diff --git a/cmd/registry/main.go b/cmd/registry/main.go
index 79f45ab0..fa5305eb 100644
--- a/cmd/registry/main.go
+++ b/cmd/registry/main.go
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/docker/distribution/registry/handlers"
 	_ "github.com/docker/distribution/registry/storage/driver/filesystem"
 	_ "github.com/docker/distribution/registry/storage/driver/inmemory"
+	_ "github.com/docker/distribution/registry/storage/driver/middleware/cloudfront"
 	_ "github.com/docker/distribution/registry/storage/driver/s3"
 	"github.com/docker/distribution/version"
 	gorhandlers "github.com/gorilla/handlers"
diff --git a/configuration/configuration.go b/configuration/configuration.go
index 8ba401c6..6c03b27f 100644
--- a/configuration/configuration.go
+++ b/configuration/configuration.go
@@ -26,8 +26,8 @@ type Configuration struct {
 	// used to gate requests.
 	Auth Auth `yaml:"auth,omitempty"`
 
-	// LayerHandler specifies a middleware for serving image layers.
-	LayerHandler LayerHandler `yaml:"layerhandler,omitempty"`
+	// Middleware lists all middlewares to be used by the registry.
+	Middleware map[string][]Middleware `yaml:"middleware,omitempty"`
 
 	// Reporting is the configuration for error reporting
 	Reporting Reporting `yaml:"reporting,omitempty"`
@@ -295,60 +295,14 @@ type NewRelicReporting struct {
 	Name string `yaml:"name,omitempty"`
 }
 
-// LayerHandler defines the configuration for middleware layer serving
-type LayerHandler map[string]Parameters
-
-// Type returns the layerhandler type
-func (layerHandler LayerHandler) Type() string {
-	// Return only key in this map
-	for k := range layerHandler {
-		return k
-	}
-	return ""
-}
-
-// Parameters returns the Parameters map for a LayerHandler configuration
-func (layerHandler LayerHandler) Parameters() Parameters {
-	return layerHandler[layerHandler.Type()]
-}
-
-// UnmarshalYAML implements the yaml.Unmarshaler interface
-// Unmarshals a single item map into a Storage or a string into a Storage type with no parameters
-func (layerHandler *LayerHandler) UnmarshalYAML(unmarshal func(interface{}) error) error {
-	var storageMap map[string]Parameters
-	err := unmarshal(&storageMap)
-	if err == nil {
-		if len(storageMap) > 1 {
-			types := make([]string, 0, len(storageMap))
-			for k := range storageMap {
-				types = append(types, k)
-			}
-			return fmt.Errorf("Must provide exactly one layerhandler type. Provided: %v", types)
-		}
-		*layerHandler = storageMap
-		return nil
-	}
-
-	var storageType string
-	err = unmarshal(&storageType)
-	if err == nil {
-		*layerHandler = LayerHandler{storageType: Parameters{}}
-		return nil
-	}
-
-	return err
-}
-
-// MarshalYAML implements the yaml.Marshaler interface
-func (layerHandler LayerHandler) MarshalYAML() (interface{}, error) {
-	if layerHandler.Parameters() == nil {
-		t := layerHandler.Type()
-		if t == "" {
-			return nil, nil
-		}
-		return t, nil
-	}
-	return map[string]Parameters(layerHandler), nil
+// Middleware configures named middlewares to be applied at injection points.
+type Middleware struct {
+	// Name the middleware registers itself as
+	Name string `yaml:"name"`
+	// Flag to disable middleware easily
+	Disabled bool `yaml:"disabled,omitempty"`
+	// Map of parameters that will be passed to the middleware's initialization function
+	Options Parameters `yaml:"options"`
 }
 
 // Parse parses an input configuration yaml document into a Configuration struct
diff --git a/registry.go b/registry.go
index c8ac9c10..359c80ac 100644
--- a/registry.go
+++ b/registry.go
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package distribution
 
 import (
 	"io"
+	"net/http"
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/docker/distribution/digest"
@@ -106,6 +107,11 @@ type Layer interface {
 
 	// CreatedAt returns the time this layer was created.
 	CreatedAt() time.Time
+
+	// ServeHTTP allows a layer to serve itself, whether by providing
+	// a redirect directly to the content, or by serving the content
+	// itself
+	ServeHTTP(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request)
 }
 
 // LayerUpload provides a handle for working with in-progress uploads.
diff --git a/registry/auth/auth.go b/registry/auth/auth.go
index cd6ee096..a8499342 100644
--- a/registry/auth/auth.go
+++ b/registry/auth/auth.go
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ func (uic userInfoContext) Value(key interface{}) interface{} {
 }
 
