diff --git a/ROADMAP.md b/ROADMAP.md index 806aaff6..cbf53881 100644 --- a/ROADMAP.md +++ b/ROADMAP.md @@ -1,11 +1,17 @@ # Roadmap -The Distribution Project consists of several components, some of which are still being defined. This document defines the high-level goals of the project, identifies the current components, and defines the release-relationship to the Docker Platform. +The Distribution Project consists of several components, some of which are +still being defined. This document defines the high-level goals of the +project, identifies the current components, and defines the release- +relationship to the Docker Platform. * [Distribution Goals](#distribution-goals) * [Distribution Components](#distribution-components) * [Project Planning](#project-planning): release-relationship to the Docker Platform. +This road map is a living document, providing an overview of the goals and +considerations made in respect of the future of the project. + ## Distribution Goals - Replace the existing [docker registry](github.com/docker/docker-registry) @@ -30,41 +36,216 @@ implementation. ### Registry -Registry 2.0 is the first release of the next-generation registry. This is primarily -focused on implementing the [new registry -API](https://github.com/docker/distribution/blob/master/docs/spec/api.md), with -a focus on security and performance. +The new Docker registry is the main portion of the distribution repository. +Registry 2.0 is the first release of the next-generation registry. This was +primarily focused on implementing the [new registry +API](https://github.com/docker/distribution/blob/master/docs/spec/api.md), +with a focus on security and performance. -#### Registry 2.0 +Following from the Distribution project goals above, we have a set of goals +for registry v2 that we would like to follow in the design. New features +should be compared against these goals. -Features: +#### Data Storage and Distribution First -- Faster push and pull -- New, more efficient implementation -- Simplified deployment -- Full API specification for V2 protocol -- Pluggable storage system (s3, azure, filesystem and inmemory supported) -- Immutable manifest references ([#46](https://github.com/docker/distribution/issues/46)) -- Webhook notification system ([#42](https://github.com/docker/distribution/issues/42)) -- Native TLS Support ([#132](https://github.com/docker/distribution/pull/132)) -- Pluggable authentication system -- Health Checks ([#230](https://github.com/docker/distribution/pull/230)) +The registry's first goal is to provide a reliable, consistent storage +location for Docker images. The registry should only provide the minimal +amount of indexing required to fetch image data and no more. -#### Registry 2.1 +This means we should be selective in new features and API additions, including +those that may require expensive, ever growing indexes. Requests should be +servable in "constant time". -Planned Features: +#### Content Addressability -> **NOTE:** This feature list is incomplete at this time. +All data objects used in the registry API should be content addressable. +Content identifiers should be secure and verifiable. This provides a secure, +reliable base from which to build more advanced content distribution systems. -- Support for Manifest V2, Schema 2 and explicit tagging objects ([#62](https://github.com/docker/distribution/issues/62), [#173](https://github.com/docker/distribution/issues/173)) -- Mirroring ([#19](https://github.com/docker/distribution/issues/19)) -- Flexible client package based on distribution interfaces ([#193](https://github.com/docker/distribution/issues/193) +#### Content Agnostic -#### Registry 2.2 +In the past, changes to the image format would require large changes in Docker +and the Registry. By decoupling the distribution and image format, we can +allow the formats to progress without having to coordinate between the two. +This means that we should be focused on decoupling Docker from the registry +just as much as decoupling the registry from Docker. Such an approach will +allow us to unlock new distribution models that haven't been possible before. -TBD +We can take this further by saying that the new registry should be content +agnostic. The registry provides a model of names, tags, manifests and content +addresses and that model can be used to work with content. -*** +#### Simplicity + +The new registry should be closer to a microservice component than its +predecessor. This means it should have a narrower API and a low number of +service dependencies. It should be easy to deploy. + +This means that other solutions should be explored before changing the API or +adding extra dependencies. If functionality is required, can it be added as an +extension or companion service. + +#### Extensibility + +The registry should provide extension points to add functionality. By keeping +the scope narrow, but providing the ability to add functionality. + +Features like search, indexing, synchronization and registry explorers fall +into this category. No such feature should be added unless we've found it +impossible to do through an extension. + +#### Active Feature Discussions + +The following are feature discussions that are currently active. + +If you don't see your favorite, unimplemented feature, feel free to contact us +via IRC or the mailing list and we can talk about adding it. The goal here is +to make sure that new features go through a rigid design process before +landing in the registry. + +##### Mirroring and Pull-through Caching + +Mirroring and pull-through caching are related but slight different. We've +adopted the term _mirroring_ to be a proper mirror of a registry, meaning it +has all the content the upstream would have. Providing such mirrors in the +Docker ecosystem is dependent on a solid trust system, which is still in the +works. + +The more commonly helpful feature is _pull-through caching_, where data is +fetched from an upstream when not available in a local registry instance. + +Please see the following issues: + +- https://github.com/docker/distribution/issues/459 + +##### Peer to Peer transfer + +Discussion has started here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rYDpSpJiQWmCQy8Cuiaa3NH-Co33oK_SC9HeXYo87QA/edit + +##### Indexing, Search and Discovery + +The original registry provided some implementation of search for use with +private registries. Support has been elided from V2 since we'd like to both +decouple search functionality from the registry. The makes the registry +simpler to deploy, especially in use cases where search is not needed, and +let's us decouple the image format from the registry. + +There are explorations into using the catalog API and notification system to +build external indexes. The current line of thought is that we will define a +common search API to index and query