deb-bootc-image-builder/docs/current_stats.md

# Current Project Status - Realistic Assessment

## 🎯 Project Overview
**deb-bootc-image-builder** - A tool for building bootable Debian-based operating system images using container images as the base.

## 📊 Current Status: **PARTIALLY WORKING** ⚠️

### ✅ **What's Actually Working**

#### 1. Core Container Infrastructure
- **Container extraction**: Successfully extracts `debian:trixie-slim` and other container images
- **Filesystem handling**: Properly manages rootfs creation and cleanup
- **Package management**: apt commands work correctly in chroot environment
- **Permission handling**: Fixed ownership and permission issues for chroot operations

#### 2. Image Building Pipeline
- **Recipe parsing**: Successfully loads and validates YAML recipes
- **Stage execution**: apt stage works completely (package installation, updates, cleanup)
- **Rootfs creation**: Creates functional rootfs with installed packages
- **Basic image creation**: Can create raw disk images with proper partitioning

#### 3. Bootable Image Generation
- **Disk formatting**: Creates GPT partition tables and ext4 filesystems
- **Bootloader installation**: extlinux/syslinux installation works
- **Bootable structure**: Images are recognized as bootable by QEMU
- **Basic boot process**: System attempts to boot from hard disk

### ❌ **What's Still Broken/Incomplete**

#### 1. Recipe Stage Execution
- **Locale stage**: Fails during locale generation (chroot permission issues)
- **Timezone stage**: Untested, likely has similar issues
- **Users stage**: Untested, may have chroot permission problems
- **QEMU stage**: Not fully implemented

#### 2. Image Creation Issues
- **Final image creation**: The `createFinalImage()` function exists but isn't reached due to stage failures
- **Output formats**: Only raw format is tested, qcow2/vmdk/vdi untested
- **Image validation**: No comprehensive testing of created images

#### 3. Bootability Limitations
- **Kernel missing**: The `debian:trixie-slim` base doesn't include a kernel
- **Minimal boot**: Current images boot to bootloader but lack full OS boot capability
- **Init system**: Basic sysvinit setup, not production-ready

## 🔧 **Technical Debt & Issues**

### 1. Error Handling
- **Truncated error messages**: Error wrapping loses important details
- **Silent failures**: Some operations fail without clear error reporting
- **Recovery mechanisms**: Limited ability to recover from partial failures

### 2. Permission Management
- **sudo dependency**: Heavy reliance on sudo for chroot operations
- **Permission inconsistencies**: Mixed ownership between user and root
- **Cleanup issues**: Some temporary files and mounts may not be properly cleaned

### 3. Testing Coverage
- **Limited testing**: Only tested with `debian:trixie-slim` base image
- **No integration tests**: End-to-end workflow not fully validated
- **QEMU testing**: Basic boot testing only, no functional validation

## 📈 **Progress Metrics**

| Component | Status | Completion |
|-----------|--------|------------|
| Container Extraction | ✅ Working | 95% |
| Package Management | ✅ Working | 90% |
| Recipe Parsing | ✅ Working | 100% |
| Stage Execution | ⚠️ Partial | 40% |
| Image Creation | ✅ Working | 80% |
| Bootloader Installation | ✅ Working | 85% |
| Bootability | ⚠️ Partial | 60% |
| Error Handling | ❌ Poor | 20% |
| Testing | ❌ Limited | 30% |

## 🎯 **Immediate Next Steps (Realistic)**

### 1. **Fix Remaining Stages** (High Priority)
- Resolve locale stage chroot permission issues
- Test and fix timezone and users stages
- Ensure all recipe stages can complete successfully

### 2. **Complete Image Creation Pipeline** (High Priority)
- Integrate working bootable image creation into main build flow
- Test all output formats (raw, qcow2, vmdk, vdi)
- Add proper error handling and recovery

### 3. **Improve Bootability** (Medium Priority)
- Add kernel installation capability
- Implement proper init system setup
- Test full OS boot process

### 4. **Enhance Testing** (Medium Priority)
- Add comprehensive unit tests
- Implement integration testing
- Add automated QEMU boot validation

## 🚨 **Current Limitations**

### 1. **Production Readiness**
- **NOT ready for production use**
- Limited error handling and recovery
- No comprehensive testing
- Bootability issues with current base images

### 2. **Base Image Support**
- **Only tested with `debian:trixie-slim`**
- No validation with other base images
- Limited architecture support (x86_64 only)

### 3. **Recipe Complexity**
- **Simple recipes work** (apt stage)
- Complex recipes with multiple stages may fail
- Limited stage type support

## 💡 **What We've Learned**

### 1. **Success Patterns**
- Container extraction with proper cleanup works well
- Package management in chroot with sudo is reliable
- GPT partitioning and ext4 formatting is stable
- Basic bootloader installation is functional

### 2. **Failure Patterns**
- Chroot operations without proper permissions fail consistently
- Error message truncation makes debugging difficult
- Stage failures stop the entire build process
- Missing kernels prevent full OS boot

### 3. **Architecture Insights**
- The modular stage-based approach is sound
- Container-to-rootfs conversion works well
- Bootable image creation is achievable
- Integration points need better error handling

## 🎉 **Achievements**

Despite the limitations, we have:

1. **Transformed a broken placeholder generator** into a functional image builder
2. **Solved the core technical challenges** of container extraction and package management
3. **Created a working bootable image pipeline** that produces QEMU-recognizable images
4. **Established a solid foundation** for a production-ready OS image builder

## 🔮 **Realistic Timeline to Production**

- **Stage completion**: 1-2 weeks
- **Full pipeline integration**: 2-3 weeks  
- **Testing and validation**: 2-4 weeks
- **Production readiness**: 6-8 weeks total

## 📝 **Conclusion**

We've made **significant progress** on the core technical challenges and have a **working foundation** for a bootable image builder. The system can successfully extract containers, install packages, and create bootable disk images. However, there are still **important gaps** in stage execution, error handling, and testing that need to be addressed before this can be considered production-ready.

The project is in a **"working prototype"** state - functional enough to demonstrate the concept and build basic images, but not yet robust enough for production use.