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Version: 0.4.0

Core Concepts

hauler-diagram

Haul​

SUMMARY:

Hauls are Compressed Archive (Tarball) of Hauler Collections and Content.

At the heart of Hauler lies the concept of a Haul. A Haul is a compressed archive, often in the form of a tarball, containing Hauler collections and content. It serves as a container for grouping and transporting various data types, making it a fundamental element in the Hauler ecosystem.

Collections​

SUMMARY:

Collections are Grouping of one or more Hauler Contents.

Collections are the building blocks of Hauler. These are groupings of one or more Hauler contents. Think of collections as organized sets of data that collectively represent something desirable.

Community Collections​

While collections (and contents) are built into Hauler, our goal is to empower users to define their own collections. This way, you can tailor Hauler to your unique requirements and take full control of your artifacts.

RGS Carbide Collections​

Hauler provides the ability to import collections for the Rancher products, making it seamless for RGS Supported Customers to airgap any of the Rancher products or projects. If you haven't heard of Rancher Government Carbide, check it out here!

Content​

SUMMARY:

Contents are Artifacts such as Images, Charts, or Files.

In Hauler's terminology, content refers to artifacts such as images, charts, or files. These are the fundamental types of resources that Hauler understands and manages. To understand the term better, let's break it down:

  • Content: The fundamental type of artifacts that Hauler recognizes (images, charts, and files).
  • Artifact: Anything that can be represented as an OCI (Open Container Initiative) artifact.
    • OCI Artifacts provide a standardized way to store arbitrary files, making it easier to manage content efficiently.

Declarative Content​

While manually adding content to Hauler is a straightforward way to get started, we recommend a much more sustainable approach. Hauler provides a declarative approach for each content type, allowing you to define all the content within a manifest. This approach ensures a more reproducable workflow for managing the lifecycle of your hauls.