# JOURNAL - Cloudron Packaging Project ## Project Overview **Project**: TSYSDevStack-SupportStack-Cloudron **Goal**: Package ~57 applications for Cloudron PaaS platform **Start Date**: 2025-01-24 **Current Status**: 15/~57 packages completed (~26%) ## Completed Packages ### 1. Webhook (API-Gateway) ✅ **Date**: 2025-01-24 **Application**: webhook - Lightweight Go HTTP endpoint tool **Package Size**: 775MB **Port**: 9000 **Addons**: localstorage **Key Learnings**: - Multi-stage Dockerfile with Go 1.21-alpine builder - Simple binary deployment - no runtime dependencies - Direct binary copy from builder to final stage - Hooks configuration via hooks.json **Build Process**: - Stage 1: Golang 1.21-alpine builder with git/make - Stage 2: Cloudron base 3.2.0 - Copy binary: /app/webhook → /usr/local/bin/webhook - No additional runtime packages needed **Challenges Encountered**: - Permission denied when using chmod in Docker RUN - Solution: Make scripts executable on host before COPY **Files Created**: - Dockerfile (multi-stage) - CloudronManifest.json (port 9000, localstorage) - start.sh (optional, used hooks.json instead) - README.md (usage documentation) - CHANGELOG.md (version tracking) - hooks.json.example (configuration template) - logo.png **Commit**: `feat: add webhook Cloudron package (API-Gateway)` --- ### 2. APISIX (API-Gateway) ✅ **Date**: 2025-01-24 **Application**: Apache APISIX - Cloud-native API Gateway **Package Size**: 143MB **Ports**: 9080 (HTTP), 9180 (Admin API), 9443 (HTTPS) **Addons**: localstorage, etcd **Key Learnings**: - Using official Docker image wrapper pattern - Wait for etcd before starting application - Dynamic configuration via environment variables - Multiple ports in CloudronManifest.json **Build Process**: - Base: apache/apisix:latest - Copy start.sh for etcd wait and config generation - No build stage needed - just wrapper - Auto-configure etcd connection from Cloudron environment **Challenges Encountered**: - Permission denied when running apk in Cloudron base image - Permission denied when running apt-get in APISIX image - Solution: Remove unnecessary package installs, use base image features - chmod: Operation not permitted - Solution: Make script executable on host **Config File Pattern**: - Start script generates config.yaml on runtime - Reads Cloudron environment variables (CLOUDRON_ETCD_HOST, etc.) - Waits for etcd to be healthy before starting - Supports custom admin key via ADMIN_KEY env var **Files Created**: - Dockerfile (wrapper) - CloudronManifest.json (3 TCP ports) - start.sh (etcd wait + config generation) - README.md (comprehensive API usage) - CHANGELOG.md (version tracking) - config.yaml.example (reference configuration) - logo.png (Apache APISIX branding) **Commit**: `feat: add APISIX Cloudron package (API-Gateway)` --- ### 3. Healthchecks (Monitoring) ✅ **Date**: 2025-01-24 **Application**: Healthchecks - Cron job monitoring service **Package Size**: 105MB **Port**: 8000 **Addons**: localstorage, postgresql **Key Learnings**: - Django application with PostgreSQL database - Automatic migrations on startup - Superuser creation via environment variables - Email configuration support for alerts **Build Process**: - Base: healthchecks/healthchecks:latest - Copy start.sh for Django setup - Wait for PostgreSQL, run migrations, collectstatic - Create admin user if credentials provided **Database Pattern**: - Use Cloudron PostgreSQL addon - Wait for DB to be ready before migrations - Read connection details from environment variables: - CLOUDRON_POSTGRESQL_HOST - CLOUDRON_POSTGRESQL_PORT - CLOUDRON_POSTGRESQL_DATABASE - CLOUDRON_POSTGRESQL_USERNAME - CLOUDRON_POSTGRESQL_PASSWORD **Files Created**: - Dockerfile (wrapper) - CloudronManifest.json (port 8000, postgresql addon) - start.sh (PostgreSQL wait + Django migrations + admin creation) - README.md (monitoring examples, integration setup) - CHANGELOG.md (version tracking) - .env.example (configuration template) - logo.png (Healthchecks branding) **Commit**: `feat: add Healthchecks Cloudron package (Monitoring)` --- ### 4. Review Board (Development) ✅ **Date**: 2025-01-24 **Application**: Review Board - Code and document review platform **Package Size**: 1.29GB **Port**: 8080 **Addons**: localstorage, postgresql **Key Learnings**: - Large Python-based Django application - Uses beanbag/reviewboard:7.0 official image - Requires memcached for performance (optional) - Supports Power Pack extension **Build Process**: - Base: beanbag/reviewboard:7.0 - Copy start.sh for Django setup - PostgreSQL database configuration - Create admin user via environment variables **Docker Image Patterns**: - Official images often have their own entrypoints - Start script needs to work around/with official entrypoints - May need to review official Dockerfile for best practices **Files Created**: - Dockerfile (wrapper) - CloudronManifest.json (port 8080, postgresql addon) - start.sh (PostgreSQL wait + Django migrations + admin creation) - README.md (comprehensive review platform documentation) - CHANGELOG.md (version tracking) - .env.example (configuration template with LDAP) - logo.png (Review Board branding) **Commit**: `feat: add Review Board Cloudron package (Development)` --- ### 5. WireViz Web (Documentation-Tools) ✅ **Date**: 2025-01-24 **Application**: WireViz Web - Cable and wiring diagram tool **Package Size**: 378MB **Port**: 3005 **Addons**: localstorage **Key Learnings**: - Python Flask application with Graphviz dependency - REST API for diagram generation - YAML input, multiple output formats (SVG, PNG) - Simple application - no database needed **Build Process**: - Base: python:3-slim - Install system dependencies: graphviz - Install Python dependencies from requirements.txt - Copy application code - Flask REST API on port 3005 **Dependencies Pattern**: - Extract from pyproject.toml or requirements.txt - System packages: graphviz (for diagram rendering) - Python packages: flask, flask-restx, wireviz, pillow, click **Files Created**: - Dockerfile (Python build) - CloudronManifest.json (port 3005, localstorage addon) - requirements.txt (Python dependencies from pyproject.toml) - README.md (diagram examples, color coding, connector types) - CHANGELOG.md (version tracking) - .env.example (configuration template) - logo.png (placeholder) **Commit**: `feat: add WireViz Web Cloudron package (Documentation-Tools)` --- ### 6. Puter (Development) ✅ **Date**: 2025-01-24 **Application**: Puter - The Internet OS (Personal Cloud Computer) **Package Size**: 361MB **Port**: 4100 **Addons**: localstorage, postgresql **Key Learnings**: - Node.js 23.9 application with large codebase - Multi-stage Dockerfile (build + production) - Complex build process with webpack - Requires git for version checking **Build Process**: - Stage 1 (build): node:23.9-alpine - Install build deps: git, python3, make, g++ - npm install (skip optional for speed) - npm run build (GUI) - Stage 2 (production): node:23.9-alpine - Copy dist from build stage - Copy node_modules from build stage - Copy source code - npm start **.dockerignore Pattern**: - Essential to exclude unnecessary files from Docker context - Reduces build time and image size - Exclude: .git, README.md, Dockerfile, etc. **Challenges Encountered**: - npm ci failed with workspace errors - Solution: Use npm install --production=false --no-optional - Permission denied with chmod in Docker RUN - Solution: Make scripts executable on host - package.json not found - Solution: Explicit COPY with repo/ prefix - .dockerignore from repo interfered - Solution: Create custom .dockerignore **Files Created**: - Dockerfile (multi-stage) - CloudronManifest.json (port 4100, postgresql + localstorage addons) - .dockerignore (Cloudron-specific excludes) - README.md (comprehensive Internet OS documentation) - CHANGELOG.md (version tracking) - .env.example (configuration template) - logo.png (Puter branding) **Commit**: `feat: add Puter Cloudron package (Development)` --- ## Packaging Patterns Established ### 1. Official Image Wrapper Pattern **Use Cases**: When application provides official Docker image **Template**: ```dockerfile FROM official/app:version # Copy startup script COPY start.sh /app/start.sh RUN chmod +x /app/start.sh CMD ["/app/start.sh"] ``` **Examples**: APISIX, Healthchecks, Review Board **Pros**: - Faster builds (no compilation needed) - Less maintenance (upstream handles updates) - Usually well-tested **Cons**: - Less control over build process - May include unnecessary dependencies - Limited customization --- ### 2. Multi-Stage Build Pattern **Use Cases**: When application needs compilation or build process **Template**: ```dockerfile # Build stage FROM base:builder AS build # Install build dependencies COPY . . RUN build-command # Production stage FROM base:runtime COPY --from=build /app/dist /app CMD ["start-app"] ``` **Examples**: Webhook (Go), Puter (Node.js) **Pros**: - Smaller final image - More control over build - Can exclude build tools **Cons**: - Longer build times - More complex Dockerfile - Need to understand build process --- ### 3. Python Build Pattern **Use Cases**: Python applications with dependencies **Template**: ```dockerfile FROM python:3-slim # Install system dependencies RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y graphviz && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/* WORKDIR /app # Copy requirements and source COPY requirements.txt . RUN pip install --no-cache-dir -r requirements.txt COPY . . CMD ["python", "app.py"] ``` **Examples**: WireViz Web **Pros**: - Standard Python environment - Easy dependency management - Well-supported by Cloudron **Cons**: - System dependencies may vary - pip install can be slow --- ### 4. Django Application Pattern **Use Cases**: Django-based web applications **Template**: ```dockerfile FROM django-image:version COPY start.sh /app/start.sh RUN chmod +x /app/start.sh CMD ["/app/start.sh"] ``` **start.sh Template**: ```bash #!/bin/bash # Wait for PostgreSQL until psql -h "$DB_HOST" -U "$DB_USER" -d "$DB_NAME" -c '\q'; do echo "PostgreSQL is unavailable - sleeping" sleep 2 done # Run migrations python manage.py migrate --noinput # Collect static files python manage.py collectstatic --noinput # Start application gunicorn config.wsgi:application ``` **Examples**: Healthchecks, Review Board **Key Points**: - Wait for database before migrations - Run collectstatic - Use gunicorn (or uwsgi) for production - Use Cloudron PostgreSQL addon --- ### 5. Database Integration Pattern **Use Cases**: Applications requiring database **Cloudron Addon**: PostgreSQL or MySQL **Environment Variables**: - CLOUDRON_POSTGRESQL_HOST - CLOUDRON_POSTGRESQL_PORT - CLOUDRON_POSTGRESQL_DATABASE - CLOUDRON_POSTGRESQL_USERNAME - CLOUDRON_POSTGRESQL_PASSWORD **Pattern**: ```bash # In start.sh DB_HOST=${CLOUDRON_POSTGRESQL_HOST:-127.0.0.1} DB_PORT=${CLOUDRON_POSTGRESQL_PORT:-5432} DB_NAME=${CLOUDRON_POSTGRESQL_DATABASE:-app} DB_USER=${CLOUDRON_POSTGRESQL_USERNAME:-app} DB_PASSWORD=${CLOUDRON_POSTGRESQL_PASSWORD} # Wait for database until psql -h "$DB_HOST" -p "$DB_PORT" -U "$DB_USER" -d "$DB_NAME" -c '\q'; do sleep 2 done ``` --- ### 6. Multiple Ports Pattern **Use Cases**: Applications exposing multiple services **CloudronManifest.json**: ```json { "tcpPorts": { "HTTP_PORT": { "description": "HTTP proxy port", "defaultValue": 8080 }, "ADMIN_PORT": { "description": "Admin API port", "defaultValue": 8081 }, "HTTPS_PORT": { "description": "HTTPS proxy port", "defaultValue": 8443 } } } ``` **Examples**: APISIX (9080, 9180, 9443) **Note**: Cloudron requires explicit port definitions --- ### 7. Health Check Pattern **Use Cases**: All applications should have health checks **Dockerfile**: ```dockerfile HEALTHCHECK --interval=30s --timeout=3s --start-period=5s --retries=3 \ CMD curl -f http://localhost:PORT/ || exit 1 ``` **CloudronManifest.json**: ```json { "healthCheckPath": "/health/" } ``` --- ## Common Challenges & Solutions ### Challenge 1: Permission Denied with chmod in Docker RUN **Error**: `chmod: changing permissions of '/script.sh': Operation not permitted` **Solution**: Make script executable on host before COPY **Implementation**: ```bash chmod +x start.sh # On host # In Dockerfile COPY start.sh /app/start.sh # No RUN chmod needed ``` --- ### Challenge 2: apk/apt-get Not Found in Base Image **Error**: `/bin/bash: apk: command not found` or `/bin/sh: apt-get not found` **Cause**: Base image doesn't have Alpine or Debian package manager **Solution**: Use base image's built-in packages or install in custom base **Examples**: - Cloudron base: Uses Debian packages - Alpine images: Use apk - Official images: Usually include necessary packages --- ### Challenge 3: npm ci Failed **Error**: `npm error [--include ...]` **Cause**: npm version mismatch or workspace configuration **Solution**: - Use `npm install` instead of `npm ci` for Cloudron builds - Use `--no-optional` flag to reduce complexity - Use `--production=false` flag for development builds --- ### Challenge 4: Large Image Sizes **Causes**: - Including unnecessary dependencies - Not using multi-stage builds - Copying build artifacts (node_modules) to production image **Solutions**: - Use multi-stage builds - Copy only necessary artifacts - Use .dockerignore to exclude unnecessary files - Prefer official images (already optimized) --- ### Challenge 5: .dockerignore Interference **Problem**: Repository's .dockerignore interferes with Cloudron package .dockerignore **Solution**: Create custom .dockerignore in package directory, not from repo **Pattern**: ```dockerignore # Cloudron package .dockerignore # Only ignore Cloudron-specific files .git .gitignore README.md CHANGELOG.md Dockerfile ``` --- ## Cloudron-Specific Considerations ### 1. Cloudron Base Image - `FROM cloudron/base:3.2.0` - Based on Debian/Ubuntu - Includes common utilities - Use official images when possible (more tested, less maintenance) ### 2. Addons - **localstorage**: Persistent file storage at `/app/data` - **postgresql**: PostgreSQL database (automatic environment variables) - **mysql**: MySQL database (automatic environment variables) - **etcd**: etcd key-value store (automatic environment variables) ### 3. Environment Variables - Cloudron provides automatic environment variables for addons - Use `${CLOUDRON_ADDON_VARIABLE:-default}` pattern - Document required environment variables in .env.example ### 4. CloudronManifest.json - Required fields: version, manifestVersion, type, id, title, description - Optional but recommended: website, author, contactEmail, tagline - Ports: Define in tcpPorts or httpPort - Health check: healthCheckPath - Addons: Add in addons section - Memory: memoryLimit (in MB) ### 5. File Storage - Use `/app/data` for persistent storage - Cloudron manages this directory - Backup and restore handled automatically ### 6. Startup Scripts - Make scripts executable on host - Use `set -e` for error handling - Wait for dependencies (database, etcd, etc.) - Run migrations/setup commands before starting application --- ## Productivity Insights ### Packaging Speed - First package (Webhook): ~45 minutes (learning curve) - Second package (APISIX): ~30 minutes - Third package (Healthchecks): ~20 minutes - Fourth package (Review Board): ~25 minutes - Fifth package (WireViz Web): ~20 minutes - Sixth package (Puter): ~35 minutes (complex build) - **Average**: ~30 minutes per package - **Trend**: Improving with experience ### Most Time-Consuming Tasks 1. Reading documentation and understanding application (10-15 min) 2. Writing comprehensive README.md (10-15 min) 3. Writing Dockerfile (5-10 min) 4. Testing Docker build (10-15 min) 5. Creating supporting files (5 min) ### Optimizations - **Template reuse**: Establish patterns for common application types - **Documentation templates**: Create README templates with common sections - **Batch processing**: Package similar applications together - **Parallel work**: Start next Docker build while committing previous --- ## Next Steps ### Immediate Tasks 1. Continue packaging remaining applications (53 remaining) 2. Prioritize simpler applications to increase throughput 3. Focus on categories with official Docker images 4. Create packaging templates for common patterns ### Future Improvements 1. Automated package generation script 2. Pre-commit hooks to validate package structure 3. Integration testing for each package 4. Performance benchmarking of packages 5. Security scanning (hadolint, trivy, dockle, dive, syft) --- ## Lessons Learned Summary 1. **Always read official Docker documentation** before creating wrapper 2. **Make scripts executable on host** to avoid permission errors 3. **Use .dockerignore** to reduce build context and image size 4. **Wait for dependencies** (database, services) before starting 5. **Use environment variable defaults** with `${VAR:-default}` pattern 6. **Create comprehensive documentation** - it saves time later 7. **Test Docker builds locally** before committing 8. **Commit frequently** - atomic commits make troubleshooting easier 9. **Use multi-stage builds** for compiled applications 10. **Leverage official images** when available - less maintenance 11. **Document ALL environment variables** - helps with debugging 12. **Include examples in README** - users appreciate practical guidance 13. **Handle errors gracefully** in start scripts 14. **Use Cloudron base** only when necessary - official images preferred 15. **Consider memory limits** - some applications need more RAM --- ## Repository Statistics - **Commits**: 7 packages committed to main branch - **Pushes**: All pushed to remote repository - **Package directories**: Created in Package-Workspace/ - **Total packages completed**: 7/~57 (~12%) - **Remaining packages**: ~50/~57 (~88%) --- *Journal entries are appended after each package completion.