docker images. Such a system could be run +as a companion to a registry or set of registries to power discovery. + +The main issue with search and discovery is that there are so many ways to +accomplish it. There are two aspects to this project. The first is deciding on +how it will be done, including an API definition that can work with changing +data formats. The second is the process of integrating with `docker search`. +We expect that someone attempts to address the problem with the existing tools +and propose it as a standard search API or uses it to inform a standardization +process. Once this has been explored, we integrate with the docker client. + +Please see the following for more detail: + +- https://github.com/docker/distribution/issues/206 + +##### Deletes + +> __NOTE:__ Deletes are a much asked for feature. Before requesting this +feature or participating in discussion, we ask that you read this section in +full and understand the problems behind deletes. + +While, at first glance, implementing deleting seems simple, there are a number +mitigating factors that make many solutions not ideal or even pathological in +the context of a registry. The following paragraph discuss the background and +approaches that could be applied to a arrive at a solution. + +The goal of deletes in any system is to remove unused or unneeded data. Only +data requested for deletion should be removed and no other data. Removing +unintended data is worse than _not_ removing data that was requested for +removal but ideally, both are supported. Generally, according to this rule, we +err on holding data longer than needed, ensuring that it is only removed when +we can be certain that it can be removed. With the current behavior, we opt to +hold onto the data forever, ensuring that data cannot be incorrectly removed. + +To understand the problems with implementing deletes, one must understand the +data model. All registry data is stored in a filesystem layout, implemented on +a "storage driver", effectively a _virtual file system_ (VFS). The storage +system must assume that this VFS layer will be eventually consistent and has +poor read- after-write consistency, since this is the lower common denominator +among the storage drivers. This is mitigated by writing values in reverse- +dependent order, but makes wider transactional operations unsafe. + +Layered on the VFS model is a content-addressable _directed, acyclic graph_ +(DAG) made up of blobs. Manifests reference layers. Tags reference manifests. +Since the same data can be referenced by multiple manifests, we only store +data once, even if it is in different repositories. Thus, we have a set of +blobs, referenced by tags and manifests. If we want to delete a blob we need +to be certain that it is no longer referenced by another manifest or tag. When +we delete a manifest, we also can try to delete the referenced blobs. Deciding +whether or not a blob has an active reference is the crux of the problem. + +Conceptually, deleting a manifest and its resources is quite simple. Just find +all the manifests, enumerate the referenced blobs and delete the blobs not in +that set. An astute observer will recognize this as a garbage collection +problem. As with garbage collection in programming languages, this is very +simple when one always has a consistent view. When one adds parallelism and an +inconsistent view of data, it becomes very challenging. + +A simple example can demonstrate this. Let's say we are deleting a manifest +_A_ in one process. We scan the manifest and decide that all the blobs are +ready for deletion. Concurrently, we have another process accepting a new +manifest _B_ referencing one or more blobs from the manifest _A_. Manifest _B_ +is accepted and all the blobs are considered present, so the operation +proceeds. The original process then deletes the referenced blobs, assuming +they were unreferenced. The manifest _B_, which we thought had all of its data +present, can no longer be served by the registry, since the dependent data has +been deleted. + +Deleting data from the registry safely requires some way to coordinate this +operation. The following approaches are being considered: + +- _Reference Counting_ - Maintain a count of references to each blob. This is + challenging for a number of reasons: 1. maintaining a consistent consensus + of reference counts across a set of Registries and 2. Building the initial + list of reference counts for an existing registry. These challenges can be + met with a consensus protocol like Paxos or Raft in the first case and a + necessary but simple scan in the second.. +- _Lock the World GC_ - Halt all writes to the data store. Walk the data store + and find all blob references. Delete all unreferenced blobs. This approach + is very simple but requires disabling writes for a period of time while the + service reads all data. This is slow and expensive but very accurate and + effective. +- _Generational GC_ - Do something similar to above but instead of blocking + writes, writes are sent to another storage backend while reads are broadcast + to the new and old backends. GC is then performed on the read-only portion. + Because writes land in the new backend, the data in the read-only section + can be safely deleted. The main drawbacks of this approach are complexity + and coordination. +- _Centralized Oracle_ - Using a centralized, transactional database, we can + know exactly which data is referenced at any given time. This avoids + coordination problem by managing this data in a single location. We trade + off metadata scalability for simplicity and performance. This is a very good + option for most registry deployments. This would create a bottleneck for + registry metadata. However, metadata is generally not the main bottleneck + when serving images. + +Please let us know if other solutions exist that we have yet to enumerate. +Note that for any approach, implementation is a massive consideration. For +example, a mark-sweep based solution may seem simple but the amount of work in +coordination offset the extra work it might take to build a _Centralized +Oracle_. We'll accept proposals for any solution but please coordinate with us +before dropping code. + +At this time, we have traded off simplicity and ease of deployment for disk +space. Simplicity and ease of deployment tend to reduce developer involvement, +which is currently the most expensive resource in software engineering. Taking +on any solution for deletes will greatly effect these factors, trading off +very cheap disk space for a complex deployment and operational story. + +Please see the following issues for more detail: + +- https://github.com/docker/distribution/issues/422 +- https://github.com/docker/distribution/issues/461 +- https://github.com/docker/distribution/issues/462 ### Distribution Package