JitPack-like (generic) alternative

[vorburger]

If I keep going with what I envision for Enola.dev, then I would like it to one fine day be able to resolve URLs looking probably something like:

http://example.org/maven-repo/https://github.com/vorburger/java-multihash@ed14893c86/com.github.multiformats:java-multihash:1.3.5

which would be a shortcut for something along the lines of:

/build
    ?image=java-temurin-21-maven-3.9.9:99367bc006651b3151f73aa033044fc1f97fc4ca
    &mount1=https://github.com/vorburger/java-multihash@ed14893c86=/work
    &command=mvn install
    &store=~/.m2/repository/com/github/multiformats/java-multihash

The starting point for anything like this should be an enola run file:/bin/ls, which returns a Thing, with content addressable output.

https://github.com/nektos/act integration would be key.

I've had this idea at the back of my mind for a while, but the discussion in #1040 (comment) prompted me to write this issue.

This is, of course, essentially a https://jitpack.io clone. But it wouldn't be specific to the Maven ecosystem, but a very generic immutable remote build cache.

It would be better than JitPack, and address e.g. some of the criticisms raised e.g. on https://committing-crimes.com/articles/2024-09-09-jitpack, notably:

• only supported fixed input (e.g. only https://github.com/vorburger/java-multihash@ed14893c86, never just https://github.com/vorburger/java-multihash)
• completely reproducible builds (not only "immutable seven days after publication")
• optionally cached using IPFS
• local first - very easy (container) to "just run it yourself"
• hosted ($) service, or ... services - choose who you trust
• signing stored output (Initial Cryptographic Support to have (some parts of) models en/de/crypted #284 et al.), with "attestations" (TBD)

At my current rate of progress in this project, I'll probably get to this one fine day next but not this century anymore. ⏲

[cstamas]

Using IPFS in Maven is something I was also tinkering of...
For start, Mimir would benefit from it a lot (ie distributed vs centralized "Maven Central")
https://github.com/maveniverse/mimir