 // InitFunc is the type of an AccessController factory function and is used
-// to register the contsructor for different AccesController backends.
+// to register the constructor for different AccesController backends.
 type InitFunc func(options map[string]interface{}) (AccessController, error)
 
 var accessControllers map[string]InitFunc
diff --git a/registry/handlers/app.go b/registry/handlers/app.go
index 4d860cc4..1b5effbc 100644
--- a/registry/handlers/app.go
+++ b/registry/handlers/app.go
@@ -13,9 +13,12 @@ import (
 	"github.com/docker/distribution/notifications"
 	"github.com/docker/distribution/registry/api/v2"
 	"github.com/docker/distribution/registry/auth"
+	registrymiddleware "github.com/docker/distribution/registry/middleware/registry"
+	repositorymiddleware "github.com/docker/distribution/registry/middleware/repository"
 	"github.com/docker/distribution/registry/storage"
 	storagedriver "github.com/docker/distribution/registry/storage/driver"
 	"github.com/docker/distribution/registry/storage/driver/factory"
+	storagemiddleware "github.com/docker/distribution/registry/storage/driver/middleware"
 	"github.com/gorilla/mux"
 	"golang.org/x/net/context"
 )
@@ -41,8 +44,6 @@ type App struct {
 		sink   notifications.Sink
 		source notifications.SourceRecord
 	}
-
-	layerHandler storage.LayerHandler // allows dispatch of layer serving to external provider
 }
 
 // Value intercepts calls context.Context.Value, returning the current app id,
@@ -88,9 +89,19 @@ func NewApp(ctx context.Context, configuration configuration.Configuration) *App
 		// a health check.
 		panic(err)
 	}
+	app.driver, err = applyStorageMiddleware(app.driver, configuration.Middleware["storage"])
+	if err != nil {
+		panic(err)
+	}
 
 	app.configureEvents(&configuration)
+
 	app.registry = storage.NewRegistryWithDriver(app.driver)
+	app.registry, err = applyRegistryMiddleware(app.registry, configuration.Middleware["registry"])
+	if err != nil {
+		panic(err)
+	}
+
 	authType := configuration.Auth.Type()
 
 	if authType != "" {
@@ -101,16 +112,6 @@ func NewApp(ctx context.Context, configuration configuration.Configuration) *App
 		app.accessController = accessController
 	}
 
-	layerHandlerType := configuration.LayerHandler.Type()
-
-	if layerHandlerType != "" {
-		lh, err := storage.GetLayerHandler(layerHandlerType, configuration.LayerHandler.Parameters(), app.driver)
-		if err != nil {
-			panic(fmt.Sprintf("unable to configure layer handler (%s): %v", layerHandlerType, err))
-		}
-		app.layerHandler = lh
-	}
-
 	return app
 }
 
@@ -249,6 +250,15 @@ func (app *App) dispatcher(dispatch dispatchFunc) http.Handler {
 			context.Repository = notifications.Listen(
 				repository,
 				app.eventBridge(context, r))
+
+			context.Repository, err = applyRepoMiddleware(context.Repository, app.Config.Middleware["repository"])
+			if err != nil {
+				ctxu.GetLogger(context).Errorf("error initializing repository middleware: %v", err)
+				context.Errors.Push(v2.ErrorCodeUnknown, err)
+				w.WriteHeader(http.StatusInternalServerError)
+				serveJSON(w, context.Errors)
+				return
+			}
 		}
 
 		handler := dispatch(context, r)
@@ -417,3 +427,40 @@ func appendAccessRecords(records []auth.Access, method string, repo string) []au
 	}
 	return records
 }
+
+// applyRegistryMiddleware wraps a registry instance with the configured middlewares
+func applyRegistryMiddleware(registry distribution.Registry, middlewares []configuration.Middleware) (distribution.Registry, error) {
+	for _, mw := range middlewares {
+		rmw, err := registrymiddleware.Get(mw.Name, mw.Options, registry)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("unable to configure registry middleware (%s): %s", mw.Name, err)
+		}
+		registry = rmw
+	}
+	return registry, nil
+
+}
+
+// applyRepoMiddleware wraps a repository with the configured middlewares
+func applyRepoMiddleware(repository distribution.Repository, middlewares []configuration.Middleware) (distribution.Repository, error) {
+	for _, mw := range middlewares {
+		rmw, err := repositorymiddleware.Get(mw.Name, mw.Options, repository)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		repository = rmw
+	}
+	return repository, nil
+}
+
+// applyStorageMiddleware wraps a storage driver with the configured middlewares
+func applyStorageMiddleware(driver storagedriver.StorageDriver, middlewares []configuration.Middleware) (storagedriver.StorageDriver, error) {
+	for _, mw := range middlewares {
+		smw, err := storagemiddleware.Get(mw.Name, mw.Options, driver)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("unable to configure storage middleware (%s): %v", mw.Name, err)
+		}
+		driver = smw
+	}
+	return driver, nil
+}
diff --git a/registry/handlers/layer.go b/registry/handlers/layer.go
index 913002e0..ae73aee0 100644
--- a/registry/handlers/layer.go
+++ b/registry/handlers/layer.go
@@ -62,17 +62,6 @@ func (lh *layerHandler) GetLayer(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 		}
 		return
 	}
-	defer layer.Close()
 
