Using a customized devfile to create a workspace

Devfiles are yaml text files used for development environment customization. Use them to configure a devfile to suit your specific needs and share the customized devfile across multiple workspaces to ensure identical user experience and build, run, and deploy behaviors across your team.

The devfile schema is being developed as an open specification at https://devfile.io.

The Red Hat documentation provides an overview and resource list for learning more about devfiles and their syntax.

Using customized devfiles

In addition to the default devfile, IBM Wazi for Dev Spaces allows users to use a customized devfile to create a workspace. These are two methods using your own devfile:

Provide your own devfile in the Git repository with your source code and start you workspace by just providing the https url to your Git repository.
Create a workspace in the Dev Spaces dashboard by using the "IBM Wazi for Dev Spaces" tile and then modify the devfile in the dashboard user interface.

The Red Hat documentation provides a detailed overview to creating workspaces in addition to the information provided here.

Creating a devfile

When creating a devfile for IBM Wazi for Dev Spaces, ensure that it uses the Wazi container image that provides the capabilities needed for enterprise development projects. When you create a workspace from the stack, you will get that image automatically. You can copy that devfile and make modifications for your needs. Use the following minimal template if you plan to create a devfile for your Git repository from scratch using the first method listed above.

Simple devfile for enterprise development projects using the Wazi for Dev Spaces image:

schemaVersion: 2.2.0
metadata:
  name: wazi-devspaces
components:
  - name: wazi
    container:
      image: icr.io/wazi-code/ibm-wazi-for-devspaces-sidecar:latest
      memoryLimit: 3072Mi
      mountSources: true
      sourceMapping: /projects
      volumeMounts:
        - name: zowe
          path: /home/user/.zowe
  - name: zowe
    volume:
      size: 100Mi

Advanced devfile that also includes Wazi Analyze:

schemaVersion: 2.2.0
metadata:
  name: wazi-devspaces
components:
  - container:
      endpoints:
        - attributes:
            cookiesAuthEnabled: false
          exposure: public
          name: analyze-api
          protocol: https
          targetPort: 4680
        - attributes:
            cookiesAuthEnabled: false
          exposure: public
          name: analyze-ui
          protocol: https
          targetPort: 5000
        - attributes:
            cookiesAuthEnabled: false
          exposure: none
          name: analyze-weasy1
          protocol: http
          targetPort: 4080
        - attributes:
            cookiesAuthEnabled: false
          exposure: none
          name: analyze-weasy2
          protocol: http
          targetPort: 4081
        - attributes:
            cookiesAuthEnabled: false
          exposure: none
          name: analyze-swagger
          protocol: http
          targetPort: 8000
      image: icr.io/wazi-code/ibm-wazi-for-devspaces-sidecar:latest
      memoryLimit: 3072Mi
      mountSources: true
      sourceMapping: /projects
      volumeMounts:
        - name: zowe
          path: /home/user/.zowe
        - name: data
          path: /home/user/wazianalyze/data
    name: wazi
  - name: zowe
    volume:
      size: 100Mi
  - name: data
    volume:
      size: 1024Mi

Note: Using this Analyze configuration requires a license for Wazi Analyze. It will cause license usage to be counted differently, for IBM Z and Cloud Modernization Stack VPC ratio table.

Modifying a devfile

After you created a workspace using the dashboard tile "IBM Wazi for Dev Spaces", you can use the dashboard user interface to make modifications. For example, if you are working on a hybrid application and want to combine COBOL development with a stack for Nodejs and MongoDB, you can modify the first sample above in the following way to combine content from two of the Dev Spaces stacks. In this case, the usage of the ibm-wazi-for-devspaces-sidecar container is extended to also provide environment variables and endpoints for running a nodejs app, as our image also contains everything needed for nodejs development. It then also added another image called mongodb-36-rhel7 that provides a pre-configured instance of a MongoDB that can be used for development. Also, you find two more mounted storage volumes for npm and mongo in addition to the Zowe profile storage the Wazi image is using.

schemaVersion: 2.2.0
metadata:
  name: wazi-devspaces
components:
  - name: wazi-node
    container:
      image: icr.io/wazi-code/ibm-wazi-for-devspaces-sidecar:latest
      memoryLimit: 3072Mi
      env:
      # The values below are used to set up the environment for running the application
        - name: SECRET
          value: 220fd770-c028-480d-8f95-f84353c7d55a
        - name: NODE_ENV
          value: production
      endpoints:
        - exposure: public
          name: nodejs
          targetPort: 8080
      mountSources: true
      sourceMapping: /projects
      volumeMounts:
        - name: zowe
          path: /home/user/.zowe
        - name: npm
          path: /home/user/.npm
  - name: mongo
    container:
      image: registry.redhat.io/rhscl/mongodb-36-rhel7:1-50
      env:
        - name: MONGODB_USER
          value: user
        - name: MONGODB_PASSWORD
          value: password
        - name: MONGODB_DATABASE
          value: guestbook
        - name: MONGODB_ADMIN_PASSWORD
          value: password
      endpoints:
        - name: mongodb
          exposure: internal
          targetPort: 27017
      memoryLimit: 512Mi
      mountSources: false
      volumeMounts:
        - name: mongo-storage
          path: /var/lib/mongodb/data
  - name: zowe
    volume:
      size: 100Mi
  - name: npm
    volume:
      size: 1G
  - name: mongo-storage
    volume:
      size: 1G
commands:
  - id: 1-run
    exec:
      label: "Run the application"
      component: nodejs
      workingDir: ${PROJECTS_ROOT}/nodejs-mongodb-sample
      commandLine: "npm install && node --inspect=9229 app.js"
      group:
        kind: run