CAPD(Dev) Proposal

Author: fabriziopandini

docs/proposals/20250124-From CAPD(docker) to CAPD(dev) .md

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+---
+title: From CAPD(docker) to CAPD(dev)
+authors:
+  - "@fabrziopandini"
+reviewers:
+  - ""
+creation-date: 2025-01-25
+last-updated: 2025-01-25
+status: implementable
+see-also: []  
+replaces: []
+superseded-by: []  
+---
+
+# From CAPD(docker) to CAPD(dev)
+
+## Table of Contents
+
+- [Summary](#summary)
+- [Motivation](#motivation)
+  - [Goals](#goals)
+  - [Non-Goals](#non-goalsfuture-work)
+- [Proposal](#proposal)
+- [Implementation History](#implementation-history)
+
+## Summary
+
+This document proposes to evolve the CAPD(docker) provider into a more generic CAPD(dev) provider
+supporting multiple backends including docker, in-memory, may be also kubemark.
+
+## Motivation
+
+In the Cluster API core repository  we currently have two infrastructure providers designed for use during development
+and test, CAPD(docker) and CAPIM(in-memory).
+
+If we look to all the Kubernetes SIG cluster lifecycle sub projects, there is also a third infrastructure provider
+designed for development and test, CAPK(Kubemark).
+
+Maintaining all those providers requires a certain amount or work, and this work mostly falls on a small set
+of maintainers taking care of CI/release signal.
+
+This proposal aims to reduce above toil and reducing the size/complexity of test machinery in Cluster API 
+by bringing together all the infrastructure providers designed for use during development and listed above.
+
+### Goals
+
+- Reduce toil and maintenance effort for infrastructure provider designed for development and test.
+
+### Non-Goals
+
+- Host any infrastructure provider designed for development and test outside of the scope defined above.
+
+## Proposal
+
+This proposal aims to evolve the CAPD(docker) provider into a more generic CAPD(dev) provider
+capable to support multiple backends including docker, in-memory, may be also kubemark.
+
+The transition will happen in two phases:
+
+In phase 1, targeting CAPI 1.1 (current release cycle), two new kinds will be introduced in CAPD: `DevCluster` and `DevMachine`
+
+`DevCluster` and `DevMachine` will have 
+- A `docker` backend, functionally equivalent to `DockerCluster` and `DockerMachine`
+- An `inMemory`, functionally equivalent to CAPIM's `InMemoryCluster` and `InMemoryMachine`
+- if and when Maintainers of CAPK(Kubemark) will choose to converge to CAPD(dev), a `kubemark` backend,  
+  functionally equivalent to `KubemarkMachine` (there is no `KubemarkCluster`)
+
+Below you can fin an example of `DockerCluster` and corresponding `DevMachine` using the docker backend:
+
+```yaml
+apiVersion: infrastructure.cluster.x-k8s.io/v1beta1
+kind: DockerMachine
+metadata:
+  name: controlplane
+spec:
+  extraMounts:
+    - containerPath: "/var/run/docker.sock"
+      hostPath: "/var/run/docker.sock"
+```
+
+```yaml
+apiVersion: infrastructure.cluster.x-k8s.io/v1beta1
+kind: DevMachine
+metadata:
+  name: controlplane
+spec:
+  backend:
+    docker:
+      extraMounts:
+        - containerPath: "/var/run/docker.sock"
+          hostPath: "/var/run/docker.sock"
+```
+
+And an example of `InMemoryMachine` and corresponding `DevMachine` using the in memory backend:
+
+```yaml
+apiVersion: infrastructure.cluster.x-k8s.io/alpha1
+kind: InMemoryMachine
+metadata:
+  name: in-memory-control-plane
+spec:
+  behaviour:
+    inMemory:
+      vm:
+        provisioning:
+          startupDuration: "10s"
+          startupJitter: "0.2"
+      node:
+        provisioning:
+          startupDuration: "2s"
+          startupJitter: "0.2"
+      apiServer:
+        provisioning:
+          startupDuration: "2s"
+          startupJitter: "0.2"
+      etcd:
+        provisioning:
+          startupDuration: "2s"
+          startupJitter: "0.2"
+```
+
+```yaml
+apiVersion: infrastructure.cluster.x-k8s.io/v1beta1
+kind: DevMachine
+metadata:
+  name: in-memory-control-plane
+spec:
+  backend:
+    inMemory:
+      vm:
+        provisioning:
+          startupDuration: "10s"
+          startupJitter: "0.2"
+      node:
+        provisioning:
+          startupDuration: "2s"
+          startupJitter: "0.2"
+      apiServer:
+        provisioning:
+          startupDuration: "2s"
+          startupJitter: "0.2"
+      etcd:
+        provisioning:
+          startupDuration: "2s"
+          startupJitter: "0.2"
+```
+
+Please note that at the end of phase 1
+- `DockerCluster` and `DockerMachine` will continue to exist, thus allowing maintainers and users 
+  time to migrate progressively to the new kinds; however, it is important to notice that
+  `DockerCluster` and `DockerMachine` should be considered as deprecated from now on.
+- `InMemoryCluster` and `InMemoryMachine` will be removed, as well as the entire CAPIM provider.
+  (CAPIM is used only for CAPI scale tests, so users are not impacted and migration can be executed faster).
+
+Phase 2 consist of the actual removal of `DockerCluster` and `DockerMachine`; this phase will happen after maintainers 
+will complete the transition of all the E2E tests to `DevCluster` and `DevMachine`; considering we have upgrade tests using
+older releases of CAPD, completing this phase would likely require a few release cycles, targeting tentatively CAPI 1.13, Apr 2026.
+
+## Implementation History
+
+- [ ] 2025-01-25: Open proposal PR
+- [ ] 2025-01-29: Present proposal at a community meeting