LibrePortal/docs/DEVELOPMENT.md

# LibrePortal — Development & Releases

How to run a development copy, cut stable/edge releases, and test them before they
go out. For installing/using LibrePortal, see [USER.md](USER.md).

## Mental model (read this first)

**Install modes** — `CFG_INSTALL_MODE` decides where the code comes from:

| Mode | Source | Use |
|---|---|---|
| `release` (default) | a checksum-verified `.tar.gz` over HTTPS | end users / stable |
| `git` | `git clone` of the repo | contributors tracking a branch |
| `local` | a copy of a local folder | hacking on the code on the box |

**Three roots** (each relocatable at install, then fixed):
`<system>` (manager-owned: configs/db/logs/install) · `<containers>` (container
user: app data) · `<backups>` (container user: repos). Defaults `/libreportal-*`.

**Two users:** the **manager** (`sudo_user_name`, default `libreportal`) owns the
control plane and runs the runtime; the **container user** (`CFG_DOCKER_INSTALL_USER`,
default `dockerinstall`) owns app data + runs rootless Docker. Genuine-root actions
go through fixed, root-owned helpers in `/usr/local/lib/libreportal/` (paths +
manager name are *baked* into them at install — never read from runtime config).

**Key files:**
- `init.sh` — the installer (self-contained; creates users/folders/helpers, bakes things).
- `install.sh` — the thin bootstrap (download+verify+extract a release, then run init.sh).
- `scripts/source/paths.sh` — resolves the three roots + manager user.
- `scripts/source/fetch.sh` — `lpFetchRelease` / `lpVersionGt` (runtime fetch + version compare).
- `scripts/release/make_release.sh` — builds release artifacts.
- `VERSION` — the single source of the version number.

## Run a development copy

From a clone of the repo, on a **throwaway Debian/Ubuntu host** (install is
destructive — it creates system users and dirs):

**Local mode** (install from the working tree — best for hacking):
```bash
sudo ./init.sh --random-password --local init
# custom locations work in dev too:
sudo ./init.sh --random-password --local --system-dir=/srv/lp --manager-user=lpadmin init
```

**Git mode** (track a branch):
```bash
# via the bootstrap:
sudo ./install.sh --git-url=https://example.com/you/LibrePortal.git \
                  --git-user=USER --git-token=TOKEN
# or directly:  ./init.sh init <password> <git_user> <git_token> <git_url> true git
```

**Iterating:** re-run the installer to redeploy after changes (local mode re-copies
the tree). To wipe and start over:
```bash
sudo ./init.sh uninstall                    # removes the three roots + users + footprint
sudo ./init.sh --skip-docker-images uninstall   # keep the Docker layer for a fast reinstall
```

> This repo's CI/hook setup may auto-deploy on commit (commit on a branch →
> auto-merge → redeploy). That's environment-specific; the commands above are the
> portable way to stand up and refresh a dev box.

## Cut a release (stable or edge)

1. **Bump the version** in `VERSION` (semver, e.g. `0.2.0` → `0.3.0`). Commit it.
2. **Build the artifact** (uses `git archive`, so it ships only committed files and
   honours `.gitattributes export-ignore` — `scripts/unused`, `site`, `docs`,
   `.claude`, the release tooling, etc. never ship):
   ```bash
   scripts/release/make_release.sh stable        # or: edge   [git-ref]
   ```
   Produces, under `dist/<channel>/`:
   - `libreportal-<version>.tar.gz` — the release
   - `libreportal-<version>.tar.gz.sha256` — its checksum
   - `latest.json` — `{ version, channel, url, sha256, notes }` (the channel pointer)
3. **Publish** by copying `dist/<channel>/*` to the host so they're served at
   `https://get.libreportal.org/<channel>/…` (Phase E — the `getlibreportal`
   container; not built yet). `latest.json` is what makes a version "the latest".

**Channels:** `stable` is the default users get; `edge` is for early/testing
builds. Same tooling, different `<channel>`. To promote an edge build to stable,
rebuild with `make_release.sh stable` at that ref (or copy its artifacts into the
`stable/` path and update `stable/latest.json`).

## Test a release locally before publishing

No hosting needed — serve `dist/` and point an install at it:

```bash
# build, then serve the artifacts
scripts/release/make_release.sh stable
( cd dist && python3 -m http.server 8000 )

# on a throwaway host, install from your local server:
LP_RELEASE_BASE_URL=http://<your-ip>:8000 \
  sudo ./install.sh --channel=stable --system-dir=/libreportal-system
```

`LP_RELEASE_BASE_URL` overrides the release host everywhere (installer, updater,
recovery). Quick non-destructive checks:

```bash
# fetch + verify + stage only (no install):
LP_RELEASE_BASE_URL=http://<ip>:8000 ./install.sh --dry-run
# tamper with the tarball and confirm it's refused:
echo x >> dist/stable/libreportal-*.tar.gz
LP_RELEASE_BASE_URL=http://<ip>:8000 ./install.sh --dry-run   # => CHECKSUM MISMATCH
```

## How updates work (so you can reason about them)

In `release` mode the WebUI badge + `libreportal update apply` compare the local
`VERSION` against the channel's `latest.json` (`lpVersionGt`); if newer, they
`lpFetchRelease` the new tarball (verified) and redeploy. Because the install tree
is *code only* (configs/logs/backups live in the other roots), the update just
replaces it — no backup/restore dance. `git`/`local` modes keep their existing
git-based update path.

**The footprint exception (important).** `update apply` runs as the *manager*, and
the manager is deliberately forbidden from rewriting the **root-owned footprint**
(the helpers in `/usr/local/lib/libreportal/`, the CLI wrapper, the uninstall
launcher, the systemd unit, the sudoers) — that immutability *is* the de-sudo
security boundary. So a manager-run update can refresh **code/apps/WebUI**, but not
those. To track when an update touches them, `init.sh` carries a `footprint_version`
integer, baked at install into `/usr/local/lib/libreportal/.footprint_version` and
published in `latest.json`. When the channel's `footprint_version` exceeds the
installed one, the updater **refuses the WebUI apply** and the badge flags
`footprint_update_needed` — the user re-runs the installer as root
(`curl … install.sh | sudo bash`), which fetches *and* re-bakes the footprint
atomically. (Re-running the installer is idempotent.)

➡️ **BUMP `footprint_version` in `init.sh` whenever you change anything in
`scripts/system/*`, the CLI wrapper, the uninstall launcher, the systemd unit, or
the sudoers.** Forgetting it means those root components silently stay stale until
the next full reinstall.

## Conventions

- **Versioning:** semver in `VERSION`. Bump before building; `latest.json` carries it.
- **New runtime script?** Add it under `scripts/<area>/…` and run
  `scripts/source/files/generate_arrays.sh run` so it's sourced (build/standalone
  tooling under `scripts/release` and `scripts/system` is intentionally excluded).
- **Don't** make the OS footprint (`/etc/*`, `/usr/local/*`) relocatable — it's
  fixed by design for the privilege model.