not publicly specified
Merchant of Record
Not publicly specified

Pros & cons for builders

Pros

  • Public discoverability and reusable configuration
  • Semantic versioning with immutable published versions
  • Automated CI/CD testing and publishing

Cons

  • Requires GitHub and CircleCI setup
  • Each organization is limited to one namespace by default
  • Published orbs cannot be deleted or switched between public and private after initialization

Frequently asked questions

How do I get my app approved on CircleCI Orb Registry?

The documented process is automated: the template pipeline packs, tests, and publishes the orb. No separate mandatory human review process is publicly documented.

What authentication does CircleCI Orb Registry use?

CircleCI Orb Registry apps primarily authenticate with CircleCI personal API token used by the CLI and orb-publishing context, also supporting Connected GitHub account, CircleCI organization namespace and permissions.

How is CircleCI Orb Registry monetized?

CircleCI Orb Registry supports Free. Typical commission: Not publicly specified. Onboarding fee: Not publicly specified.

Is a security review required to list on CircleCI Orb Registry?

Yes, CircleCI Orb Registry requires a formal security or listing review before apps go live. Safe publishing requires storing the personal API token in an orb-publishing context and restricting access with Security Groups; no mandatory human marketplace review or certification gate is publicly documented.