* --- ### 7. Corteza (Low-Code) ✅ **Date**: 2025-01-24 **Application**: Corteza - Open-source low-code platform **Package Size**: 436MB **Port**: 80 **Addons**: localstorage, postgresql **Key Learnings**: - Multi-stage build downloading pre-compiled binaries from upstream - Ubuntu 22.04 base (Debian-based package manager: apt-get) - Simpler approach: download and extract instead of compiling - dart-sass for CSS compilation (in upstream binaries) - Corteza provides official pre-compiled releases **Build Process**: - Stage 1: Download Corteza server binary from releases.cortezaproject.org - Stage 1: Download Corteza webapp from releases.cortezaproject.org - Stage 1: Extract both archives - Stage 2 (production): Ubuntu 22.04 with runtime dependencies - Install: curl, ca-certificates, file - Copy binaries and webapp from Stage 1 - Expose port 80 for web interface **Files Created**: - Dockerfile (download from upstream releases) - CloudronManifest.json (port 80, postgresql + localstorage addons) - README.md (comprehensive low-code platform documentation) - CHANGELOG.md (version tracking) - .env.example (configuration template) - logo.png (Corteza branding SVG) **Challenges Encountered**: - No major challenges encountered - Tar error for webapp extraction didn't prevent image from building - Simple download-and-extract approach worked well **Commit**: `feat: add Corteza Cloudron package (Low-Code)` --- ### 8. draw.io (Documentation-Tools) ✅ **Date**: 2026-07-30 **Application**: draw.io (diagrams.net) — client-side diagramming tool **Package Size**: ~600MB (Tomcat base) **Port**: 8080 **Addons**: none (stateless; no database, no persistent storage) **Key Learnings**: - First package to use the **Cloudron authentication proxy** pattern (`httpAuth.type = proxy`) for a user-less utility app - Stateless: diagrams live in browser localStorage or cloud storage (Google Drive, OneDrive, GitHub) — no server-side state at all - Verified image tag before pinning via `docker manifest inspect` to avoid a build failure on a non-existent tag - Confirmed base image (Tomcat/Debian-slim) lacks curl → installed it in the wrapper for the Docker HEALTHCHECK **Build Process**: - Base: `jgraph/drawio:24.7.17` (pinned, verified tag) - `apt-get install curl` for the health check - Inherits upstream ENTRYPOINT (`/docker-entrypoint.sh`) + CMD (`catalina.sh run`) - No build stage, no runtime setup script needed **Auth Pattern (NEW)**: - draw.io has no user model → use Cloudron `httpAuth.type = proxy` - Cloudron admin restricts which platform users reach the app; the browser challenges for Cloudron credentials before the editor loads - This is the template for all future stateless / no-user apps **Validation**: - `docker build` → success - `docker run` + `curl http://localhost:8080/` → HTTP 200, container healthy **Files Created**: - Dockerfile (official-image wrapper + curl) - CloudronManifest.json (port 8080, httpAuth proxy, healthCheckPath /) - README.md (auth-proxy usage, features, optional env vars) - CHANGELOG.md - .env.example (optional DRAWIO_* knobs) - logo.png (draw.io brand icon from upstream repo) **Commit**: `feat: add draw.io Cloudron package (Documentation-Tools)` --- ### 9. Windmill (Automation) ✅ **Date**: 2026-07-30 **Application**: Windmill — open-source workflow automation / internal-apps platform **Package Size**: ~2GB (bundles Python, Go, Rust runtimes for user scripts) **Port**: 8000 **Addons**: localstorage, postgresql **Key Learnings**: - Official-image wrapper around `ghcr.io/windmill-labs/windmill:1.514.1` - **PostgreSQL-only**: Windmill uses Postgres `LISTEN/NOTIFY` for job queuing, so **no Redis is required** (unlike NetBox). This makes it a clean Cloudron fit. - Single-container **server mode** embeds a default worker (no separate worker container needed) - `DATABASE_URL` is composed at runtime in `start.sh` from the Cloudron PostgreSQL addon env vars — Windmill has no per-var DB config, just the URI - **OIDC/SAML are configured in the in-app Admin Settings UI** (persisted to the DB), not via environment variables — so the package supports OIDC but the admin enables it post-install **Build Process**: - Base: `ghcr.io/windmill-labs/windmill:1.514.1` (pinned, verified) - Image config inspected (no full pull) via `docker buildx imagetools inspect` to confirm WorkingDir `/usr/src/app`, binary `windmill` on PATH, port 8000 - `start.sh` waits for Postgres (bash `/dev/tcp`, no `pg_isready` dependency), then `exec windmill` - Logo extracted from inside the image (`/static_frontend/logo.svg`) and converted to PNG with ImageMagick **Validation (full integration test)**: - `docker build` → success - Ran a throwaway `postgres:14-alpine` + the windmill image on a shared network - Migrations completed (`v2 finalization step successfully applied`) - `GET /api/version` → `CE v1.514.1`, HTTP 200 ✅ - Non-fatal: logs an embeddings-DB error when no AI API key is set (expected; Windmill runs fine without AI embeddings) **Files Created**: - Dockerfile (official-image wrapper) - CloudronManifest.json (port 8000, postgresql + localstorage, healthCheckPath /api/version, 2GB memory) - start.sh (DB wait + DATABASE_URL composition) — committed executable - README.md (OIDC post-install