"Projects" for Monorepos in Codecov

[vlad-ko]

Context and Problem Statement

Currently, Codecov enforces a 1:1 mapping between a repository and Codecov’s reporting and configuration structure. This rigid model does not scale well for larger, enterprise customers who work with monorepos. In many cases:

• Monorepos contain multiple, logically distinct projects worked on by separate teams.
• Each project might use different programming languages, CI providers, and workflows.
• Teams often require isolated reporting, settings, and access controls for their specific parts of the monorepo.

This inflexibility limits Codecov’s ability to accommodate complex monorepo structures and creates challenges for customers in terms of organization, visibility, and configuration.

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Proposed Solution

Introduce a "Projects" concept within Codecov that allows users to:

1. Define Projects Within a Monorepo

   • Customers can create multiple "projects" inside a single repository.
   • Each project can be associated with specific parts of the codebase (e.g., specific directories or modules).

2. Flexible Reporting

   • Coverage reporting can be split by project, enabling teams to view and analyze results specific to their scope of work.
   • Reports can be generated and uploaded separately for each project (e.g., from different CI providers).

3. Custom Configuration and Access Control

   • Unique settings can be applied to each project.
   • Access control can be scoped to teams responsible for a specific project, ensuring separation of concerns.

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Goals and Benefits

• Improved Flexibility: Customers can logically separate code coverage reporting, even if all the code lives in the same monorepo.
• Enhanced Access Management: Teams can have access only to their relevant projects and reports.
• Better Integration: Accommodates unique CI setups, workflows, and tooling for different modules within a monorepo.
• Separation of Concerns: Allows better isolation of coverage reports, settings, and analysis for distinct parts of a monorepo.

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Summary

By introducing the concept of projects within Codecov, customers gain the flexibility to treat specific parts of a large monorepo as independent entities. This improves coverage visibility, configuration flexibility, and access control while addressing the unique challenges faced by teams working within complex monorepos.

Note: while some granularity can be achieved via flags and components, it is still a limiting factor, when it comes to larger repos and features such as modular config and access control.

[rohan-at-sentry]

somewhat related https://www.notion.so/sentry/UI-changes-to-better-reflect-monorepo-setups-1198b10e4b5d80b299dbc59a90839c6e?pvs=4