diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/test-container-registry.yml b/.gitea/workflows/test-container-registry.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..8380e83f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/test-container-registry.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+name: Container Registry Test
+
+on:
+  push:
+    branches: '*'
+    paths:
+      - '!**'
+      - '.gitea/workflows/triggers/test-container-registry'
+      - '.gitea/workflows/test-container-registry.yml'
+      - 'tests/container-registry/run-test.sh'
+  schedule: # Note: coordinate with other tests to not overload runners at the same time of day
+    - cron: '6 19 * * *'
+
+jobs:
+  test:
+    name: "Run contaier registry hosting test on kind/k8s"
+    runs-on: ubuntu-22.04
+    steps:
+      - name: "Clone project repository"
+        uses: actions/checkout@v3
+      # At present the stock setup-python action fails on Linux/aarch64
+      # Conditional steps below workaroud this by using deadsnakes for that case only
+      - name: "Install Python for ARM on Linux"
+        if: ${{ runner.arch == 'arm64' && runner.os == 'Linux' }}
+        uses: deadsnakes/action@v3.0.1
+        with:
+          python-version: '3.8'
+      - name: "Install Python cases other than ARM on Linux"
+        if: ${{ ! (runner.arch == 'arm64' && runner.os == 'Linux') }}
+        uses: actions/setup-python@v4
+        with:
+          python-version: '3.8'
+      - name: "Print Python version"
+        run: python3 --version
+      - name: "Install shiv"
+        run: pip install shiv
+      - name: "Generate build version file"
+        run: ./scripts/create_build_tag_file.sh
+      - name: "Build local shiv package"
+        run: ./scripts/build_shiv_package.sh
+      - name: "Check cgroups version"
+        run: mount | grep cgroup
+      - name: "Install kind"
+        run: ./tests/scripts/install-kind.sh
+      - name: "Install Kubectl"
+        run: ./tests/scripts/install-kubectl.sh
+      - name: "Run container registry deployment test"
+        run: |
+          source /opt/bash-utils/cgroup-helper.sh
+          join_cgroup
+          ./tests/container-registry/run-test.sh
+
diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/triggers/test-container-registry b/.gitea/workflows/triggers/test-container-registry
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e5c11f22
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/triggers/test-container-registry
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Change this file to trigger running the test-container-registry CI job
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/scripts/quick-deploy-test.sh b/scripts/quick-deploy-test.sh
index 597eb6ac..5c32d449 100755
--- a/scripts/quick-deploy-test.sh
+++ b/scripts/quick-deploy-test.sh
@@ -12,8 +12,8 @@ spec_file_name="${stack_name}-spec.yml"
 deployment_dir_name="${stack_name}-deployment"
 rm -f ${spec_file_name}
 rm -rf ${deployment_dir_name}
-laconic-so --stack ${stack_name} deploy --deploy-to k8s-kind init --output ${spec_file_name}
-laconic-so --stack ${stack_name} deploy --deploy-to k8s-kind create --deployment-dir ${deployment_dir_name} --spec-file ${spec_file_name}
+laconic-so --stack ${stack_name} deploy --deploy-to compose init --output ${spec_file_name}
+laconic-so --stack ${stack_name} deploy --deploy-to compose create --deployment-dir ${deployment_dir_name} --spec-file ${spec_file_name}
 #laconic-so deployment --dir ${deployment_dir_name} start
 #laconic-so deployment --dir ${deployment_dir_name} ps
 #laconic-so deployment --dir ${deployment_dir_name} stop
diff --git a/stack_orchestrator/build/build_containers.py b/stack_orchestrator/build/build_containers.py
index 7b0957b0..bcc10bb0 100644
--- a/stack_orchestrator/build/build_containers.py
+++ b/stack_orchestrator/build/build_containers.py
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ import subprocess
 import click
 import importlib.resources
 from pathlib import Path
-from stack_orchestrator.util import include_exclude_check, get_parsed_stack_config, stack_is_external
+from stack_orchestrator.util import include_exclude_check, get_parsed_stack_config, stack_is_external, warn_exit
 from stack_orchestrator.base import get_npm_registry_url
 
 # TODO: find a place for this
@@ -164,6 +164,8 @@ def command(ctx, include, exclude, force_rebuild, extra_build_args):
     containers_in_scope = []
     if stack:
         stack_config = get_parsed_stack_config(stack)
+        if "containers" not in stack_config or stack_config["containers"] is None:
+            warn_exit(f"stack {stack} does not define any containers")
         containers_in_scope = stack_config['containers']
     else:
         containers_in_scope = all_containers
diff --git a/stack_orchestrator/data/compose/docker-compose-container-registry.yml b/stack_orchestrator/data/compose/docker-compose-container-registry.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..91d6d265
--- /dev/null
+++ b/stack_orchestrator/data/compose/docker-compose-container-registry.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+services:
+  registry:
+    image: registry:2.8
+    restart: always
+    environment:
+      REGISTRY_LOG_LEVEL: ${REGISTRY_LOG_LEVEL}
+    volumes:
+      - registry-data:/var/lib/registry
+    ports:
+      - "5000"
+
+volumes:
+  registry-data:
