Reorganize Project-level Packages and Registries Settings for Improved Clarity and User Experience

Reorganize Packages and Registries Settings for Improved Clarity and User Experience

We propose to reorganize the packages and registries settings under their respective feature categories to improve clarity and reduce confusion for both developers and platform engineers. This reorganization will group related settings, making it easier for users to find and manage these features.

Current Situation

Currently, the packages, container registry, and dependency proxy settings are spread across different sections, which can lead to confusion and difficulty in finding specific settings.

Proposal (project-level)

Package Registry

• Protected packages
• Dependency proxy for packages
• Cleanup policies

Container Registry

• Protected container repositories, this is currently behind a feature flag
• Protected container tags (being added in https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/499871)
• Cleanup policies

Design assets

• Figma
• Design management - 3 screens

Value Proposition

1. Improved User Experience: By grouping related settings, users can more easily find and manage the needed features, reducing time spent navigating through settings.
2. Clarity in Feature Management: This reorganization separates the settings for different types of registries and proxies, making it easier for users to understand which settings apply to which feature.
3. Reduced Confusion: The clear categorization will help prevent users from accidentally modifying settings for the wrong feature, potentially avoiding misconfigurations.
4. Easier Onboarding: New users and platform engineers will find it easier to understand the available 6. Future-Proofing: By clearly separating these features, it becomes easier to manage future changes or deprecations (like the noted deprecation of the dependency proxy for packages in 2025).

Next Steps

1. Create mockups of the new settings layout for both project and group levels.
2. Plan the implementation, considering any potential impacts on existing workflows or automations.
3. Update documentation to reflect the new organization of settings.

By implementing this reorganization, we aim to enhance the overall user experience for GitLab users working with packages and registries, making these powerful features more accessible and manageable.

Follow-up issues that relate to this

• Reorganize Group-level Packages and Registries ... (#502455)
• Update the container registry cleanup setting t... (#503389 - closed)
• Improve the Dependency proxy for packages setti... (#503395 - closed)

Example UI

Reference the below designs used for CI settings