Blubber

the Blubber name is an obvious play on the Docker whale.

Wikimedia Release Engineering's Blubber: a BuildKit frontend

Blubber (GitLab repo) (GitHub mirror repo) is a BuildKit frontend developed by Wikimedia Release Engineering for building application container images. Its core functionality lies in defining container images from a minimal set of declarative constructs written in Yaml.

Key features

Composability, Determinism, Cache Efficiency, and Secure Defaults

Blubber prioritizes these characteristics in its image building process.

• Integration with BuildKit: Blubber functions as a frontend for BuildKit, allowing it to work with buildctl and docker build commands.

Multi-platform Builds and Image Attestations

It supports building images for multiple platforms simultaneously and generating attestations such as Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) and provenance metadata.

YAML-based Configuration

Image definitions are written in YAML, promoting readability and ease of management.

Blubber work-alikes

While Blubber offers a specialized approach to container image building, several tools provide similar functionalities, particularly in the realm of building images from declarative specifications or within container environments:

Buildah

A command-line tool that can build images from Dockerfiles and create container images from scratch or by using an existing image as a starting point. It offers fine-grained control over the image building process and can be used to build images layer by layer.

Kaniko

A tool designed for building container images within a Kubernetes cluster. It doesn't require a Docker daemon and can build images from Dockerfiles and other sources.

Docker Buildx

An extension for Docker that leverages BuildKit's advanced features, including multi-platform builds and enhanced caching capabilities.

Ko

Focuses on building Go applications and packaging them into container images, simplifying the process of creating images for Go projects.

Pack

Separates the build container from the final run container, allowing for more secure and optimized images.

Apko

A build tool that strictly enforces the use of APK packages for image content, enabling the creation of minimal and secure base images, according to Chainguard.

These tools, similar to Blubber, aim to provide more efficient, secure, and controlled ways of building container images compared to traditional Dockerfile-based approaches, catering to various use cases and preferences within the container ecosystem.

README

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Docs

• https://doc.wikimedia.org/releng/blubber/
• https://wikitech.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:TCipriani_(WMF)/Blubber