Specify a base¶
Rocks are built on top of a software base, which determines compatibility with their contents. When you craft a rock, you must specify its base, because it can’t assume a default base.
Bases are either an Ubuntu LTS or interim release, or the bare base.
For less stable rocks, you must also specify the software base used to assemble the rock, which is separate from what’s included in the rock. This is known as the build base.
For stable rocks¶
Specify an Ubuntu base with:
base: ubuntu@<version>
For most Ubuntu-based rocks, select the latest LTS base, as your rock will benefit from that release’s 10-year support window.
If instead you need access to the features and packages of an interim Ubuntu base, declare the interim release.
For lean rocks¶
If you want to precisely control what’s included in your rock and exclude the baseline Ubuntu system, specify the bare base.
Even with the bare base, Rockcraft needs the software in an Ubuntu image to pack the rock, so you must set the build base to an Ubuntu release.
Declare the bare base and its build base with:
base: bare
build-base: ubuntu@<version>
Your rock’s contents might have dependencies that would normally be available in the Ubuntu base. If they do, include them in your rock’s parts.
For legacy rocks¶
Over time, a rock’s base will reach its end-of-life. It could be that the rock was short-lived, meant for testing software during an interim base’s comparatively short nine-month lifecycle, or that it was extremely long-lived, and persisted past the support window of its LTS base.
If you try and build a rock on an unmaintained base, even if it previously built when the base was supported, Rockcraft will halt the build by default.
If you know the risks of unmaintained bases, you can force the build to continue with:
rockcraft pack --ignore=unmaintained
For experimental rocks¶
In the weeks leading up to a new Ubuntu version, the unfinished release is available as a test base. Build on a test base by selecting it and the development build base:
base: [email protected]
build-base: devel