App Store Guide

Learn about the App Store and available developer tools.

Overview

The App Store provides a curated catalog of developer tools that are:

• Security vetted
• Version controlled
• Highly configurable
• Independently installable

Available Applications

See packages/organization/app-store/catalog.yml for the complete list.

Core Tools

• Docker
• Kubernetes (kubectl, helm, k9s, k3s)
• Python
• Node.js
• Git

Enabling Applications

Edit packages/organization/ansible/group_vars/apps.yml or your program's configuration.

Configuration

Apps are configured through YAML files in the Ansible group_vars directory.

Configuration Files

Organization Level:

• packages/organization/ansible/group_vars/apps.yml - Default apps for all programs

Program Level:

• packages/programs/*/ansible/group_vars/all.yml - Override organization defaults

Basic Structure

Each app follows this configuration pattern:

org_apps_to_install:
  - name: app-name
    role: app-role-name
    enabled: true
    config:
      version: "X.Y"
      # App-specific options

Configuration Examples

Docker:

- name: docker
  role: app-docker
  enabled: true
  config:
    version: "24.0"
    compose: true
    buildx: true
    daemon_json:
      log-driver: "json-file"
      log-opts:
        max-size: "10m"
        max-file: "3"

Python:

- name: python
  role: app-python
  enabled: true
  config:
    version: "3.11"
    pip_packages:
      - pytest
      - black
      - pylint
    virtualenv_wrapper: true

Kubernetes Tools:

- name: kubectl
  role: app-kubectl
  enabled: true
  config:
    version: "1.28"
    krew_plugins:
      - ctx
      - ns

- name: helm
  role: app-helm
  enabled: true
  config:
    version: "3.13"
    repos:
      - name: bitnami
        url: "https://charts.bitnami.com/bitnami"

Node.js:

- name: nodejs
  role: app-nodejs
  enabled: true
  config:
    version: "20"
    npm_packages:
      - yarn
      - typescript
      - eslint

Overriding Configurations

Program-Level Overrides:

In your program's all.yml, override organization settings:

# Override app versions
app_nodejs_version: "20.10.0"
app_docker_version: "24.0.7"

# Add program-specific apps
program_apps_to_install:
  - name: postgresql
    role: app-postgresql
    enabled: true
    config:
      version: "15"
      databases:
        - name: "myapp_dev"
          owner: "myapp_user"

  - name: redis
    role: app-redis
    enabled: true
    config:
      version: "7.2"
      maxmemory: "256mb"

Disabling Apps

Set enabled: false to skip installation:

- name: k3s
  role: app-k3s
  enabled: false  # Not needed for this environment

Available Configuration Options

Each app's configurable options are listed in:

• packages/organization/app-store/catalog.yml - Catalog metadata
• packages/organization/ansible/group_vars/apps.yml - Full examples

Common Patterns

Version Pinning:

config:
  version: "1.2.3"  # Specific version
  version: "1.2"    # Minor version
  version: "latest" # Latest stable

Global vs. App-Specific Variables:

# Global override (affects all Docker installations)
app_docker_rootless: true

# App-specific (only for this instance)
- name: docker
  config:
    rootless: true

Configuration Precedence

Configurations are merged in this order:

1. Base - System defaults
2. Organization - packages/organization/ansible/group_vars/apps.yml
3. Program - packages/programs/*/ansible/group_vars/all.yml

Higher levels override lower levels.