diff --git a/stack_orchestrator/data/stacks/container-registry/README.md b/stack_orchestrator/data/stacks/container-registry/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3ca917e1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/stack_orchestrator/data/stacks/container-registry/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+# Container Registry Stack
+
+Host a container image registry
diff --git a/stack_orchestrator/data/stacks/container-registry/stack.yml b/stack_orchestrator/data/stacks/container-registry/stack.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..217fcb31
--- /dev/null
+++ b/stack_orchestrator/data/stacks/container-registry/stack.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+version: "1.0"
+name: container-registry
+description: "Container registry stack"
+pods:
+  - container-registry
diff --git a/tests/container-registry/run-test.sh b/tests/container-registry/run-test.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..2aaf887f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/container-registry/run-test.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,141 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -e
+if [ -n "$CERC_SCRIPT_DEBUG" ]; then
+    set -x
+    # Dump environment variables for debugging
+    echo "Environment variables:"
+    env
+fi
+
+stack="container-registry"
+
+# Helper functions: TODO move into a separate file
+wait_for_pods_started () {
+    for i in {1..50}
+    do
+        local ps_output=$( $TEST_TARGET_SO deployment --dir $test_deployment_dir ps )
+
+        if [[ "$ps_output" == *"Running containers:"* ]]; then
+            # if ready, return
+            return
+        else
+            # if not ready, wait
+            sleep 5
+        fi
+    done
+    # Timed out, error exit
+    echo "waiting for pods to start: FAILED"
+    delete_cluster_exit
+}
+
+wait_for_log_output () {
+    for i in {1..50}
+    do
+
+        local log_output=$( $TEST_TARGET_SO deployment --dir $test_deployment_dir logs )
+
+        if [[ ! -z "$log_output" ]]; then
+            # if ready, return
+            return
+        else
+            # if not ready, wait
+            sleep 5
+        fi
+    done
+    # Timed out, error exit
+    echo "waiting for pods log content: FAILED"
+    delete_cluster_exit
+}
+
+
+delete_cluster_exit () {
+    $TEST_TARGET_SO deployment --dir $test_deployment_dir stop --delete-volumes
+    exit 1
+}
+
+# Note: eventually this test should be folded into ../deploy/
+# but keeping it separate for now for convenience
+TEST_TARGET_SO=$( ls -t1 ./package/laconic-so* | head -1 )
+# Set a non-default repo dir
+export CERC_REPO_BASE_DIR=~/stack-orchestrator-test/repo-base-dir
+echo "Testing this package: $TEST_TARGET_SO"
+echo "Test version command"
+reported_version_string=$( $TEST_TARGET_SO version )
+echo "Version reported is: ${reported_version_string}"
+echo "Cloning repositories into: $CERC_REPO_BASE_DIR"
+rm -rf $CERC_REPO_BASE_DIR
+mkdir -p $CERC_REPO_BASE_DIR
+$TEST_TARGET_SO --stack ${stack} setup-repositories
+$TEST_TARGET_SO --stack ${stack} build-containers
+# Test basic stack-orchestrator deploy to k8s
+test_deployment_dir=$CERC_REPO_BASE_DIR/${stack}-deployment-dir
+test_deployment_spec=$CERC_REPO_BASE_DIR/${stack}-deployment-spec.yml
+$TEST_TARGET_SO --stack ${stack} deploy --deploy-to k8s-kind init --output $test_deployment_spec --config CERC_TEST_PARAM_1=PASSED
+# Check the file now exists
+if [ ! -f "$test_deployment_spec" ]; then
+    echo "deploy init test: spec file not present"
+    echo "deploy init test: FAILED"
+    exit 1
+fi
+echo "deploy init test: passed"
+
+# Switch to a full path for bind mount.
+volume_name="registry-data"
+sed -i "s|^\(\s*${volume_name}:$\)$|\1 ${test_deployment_dir}/data/${volume_name}|" $test_deployment_spec
+
+# Add ingress config to the spec file
+ed $test_deployment_spec <<IngressSpec
+/network:/
+a
+  http-proxy:
+    - host-name: localhost
+      routes:
+        - path: /
+          proxy-to: registry:5000
+.
+w
+q
+IngressSpec
+
+$TEST_TARGET_SO --stack ${stack} deploy create --spec-file $test_deployment_spec --deployment-dir $test_deployment_dir
+# Check the deployment dir exists
+if [ ! -d "$test_deployment_dir" ]; then
+    echo "deploy create test: deployment directory not present"
+    echo "deploy create test: FAILED"
+    exit 1
+fi
+echo "deploy create test: passed"
+
+# Try to start the deployment
+$TEST_TARGET_SO deployment --dir $test_deployment_dir start
+wait_for_pods_started
+# Check logs command works
+wait_for_log_output
+sleep 1
+log_output_3=$( $TEST_TARGET_SO deployment --dir $test_deployment_dir logs )
+if [[ "$log_output_3" == *"listening on"* ]]; then
+    echo "deployment logs test: passed"
+else
+    echo "deployment logs test: FAILED"
+    echo $log_output_3
+    delete_cluster_exit
+fi
+
+# Check that we can use the registry
+docker pull hello-world
+docker tag hello-world localhost:80/hello-world
+docker push localhost:80/hello-world
+# Then do a quick check that we actually pushed something there
+# See: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/31251356/how-to-get-a-list-of-images-on-docker-registry-v2
+registry_response=$(curl -s -X GET http://localhost:80/v2/_catalog)
+if [[ "$registry_response" == *"{\"repositories\":[\"hello-world\"]}"* ]]; then
+    echo "registry content test: passed"
+else
+    echo "registry content test: FAILED"
+    echo $registry_response
+    delete_cluster_exit
+fi
+
+# Stop and clean up
+$TEST_TARGET_SO deployment --dir $test_deployment_dir stop --delete-volumes
+echo "Test passed"