-	w.Header().Set("Docker-Content-Digest", lh.Digest.String())
-
-	if lh.layerHandler != nil {
-		handler, _ := lh.layerHandler.Resolve(layer)
-		if handler != nil {
-			handler.ServeHTTP(w, r)
-			return
-		}
-	}
-
-	http.ServeContent(w, r, layer.Digest().String(), layer.CreatedAt(), layer)
+	layer.ServeHTTP(w, r)
 }
diff --git a/registry/middleware/registry/middleware.go b/registry/middleware/registry/middleware.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d3e88810
--- /dev/null
+++ b/registry/middleware/registry/middleware.go
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+package middleware
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+
+	"github.com/docker/distribution"
+)
+
+// InitFunc is the type of a RegistryMiddleware factory function and is
+// used to register the constructor for different RegistryMiddleware backends.
+type InitFunc func(registry distribution.Registry, options map[string]interface{}) (distribution.Registry, error)
+
+var middlewares map[string]InitFunc
+
+// Register is used to register an InitFunc for
+// a RegistryMiddleware backend with the given name.
+func Register(name string, initFunc InitFunc) error {
+	if middlewares == nil {
+		middlewares = make(map[string]InitFunc)
+	}
+	if _, exists := middlewares[name]; exists {
+		return fmt.Errorf("name already registered: %s", name)
+	}
+
+	middlewares[name] = initFunc
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+// Get constructs a RegistryMiddleware with the given options using the named backend.
+func Get(name string, options map[string]interface{}, registry distribution.Registry) (distribution.Registry, error) {
+	if middlewares != nil {
+		if initFunc, exists := middlewares[name]; exists {
+			return initFunc(registry, options)
+		}
+	}
+
+	return nil, fmt.Errorf("no registry middleware registered with name: %s", name)
+}
diff --git a/registry/middleware/repository/middleware.go b/registry/middleware/repository/middleware.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d6330fc4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/registry/middleware/repository/middleware.go
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+package middleware
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+
+	"github.com/docker/distribution"
+)
+
+// InitFunc is the type of a RepositoryMiddleware factory function and is
+// used to register the constructor for different RepositoryMiddleware backends.
+type InitFunc func(repository distribution.Repository, options map[string]interface{}) (distribution.Repository, error)
+
+var middlewares map[string]InitFunc
+
+// Register is used to register an InitFunc for
+// a RepositoryMiddleware backend with the given name.
+func Register(name string, initFunc InitFunc) error {
+	if middlewares == nil {
+		middlewares = make(map[string]InitFunc)
+	}
+	if _, exists := middlewares[name]; exists {
+		return fmt.Errorf("name already registered: %s", name)
+	}
+
+	middlewares[name] = initFunc
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+// Get constructs a RepositoryMiddleware with the given options using the named backend.
+func Get(name string, options map[string]interface{}, repository distribution.Repository) (distribution.Repository, error) {
+	if middlewares != nil {
+		if initFunc, exists := middlewares[name]; exists {
+			return initFunc(repository, options)
+		}
+	}
+
+	return nil, fmt.Errorf("no repository middleware registered with name: %s", name)
+}
diff --git a/registry/storage/delegatelayerhandler.go b/registry/storage/delegatelayerhandler.go
deleted file mode 100644
index 62b08b22..00000000
--- a/registry/storage/delegatelayerhandler.go