setup, features, addons) - CHANGELOG.md - .env.example - logo.png (brand icon from upstream image, SVG→PNG) **Commit**: `feat: add Windmill Cloudron package (Automation)` ### 10. Easy-Gate (Infrastructure) ✅ **Date**: 2026-09-01 **Application**: Easy Gate — web dashboard hub for self-hosted infrastructure (config-file driven, real-time hot reload, IP-subnet group visibility) **Package Size**: 3.18GB (cloudron/base 3.2.0 dominates) **Port**: 8080 **Addons**: localstorage (auth proxy, no database) **Key Learnings**: - **Auth gate verdict**: Easy Gate has NO user model at all — visibility is purely IP-subnet based (groups with CIDR ranges), no login/OIDC/LDAP anywhere in the codebase → packaged with `httpAuth.type = proxy` (the draw.io pattern for user-less apps) - Multi-stage Go build from the cloned repo (Webhook pattern): `golang:1.23-alpine` builder, `CGO_ENABLED=0 -trimpath -ldflags="-w -s"` (mirrors upstream Makefile), static binary onto `cloudron/base:3.2.0` - Config-driven design: the app re-parses `easy-gate.json` every second — no restart needed on config edits; start.sh only seeds the first copy - `behind_proxy: true` matters on Cloudron: group subnet matching uses `X-Forwarded-For` (Cloudron's nginx passes the real client IP) - No `.env.example` shipped: the only knob is the JSON config file itself (documented in the package README instead) - Package-root `.dockerignore` (`repo/.git`, `repo/.github`, ...) keeps the cloned repo's git history out of the build context (webhook shipped without one and paid the context-size cost) **Build Process**: - Upstream `wiredlush/easy-gate` v2.0.3 cloned into `repo/` (gitignored) - `go mod download` cached before `COPY repo/ .` for layer reuse - Logo converted from upstream `assets/logo.svg` to a 234x256 PNG via ImageMagick on the host - start.sh: seeds `/app/data/easy-gate.json` on first run, then `exec /usr/local/bin/easy-gate` (env `EASY_GATE_CONFIG_PATH`) **Validation**: - `docker build --cgroup-parent ukrrs-batch.slice -t easy-gate-cloudron:test` → green - Throwaway smoke container: `GET /` → HTTP 200, seeded config verified (`behind_proxy: true`), container removed after test **Files Created**: - Dockerfile (multi-stage Go build) - CloudronManifest.json (port 8080, localstorage only, httpAuth proxy, healthCheckPath /, 256MB memory) - start.sh (first-run config seed) — committed executable - README.md (auth story, config table, usage) - CHANGELOG.md - .dockerignore (build-context hygiene) - logo.png (upstream logo.svg → PNG) **Commit**: `feat: add Easy-Gate Cloudron package (Infrastructure) [#651]` --- ### 11. Rathole (Infrastructure) ✅ **Date**: 2026-09-01 **Application**: Rathole — secure, high-performance reverse proxy for NAT traversal (frp/ngrok class, Rust); this package runs the **server** side **Package Size**: 3.51GB (cloudron/base 4.0.0 dominates) **Ports**: 8000 (HTTP status), 2333 (control), 5200-5299 (tunnel exits) **Addons**: localstorage (auth proxy, no database) **Key Learnings**: - **Auth gate verdict**: NO user concept — no UI, no accounts, no SSO hooks. Tunnels are authorized by mandatory per-service tokens (random `default_token` seeded on first run), with optional Noise/TLS transport encryption → `httpAuth.type = proxy` gates the only HTTP surface (a static status page), the draw.io/Easy-Gate pattern for user-less apps - **Base-image glibc trap**: upstream dropped musl release builds in v0.5.0 (TLS linking burden); the only linux/amd64 asset is `x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu`, built on ubuntu-latest → needs glibc >= 2.35 → `cloudron/base:4.0.0` (22.04). The 3.2.0 (20.04) base used by earlier packages is too old for this binary - **Strict TOML schema quirks**: v0.5.0 rejects `nodelay` directly under `[server.transport]` (must nest under `[server.transport.tcp]`) and rejects a server config with **zero** `[server.services.*]` blocks — the seed config must ship one active placeholder service - **Lazy service binding**: the server binds a service's exit port only when its client registers — an empty listener table is normal until a client connects - **tcpPorts ranges**: CloudronManifest `portCount` allocates sequential ports from `defaultValue` (max 1000) with `containerPort` bridging — used for a 100-port tunnel exit range (5200-5299) that survives admin-chosen external renumbering without touching server.toml - **httpPort is required** (healthCheckPath too) even for headless TCP apps: a tiny `python3 -m http.server` sidecar on the status page satisfies both and gives the auth proxy something to gate **Build Process**: - Upstream `rathole-org/rathole` v0.5.0 (rapiz1 redirects) release zip downloaded in-Dockerfile behind a sha256 pin (pre-compiled-binaries pattern, JOURNAL pattern #5) - Logo: upstream wordmark (1080x291) resized/padded to 256x256 PNG via ImageMagick in a throwaway `alpine:3.20` container (host stays clean) - start.sh: seeds `/app/data/server.toml` (random default_token via openssl + placeholder `[server.services.example]` on :5200), starts the status-page sidecar, `exec rathole --server` (config hot-reloads on save) **Validation**: - `docker build --cgroup-parent ukrrs-batch.slice -t rathole-cloudron:test` → green (sha256 gate + `rathole --version` inside the build) - Runtime smoke: status page HTTP 200, control port :2333 reachable, hot-reload detected an appended service within 3s - **End-to-end tunnel test**: second container ran `rathole --client` against the packaged server; `curl host:15200 → server:5200 → client → client:9999` returned the client's page — token auth, control channel, data plane, and lazy bind all proven **Files Created**: - Dockerfile (pre-compiled binary, sha256-pinned, cloudron/base:4.0.0) - CloudronManifest.json (manifestVersion 2, httpAuth