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Overview

This template provides a production‑ready Nexus Repository Manager instance as a Monk runnable. You can:
  • Run it directly to get a managed artifact repository and package manager
  • Inherit it in your own CI/CD infrastructure to host private packages and cache public repositories
Nexus Repository is a universal artifact repository manager supporting all major formats: Maven, npm, Docker, PyPI, RubyGems, NuGet, and more. It proxies remote repositories and hosts your private artifacts.

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What this template manages

  • Nexus Repository Manager OSS or Pro
  • Web UI and API
  • Repository management
  • Docker registry capabilities
  • Blob storage for artifacts
  • Web UI on port 8081

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Quick start (run directly)

  1. Load templates
monk load MANIFEST
  1. Run Nexus with defaults
monk run nexus/nexus
  1. Customize configuration (recommended via inheritance)
Running directly uses the defaults defined in this template’s variables. Secrets added with monk secrets add will not affect this runnable unless you inherit it and reference those secrets.
  • Preferred: inherit and replace variables with secret("...") as shown below.
  • Alternative: fork/clone and edit the variables in nexus/nexus.yaml, then monk load MANIFEST and run.
Once started, access Nexus at http://localhost:8081. Default credentials: admin / admin123 (change immediately!)

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Configuration

Key variables you can customize in this template: 
variables:
  nexus-image-tag: "latest"             # container image tag
  nexus-port: "8081"                    # web UI and API port
  docker-port: "8082"                   # Docker registry port (hosted)
  docker-group-port: "8083"             # Docker group port
  java-opts: "-Xms2703m -Xmx2703m"     # JVM heap options
  max-direct-memory: "2703m"            # JVM direct memory
Data is persisted under ${monk-volume-path}/nexus on the host. Nexus data directory is mounted at /nexus-data in the container. Inherit the Nexus runnable in your CI/CD pipeline and declare a connection. Example: 
namespace: myorg
artifacts:
  defines: runnable
  inherits: nexus/nexus
ci:
  defines: runnable
  containers:
    ci:
      image: myorg/ci-runner
      environment:
        - NEXUS_URL=http://artifacts:8081
        - NEXUS_USER=<- secret("nexus-user")
        - NEXUS_PASSWORD=<- secret("nexus-password")
  connections:
    repo:
      runnable: artifacts
      service: nexus
Then set the secrets once and run your CI/CD stack: 
monk secrets add -g nexus-user="ci-user"
monk secrets add -g nexus-password="STRONG_PASSWORD"
monk run myorg/ci

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Ports and connectivity

  • Service: nexus on TCP port 8081 (Web UI and API)
  • Docker Registry (hosted): TCP port 8082
  • Docker Registry (group): TCP port 8083
  • From other runnables in the same process group, use connection-hostname("\<connection-name>") to resolve the Nexus host.

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Persistence and configuration

  • Data path: ${monk-volume-path}/nexus/nexus-data:/nexus-data
  • Blob stores: ${monk-volume-path}/nexus/blobs
  • You can configure additional blob stores and repositories through the Nexus web UI at http://localhost:8081.

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Features

  • Universal Repository: Support for 25+ package formats
  • Proxy Repositories: Cache remote repositories (Maven Central, npm, PyPI)
  • Hosted Repositories: Host your private artifacts
  • Group Repositories: Combine multiple repos into one URL
  • Docker Registry: Private Docker image registry
  • Security: Fine-grained access control, LDAP/AD integration
  • High Availability: Clustering and replication (Pro)
  • Storage: Efficient blob storage with deduplication

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Supported Formats

  • Build Tools: Maven, Gradle, Ivy
  • Package Managers: npm, PyPI, RubyGems, NuGet, Composer
  • Containers: Docker, Helm
  • OS Packages: APT, Yum, Conan
  • Raw: Generic files, site repositories
  • And many more…

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Maven Configuration

Configure Maven to use Nexus in ~/.m2/settings.xml: 
<settings>
  <mirrors>
    <mirror>
      <id>nexus</id>
      <mirrorOf>*</mirrorOf>
      <url>http://localhost:8081/repository/maven-public/</url>
    </mirror>
  </mirrors>
  <servers>
    <server>
      <id>nexus</id>
      <username>admin</username>
      <password>admin123</password>
    </server>
  </servers>
</settings>

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npm Configuration

Configure npm to use Nexus: 
npm config set registry http://localhost:8081/repository/npm-group/
npm login --registry=http://localhost:8081/repository/npm-hosted/

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Docker Registry

Configure Docker to use Nexus: 
# Login to Nexus Docker registry
docker login localhost:8082

# Tag and push image
docker tag myimage:latest localhost:8082/myimage:latest
docker push localhost:8082/myimage:latest

# Pull image
docker pull localhost:8082/myimage:latest

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Use cases

Nexus excels at:
  • Private artifact repository
  • Proxy for public repositories (faster builds, offline capability)
  • Docker registry for private images
  • Package management for polyglot teams
  • License compliance and security scanning
  • Dependency management
  • Integrate with source control (GitLab, GitHub)
  • Use with artifact repositories (nexus/, artifactory/)
  • Combine with container registries for Docker image management

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Troubleshooting

  • If you changed credentials or configuration but the container has existing data, you may need to update settings through the Nexus web UI.
  • Nexus requires 2-3 minutes on first launch to initialize.
  • For memory issues, increase java-opts heap size in the template variables.
  • Get initial admin password:
cat ${monk-volume-path}/nexus/nexus-data/admin.password
  • Check logs:
monk logs -l 500 -f nexus/nexus