Arch Linux Now Has a Bit-for-Bit Reproducible Docker Image

kippinsula•about 1 hour ago

reproducible images are one of those features where the payoff is mostly emotional until the day it isn't. we had an incident where two supposedly identical images on two machines had a three byte delta in a timestamp and it cost us an afternoon to bisect from the wrong end. boring win, but a real one.

dev_l1x_be•about 1 hour ago

All docker containers should have been like that. apt-get update in a docker build step is an anti pattern.

malikolivier•8 minutes ago

This is to solve such issues that I am using and running StableBuild.

It is a managed service that keeps a cached copy of your dependencies at a specific time. You can pin your dependencies within a Dockerfile and have reproducible docker images.

DuncanCoffee•41 minutes ago

I know it's an anti-pattern, but what is the alternative if you need to install some software? Pulling its tagged source code, gcc and compile everything?

rowanG077•29 minutes ago

With a binary cache that is not so bad, see for example what nix does.

Pay08•24 minutes ago

I don't really see how that's different from a normal binary install of a reproducible package. Especially with the lacking quality of a lot of Nix packages.

aa-jv•about 1 hour ago

This is a really interesting accomplishment - I am also working heavily on reproducible builds for my firmware projects, and .. lo and behold .. the package manager key administrivia is the final bone to be broken.

I wonder if Arch leading the way on this will prompt other distro's to attempt the same feat. Reproducible builds are important for certification, security and safety-critical applications .. it'd be great to see Linux distros become more conformant to this method.

Pay08•26 minutes ago

Debian already has an ongoing project for this: https://wiki.debian.org/ReproducibleBuilds.

fragmede•43 minutes ago

and they said compilers are deterministic...

This is a huge accomplishment! But it wouldn't be so huge if compilers were trivially deterministic. It took 5 decades of development for compilers to get here. I'm sure ChatGPT in 2073 is going to be more deterministic than it was in 2023.

Arch Linux Now Has a Bit-for-Bit Reproducible Docker Image

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