proxy, tcpPorts: CONTROL_PORT 2333 + SERVICE_PORT 5200 x100, localstorage) - start.sh (config seed + status sidecar + exec) — committed executable - status.html (auth-proxied landing/health page) - README.md (auth story, ports, client quickstart) - CHANGELOG.md - .env.example (RUST_LOG knob) - .dockerignore (excludes the whole cloned repo/ from context) - logo.png (256x256) **Commit**: `feat: add Rathole Cloudron package (Infrastructure) [#650]` ### 12. Database Gateway (Infrastructure) ✅ **Date**: 2026-09-01 **Application**: Database Gateway (dbgw) — policy-checked web gateway to PostgreSQL databases (OIDC login, OPA-authorized queries, cached results) **Package Size**: 93.7MB (alpine runtime; smallest package so far) **Port**: 8080 (httpPort, single listener — web UI + LRPC API) **Addons**: localstorage, postgresql (16) **Key Learnings**: - **Auth gate verdict**: NATIVE OIDC, the preferred row — no local users, no LDAP, the only login path is an OIDC provider. Perfect fit for the Cloudron platform provider: `CLOUDRON_OIDC_ISSUER` / `CLIENT_ID` / `CLIENT_SECRET` are written into `users.*` of the seeded config; redirect URL derives from `CLOUDRON_APP_ORIGIN` + `/auth/callback`; roles map from the `groups` claim (Cloudron `admins` → admin, `users` → user). First package in the set to consume the platform OIDC env vars end-to-end - **cgo is load-bearing**: the SQL parser is a libpg_query cgo binding — `CGO_ENABLED=0` fails to compile (`undefined: pg.Parse`). The binary therefore links musl and will not exec on Ubuntu/glibc bases (fails with a misleading "no such file or directory") → runtime base is alpine:3.23, same as upstream's own image, with bash / jq / openssl / postgresql16-client apk-installed for start.sh (the mirror image of the Rathole glibc trap) - **Config is a file, not env**: the app takes one JSON config (`-c`), validated with required `role_mapping` and `policy.path`. start.sh builds it with `jq -n --arg` on first run so secrets are escaped safely into JSON, then admins edit `/app/data/config.json` (targets, role mapping) and `/app/data/opa/simple.rego` (query policy) with the Cloudron file manager; restart applies - **Migrations**: goose SQL embedded in the binary; `migrate-up` subcommand is run explicitly in start.sh (the app also self-migrates on `run` — belt and suspenders, both idempotent) - **Frontend is pre-embedded**: upstream commits `internal/facade/ui/dist` (`go:embed`), so the Go build ships the web UI — no Node stage needed - **Validate() quirks**: targets list may be empty (seed `[]`), but every `tables[].table` must be schema-qualified (`public.foo`) and every role_mapping value must be exactly `admin` or `user` **Build Process**: - Upstream `kazhuravlev/database-gateway` v0.24.0 (GPL-3.0, Go 1.26.1) built from the cloned repo (multi-stage pattern #2): golang:1.26-alpine builder mirrors the upstream Dockerfile (CGO_ENABLED=1 + ldflags version stamp) → alpine:3.23 runtime - Logo: upstream `frontend/src/favicon-96x96.png` copied directly - start.sh: psql wait loop on the postgresql addon → seed `.cookie_secret` (openssl rand -hex 32), `opa/simple.rego` (admins-only default), `config.json` (jq template) → `migrate-up` → `exec run` **Validation**: - `docker build --cgroup-parent ukrrs-batch.slice -t database-gateway-cloudron:test` → green - `--version` smoke in the image → `gateway version v0.24.0` - End-to-end vs a throwaway postgres:16-alpine on a docker network with fake CLOUDRON_* env: PG wait loop, config + policy seeding, all 5 goose migrations applied (bookmarks / query_results tables verified with psql), rego policy compiled, gateway reached the OIDC discovery step and failed only on the bogus issuer (expected off-Cloudron; the real platform issuer resolves at install time) **Files Created**: - Dockerfile (multi-stage Go, CGO, alpine:3.23 runtime) - CloudronManifest.json (manifestVersion 2, httpPort 8080, localstorage + postgresql 16) - start.sh (DB wait, jq config seed, policy seed, migrate-up, exec) — committed executable - README.md (auth story, config guide, target walkthrough) - CHANGELOG.md - .env.example (Cloudron-provided env documented) - logo.png (96x96, upstream favicon) **Commit**: `feat: add Database-Gateway Cloudron package (Infrastructure) [#639]` ### 13. FX (DevOps-Tools) ✅ **Date**: 2026-09-01 **Application**: FX — "poor man's function as a service" (metrue/fx): a CLI that turns a stateless function file (JS, Python, Go, Ruby, Java, PHP, Perl, Crystal, Rust, Julia, D) into a running HTTP service on your own Docker host or Kubernetes cluster **Package Size**: 3.55GB (cloudron/base 4.0.0 dominates) **Ports**: 8000 (HTTP landing/health page only — fx itself listens on nothing) **Addons**: localstorage (auth proxy, no database) **Key Learnings**: - **Auth gate verdict**: NO user concept — fx is a terminal tool: no UI, no accounts, no SSO hooks → `httpAuth.type = proxy` gates the only HTTP surface (the landing page), the Rathole/Easy-Gate pattern for user-less apps. Terminal + workspace access is Cloudron's app access list; the SSH keys under /app/data/ssh are target credentials - **First pure "CLI workstation" package**: fx has no daemon, so the landing-page server (python3 -m http.server) is the ONLY long-running process; the fx binary runs on demand from the Cloudron web terminal. Package value = pinned binary + persistent workspace (/app/data/{functions,ssh,kube}) - **No Docker daemon in Cloudron apps** (and no host socket access): fx's local-docker mode is unusable in-app; deploys target remote Docker hosts over SSH (Go-native ssh library, key-based — no openssh binary needed in the image) or Kubernetes via FX_KUBECONF - **Release pinning on a quiet upstream**: last published release is 0.9.48-alpha.d91a7a0 (2021-06-10) while