Let me start this report by saying it is still possible to join our Alpha Test. So if you want to help us, please email us.

In August we have mostly worked on making OpenAppStack easier to configure and install. We have worked on an installation script to replace the relatively complex installation instructions we have now. Additionally, we have done maintenance: among other things we upgraded Kubernetes and Nextcloud.

Easier installation

We are in the process of overhauling the way you set up your VPS for OpenAppStack and install it. We are also adding a way to manage several OAS servers. This is especially useful for the OAS team to help testers quickly and efficiently and manage their own test instances.

Before, installing OpenAppStack on a machine involved manually editing a few files and then running Ansible. If you wanted to install OpenAppStack in several environments, you had to repeat those steps and manually bookkeep which configuration files were for which OAS instance. Bad bookkeeping of those files resulted into several Nextcloud instances being deleted by accident, so this problem really needed a solution.

Now, we have written a command line client that does all that work for you. It also integrates with the Greenhost API, so we can set up test instances with two command line calls and no file editing. The client also saves configuration files in one folder per OAS instance, making it easier to share those credentials with others. In the future we will also be able protect your credentials by encrypting this whole folder.

Other work

Apart from making the installation easier, we have updated the documentation. We have also updated Kubernetes, Nextcloud and Cert manager to newer versions and tidied up file management on the OAS server. Our CI pipeline now uses “kaniko” for building Docker images, instead of the less secure “docker in docker” method we used before.

Lastly, we have started incorporating Flux, the auto update mechanism we wrote about last month. And we have worked on the Single Sign on mechanisms. However, with most of our team enjoying holidays in August, we have not made a lot of progress in these areas. We expect to be able to inform you about this next month, though!