[build] Investigate what is needed to support node.js boosters for osio

[hrishin]

Investigate the efforts required to support node.js quickstart.

[hrishin]

Assumption:

For a given node.js applications

Build

• application's node module
• application's container image containing application module (need more visibility here)

Deploy

• application image to openshift

To support these applications current build system need following capabilities.

• [ ] Container(builder) image: node runtime and npm tool to build node applications

• [ ] Build source code: build(compile, optional tests) npm package/node module from given package.json and source code

• [ ] Publish build artifacts: Push build artifacts to the content repository or npmjs registry

• [ ] Containerize build artifacts: package application into container image and push to the registry

• [ ] Deploy application: Deploy an application to respective OpenShift namespace using all YAML's (deployment/deploymentconfig, service, route)

[hrishin]

These are node.js booster applications

Rest HTTP

• https://github.com/bucharest-gold/nodejs-rest-http

Health Check

• https://github.com/bucharest-gold/nodejs-health-check

Config Map

• https://github.com/bucharest-gold/nodejs-configmap

[hrishin]

In order to support node.js deployment, current build system has most of the pieces are in place. Most of these components require some amount of work to make it functional.

What components are already in place to support node.js deployments?

• Jenkinsfile templates : Jenkinsfile templates represents Release, Release and Stage, Release stage approve and Pramote options in quickstarts wizard
• node.js builder image : Used in slave pods to execute build job
• some pipeline building blocks in the fabirc8 pipeline library
• OpenShift deployment resources (yamls)

What addition/changes/fixes are required in existing components?

• Jenkinsfile templates

  • Add a Jenkinsfile for "Release" option.
  • Update build stages of pipeline build.
  • Bug fixes.

• node.js builder image

  • Docker image is updated a year ago. Need to update nodejs/npm, git, gcc-c++, make binaries.
  • The base image is used from ipaas team. May need to fix it as well.

• Fabirc8 pipeline library

  • Update canary release functionality that generates next release version for application, does S2I build, publish build artifacts to content repository and perform bayesian scanning. In case of java most of this task done by FMP along with other maven plugins.
  • Update nodeTeamplate which is slave pod spec. Need to update container specs, configurations(git ssh, ssh-config, docker config) and few other things.
  • Add pipeline block to generate the new release version of an application. In case of Java, this is done using version maven plugin.
  • Add pipeline block to publish build artifacts content repo. In case of Java, this is done using maven plugin.
  • Add pipeline block to execute bayesian scanning. In case of Java, stack scanning is done by a maven plugin.

• OpenShift deployment resources

  • A predefined template is used to deploy an application. Essentially it has deploymentconfig, service, imagstream, buildconfig, route resources. Need to update these templates, add few more resource if required (e.g. configmap) or identify ways to generate it like how FMP does for Java.

[GeorgeActon]

@pradeepto Is this in a planner work item? Getting Started (GS) team is dependent on it so I would like to be able to see it in planner to link the dependency into the GS plan for execution.

[hrishin]

Team, please note that we have done this investigation to the best possible extent by observing and trying booster applications, fabric8-pipeline-library and Jenkinsfiles. However, there are some unknowns(how) which can't be known upfront or during execution. There are things which could impact to the amount of work we have to do based on option/path we choose (e.g. deployment resource, using nodeshift in below unknowns). Above mentioned points captures the most of details at the macro level.

Here are some unknowns

• node builder image
  • specific node version to use/support?
  • any systems libraries needed ( are there npms that require compiling - native node modules?) for building node applications?
  • preinstalled npm's (node packages), if any?
• specific npm/node configurations required to execute node.js builds? E.g. users credentials for publishing application modules to npmjs registry.
• need to publish node build artifacts to the content repository?
• does build includes packaging an application module and publishing it to npmjs registry/repo?
• how to integrate node builds with analytics?
• deployment resource
  • using nodeshift module (kind of FMP for node) to generate resources?
  • use ./openshiftio/applciation.yaml from application.yaml?
  • using fabric8-piepline-library inline template? (IMHO this one least viable)
• node/npm related pipeline library code is being used by other projects in fabric8/openshift ecosystem E.g. planner or other platform builds in OSIO.
• do we want to use "nodeshift" package (its equivalent of FMP for node.js) in pipeline build flow?

Let me know your views.

@krishnapaparaju @pradeepto @sthaha

[hrishin]

Finding around unknowns

specific node version to use/support?

The recommended version is 10 but it can also work with 8+ version, for node boosters.

any systems libraries needed ( are there npms that require compiling - native node modules?) for building node applications?

No.

preinstalled npm's (node packages)?

No as such.

how to integrate node builds with analytics?

Unlike maven(Java) builds, npm build doesn't require preprocessing for package.json. From integration standpoint build need to invoke bayesian Jenkins step that will post manifest file (package.json) to fabric8 analytics service.

deployment resource for application

Still, need to evaluate it. It could be done using ./openshift/application.yaml for few reasons:

• When releasing new application version, build script updates version number automatically to resource metadata in yaml.
• No need of nodeshift package to generate the resources, hence there would be less dependency and loose intgeration into pipeline for nodejs unlike Java.
• It's already being used to deploy booster applications to launch.openshift.io.

[sthaha]

Closing this in favour of #3896 which is POC/Spike that @chmouel is working on. We will reopen this if that POC fails but so far it seems promising.