Bacalhau project report 20220302

We took a break from feature work for a couple of weeks to focus on paying down technical debt, adding a docker executor so that Bacalhau can run anywhere - which unblocked getting CI working - getting our first integration test working, wrote a design document, and did a major refactor to introduce the first pluggable interface in the code!

• Inline testing for each check-in: with automatic tests in CI, we can accelerate feature work and start accepting lots of community contributions. This will speed us up, and avoid regressions as the codebase grows and we add complexity and contributors. Keeping tests green is how we scale the project! This is essential to evolving the project from a prototype into a running network in the future.
• Devstack command: This new subcommand starts three nodes on the same machine with an isolated IPFS network which simplifies demoing Bacalhau significantly and also provides the underpinning for the integration test suite.
• Docker executor: we can now set BACALHAU_RUNTIME=docker to avoid running every job inside a separate Firecracker microVM. This means you can run Bacalhau anywhere that Docker runs, rather than depending on Linux hosts with hardware virtualization support. We believe that in production compute node operators will want to use virtualization for secure isolation, but Docker support means anyone can kick the tires and run a demo on their own laptop or in any cloud, which will accelerate adoption.
• Big vision: We aligned with Juan on the big vision and started work on a design document for what Bacalhau will look like post prototype. The design doc will be ready for wider consumption next week.
• Scheduling spec/interface: We spoke with the ConsensusLabs team who are interested in building a smart contract implementation of the scheduler. We are introducing a new Scheduler interface which will make it possible for the ConsensusLabs team to build a smart contract implementation to issue a $BACAL coin!
• Binary releases: David also got binary releases working on GitHub and got Bacalhau running on his setup on DigitalOcean, and is developing demo instructions. And tweeted his success :)
• Preparation for Compute over Data Summit in Paris: we are planning the sessions for the Paris meeting April 5-7. In particular, the design doc and interface work will form the backbone of the presentations for that meeting.