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,95 +0,0 @@
-package storage
-
-import (
-	"fmt"
-	"net/http"
-	"time"
-
-	"github.com/docker/distribution"
-	storagedriver "github.com/docker/distribution/registry/storage/driver"
-)
-
-// delegateLayerHandler provides a simple implementation of layerHandler that
-// simply issues HTTP Temporary Redirects to the URL provided by the
-// storagedriver for a given Layer.
-type delegateLayerHandler struct {
-	storageDriver storagedriver.StorageDriver
-	pathMapper    *pathMapper
-	duration      time.Duration
-}
-
-var _ LayerHandler = &delegateLayerHandler{}
-
-func newDelegateLayerHandler(storageDriver storagedriver.StorageDriver, options map[string]interface{}) (LayerHandler, error) {
-	duration := 20 * time.Minute
-	d, ok := options["duration"]
-	if ok {
-		switch d := d.(type) {
-		case time.Duration:
-			duration = d
-		case string:
-			dur, err := time.ParseDuration(d)
-			if err != nil {
-				return nil, fmt.Errorf("Invalid duration: %s", err)
-			}
-			duration = dur
-		}
-	}
-
-	return &delegateLayerHandler{storageDriver: storageDriver, pathMapper: defaultPathMapper, duration: duration}, nil
-}
-
-// Resolve returns an http.Handler which can serve the contents of the given
-// Layer, or an error if not supported by the storagedriver.
-func (lh *delegateLayerHandler) Resolve(layer distribution.Layer) (http.Handler, error) {
-	// TODO(bbland): This is just a sanity check to ensure that the
-	// storagedriver supports url generation. It would be nice if we didn't have
-	// to do this twice for non-GET requests.
-	layerURL, err := lh.urlFor(layer, map[string]interface{}{"method": "GET"})
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-
-	return http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
-		if r.Method != "GET" {
-			layerURL, err = lh.urlFor(layer, map[string]interface{}{"method": r.Method})
-			if err != nil {
-				http.Error(w, err.Error(), http.StatusInternalServerError)
-				return
-			}
-		}
-
-		http.Redirect(w, r, layerURL, http.StatusTemporaryRedirect)
-	}), nil
-}
-
-// urlFor returns a download URL for the given layer, or the empty string if
-// unsupported.
-func (lh *delegateLayerHandler) urlFor(layer distribution.Layer, options map[string]interface{}) (string, error) {
-	// Crack open the layer to get at the layerStore
-	layerRd, ok := layer.(*layerReader)
-	if !ok {
-		// TODO(stevvooe): We probably want to find a better way to get at the
-		// underlying filesystem path for a given layer. Perhaps, the layer
-		// handler should have its own layer store but right now, it is not
-		// request scoped.
-		return "", fmt.Errorf("unsupported layer type: cannot resolve blob path: %v", layer)
-	}
-
-	if options == nil {
-		options = make(map[string]interface{})
-	}
-	options["expiry"] = time.Now().Add(lh.duration)
-
-	layerURL, err := lh.storageDriver.URLFor(layerRd.path, options)
-	if err != nil {
-		return "", err
-	}
-
-	return layerURL, nil
-}
-
-// init registers the delegate layerHandler backend.
-func init() {
-	RegisterLayerHandler("delegate", LayerHandlerInitFunc(newDelegateLayerHandler))
-}
diff --git a/registry/storage/cloudfrontlayerhandler.go b/registry/storage/driver/middleware/cloudfront/middleware.go
similarity index 64%
rename from registry/storage/cloudfrontlayerhandler.go
rename to registry/storage/driver/middleware/cloudfront/middleware.go
index 82bc313d..2d155312 100644
--- a/registry/storage/cloudfrontlayerhandler.go
+++ b/registry/storage/driver/middleware/cloudfront/middleware.go
@@ -1,34 +1,36 @@
-package storage
+// Package middleware - cloudfront wrapper for storage libs
+// N.B. currently only works with S3, not arbitrary sites
+//
+package middleware
 
