pfSense Community Edition source build reproducibility and XML config package constraints
0 reputation · 31 Jan 2023, 16:23 UTC
A repeatable development environment for pfSense Community Edition is being considered using the public source build and XML configuration restore.
Feature context and constraints
The Community Edition source is built from FreeBSD with build scripts in the public repository. Builds pull packages and ports from public repositories at build time, so output depends on the exact ports tree and package versions available during each run. No officially supported version-pinned container or build image is documented.
pfSense XML configuration backups preserve firewall rules and settings but do not include installed packages or their dependencies. Restoring an XML backup on a clean install requires manual package reinstallation, and package versions are not pinned in the configuration file.
What is the documented expectation for build reproducibility across separate runs for a given release tag? Is there a supported mechanism to capture installed packages alongside an XML config for repeatable restore? What permission boundary or configuration option controls package handling during XML config restore?
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