Notes: Next-gen `ipfs update` (IPFS Version Manager)

[Stebalien]

Idea: rustup but for IPFS!

This tool would:

1. Manage multiple IPFS installs (multiple implementations and multiple versions).
2. Provide a virtual ipfs command that launches the correct IPFS version (downloading it if necessary).

Requirements

V1:

• Fetch IPFS over IPFS, when possible.
• Fallback on fetching IPFS over HTTPs.
• Support rolling back to a previous release.

V2:

• Support both js-ipfs and go-ipfs.

V3:

• Support auto update.

User Story

The user must be able to:

1. Run ipfs $ARBITRARY_COMMAND and have that command run on the correct version of IPFS.
2. Run an ipfs update [latest] command to update to the latest stable version of their chosen IPFS implementation (go or js).
3. Run ipfs update vX.Y.Z to update to a specific version of their chosen IPFS dist.
4. Run ipfs update $lang-vX.Y.Z to switch to update to a specific version of $lang.
5. Run ipfs update $lang-latest to switch to the latest IPFS version in $lang.
6. Pass --transport={ipfs,https,auto} to ipfs update to force a specific transport.

V1 Design

Like rustup, this project should provide a virtual ipfs command that downloads the correct IPFS version/distribution and runs it. Unlike rustup, it should support downloading IPFS over IPFS if a working version of IPFS is already installed.

• When the ipfs command is run:
  
  
  
  • If ipfs is installed:
  
  
  • Run it.
  
  
  • Otherwise:
  
  
  • Download IPFS over https from dist.ipfs.io.
  
  
• When the ipfs update command is run:
  
  
  
  • If ipfs is installed:
  
  
  • Use it to check for an update by checking ipfs cat /ipns/dist.ipfs.io/go-ipfs/latest.
  
  
  • If there's an update available, fetch the correct build with IPFS.
  
  
  • Otherwise:
  
  
  • Check https://dist.ipfs.io/go-ipfs/latest for a new release.
  
  
  • If an update is available, fetch the correct build over HTTPS.
  
  
  • Save the IPFS binary to a $IPFS_PATH/releases/$VERSION/$ARCHITECTURE.
  
  
  • Write the current IPFS version to the config file as Update.Version.
  
  
• When the ipfs update $VERSION command is run, do the same thing but use the specified version.

[alanshaw]

Prior art: https://github.com/alanshaw/iim