 import (
 	"crypto/x509"
 	"encoding/pem"
 	"fmt"
 	"io/ioutil"
-	"net/http"
 	"net/url"
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/AdRoll/goamz/cloudfront"
-	"github.com/docker/distribution"
 	storagedriver "github.com/docker/distribution/registry/storage/driver"
+	storagemiddleware "github.com/docker/distribution/registry/storage/driver/middleware"
 )
 
-// cloudFrontLayerHandler provides an simple implementation of layerHandler that
+// cloudFrontStorageMiddleware provides an simple implementation of layerHandler that
 // constructs temporary signed CloudFront URLs from the storagedriver layer URL,
 // then issues HTTP Temporary Redirects to this CloudFront content URL.
-type cloudFrontLayerHandler struct {
-	cloudfront           *cloudfront.CloudFront
-	delegateLayerHandler *delegateLayerHandler
-	duration             time.Duration
+type cloudFrontStorageMiddleware struct {
+	storagedriver.StorageDriver
+	cloudfront *cloudfront.CloudFront
+	duration   time.Duration
 }
 
-var _ LayerHandler = &cloudFrontLayerHandler{}
+var _ storagedriver.StorageDriver = &cloudFrontStorageMiddleware{}
 
 // newCloudFrontLayerHandler constructs and returns a new CloudFront
 // LayerHandler implementation.
 // Required options: baseurl, privatekey, keypairid
-func newCloudFrontLayerHandler(storageDriver storagedriver.StorageDriver, options map[string]interface{}) (LayerHandler, error) {
+func newCloudFrontStorageMiddleware(storageDriver storagedriver.StorageDriver, options map[string]interface{}) (storagedriver.StorageDriver, error) {
 	base, ok := options["baseurl"]
 	if !ok {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("No baseurl provided")
@@ -68,12 +70,6 @@ func newCloudFrontLayerHandler(storageDriver storagedriver.StorageDriver, option
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	lh, err := newDelegateLayerHandler(storageDriver, options)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-	dlh := lh.(*delegateLayerHandler)
-
 	cf := cloudfront.New(baseURL, privateKey, keypairID)
 
 	duration := 20 * time.Minute
@@ -91,33 +87,33 @@ func newCloudFrontLayerHandler(storageDriver storagedriver.StorageDriver, option
 		}
 	}
 
-	return &cloudFrontLayerHandler{cloudfront: cf, delegateLayerHandler: dlh, duration: duration}, nil
+	return &cloudFrontStorageMiddleware{StorageDriver: storageDriver, cloudfront: cf, duration: duration}, nil
 }
 
 // Resolve returns an http.Handler which can serve the contents of the given
 // Layer, or an error if not supported by the storagedriver.
-func (lh *cloudFrontLayerHandler) Resolve(layer distribution.Layer) (http.Handler, error) {
-	layerURLStr, err := lh.delegateLayerHandler.urlFor(layer, nil)
+func (lh *cloudFrontStorageMiddleware) URLFor(path string, options map[string]interface{}) (string, error) {
+	// TODO(endophage): currently only supports S3
+	options["expiry"] = time.Now().Add(lh.duration)
+
+	layerURLStr, err := lh.StorageDriver.URLFor(path, options)
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
+		return "", err
 	}
 
 	layerURL, err := url.Parse(layerURLStr)
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
+		return "", err
 	}
 
 	cfURL, err := lh.cloudfront.CannedSignedURL(layerURL.Path, "", time.Now().Add(lh.duration))
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
+		return "", err
 	}
-
-	return http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
-		http.Redirect(w, r, cfURL, http.StatusTemporaryRedirect)
-	}), nil
+	return cfURL, nil
 }
 
