unitdore/PLAN.md

# Unitdore — Project Plan

> *A door you open and close for container units.*
> *Unitdore bridges your container runtime and systemd.*

---

## What It Is

A Go CLI tool that bridges your container runtime (Podman, Docker, or custom) and systemd.
It discovers running containers, stores them in a config file, and generates + manages systemd
`.service` units for each one.

Think of it as: **config → systemd units → running services.**

---

## Goals

- Unified config for containers across runtimes and users
- Auto-generate systemd service files (no manual unit writing)
- Reconcile: disable units whose containers no longer exist
- Simple CLI — no daemon, no background process, no magic

---

## Non-Goals

- Not a container runtime (doesn't replace Podman/Docker)
- Not Kubernetes / Compose / Quadlet
- Not a daemon — runs on demand

---

## Config File

**Location:** `/etc/unitdore/units.yaml`
**Owned by:** root
**Modified by:** `unitdore edit` (opens in $EDITOR) or automatically by `syncup`

```yaml
units:
  - name: nginx
    runtime: podman          # podman | docker | exec
    user: hein               # empty = root/system unit; set = user unit for this user
    command: ""              # optional: override the ExecStart command entirely
    order: 1                 # startup order (lower = earlier)
    delay: 0s                # delay after previous order group finishes
    enabled: true            # false = unit exists but is not installed/started
    disabled_reason: ""      # auto-set by reconcile: "container not found", etc.
```

---

## Commands

### `unitdore syncup`

Discovers all currently running containers across configured runtimes and adds
any new ones to the config. Does **not** remove existing entries.

- Runs `podman ps --format json` and/or `docker ps --format json`
- Compares against existing config entries by name
- Appends new units with `enabled: true`
- Writes updated config back to disk
- Also reconciles: checks if containers for existing units still exist.
  If not → sets `enabled: false` + `disabled_reason`

### `unitdore edit`

Opens `/etc/unitdore/units.yaml` in `$EDITOR` (fallback: `vi`).

### `unitdore install`

Generates and installs systemd `.service` files for all **enabled** units.

- For units with `user: ""` → writes to `/etc/systemd/system/unitdore-<name>.service`
  then runs `systemctl daemon-reload`
- For units with `user: hein` → writes to `/home/hein/.config/systemd/user/unitdore-<name>.service`
  then runs `systemctl --user daemon-reload` as that user
- Does **not** enable or start — just installs the unit files
- Removes unit files for disabled units and reloads

### `unitdore active`

Enables and starts all installed, enabled units.

- Runs `systemctl enable --now unitdore-<name>.service` for system units
- Runs `systemctl --user enable --now unitdore-<name>.service` for user units
- Reports success/failure per unit

### `unitdore status`

Prints a summary table of all managed units.

```
NAME       RUNTIME   USER    ENABLED   SYSTEMD STATUS   REASON
nginx      podman    —       yes       active (running)
myapp      docker    hein    yes       active (running)
oldthing   podman    hein    no        inactive         container not found
```

---

## Generated Service File (example)

```ini
# /etc/systemd/system/unitdore-nginx.service
# Generated by unitdore — do not edit manually

[Unit]
Description=Unitdore: nginx (podman)
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
ExecStart=/usr/bin/podman start -a nginx
ExecStop=/usr/bin/podman stop nginx
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=5

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
```

For user units, `User=` and `Group=` are set and it targets `default.target`.

---

## Project Structure

```
unitdore/
├── main.go
├── go.mod
├── cmd/
│   ├── root.go          # cobra root, version, config path flag
│   ├── syncup.go        # discover + reconcile
│   ├── edit.go          # open $EDITOR
│   ├── install.go       # generate + write unit files
│   ├── active.go        # enable + start units
│   └── status.go        # status table
├── config/
│   └── config.go        # load, save, Unit struct, YAML marshal/unmarshal
├── runtime/
│   ├── runtime.go       # interface: ListContainers() []Container
│   ├── podman.go        # podman ps --format json
│   └── docker.go        # docker ps --format json
└── systemd/
    ├── generator.go     # build .service file content from a Unit
    └── manager.go       # install, reload, enable, start, status via systemctl
```

---

## Dependencies

- `github.com/spf13/cobra` — CLI framework
- `gopkg.in/yaml.v3` — config file
- Standard library for everything else (exec, os, text/template)

---

## Phased Build

| Phase | Deliverable |
|---|---|
| 1 | Scaffold: project, go.mod, cobra root, config load/save |
| 2 | `syncup` — discover containers, update config |
| 3 | `install` — generate + write service files |
| 4 | `active` + `status` |
| 5 | Reconcile (auto-disable missing units) in syncup |
| 6 | User unit support (rootless containers) |
| 7 | Polish: `edit`, error handling, --dry-run flag |

---

## Open Questions

- [ ] Should `syncup` also accept a `--runtime` flag to limit discovery to one runtime?
- [ ] Should `install` imply a `syncup --reconcile` first, or be kept separate?
- [ ] Packaging: just a binary, or also a Makefile / install script?