Downloading Docker images where DockerHub won't work

Source: Dev.to

Why would you want to do this?

Back in 2016 I really wanted to start learning Docker. By then it had already become a must‑have in every developer’s toolbox. The promises were impressive and, as a Linux nerd, I loved what I was reading about it. The problem: I was living in Cuba.

Cuba, among other countries, is actively blocked from downloading Docker images due to export restrictions. You can’t even download what’s free everywhere. Without access to a VPS or VPN that could mask my location, my only alternative was relying on images downloaded by friends and saved with docker save, then importing them with docker load.

My situation has changed, but many developers in similar circumstances still struggle to get access to resources that many of you take for granted. To help my fellow Cuban developers, I created a simple service.

Service instance

An instance of the service is deployed at .

1. Write the name and tag of the image you want to download.
2. Click Download.
3. A file will be downloaded that you can import to your local Docker with:

docker load -i myimage_tag.tar.gz

You can then share the image with friends and colleagues.

Automating downloads

You can script the download with wget, curl, or any tool you prefer. Example using wget:

wget -c --tries=5 --waitretry=3 --content-disposition \
  "https://dockerimagesave.akiel.dev/image?name=ubuntu:25.04" \
  && docker load -i ubuntu_25_04.tar.gz

Feel free to adapt the script to your workflow.

Self‑hosting

Setting up your own server so friends can use it is straightforward. The repository is at . Follow the instructions to deploy with Docker Compose.

Contributing

Pull requests are welcome. Please:

• Write tests for any new code.
• Ensure all existing tests continue to pass.

Background & future outlook

The service is somewhat old. I wrote the first version 6–7 years ago and recently released V2. The original version required a client application and is no longer maintained or deployed.

I hope that one day tools like this become unnecessary because access is no longer restricted by geography or politics. Until then, I’ll keep the service running and share it with anyone who finds it useful.

Thanks for reading, and happy hacking.