 // init registers the cloudfront layerHandler backend.
 func init() {
-	RegisterLayerHandler("cloudfront", LayerHandlerInitFunc(newCloudFrontLayerHandler))
+	storagemiddleware.Register("cloudfront", storagemiddleware.InitFunc(newCloudFrontStorageMiddleware))
 }
diff --git a/registry/storage/driver/middleware/storagemiddleware.go b/registry/storage/driver/middleware/storagemiddleware.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..7e40a8dd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/registry/storage/driver/middleware/storagemiddleware.go
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+package storagemiddleware
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+
+	storagedriver "github.com/docker/distribution/registry/storage/driver"
+)
+
+// InitFunc is the type of a StorageMiddleware factory function and is
+// used to register the constructor for different StorageMiddleware backends.
+type InitFunc func(storageDriver storagedriver.StorageDriver, options map[string]interface{}) (storagedriver.StorageDriver, error)
+
+var storageMiddlewares map[string]InitFunc
+
+// Register is used to register an InitFunc for
+// a StorageMiddleware backend with the given name.
+func Register(name string, initFunc InitFunc) error {
+	if storageMiddlewares == nil {
+		storageMiddlewares = make(map[string]InitFunc)
+	}
+	if _, exists := storageMiddlewares[name]; exists {
+		return fmt.Errorf("name already registered: %s", name)
+	}
+
+	storageMiddlewares[name] = initFunc
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+// Get constructs a StorageMiddleware with the given options using the named backend.
+func Get(name string, options map[string]interface{}, storageDriver storagedriver.StorageDriver) (storagedriver.StorageDriver, error) {
+	if storageMiddlewares != nil {
+		if initFunc, exists := storageMiddlewares[name]; exists {
+			return initFunc(storageDriver, options)
+		}
+	}
+
+	return nil, fmt.Errorf("no storage middleware registered with name: %s", name)
+}
diff --git a/registry/storage/layerhandler.go b/registry/storage/layerhandler.go
deleted file mode 100644
index b03bc250..00000000
--- a/registry/storage/layerhandler.go
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,51 +0,0 @@
-package storage
-
-import (
-	"fmt"
-	"net/http"
-
-	"github.com/docker/distribution"
-	storagedriver "github.com/docker/distribution/registry/storage/driver"
-)
-
-// LayerHandler provides middleware for serving the contents of a Layer.
-type LayerHandler interface {
-	// Resolve returns an http.Handler which can serve the contents of a given
-	// Layer if possible, or nil and an error when unsupported. This may
-	// directly serve the contents of the layer or issue a redirect to another
-	// URL hosting the content.
-	Resolve(layer distribution.Layer) (http.Handler, error)
-}
-
-// LayerHandlerInitFunc is the type of a LayerHandler factory function and is
-// used to register the contsructor for different LayerHandler backends.
-type LayerHandlerInitFunc func(storageDriver storagedriver.StorageDriver, options map[string]interface{}) (LayerHandler, error)
-
-var layerHandlers map[string]LayerHandlerInitFunc
-
-// RegisterLayerHandler is used to register an LayerHandlerInitFunc for
-// a LayerHandler backend with the given name.
-func RegisterLayerHandler(name string, initFunc LayerHandlerInitFunc) error {
-	if layerHandlers == nil {
-		layerHandlers = make(map[string]LayerHandlerInitFunc)
-	}
-	if _, exists := layerHandlers[name]; exists {
-		return fmt.Errorf("name already registered: %s", name)
-	}
-
-	layerHandlers[name] = initFunc
-
-	return nil
-}
-
-// GetLayerHandler constructs a LayerHandler
-// with the given options using the named backend.
-func GetLayerHandler(name string, options map[string]interface{}, storageDriver storagedriver.StorageDriver) (LayerHandler, error) {
-	if layerHandlers != nil {
-		if initFunc, exists := layerHandlers[name]; exists {
-			return initFunc(storageDriver, options)
-		}
-	}
-
-	return nil, fmt.Errorf("no layer handler registered with name: %s", name)
-}
diff --git a/registry/storage/layerreader.go b/registry/storage/layerreader.go
index 1de98e50..1129eb9e 100644
--- a/registry/storage/layerreader.go
+++ b/registry/storage/layerreader.go
@@ -1,13 +1,14 @@
 package storage
 
 import (
+	"net/http"
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/docker/distribution"
 	"github.com/docker/distribution/digest"
 )
 
-// layerReadSeeker implements Layer and provides facilities for reading and
+// layerReader implements Layer and provides facilities for reading and
 // seeking.
 type layerReader struct {
 	fileReader
@@ -17,19 +18,28 @@ type layerReader struct {
 
 var _ distribution.Layer = &layerReader{}
 
-func (lrs *layerReader) Digest() digest.Digest {
-	return lrs.digest
+func (lr *layerReader) Digest() digest.Digest {
+	return lr.digest
 }
 
-func (lrs *layerReader) Length() int64 {
-	return lrs.size
+func (lr *layerReader) Length() int64 {
+	return lr.size
 }
 
-func (lrs *layerReader) CreatedAt() time.Time {
-	return lrs.modtime
+func (lr *layerReader) CreatedAt() time.Time {
+	return lr.modtime
 }
 
 // Close the layer. Should be called when the resource is no longer needed.
-func (lrs *layerReader) Close() error {
-	return lrs.closeWithErr(distribution.ErrLayerClosed)
+func (lr *layerReader) Close() error {
+	return lr.closeWithErr(distribution.ErrLayerClosed)
+}
+
+func (lr *layerReader) ServeHTTP(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+	w.Header().Set("Docker-Content-Digest", lr.digest.String())
+
+	if url, err := lr.fileReader.driver.URLFor(lr.path, map[string]interface{}{}); err == nil {
+		http.Redirect(w, r, url, http.StatusTemporaryRedirect)
+	}
+	http.ServeContent(w, r, lr.digest.String(), lr.CreatedAt(), lr)
 }
diff --git a/registry/storage/layerstore.go b/registry/storage/layerstore.go
index f546529e..05881749 100644
--- a/registry/storage/layerstore.go
+++ b/registry/storage/layerstore.go
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ func (ls *layerStore) newLayerUpload(uuid, path string, startedAt time.Time) (di
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	return &layerUploadController{
+	return &layerWriter{
 		layerStore:         ls,
 		uuid:               uuid,
 		startedAt:          startedAt,
diff --git a/registry/storage/layerupload.go b/registry/storage/layerwriter.go
similarity index 69%
rename from registry/storage/layerupload.go
rename to registry/storage/layerwriter.go
index fdb00e93..27bbade1 100644
--- a/registry/storage/layerupload.go
+++ b/registry/storage/layerwriter.go
@@ -13,9 +13,11 @@ import (
 	storagedriver "github.com/docker/distribution/registry/storage/driver"
 )
 
