isocreator/readme.hints.md

Development Hints

Project Structure

This project follows the nupst/spark pattern for Deno-based CLI tools with binary distribution.

Key Components

1. ISO Management (ts/classes/)

   • iso-downloader.ts - Downloads Ubuntu ISOs from official mirrors
   • iso-cache.ts - Manages cached ISOs with multi-version support
   • iso-extractor.ts - Extracts ISOs using xorriso
   • iso-packer.ts - Repacks modified ISOs into bootable images
   • iso-builder.ts - Orchestrates the entire build process

2. Cloud-Init (ts/classes/)

   • cloud-init-generator.ts - Generates cloud-init configuration files
   • config-manager.ts - Loads and validates YAML configs

3. CLI (ts/cli.ts)

   • Command-line interface with commands: build, cache, template, validate

System Dependencies

The tool requires these system tools at runtime:

• xorriso - ISO manipulation
• syslinux-utils - For USB-bootable ISOs (isohybrid command)

Development Commands

# Install dependencies
deno install

# Run in development mode
deno task dev --help

# Type checking
deno task check

# Format code
deno task fmt

# Lint
deno task lint

# Run tests
deno task test

# Compile binaries
deno task compile

Distribution

Binaries are compiled for 5 platforms:

• Linux x64
• Linux ARM64
• macOS x64
• macOS ARM64
• Windows x64

Next Steps

1. Implement CLI flag-based building (currently only config files work)
2. Add interactive mode with prompts
3. Implement boot scripts injection with systemd service creation
4. Add pre-install packages feature (requires squashfs manipulation)
5. Write comprehensive tests
6. Compile and test binaries
7. Set up CI/CD pipeline
8. Publish to npm