content/ideas/bellhop.rst

   1 Bellhop
   2 #######
   3
   4 :date: 2014-05-04
   5 :tags: idea,project
   6 :category: idea
   7 :author: Jude N
   8 :Status: draft
   9
  10 bellhop is a generic packaging server.
  11
  12 Problem
  13 - Every tool and platform eventually has it's own packaging tool (python eggs, ruby gems, perl modules, javascript packages)
  14 - You should be able to build a project even when the external intrnet is unavailable (local mirroring)
  15 - You should be able to save versions of the packages used by a project even when the external sites / mirrors have dropped them (pinning)
  16 - Serving new type of package shouldn't involve setting up an entirely new ecosystem to basically serve files over http
  17
  18 Solution
  19 - Provide a single package providing source called ''bellhop' (since he'll carry your packages for you)
  20 - bellhop will use a plugin architecture to provide interfaces for various packaging interfaces
  21 - user will be able to use whatever the default packaging client tool is (yum / apt / pip / easy_install / gem / npm / whatever)
  22 - bellhop will provide a common backend in a consistent format for storing the packages, regardless of how the client expects the files to be served)
  23 - bellhop will provide a plugin architecture for the backend storage of packages
  24
  25   - The default will be filesystem bases, with packages being stored under /var/www/bellhop/{package_type}/{package_name}/{available_versions_of_package_name}
  26
  27 - bellhop will be written in a language that'll be easy to get accepted in distros default packaging schemso
  28   - Target fedora and debian packages for starts
  29   - limit dependencies / use established/proven libraries
  30   - default python 2 version for now ?
  31
  32 - Plugins:
  33
  34   - pypi : python : nothing special ? :  /var/www/bellhop/pypi/_packagename_/_package_versions_ : URL format
  35   -  cpan : perl   : Downloads some index files first : /var/www/bellhop/cpan/_packagename_ / _package_version_ : URL format
  36
  37
  38 - Just set up the repos with httpd / nginx url rewrites ?
  39
  40 - Notes:
  41
  42   - see pinto's concepts of stacks and pins: http://perlmaven.com/pinto-tutorial