How to add a "build stage" to a blue-build image?

[AuraHerreroRuiz]

I've been working on migrating my ublue-template repository into blue-build.

However, I've had a problem.

When I was allowed to manually change the containerfile, I used this for adding build-stages for software I want in my image that has to be manually built, so they build on the CI and all of the build dependencies aren't installed in the main image.

How I did it was the following:

1. Add a name for the image build of ublue.

FROM ${BASE_IMAGE_URL}:${IMAGE_MAJOR_VERSION} as first-stage # Here is the important bit, adding the name. I used first-stage
# From here on out, it's the containerfile as defined by the template, no modifications made.
ARG RECIPE=recipe.yml
ARG IMAGE_REGISTRY=ghcr.io/ublue-os
ARG GH_GET_TOKEN

COPY cosign.pub /usr/share/ublue-os/cosign.pub

COPY --from=ghcr.io/ublue-os/bling:latest /rpms /tmp/bling/rpms
COPY --from=ghcr.io/ublue-os/bling:latest /files /tmp/bling/files
# etc...

2. After all the commands to build the ublue image are done, I start adding my "build stages" with their own names

# This RUN command finalizes the container build with the build script
RUN chmod +x /tmp/build.sh && /tmp/build.sh && \
        rm -rf /tmp/* /var/*

# Instead of now running "RUN ostree container commit", I start building some software in a fedora container of the same version, using a script copied from a directory called "sources" in the main repository.
FROM fedora:${IMAGE_MAJOR_VERSION} as lightly-qt-builder # Name this image for later

COPY sources/build-scripts /tmp/build-scripts

RUN chmod +x /tmp/build-scripts/lightly-qt.sh && \
        /tmp/build-scripts/lightly-qt.sh

3. After all of the build-stages are done, I return to the main image using FROM name, and use COPY commands to add the built artifacts to the main image, and then I committed the container.

FROM first-stage

# Copy Bup and Kup artifacts from builder into image
COPY --from=kup-builder /tmp/kupbuilt/usr /usr
COPY --from=kup-builder /tmp/kupbuilt/etc /usr/etc
COPY --from=kup-builder /tmp/bupbuilt/usr /usr

RUN ostree container commit

I have seen there is a containerfile module, which doesn't seem like it can solve my issue. All it can do is add commands after the main image, not before. From what I can tell, there is no way to either:

• First build all of the software I need before FROM ghcr.io/ublue-os/whateverimage-main:39 and then using COPYs to add everything

• Return to the main image with a FROM name since I have no way to add a name to the main image.

Perhaps there is something I missed that could help me accomplish this with the complied containerfile format blue-build uses, in that case I'd be very grateful if it was pointed out.

[xynydev]

Support for stages is planned, but does not exist as of now. blue-build/cli#108

For now, a clunky workaround would be to do the builds in a separate container.

[AuraHerreroRuiz]

I'm glad to see it's a planned feature!

I however don't understand what you mean by "separate" container, or how I would go about implementing it.

[xynydev]

I however don't understand what you mean by "separate" container, or how I would go about implementing it.

By a separate container, I mean that you would create a file such as auraos-software-builds.Containerfile in your repo, and use a new GitHub workflow to build it. (we have an 'example' here) Then you could just use the containerfile module to add COPY --from=ghcr.io/auraherreroruiz/auraos-software-builds /tmp/kupbuilt/whatever /whatever to your main build.

That should work, and is better if you want multiple images to share the same custom-built software, or want to build the software with a different schedule than your image.

[AuraHerreroRuiz]

Oh I see, thank you very much for the clarification! I'll mark it as the answer.

[gmpinder]

FYI @AuraHerreroRuiz I have a PR out now to add that functionality blue-build/cli#173