Migrating from Sonatype Nexus

This guide helps you migrate from Sonatype Nexus Repository Manager to CloudRepo.

Overview

Migrating from Nexus to CloudRepo is straightforward due to compatible repository formats and similar concepts. This guide covers Nexus Repository Manager 2.x and 3.x migrations.

Why Migrate from Nexus?

Cost Benefits

Eliminate infrastructure costs - No servers to maintain
Predictable pricing - Simple, transparent monthly plans
No hidden fees - Support included, no egress charges
Reduce operational overhead - Fully managed service

Feature Comparison

Nexus vs CloudRepo
Feature	Nexus OSS	CloudRepo
Managed Service	✗ Self-hosted	✓ Fully managed
High Availability	✗ Pro only	✓ Included
Support	✗ Pro only	✓ Included
Automatic Backups	✗ Manual setup	✓ Included
SSL/TLS	✗ Manual config	✓ Automatic

Pre-Migration Assessment

Inventory Your Nexus Installation

List all repositories:

# Nexus 3.x
curl -u admin:admin123 \
  https://nexus.example.com/service/rest/v1/repositories

# Nexus 2.x
curl -u admin:admin123 \
  https://nexus.example.com/service/local/repositories

Document repository types: * Maven (hosted, proxy, group) * PyPI * Raw * Docker (if applicable)
Check repository sizes:

# Check blob store size (Nexus 3.x)
du -sh /path/to/sonatype-work/nexus3/blobs

Export users and roles: * Document current permissions * List all users * Map roles to CloudRepo equivalents

Migration Strategy

Phase 1: Setup CloudRepo

Create CloudRepo account
Create equivalent repositories:
- Nexus “hosted” → CloudRepo standard repository
- Nexus “proxy” → CloudRepo proxy repository
- Nexus “group” → Configure clients to use multiple repositories
Set up users and permissions

Phase 2: Export from Nexus

Option 1: REST API Export (Nexus 3.x)

Export artifacts via REST API

import requests
import json
import os

NEXUS_URL = "https://nexus.example.com"
NEXUS_AUTH = ("admin", "admin123")

def export_repository(repo_name, output_dir):
    # Get all assets
    continuation_token = None
    while True:
        url = f"{NEXUS_URL}/service/rest/v1/assets"
        params = {"repository": repo_name}
        if continuation_token:
            params["continuationToken"] = continuation_token

        response = requests.get(url, auth=NEXUS_AUTH, params=params)
        data = response.json()

        for asset in data["items"]:
            download_url = asset["downloadUrl"]
            path = asset["path"]

            # Download artifact
            artifact_response = requests.get(download_url, auth=NEXUS_AUTH)

            # Save to disk
            output_path = os.path.join(output_dir, path)
            os.makedirs(os.path.dirname(output_path), exist_ok=True)

            with open(output_path, 'wb') as f:
                f.write(artifact_response.content)

            print(f"Exported: {path}")

        continuation_token = data.get("continuationToken")
        if not continuation_token:
            break

# Export each repository
export_repository("maven-releases", "./export/maven-releases")

Option 2: Direct File System Copy

# Nexus 3.x - Copy from blob store
cp -r /path/to/sonatype-work/nexus3/blobs/default/content ./export/

# Nexus 2.x - Copy from storage
cp -r /path/to/sonatype-work/nexus/storage/* ./export/

Phase 3: Upload to CloudRepo

Bulk upload script

#!/bin/bash
CLOUDREPO_URL="https://your-org.cloudrepo.io/repository/maven-releases"
CLOUDREPO_USER="your-username"
CLOUDREPO_PASS="your-password"

find ./export -type f -name "*.jar" -o -name "*.pom" | while read file; do
    # Calculate relative path
    relative_path=${file#./export/}

    # Upload to CloudRepo
    curl -u "$CLOUDREPO_USER:$CLOUDREPO_PASS" \
         --upload-file "$file" \
         "$CLOUDREPO_URL/$relative_path"

    echo "Uploaded: $relative_path"
done

Repository Type Mapping

Maven Repositories

Nexus Configuration:

<repository>
  <id>nexus</id>
  <url>https://nexus.example.com/repository/maven-public/</url>
</repository>

CloudRepo Configuration:

<repository>
  <id>cloudrepo</id>
  <url>https://your-org.cloudrepo.io/repository/maven-releases</url>
</repository>

Python/PyPI Repositories

Nexus pip.conf:

[global]
index-url = https://nexus.example.com/repository/pypi-all/simple

CloudRepo pip.conf:

[global]
index-url = https://your-org.cloudrepo.io/repository/pypi/simple

Raw Repositories

Raw repositories migrate directly - simply upload files maintaining directory structure.

