---
title: Hack
---

## Quick start

Get a fresh copy of the `abra` source code from [here](https://git.coopcloud.tech/coop-cloud/abra).

Install [direnv](https://direnv.net), run `cp .envrc.sample .envrc`, then run `direnv allow` in this directory. This will set coopcloud repos as private due to [this bug.](https://git.coopcloud.tech/coop-cloud/coopcloud.tech/issues/20#issuecomment-8201). Or you can run `go env -w GOPRIVATE=coopcloud.tech` but I'm not sure how persistent this is.

Install [Go >= 1.16](https://golang.org/doc/install) and then:

- `make build` to build
- `./abra` to run commands
- `make test` will run tests
- `make install` will install it to `$GOPATH/bin`
- `go get <package>` and `go mod tidy` to add a new dependency

Our [Drone CI configuration](https://git.coopcloud.tech/coop-cloud/abra/src/branch/main/.drone.yml) runs a number of checks on each pushed commit. See the [Makefile](https://git.coopcloud.tech/coop-cloud/abra/src/branch/main/Makefile) for more handy targets.

Please use the [conventional commit format](https://www.conventionalcommits.org/en/v1.0.0/) for your commits so we can automate our change log.

### `abra` integration tests

We use [`bats`](https://bats-core.readthedocs.io/en/stable/), you can install
the required dependencies with the following. You also need a working
installation of Docker and Go.

```
apt install bats bats-assert bats-support jq make git
```

Then you can run the integration test suite with the following:

```
export ABRA_DIR="$HOME/.abra_test"
bats tests/integration --timing --pretty
```

You can use `--filter <name>` to run specific tests. Or pass the filename to
run all tests from a specific file.

### Using the `abra` public API

Warning, there is currently no stability promise for the `abra` public API! Most of the internals are exposed in order to allow a free hand for developers to try build stuff. If people start to build things then we can start the discussion on what is useful to have open/closed and keep stable etc. Please let us know if you depend on the APIs!

The `pkg.go.dev` documentation is [here](https://pkg.go.dev/coopcloud.tech/abra). Here's a brief example to get you going:

```go
package main

import (
	"context"
	"fmt"
	"log"

	abraClient "coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/client"
	dockerClient "github.com/docker/docker/client"
)

func getClient(serverName string) (*dockerClient.Client, error) {
	cl, err := abraClient.New(serverName)
	if err != nil {
		return nil, fmt.Errorf("getClient: %s", err)
	}
	return cl, nil
}

func main() {
	cl, err := getClient("foo.example.com")
	if err != nil {
		log.Fatal(err)
	}

    // do stuff with the client...
    // https://pkg.go.dev/github.com/docker/docker/client
}
```

Some tools that are making use of the API so far are:

* [`kadabra`](https://git.coopcloud.tech/coop-cloud/abra/src/branch/main/cmd/kadabra/main.go)

### Cross-compiling

If there's no official release for the architecture you use, you can cross-compile `abra` very easily. Clone the source code from [here](https://git.coopcloud.tech/coop-cloud/abra) and then:

- enter the `abra` directory
- run `git tag -l` to see the list of tags, choose the latest one
- run `git checkout <tag>`, where `<tag>` is the latest version
- run `GOOS=<os> GOARCH=<arch> [GOARM=<arm>] make build`. You only have to use `GOARM` if you're building for ARM, this specifies the ARM version (5,6,7 etc). See [this](https://go.dev/doc/install/source#environment) for a list of all supported OS'es and architectures.

### Building in Docker

If you are living under a curse of constant Go environment problems, it might be easier to build `abra` using Docker:

```
sudo setenforce 0  # SELinux probably won't allow Docker to access files
docker run -it -v $PWD:/abra golang:1.19.6 bash
cd /abra
. .envrc
git config --global --add safe.directory /abra  # work around funky file permissions
make build
```

## Release management

We use [goreleaser](https://goreleaser.com) to help us automate releases. We use [semver](https://semver.org) for versioning all releases of the tool. While we are still in the public beta release phase, we will maintain a `0.y.z-beta` format. Change logs are generated from our commit logs. We are still working this out and aim to refine our release praxis as we go.

For developers, while using this `-beta` format, the `y` part is the "major" version part. So, if you make breaking changes, you increment that and _not_ the `x` part. So, if you're on `0.1.0-beta`, then you'd go to `0.1.1-beta` for a backwards compatible change and `0.2.0-beta` for a backwards incompatible change.

### Making a new release

- Change `ABRA_VERSION` in [`scripts/installer/installer`](https://git.coopcloud.tech/coop-cloud/abra/src/branch/main/scripts/installer/installer) to match the new tag (use [semver](https://semver.org))
- Commit that change (e.g. `git commit -m 'chore: publish next tag x.y.z-beta'`)
- Make a new tag (e.g. `git tag -a x.y.z-beta`)
- Push the new tag (e.g. `git push && git push --tags`)
- Wait until the build finishes on [build.coopcloud.tech](https://build.coopcloud.tech/coop-cloud/abra)
- Deploy the new installer script (e.g. `cd ./scripts/installer && make`)
- Check the release worked, (e.g. `abra upgrade; abra -v`)

## Fork maintenance

### `godotenv`

We maintain a fork of [godotenv](https://github.com/Autonomic-Cooperative/godotenv) because we need inline comment parsing for environment files. You can upgrade the version here by running `go get github.com/Autonomic-Cooperative/godotenv@<commit>` where `<commit>` is the latest commit you want to pin to. At time of writing, `go get github.com/Autonomic-Cooperative/godotenv@b031ea1211e7fd297af4c7747ffb562ebe00cd33` is the command you want to run to maintain the above functionality.

### `docker/client`

A number of modules in [pkg/upstream](https://git.coopcloud.tech/coop-cloud/abra/src/branch/main/pkg/upstream) are copy/pasta'd from the upstream [docker/docker/client](https://pkg.go.dev/github.com/docker/docker/client). We had to do this because upstream are not exposing their API as public.

### `github.com/schultz-is/passgen`

Due to [`coop-cloud/organising#358`](https://git.coopcloud.tech/coop-cloud/organising/issues/358).