-// layerUploadController is used to control the various aspects of resumable
+var _ distribution.LayerUpload = &layerWriter{}
+
+// layerWriter is used to control the various aspects of resumable
 // layer upload. It implements the LayerUpload interface.
-type layerUploadController struct {
+type layerWriter struct {
 	layerStore *layerStore
 
 	uuid      string
@@ -26,65 +28,64 @@ type layerUploadController struct {
 	bufferedFileWriter
 }
 
-var _ distribution.LayerUpload = &layerUploadController{}
+var _ distribution.LayerUpload = &layerWriter{}
 
 // UUID returns the identifier for this upload.
-func (luc *layerUploadController) UUID() string {
-	return luc.uuid
+func (lw *layerWriter) UUID() string {
+	return lw.uuid
 }
 
-func (luc *layerUploadController) StartedAt() time.Time {
-	return luc.startedAt
+func (lw *layerWriter) StartedAt() time.Time {
+	return lw.startedAt
 }
 
 // Finish marks the upload as completed, returning a valid handle to the
 // uploaded layer. The final size and checksum are validated against the
 // contents of the uploaded layer. The checksum should be provided in the
 // format <algorithm>:<hex digest>.
-func (luc *layerUploadController) Finish(digest digest.Digest) (distribution.Layer, error) {
-	ctxu.GetLogger(luc.layerStore.repository.ctx).Debug("(*layerUploadController).Finish")
+func (lw *layerWriter) Finish(digest digest.Digest) (distribution.Layer, error) {
+	ctxu.GetLogger(lw.layerStore.repository.ctx).Debug("(*layerWriter).Finish")
 
-	err := luc.bufferedFileWriter.Close()
+	if err := lw.bufferedFileWriter.Close(); err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	canonical, err := lw.validateLayer(digest)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	canonical, err := luc.validateLayer(digest)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-
-	if err := luc.moveLayer(canonical); err != nil {
+	if err := lw.moveLayer(canonical); err != nil {
 		// TODO(stevvooe): Cleanup?
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
 	// Link the layer blob into the repository.
-	if err := luc.linkLayer(canonical, digest); err != nil {
+	if err := lw.linkLayer(canonical, digest); err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	if err := luc.removeResources(); err != nil {
+	if err := lw.removeResources(); err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	return luc.layerStore.Fetch(canonical)
+	return lw.layerStore.Fetch(canonical)
 }
 
 // Cancel the layer upload process.
-func (luc *layerUploadController) Cancel() error {
-	ctxu.GetLogger(luc.layerStore.repository.ctx).Debug("(*layerUploadController).Cancel")
-	if err := luc.removeResources(); err != nil {
+func (lw *layerWriter) Cancel() error {
+	ctxu.GetLogger(lw.layerStore.repository.ctx).Debug("(*layerWriter).Cancel")
+	if err := lw.removeResources(); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	luc.Close()
+	lw.Close()
 	return nil
 }
 
 // validateLayer checks the layer data against the digest, returning an error
 // if it does not match. The canonical digest is returned.
-func (luc *layerUploadController) validateLayer(dgst digest.Digest) (digest.Digest, error) {
+func (lw *layerWriter) validateLayer(dgst digest.Digest) (digest.Digest, error) {
 	digestVerifier, err := digest.NewDigestVerifier(dgst)
 	if err != nil {
 		return "", err
@@ -96,7 +97,7 @@ func (luc *layerUploadController) validateLayer(dgst digest.Digest) (digest.Dige
 	// then only have to fetch the difference.
 
 	// Read the file from the backend driver and validate it.
-	fr, err := newFileReader(luc.bufferedFileWriter.driver, luc.path)
+	fr, err := newFileReader(lw.bufferedFileWriter.driver, lw.path)
 	if err != nil {
 		return "", err
 	}
@@ -125,8 +126,8 @@ func (luc *layerUploadController) validateLayer(dgst digest.Digest) (digest.Dige
 // moveLayer moves the data into its final, hash-qualified destination,
 // identified by dgst. The layer should be validated before commencing the
 // move.
-func (luc *layerUploadController) moveLayer(dgst digest.Digest) error {
-	blobPath, err := luc.layerStore.repository.registry.pm.path(blobDataPathSpec{
+func (lw *layerWriter) moveLayer(dgst digest.Digest) error {
+	blobPath, err := lw.layerStore.repository.registry.pm.path(blobDataPathSpec{
 		digest: dgst,
 	})
 
