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HEPHY_VISION.md - Resurrect "Git Push Deis Main" with Modern Tooling

Status: Vision Document - Future Roadmap
Target: hephy-builder v2.0
Heritage: Deis Workflow → Hephy Workflow → Modern Container/WASM Builds

🏛️ The Deis Workflow Heritage

What We Lost

Back in the day, Deis Workflow provided the "Heroku in a box" experience:

  • git push deis main → automatic builds → running application
  • Simple, elegant developer experience
  • Platform-as-a-Service without vendor lock-in
  • One command deploy from any Git repository

What Happened

  • Deis v1: CoreOS + Fleet + systemd + Docker (worked!)
  • Deis Workflow: Kubernetes orchestration (advanced!)
  • Acquisition: Microsoft acquired the team, donated code to CNCF
  • Legacy: Hephy Workflow continues the vision

Modern Reality

  • Everyone wants to build their own PaaS
  • Complex CI/CD pipelines with dozens of steps
  • Lost simplicity of git push deployment
  • Modern tools (Kaniko, Ko, Spin) need integration

🎯 The Hephy Builder Vision

Core Mission: "Git Push Deis Main Again"

Recreate the simple deployment experience with modern, secure, multi-platform tooling.

# The dream workflow
git add .
git commit -m "fix: update API endpoint"
git push hephy main

# Behind the scenes: 
# 1. Multi-platform CI detection (GitHub Actions or GitLab CI)
# 2. Smart build backend selection (Kaniko/BuildKit/Ko/Spin)
# 3. Multi-arch builds and manifest creation  
# 4. Deploy to modern orchestrator (Kubernetes/SpinKube)
# 5. Tail deployment logs automatically

Technical Architecture Evolution

Phase 1: Multi-Backend Builder (Current Focus)

# Enhanced build-config.yaml
build_backend: kaniko|buildkit|ko|spin
ci_platform: gitlab|github  
upstream_repo: https://github.com/owner/repo
platforms:
  - linux/amd64
  - linux/arm64
  - wasm32-wasi  # For Spin builds

Phase 2: Platform Portability

  • GitHub Actions components equivalent to GitLab CI
  • Portable workflow files that work in any repository
  • Enterprise support for self-hosted Git/CI platforms

Phase 3: Modern PaaS Integration

  • SpinKube integration for WebAssembly workloads
  • Hephy Workflow compatibility for container workloads
  • Post-receive hooks with log tailing (gh run watch equivalent)

🛠️ Build Backend Matrix

Kaniko: The Foundation

  • ✅ Current working solution
  • ✅ Security model: Rootless, no Docker daemon
  • ❌ Limitation: Cannot build advanced BuildKit features

BuildKit: The Advanced

  • 🎯 Target: Handle what Kaniko cannot
  • ✅ Features: RUN --mount=cache, RUN --mount=secret
  • ✅ Kaniko itself needs BuildKit to build
  • 🔧 Integration: Hybrid approach for complex Dockerfiles

Ko: The Go Optimizer

  • 🎯 Target: Superior Go application builds
  • ✅ Benefits: "Far and away superior in the niche it serves, at a lower price"
  • ✅ Features: No Dockerfile needed, distroless images, fast builds
  • 🔧 Use case: Automatic backend for Go projects

Spin: The Future

  • 🎯 Target: WebAssembly application builds
  • ✅ Benefits: Fast startup, secure sandbox, great developer experience
  • ✅ Orchestration: SpinKube for Kubernetes deployment
  • 🔧 Vision: Modern alternative to traditional containers

🌉 Platform Portability Strategy

Current State: GitLab CI Specific

# .gitlab-ci.yml (current)
prepare:
  stage: prepare
  image: alpine/git:latest
  script: ./hack/prepare_diff.sh

Target State: Platform Agnostic Components

# GitHub Actions (.github/workflows/hephy-build.yml)
name: Hephy Build
on: [push, pull_request]
jobs:
  build:
    uses: kingdon-ci/hephy-builder/.github/workflows/build.yml@main
    with:
      backend: ko  # or kaniko, buildkit, spin
# GitLab CI (.gitlab-ci.yml)  
include:
  - remote: 'https://raw.githubusercontent.com/kingdon-ci/hephy-builder/main/gitlab/hephy-build.yml'

variables:
  HEPHY_BACKEND: spin  # or kaniko, buildkit, ko

🎪 The Developer Experience

Repository Setup (One-time)

# Add hephy-builder to any repository
curl -sSL https://install.hephy.dev | bash
# Creates: .hephy/build-config.yaml, CI workflow files

Project Build Configuration

# .hephy/build-config.yaml
build_backend: ko  # Auto-detected for Go projects
platforms:
  - linux/amd64
  - linux/arm64
additional_tags:
  - latest
  - ${GITHUB_REF_NAME}

The Magic Moment

git push origin main
# → Automatic detection of optimal build backend
# → Multi-arch builds on appropriate CI platform  
# → Registry push with professional tagging
# → Optional: SpinKube/Hephy deployment
# → Log tailing until completion

🏗️ Implementation Roadmap

Phase 1: Backend Diversification (Issues #11, #12)

  1. Add Ko backend for Go application optimization
  2. Add Spin backend for WebAssembly builds
  3. Maintain Kaniko as stable foundation
  4. Plan BuildKit integration for advanced features

Phase 2: Platform Expansion (Issue #10)

  1. GitHub Actions workflow equivalent
  2. Component library for easy inclusion
  3. Enterprise support for self-hosted platforms
  4. Migration tools from GitLab CI to GitHub Actions

Phase 3: PaaS Integration (Future)

  1. SpinKube integration for WASM orchestration
  2. Hephy Workflow compatibility for container deployment
  3. Developer experience tools (log tailing, status monitoring)
  4. Documentation and community building

🎭 Success Metrics

Technical Excellence

  • Multi-backend builds: Ko faster than Kaniko for Go projects
  • Platform portability: Same config works on GitHub/GitLab
  • Developer experience: One command from commit to running app

Community Impact

  • Resurrection of simplicity: "git push deis main" workflow returns
  • Modern security: WebAssembly + container hybrid deployments
  • Enterprise adoption: Self-hosted Git/CI platform support

Heritage Connection

  • Deis spirit: Simple, powerful, developer-focused
  • Modern tooling: Leverage best of 2025 ecosystem
  • Open source: Community-driven development and adoption

💭 The Vision Statement

hephy-builder resurrects the elegant simplicity of "git push deis main" using modern, secure, multi-platform tooling. By supporting multiple build backends (Kaniko, Ko, Spin) and CI platforms (GitHub, GitLab), we provide developers the best tool for each job while maintaining the one-command deployment experience that made Deis Workflow magical.

Whether you're building Go microservices with Ko, WebAssembly components with Spin, or traditional containers with Kaniko—hephy-builder handles the complexity so you can focus on code, not CI/CD configuration.

The future is simple again. git push hephy main 🚀