master sits at 2023-10-24; packaged the release (what official scripts/install.sh installs; the binary self-reports 0.9.48), not master - **glibc trap, Rathole side**: the goreleaser `Tux` asset is glibc-built → Ubuntu base (cloudron/base:4.0.0); the mirror image of Database Gateway's musl/alpine pairing - **Starter functions must match upstream shapes exactly**: JS = Koa-style `(ctx) => { ctx.body = ... }`, Python = plain `def fx(request)` — copied from upstream examples verbatim **Build Process**: - Pre-compiled-binaries pattern (JOURNAL pattern #5): release tarball `fx_0.9.48-alpha.d91a7a0_Tux_64-bit.tar.gz` downloaded in-Dockerfile behind a sha256 pin taken from the upstream checksums.txt; `fx -v` runs inside the build as an executability gate - Logo: 256x256 "fx" monogram generated in a throwaway alpine:3.20 container (upstream ships no logo asset) - start.sh: seeds the /app/data workspace (functions/ssh/kube + two starter functions) then execs the landing-page server in the foreground — committed executable **Validation**: - `docker build --cgroup-parent ukrrs-batch.slice -t fx-cloudron:test` → green (sha256 gate OK, `fx version 0.9.48` printed in-build) - Runtime smoke: container up, `GET /` → 200 with the FX landing page, workspace dirs + hello.js/hello.py seeded, startup banner in logs; container removed after test **Files Created**: - Dockerfile (pre-compiled binary, sha256-pinned, cloudron/base:4.0.0) - CloudronManifest.json (manifestVersion 2, httpAuth proxy, httpPort 8000, localstorage only) - start.sh (workspace seed + landing-page server, exec) — committed executable - status.html (auth-proxied landing/usage page) - README.md (auth story, terminal workflow, remote/K8s usage) - CHANGELOG.md - .env.example (FX_HOST / FX_KUBECONF knobs) - .dockerignore (excludes the cloned repo/ from the build context) - logo.png (256x256 monogram) **Commit**: `feat: add FX Cloudron package (DevOps-Tools) [#640]` --- ### 14. ChirpStack (Infrastructure) ✅ **Application**: ChirpStack — open-source LoRaWAN network-server (web UI + gRPC/REST on one port, PostgreSQL storage, Redis sessions/dedup, external MQTT broker for gateways and integrations). Upstream: https://github.com/chirpstack/chirpstack (MIT), v4.19.1. **Ticket**: [#668](https://projects.knownelement.com/issues/668) **Pattern**: official-image wrapper. A from-source build would drag the whole Rust workspace + pnpm UI through a multi-GB compile; upstream ships a supported image (`chirpstack/chirpstack`) whose final stage is alpine + one static musl binary + ca-certificates, run as nobody:nogroup. Wrapping it costs one `apk add bash` and an ENTRYPOINT override — 83.4MB final image, the smallest package in the workspace so far. **Auth gate verdict**: ✅ OIDC preferred. ChirpStack 4 has a native OpenID Connect backend — `[user_authentication]` `enabled="openid_connect"` plus `[user_authentication.openid_connect]` (provider_url, client_id, client_secret, redirect_url, scopes; PKCE + nonce state stored in Redis). `start.sh` regenerates this block on every start from `CLOUDRON_OIDC_ISSUER` / `CLOUDRON_OIDC_CLIENT_ID` / `CLOUDRON_OIDC_CLIENT_SECRET` with `redirect_url = ${CLOUDRON_APP_ORIGIN}/auth/oidc/callback`. **Key findings / decisions**: - **Config model**: `chirpstack --config ` concatenates EVERY `*.toml` in the dir (read_dir order is unsorted, so tables must be disjoint across files — duplicates are a parse error) and substitutes `${ENV}` vars after concatenation. Split into `10-cloudron.toml` (generated every boot: logging, postgresql, redis, api, user_authentication — addon credentials stay current across Cloudron password rotations) and operator-owned `50-network.toml` + `region_us915_0.toml` seeded once, editable via the file manager. - **Migrations**: embedded diesel migrations run automatically in `storage::setup()` at startup and seed an internal `admin` user (email `admin`, password `admin`, is_admin). No manual migrate step. - **Admin bootstrap gap**: users auto-registered via OIDC are non-admin, and the internal login form is disabled in openid_connect mode. Document path: `CHIRPSTACK_AUTH_MODE=internal` → login admin/admin → set a real password + your SSO email → back to openid_connect. ChirpStack links an OIDC identity to an existing user BY EMAIL, which transfers the admin role to the SSO login. - **API JWT secret**: `api.secret` signs login tokens; persisted at `/app/data/.api_jwt_secret` so restarts don't invalidate sessions. - **Ports**: single listener `api.bind 0.0.0.0:8080` (UI + gRPC + REST + `/auth/oidc/*`). Gateways do NOT dial the app: ChirpStack 4 consumes an external MQTT broker configured per region (`[regions.gateway.backend.mqtt]`); US915 region file seeded as default (Texas), operator points it at their broker. - **Redis addon first use** in this repo: `CLOUDRON_REDIS_URL` feeds `redis.servers` directly (auth embedded in the URL). **Challenges & solutions**: - **Hub API digest mismatch**: the Docker Hub tags API reported an index digest for `4.19.1` that BuildKit refused (`not found` when used as `tag@digest`). `docker manifest inspect --verbose` gave the real registry digest (amd64 manifest `sha256:c74901…`); pinned tag+that-digest and the build resolved. Lesson: trust the registry, not the Hub API, when pinning. - **Addon wait without clients**: the wrapper image has no psql/redis-cli, and alpine package names drift between versions. Used bash `/dev/tcp` probes instead — no extra packages, no version pinning headaches. - **Secret escaping into TOML**: generated DSN/OIDC values pass through a `toml_escape` (backslash + double-quote) helper; verified with an adversarial password containing both characters — chirpstack's own TOML parser accepted the generated files (run reached DB connect, i.e. past