User Migration

Mapping Nexus Roles to CloudRepo

Role Mapping
Nexus Role	CloudRepo Equivalent
nx-admin	Admin
nx-developer	Developer (read/write)
nx-anonymous	Public repository access
nx-deployment	API key with write access

Creating Users in CloudRepo

Navigate to Users section
Invite team members
Assign appropriate roles
Configure repository access

CI/CD Migration

Jenkins

Update Maven settings:

<settings>
  <servers>
    <server>
      <id>cloudrepo</id>
      <username>${env.CLOUDREPO_USERNAME}</username>
      <password>${env.CLOUDREPO_PASSWORD}</password>
    </server>
  </servers>
</settings>

Update Jenkinsfile:

pipeline {
    environment {
        CLOUDREPO_CREDS = credentials('cloudrepo-credentials')
    }
    stages {
        stage('Deploy') {
            steps {
                sh 'mvn deploy -DrepositoryId=cloudrepo'
            }
        }
    }
}

GitHub Actions

- name: Setup CloudRepo
  run: |
    mkdir -p ~/.m2
    echo "<settings>...</settings>" > ~/.m2/settings.xml

- name: Deploy
  run: mvn deploy
  env:
    CLOUDREPO_USERNAME: ${{ secrets.CLOUDREPO_USERNAME }}
    CLOUDREPO_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.CLOUDREPO_PASSWORD }}

Validation

Verify Migration Success

Check artifact counts:

# Count artifacts in Nexus
find ./export -type f | wc -l

# Verify in CloudRepo via API
curl -u username:password \
  https://your-org.cloudrepo.io/api/repositories/maven-releases/artifacts

Test builds: * Run sample builds using CloudRepo * Verify dependency resolution * Test artifact upload
Performance testing: * Measure download speeds * Check upload performance * Compare with Nexus baseline

Rollback Plan

Keep Nexus Running During Migration

Run both systems in parallel initially
Update CI/CD to publish to both
Gradually migrate teams
Decommission Nexus after validation

Quick Rollback Steps

If issues arise:

Update repository URLs back to Nexus
Revert CI/CD configurations
Document issues for resolution
Contact CloudRepo support

Common Issues and Solutions

Large Repository Migration

Problem: Timeout during large uploads

Solution: * Break into smaller batches * Use parallel uploads * Consider CloudRepo’s bulk import service

Permission Differences

Problem: Complex Nexus permission model doesn’t map directly

Solution: * Simplify permissions in CloudRepo * Use groups for team access * Document changes for users

Cleanup Policies

Problem: Nexus cleanup policies need recreation

Solution: * CloudRepo handles cleanup differently * Configure retention at repository level * Use snapshot versioning policies

Post-Migration

Optimization

Configure proxy repositories for external dependencies
Set up webhooks for automation
Enable monitoring and alerts
Review and optimize repository structure

Decommissioning Nexus

Archive Nexus data for compliance
Update documentation with CloudRepo URLs
Remove Nexus from infrastructure
Reclaim resources (servers, storage)

Training

Provide CloudRepo documentation to team
Schedule training sessions
Create internal guides specific to your workflow

Support

CloudRepo provides migration support:

Email: support@cloudrepo.io
Documentation: Comprehensive guides
Migration assistance: Available for enterprise customers
Response time: Usually within 2 business hours

Next Steps

Getting Started - CloudRepo basics
Repository Management - Repository setup
Continuous Integration and Deployment - CI/CD configuration
Contact support@cloudrepo.io for migration help