# apt-ostree Architecture ## Overview apt-ostree follows the same daemon-client architecture as rpm-ostree, providing a robust, secure, and scalable system for atomic package management. The architecture ensures proper privilege separation, transaction management, and system reliability. ## Core Architecture ### Daemon-Client Model ``` ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ apt-ostree (Client) │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ ┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐ │ │ │ CLI │ │ Parser │ │ Client │ │ │ │ Commands │ │ Options │ │ Library │ │ │ └─────────────┘ └─────────────┘ └─────────────┘ │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │ │ D-Bus Communication ▼ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ apt-ostreed (Daemon) │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ ┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐ │ │ │ D-Bus │ │ Transaction │ │ System │ │ │ │ Interface │ │ Manager │ │ Operations │ │ │ └─────────────┘ └─────────────┘ └─────────────┘ │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │ │ System Calls ▼ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ System Layer │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ ┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐ │ │ │ OSTree │ │ APT │ │ Bubblewrap │ │ │ │ Operations │ │ Operations │ │ Sandboxing │ │ │ └─────────────┘ └─────────────┘ └─────────────┘ │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ``` ## Component Details ### 1. Client (`apt-ostree`) **Purpose**: User interface and command processing **Key Responsibilities**: - Parse command-line arguments - Validate user input - Communicate with daemon via D-Bus - Format output for user consumption - Handle fallback to client-only operations **Key Components**: - `main.rs`: Command-line interface and dispatch - `daemon_client.rs`: D-Bus communication library - `system.rs`: Client-only fallback operations **Architecture Pattern**: ```rust // Daemon-based command with fallback let result = call_daemon_with_fallback( |client| Box::pin(client.install_packages(packages.clone(), yes, dry_run)), || Box::pin(async { // Fallback to client-only if daemon unavailable let system = AptOstreeSystem::new("debian/stable/x86_64").await?; system.install_packages(&packages, yes).await?; Ok("Packages installed successfully".to_string()) }) ).await?; ``` ### 2. Daemon (`apt-ostreed`) **Purpose**: Privileged operations and system management **Key Responsibilities**: - Handle all privileged operations - Manage OSTree repository operations - Execute APT package operations - Provide transaction management - Implement security policies **Key Components**: - `src/bin/apt-ostreed.rs`: Main daemon process - D-Bus interface implementation - Transaction management - System integration **Architecture Pattern**: ```rust #[dbus_interface(name = "org.aptostree.dev.Daemon")] impl AptOstreeDaemon { async fn install_packages(&self, packages: Vec, yes: bool, dry_run: bool) -> zbus::fdo::Result { // Privileged package installation logic // Transaction management // Error handling and rollback } } ``` ### 3. D-Bus Communication **Interface**: `org.aptostree.dev.Daemon` **Object Path**: `/org/aptostree/dev/Daemon` **Key Methods**: - `ping()`: Health check - `status()`: System status - `install_packages()`: Package installation - `remove_packages()`: Package removal - `upgrade_system()`: System upgrade - `rollback()`: System rollback **Communication Pattern**: ```rust // Client side let client = DaemonClient::new().await?; let result = client.install_packages(packages, yes, dry_run).await?; // Daemon side async fn install_packages(&self, packages: Vec, yes: bool, dry_run: bool) -> zbus::fdo::Result { // Implementation } ``` ## Security Architecture ### Privilege Separation ``` ┌─────────────────┐ Unprivileged ┌─────────────────┐ │ User Space │ ◄────────────────► │ Daemon Space │ │ (Client) │ │ (Privileged) │ │ │ │ │ │ • CLI Commands │ │ • OSTree Ops │ │ • Option Parsing│ │ • APT Ops │ │ • Output Format │ │ • File System │ │ • D-Bus Client │ │ • D-Bus Server │ └─────────────────┘ └─────────────────┘ ``` ### Security Features 1. **D-Bus Policy**: Restrictive access control 2. **Systemd Service**: Proper service isolation 3. **Bubblewrap Sandboxing**: Script execution isolation 4. **Capability Management**: Minimal privilege requirements 5. **Transaction Rollback**: Atomic operations ## Transaction Management ### Transaction Lifecycle ``` ┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐ │ Start │───►│ Execute │───►│ Commit │ │ Transaction │ │ Operations │ │ or Rollback │ └─────────────┘ └─────────────┘ └─────────────┘ │ │ │ ▼ ▼ ▼ ┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐ │ Validate │ │ Monitor │ │ Update │ │ Input │ │ Progress │ │ System │ └─────────────┘ └─────────────┘ └─────────────┘ ``` ### Atomic Operations 1. **Pre-transaction**: Validate system state 2. **Transaction**: Execute operations atomically 3. **Post-transaction**: Update system state 4. **Rollback**: Restore previous state on failure ## Filesystem Architecture ### OSTree Integration ``` /ostree/ ├── repo/ # OSTree repository │ ├── objects/ # Content-addressed objects │ ├── refs/ # Branch references │ └── config # Repository configuration ├── deploy/ # Deployments │ ├── debian/stable/x86_64/ # State root │ │ ├── deploy/ # Deployment directories │ │ └── var/ # Persistent state └── boot/ # Boot configuration ├── loader/ # Bootloader configuration └── ostree/ # OSTree boot data ``` ### Package Layering ``` ┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ User Packages │ │ (Layered on top of base deployment) │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ Base Deployment │ │ (Immutable base system) │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ OSTree Repository │ │ (Content-addressed storage) │ └─────────────────────────────────────────┘ ``` ## Bubblewrap Integration ### Sandboxing Architecture ``` ┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Bubblewrap Sandbox │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ ┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐ │ │ │ Script │ │ Package │ │ │ │ Execution │ │ Extraction │ │ │ └─────────────┘ └─────────────┘ │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ Namespace Isolation │ │ • User namespace │ │ • PID namespace │ │ • Mount namespace │ │ • Network namespace │ └─────────────────────────────────────────┘ ``` ### Security Controls 1. **Namespace Isolation**: Complete process isolation 2. **Bind Mounts**: Read-only system directories 3. **Capability Dropping**: Minimal capabilities 4. **Environment Control**: Controlled execution environment ## Error Handling ### Error Hierarchy ``` AptOstreeError ├── PermissionDenied ├── DaemonError │ ├── ConnectionFailed │ ├── MethodCallFailed │ └── TransactionFailed ├── PackageError │ ├── DownloadFailed │ ├── InstallationFailed │ └── DependencyError ├── OSTreeError │ ├── RepositoryError │ ├── CommitError │ └── DeploymentError └── SystemError ├── FilesystemError ├── NetworkError └── ConfigurationError ``` ### Recovery Mechanisms 1. **Automatic Rollback**: Transaction rollback on failure 2. **Fallback Operations**: Client-only fallback when daemon unavailable 3. **Graceful Degradation**: Continue operation with reduced functionality 4. **Error Reporting**: Clear error messages and recovery suggestions ## Performance Considerations ### Optimization Strategies 1. **Parallel Operations**: Concurrent package downloads 2. **Caching**: Package metadata and content caching 3. **Hardlink Optimization**: OSTree hardlink deduplication 4. **Streaming**: Large file streaming operations 5. **Memory Management**: Efficient memory usage patterns ### Monitoring 1. **Transaction Monitoring**: Real-time progress reporting 2. **Resource Usage**: Memory and CPU monitoring 3. **Performance Metrics**: Operation timing and throughput 4. **Error Tracking**: Error rate and type monitoring ## Deployment Architecture ### System Integration ``` ┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ System Boot │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ ┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐ │ │ │ GRUB │ │ systemd │ │ │ │ Bootloader │ │ Boot │ │ │ └─────────────┘ └─────────────┘ │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ OSTree Deployment │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ ┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐ │ │ │ apt-ostree│ │ apt-ostreed │ │ │ │ Client │ │ Daemon │ │ │ └─────────────┘ └─────────────┘ │ └─────────────────────────────────────────┘ ``` ### Service Management 1. **systemd Integration**: Proper service lifecycle management 2. **D-Bus Activation**: Automatic daemon startup 3. **Service Dependencies**: Proper dependency management 4. **Health Monitoring**: Service health checks ## Future Architecture Considerations ### Scalability 1. **Multi-Client Support**: Multiple concurrent clients 2. **Distributed Operations**: Network-based operations 3. **Caching Layer**: Distributed caching 4. **Load Balancing**: Operation distribution ### Extensibility 1. **Plugin Architecture**: Extensible functionality 2. **API Evolution**: Backward-compatible API changes 3. **Feature Flags**: Optional feature enablement 4. **Configuration Management**: Flexible configuration ### Security Enhancements 1. **AppArmor Integration**: Mandatory access control 2. **SELinux Support**: Security context management 3. **Audit Integration**: Comprehensive audit logging 4. **Cryptographic Verification**: Package integrity verification