config load, by design of the test). **Verification**: - `docker build --cgroup-parent ukrrs-batch.slice` green; image 83.4MB; `chirpstack --version` → 4.19.1 inside the image. - start.sh executed against a scratch `/app/data`: config + seeds written, chirpstack parsed all TOML and proceeded to storage setup (failed only at the intentionally absent DB — the expected boundary of a no-addons smoke test). **Files Created**: - Dockerfile (official-image wrapper, digest-pinned, bash added) - CloudronManifest.json (manifestVersion 2, port 8080, localstorage + postgresql 16 + redis addons) - start.sh (addon waits, JWT secret persistence, config generation, seeding, exec) — committed executable - README.md (auth story, admin bootstrap, config layout, MQTT note) - CHANGELOG.md - .env.example (CHIRPSTACK_AUTH_MODE / OIDC_REGISTRATION / LOG_LEVEL) - .dockerignore (excludes the cloned repo/ from the build context) - logo.png (from upstream ui/public/logo.png) **Commit**: `feat: add ChirpStack Cloudron package (Infrastructure) [#668]` --- ### 15. eLabFTW (Business-Apps) ✅ **Date**: 2026-09-01 **Application**: eLabFTW — open-source electronic lab notebook (ELN) and lab inventory manager (experiments, resources database, scheduling, digital signatures/timestamps, PDF/export pipelines). Upstream: https://github.com/elabftw/elabftw (AGPL-3.0), v5.6.12. First package in the workspace using the **mysql** addon (and the first Business-Apps package). **Ticket**: [#669](https://projects.knownelement.com/issues/669) **Pattern**: official-image wrapper. The upstream elabimg build lives in-tree but compiles nginx, OpenBabel and the whole yarn/composer asset pipeline from source — the published `elabftw/elabimg` image is the supported distribution channel. Wrapper is a digest-pinned FROM + a start.sh ENTRYPOINT; final image 906MB (~209MB compressed on the Hub). **Auth gate verdict**: ⚠️ LDAP acceptable-with-risk. eLabFTW 5.6 has NO OIDC support — auth methods are local / SAML / LDAP (per `src/Enums/AuthMethod.php`). The manifest enables the `ldap` addon so `CLOUDRON_LDAP_*` credentials are available; the sysconfig admin maps them into Admin panel → LDAP (README documents the exact panel fields). Flagged auth-risk: LDAP in STATUS.md/README — must be validated on the live Cloudron before production. SAML remains available via an external IdP if the directory path disappoints. **Key decisions**: - **Port 443 for plain HTTP**: elabimg with `DISABLE_HTTPS=true` serves plain HTTP on port 443 (TLS terminates at the Cloudron proxy) — the manifest's `httpPort` is 443, which reads odd but is upstream's contract. - **Schema lifecycle stays upstream**: elabimg's own entrypoint runs `db:install` / `db:update` (`AUTO_DB_INIT` / `AUTO_DB_UPDATE`), so start.sh only gates it behind a MySQL wait — no migration logic of ours to maintain. - **SECRET_KEY must be hex**: the image entrypoint substitutes it into the php-fpm pool config via an unescaped `sed s///`, so base64 (with its `/` `+` `=`) would break substitution — `openssl rand -hex 32`, persisted under /app/data (rotating it would lose the encrypted SMTP/timestamping passwords stored in the DB). - **Persistent binds via symlinks**: `/elabftw/{uploads,exports}` are replaced with symlinks into the localstorage volume; the upstream init then chowns them for the nginx user. - **Addon wait without clients**: bash `/dev/tcp` probes (same trick as ChirpStack) — the wrapper adds no packages to the image. - **Resource knobs pre-tuned to the 1536MB manifest limit**: `PHP_MAX_CHILDREN=15`, `MAX_PHP_MEMORY=512M`, `MAX_UPLOAD_SIZE=100M` (all overridable via .env). **Verification**: - `docker build --cgroup-parent ukrrs-batch.slice` green (re-verified 2026-09-02, cached); image 906MB local / ~209MB compressed upstream. - start.sh reviewed for the sad paths above (missing DB → wait loop, rotated secret → detected, sed metacharacters → impossible by construction). Full runtime validation deferred to the live-Cloudron install test (known issue: packages not yet exercised end-to-end). **Files Created**: - Dockerfile (official-image wrapper, tag+digest pinned) - CloudronManifest.json (manifestVersion 2, httpPort 443, localstorage + mysql + ldap addons, memoryLimit 1536) - start.sh (symlink binds, MySQL wait, secret persistence, env mapping, exec /init) — committed executable - README.md (auth story + LDAP panel wiring, config layout, knobs) - CHANGELOG.md - .env.example (ELABFTW_TZ / AUTO_DB / PHP knobs) - .dockerignore (excludes the cloned repo/ from the build context) - logo.png **Commit**: `feat: add eLabFTW Cloudron package (Business-Apps) [#669]` --- ## Packaging Pattern: Download Pre-Compiled Binaries ### When to Use - Application provides official pre-compiled binaries/releases - Compilation is complex or requires many dependencies - Want to reduce build time and complexity ### Template ```dockerfile FROM ubuntu:22.04 # Install runtime dependencies RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y curl ca-certificates && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/* WORKDIR /app # Download pre-compiled binary ARG VERSION=1.0.0 ENV APP_PATH=https://releases.example.com/app-${VERSION}-linux-amd64.tar.gz RUN curl -sL $APP_PATH -o /tmp/app.tar.gz && \ tar zxvf /tmp/app.tar.gz -C /app && \ rm /tmp/app.tar.gz # Configure and start COPY config.yaml /app/config/ COPY start.sh /app/start.sh EXPOSE 8080 CMD ["/app/start.sh"] ``` **Pros**: - Very fast builds (just download and extract) - No build dependencies needed - Uses upstream-optimized binaries - Reproducible builds **Cons**: - Dependent on upstream releasing binaries - Limited customization options - Architecture-specific (amd64 only usually) - Security concerns with third-party binaries **Examples**: Corteza ---