Wiki - https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Changes/Adopt_PURL_Metadata
Discussion Thread - https://discussion.fedoraproject.org/t/f45-change-proposal-adopt-purl-metadata-system-wide/192435 This is a proposed Change for Fedora Linux. This document represents a proposed Change. As part of the Changes process, proposals are publicly announced in order to receive community feedback. This proposal will only be implemented if approved by the Fedora Engineering Steering Committee. == Summary == Package metadata will be enhanced with standardized identifiers based on the PURL (Package-URL) specification with the goal of simplifying the mapping between upstream projects and Fedora packages. == Owner == * Name: [[User:Decathorpe| Fabio Valentini]] * Email: decathorpe AT gmail DOT com == Detailed Description == The Package-URL (PURL) standard privides a "standardized URL-based syntax that uniquely identifies software packages, independent of their ecosystem or distribution channel" ([https://github.com/package-url/purl-spec from the project README]). It is being adopted by many projects across the ecosystem - including the [https://cyclonedx.org/ CycloneDX] and SPDX SBOM formats, various software vulnerability databases, and the CVE Record Format ([https://github.com/CVEProject/cve-schema/releases/tag/v5.2.0 added as an optional field in version 5.2.0]). By adding standardized identifiers to Fedora packages, it becomes easier to map upstream projects to packages - for example, to identify which packages are affected by a security vulnerability. The PURL standard defines this URL scheme: <code> scheme:type/namespace/name@version?qualifiers#subpath </code> For many "types" of packages, RPM generators already add virtual "Provides" for packages (for example, <code>crate(libc) = 0.2.186</code> or <code>rubygem(kramdown) = 2.5.2</code>) - but this is a downstream-specific format. The RPM generators for package ecosystems that are supported by the PURL specification will be extended to also add metadata in the PURL format (like <code>purl(pkg:cargo/[email protected])</code> or <code>purl(pkg:gem/[email protected]</code>). The next package rebuild after the necessary RPM generator changes land will include this new metadata. This could then be extended to <code>bundled(...)</code> virtual Provides as well, which are currently even more heterogeneous since there's no standardized format for them in Fedora, and could potentially replace existing non-standard <code>bundled(...)</code> Provides in many cases. The initial target of this Change is to start adding virtual Provides in PURL format for packages in the following language ecosystems: * "cargo" (Rust crates) * "cpan" (Perl packages) * "cran" (R packages) * "gem" (RubyGems) * "hackage" (Haskell packages) * "maven" (Java packages) * "npm" (NodeJS / NPM packages) * "opam" (OCaml packages) * "pypi" (Python packages from PyPI) Currently, the only supported PURL "type" for C/C++ projects appears to be "conan", which is not useful in this context, but new types are [https://github.com/package-url/purl-spec/issues?q=is%3Aissue%20state%3Aopen%20label%3A%22PURL%20type%20new%22 getting added to the spec regularly]. This will likely be an iterative process and the necessary changes might not happen for all language ecosystems in just one release cycle. == Feedback == TBD == Benefit to Fedora == This Change aims at making it easier and more reliable to identify which packages contain code from what projects. This allows for more reliable identification of packages affected by security vulnerabilities. Additionally, this metadata might be interesting for generating SBOMs for content included in (container) images. == Scope == * Proposal owners: Implement adaptations for RPM generators to emit the new virtual Provides. * Other developers: Review and apply changes to RPM generators and other packages, where necessary. * Release engineering: [https://forge.fedoraproject.org/releng/tickets/issues/13347 #13347] This Change requires a mass rebuild for affected packages to get the new metadata. * Policies and guidelines: Update Packaging Guidelines to recommend attaching metadata in PURL format to packages, where possible (to be determined if this also applies to <code>bundled(...)</code> Provides). FPC Ticket: https://forge.fedoraproject.org/packaging/guidelines/issues/1536 * Trademark approval: N/A (not needed for this Change) * Alignment with the Fedora Strategy: N/A (not needed for this Change) == Upgrade/compatibility impact == This Change only provides additional package metadata and should have no effect on upgrades or backwards compatibility. == Early Testing (Optional) == N/A Do you require 'QA Blueprint' support? N == How To Test == Packages that are rebuilt after these changes land should have additional RPM Provides. This can be verified by running something like <code>dnf --provides perl-Errno</code> and looking for an entry in the <code>purl(...)</code> format. == User Experience == No direct impact to user experience is expected. However, easier identification of packages that are affected by security vulnerabilities should enable fixes for these issues to happen more reliably (and potentially faster). == Dependencies == '''Direct dependencies''': * Packages that contain the RPM generator implementations '''Indirect dependencies''': * Everything. == Contingency Plan == This is a purely additive and / or metadata-only Change. If the necessary changes are not finished by the mass rebuild date, they can still land at a later point in time, but will only affect a subset of packages. For best results, the changes should land before the Mass Rebuild, but this is not strictly necessary. * Contingency mechanism: Changes do not need to be reverted. If changes are not complete before the mass rebuild, it might need to be documented that the Change will only be partially implemented for the targeted Fedora release, and that only the next release will benefit fully. * Contingency deadline: Mass rebuild. * Blocks release? No. == Documentation == * [https://packageurl.org/ Package-URL Homepage] * [https://github.com/package-url/purl-spec PURL specification] * [https://github.com/package-url/purl-spec/tree/main/types List of valid package types] == Release Notes == -- Aoife Moloney Fedora Operations Architect Fedora Project Matrix: @amoloney:fedora.im IRC: amoloney -- _______________________________________________ devel-announce mailing list -- [email protected] To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] Fedora Code of Conduct: https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/project/code-of-conduct/ List Guidelines: https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Mailing_list_guidelines List Archives: https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/[email protected] Do not reply to spam, report it: https://forge.fedoraproject.org/infra/tickets/issues/new
