Containers-Sugar: Simplifying Container Stack Management and Centralizing Configurations
Funding Area: Critical shared infrastructure / Infraestructura compartida critica
Problem Statement: The proposed Containers-Sugar project addresses critical problems in container stack management for developers and system administrators. Tools like docker-compose often involve repetitive and verbose configurations, making it cumbersome for multiple projects or custom scripts. Containers-Sugar streamlines container management by providing a layer over docker-compose, centralizing configurations, and simplifying service execution. It enables users to create service groups using specific docker-compose files, enhancing flexibility. The .containers-sugar.yaml file consolidates all configurations, allowing easy project-specific settings without extensive command-line work. Targeting developers and system administrators, Containers-Sugar reduces verbosity, improves organization, and introduces custom commands for added convenience. Simplifying container operations, it enhances development and deployment experiences.
Proposed Activities: The proposed activities are focused on enhancing various aspects of the Containers-Sugar project (https://github.com/osl-incubator/containers-sugar). The first phase involves improving user documentation by establishing standards and enhancing its current state, which would take approximately 10 hours and require technical writers, efforts to improve Containers-Sugar outputs, add validations, and define proper error messages with documentation links would span about 80 hours and involve software developers, testers. The next phase encompasses community engagement, including dissemination to other communities, gathering feedback, and defining the next roadmap, taking around 15 hours and requiring community managers and developers. Additionally, project outputs would be shared through blog posts and online events, taking 10 hours, involving community managers. The major task of developing a Text User Interface (TUI) for a selected group would require approximately 160 hours and expertise from skilled software engineers. Furthermore, supporting versioned specs, adding Podman support, and incorporating extra features as extensions for the TUI would take about 60 hours and involve version control experts, containerization specialists, and software developers. Other tasks such as adding default flags, supporting user-defined workflows, configuring extra compose options, defining services with no groups, and specifying working directories would require 55 hours and involve software developers and testers. Lastly, publishing a video on the Open Science Labs YouTube channel would take 10 hours and involve content creators and video editors. Overall, these activities could be completed in eight to ten months. The key resources needed include documentation tools, development and testing environments, version control tools, communication channels, design and development resources, and blogging and event organization platforms. Open Science Labs that is involved in this proposal has in its community the necessary resources and experience to bring this project to a successful conclusion.
Openness: The proposed work in Containers-sugar exemplifies openness in multiple facets. As an open-source project under the BSD 3-Clause license, the infrastructure and codebase are freely accessible, allowing unrestricted usage and modification by all interested individuals and communities. This dedication to openness extends to the sharing of project output, which will be made readily available through the project website and GitHub repository, ensuring easy dissemination and broad accessibility. Emphasizing active community engagement, Containers-sugar actively collaborates with Open Science Labs and other affiliated communities and projects to foster inclusivity and diversity. Encouraging feedback and inviting contributions, the project actively promotes open discussions and collaborative platforms to facilitate meaningful participation. Embracing the power of openness, Containers-sugar believes in harnessing collective intelligence, driving innovation, and nurturing a dynamic community-driven ecosystem for the growth and advancement of the project.
Challenges: The undertaking of this work is expected to encounter several challenges, including ensuring compatibility and stability across multiple operating systems, while striking a balance between simplicity and flexibility. Nurturing a vibrant and inclusive community is crucial for long-term sustainability and growth. Additionally, handling complex dependencies and achieving scalability may pose performance challenges.
Neglectedness: Regarding previous funding applications, the project has not sought funding before. The initial focus was on creating a tool and implementing it in some projects to establish an initial user base and better understand project needs. As the project gains visibility, we remain open to exploring potential funding opportunities to support its long-term sustainability and enhance its impact. Diligently monitoring funding opportunities and engaging with relevant organizations or grants, we aim to secure resources to maximize the project's potential and deliver value to the community. The ongoing development of containers-sugar is driven by user contributions and feedback, which directly inform the project's progression and improvements.
Success: The success of the proposed work can be measured through several key indicators. Firstly, adoption and usage of the containers-sugar tool across diverse projects and communities would demonstrate its value and relevance in the automation domain, with statistics from PyPI and Conda download information serving as quantitative measures. Secondly, positive user feedback and testimonials highlighting improved efficiency, streamlined processes, and simplified automation workflows would affirm its success. Thirdly, community growth, as evidenced by increased contributors, active engagement in discussions, and collaborative feature development, would indicate the project's ability to attract and retain interest, ensuring long-term sustainability and continuous improvement. By assessing these metrics, we can effectively gauge the success and impact of the proposed work on the user community.
Total Budget: US$ 14525
Budget File: pdf
Affiliations: Open Science Labs (community)
LMIE Carveout: Yes, containers-sugar fits within the LMIE category. The project is part of the incubation project of the Open Science Labs community, maintained by individuals from various regions, predominantly Latin America. This proposal will be led and conducted by Ever Vino, who resides in Bolivia, a country classified as an LMIE by the World Bank. Thus, the majority of the working location for the project team and the project's community align with LMIE criteria.
Team Skills: Key elements contributing to our capability include highly skilled developers proficient in various programming languages and open-source software development practices, allowing us to create robust solutions. We have extensive experience in project automation, DevOps, community management, content creation identifying pain points and streamlining workflows. Collaboration within open-source communities is a strong suit, facilitated by effective communication through platforms like GitHub and Discord. Additionally, our team benefits from partnerships with industry, software communities, and academic projects, providing specialized knowledge and mentorship to ensure alignment with standards and best practices.
Submission Number: 42
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