@@ -135,7 +136,7 @@ func (luc *layerUploadController) moveLayer(dgst digest.Digest) error {
 	}
 
 	// Check for existence
-	if _, err := luc.driver.Stat(blobPath); err != nil {
+	if _, err := lw.driver.Stat(blobPath); err != nil {
 		switch err := err.(type) {
 		case storagedriver.PathNotFoundError:
 			break // ensure that it doesn't exist.
@@ -154,7 +155,7 @@ func (luc *layerUploadController) moveLayer(dgst digest.Digest) error {
 	// the size here and write a zero-length file to blobPath if this is the
 	// case. For the most part, this should only ever happen with zero-length
 	// tars.
-	if _, err := luc.driver.Stat(luc.path); err != nil {
+	if _, err := lw.driver.Stat(lw.path); err != nil {
 		switch err := err.(type) {
 		case storagedriver.PathNotFoundError:
 			// HACK(stevvooe): This is slightly dangerous: if we verify above,
@@ -163,24 +164,24 @@ func (luc *layerUploadController) moveLayer(dgst digest.Digest) error {
 			// prevent this horrid thing, we employ the hack of only allowing
 			// to this happen for the zero tarsum.
 			if dgst == digest.DigestSha256EmptyTar {
-				return luc.driver.PutContent(blobPath, []byte{})
+				return lw.driver.PutContent(blobPath, []byte{})
 			}
 
 			// We let this fail during the move below.
 			logrus.
-				WithField("upload.uuid", luc.UUID()).
+				WithField("upload.uuid", lw.UUID()).
 				WithField("digest", dgst).Warnf("attempted to move zero-length content with non-zero digest")
 		default:
 			return err // unrelated error
 		}
 	}
 
-	return luc.driver.Move(luc.path, blobPath)
+	return lw.driver.Move(lw.path, blobPath)
 }
 
 // linkLayer links a valid, written layer blob into the registry under the
 // named repository for the upload controller.
-func (luc *layerUploadController) linkLayer(canonical digest.Digest, aliases ...digest.Digest) error {
+func (lw *layerWriter) linkLayer(canonical digest.Digest, aliases ...digest.Digest) error {
 	dgsts := append([]digest.Digest{canonical}, aliases...)
 
 	// Don't make duplicate links.
@@ -192,8 +193,8 @@ func (luc *layerUploadController) linkLayer(canonical digest.Digest, aliases ...
 		}
 		seenDigests[dgst] = struct{}{}
 
-		layerLinkPath, err := luc.layerStore.repository.registry.pm.path(layerLinkPathSpec{
-			name:   luc.layerStore.repository.Name(),
+		layerLinkPath, err := lw.layerStore.repository.registry.pm.path(layerLinkPathSpec{
+			name:   lw.layerStore.repository.Name(),
 			digest: dgst,
 		})
 
@@ -201,7 +202,7 @@ func (luc *layerUploadController) linkLayer(canonical digest.Digest, aliases ...
 			return err
 		}
 
-		if err := luc.layerStore.repository.registry.driver.PutContent(layerLinkPath, []byte(canonical)); err != nil {
+		if err := lw.layerStore.repository.registry.driver.PutContent(layerLinkPath, []byte(canonical)); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
 	}
@@ -212,10 +213,10 @@ func (luc *layerUploadController) linkLayer(canonical digest.Digest, aliases ...
 // removeResources should clean up all resources associated with the upload
 // instance. An error will be returned if the clean up cannot proceed. If the
 // resources are already not present, no error will be returned.
-func (luc *layerUploadController) removeResources() error {
-	dataPath, err := luc.layerStore.repository.registry.pm.path(uploadDataPathSpec{
-		name: luc.layerStore.repository.Name(),
-		uuid: luc.uuid,
+func (lw *layerWriter) removeResources() error {
+	dataPath, err := lw.layerStore.repository.registry.pm.path(uploadDataPathSpec{
+		name: lw.layerStore.repository.Name(),
+		uuid: lw.uuid,
 	})
 
 	if err != nil {
@@ -226,7 +227,7 @@ func (luc *layerUploadController) removeResources() error {
 	// upload related files.
 	dirPath := path.Dir(dataPath)
 
-	if err := luc.driver.Delete(dirPath); err != nil {
+	if err := lw.driver.Delete(dirPath); err != nil {
 		switch err := err.(type) {
 		case storagedriver.PathNotFoundError:
 			break // already gone!