Files
certctl/docs/contributor/qa-prerequisites.md
T
shankar0123 1720e11109 docs: fix broken single-file demo invocation in README + qa-prerequisites + ENVIRONMENTS
The README's Quick Start, the qa-prerequisites contributor doc, and the
landing page (separate repo, separate commit) all shipped a copy-paste
command that produces:

  service "certctl-server" has neither an image nor a build context
  specified: invalid compose project

The bug landed silently with commit a3d8b9c (the U-3 master). Pre-U-3,
docker-compose.demo.yml was self-contained and could be invoked with a
single -f flag. U-3 deliberately reduced it to a 27-line overlay — its
only payload today is `CERTCTL_DEMO_SEED=true` on the certctl-server
service — because the demo seed now applies at boot via
postgres.RunDemoSeed, not via /docker-entrypoint-initdb.d/. The overlay
no longer carries an image: or build: of its own, so it MUST be passed
alongside the base file.

The README/qa-doc/landing-page never picked up the rename of the contract.
Every operator who copy-pasted the Quick Start since U-3 has hit the
"invalid compose project" error and bounced. The operator caught it
running the demo locally today.

This commit fixes the three certctl-repo sites:

  README.md (Quick Start)
    docker compose -f deploy/docker-compose.demo.yml up -d --build
    →
    docker compose -f deploy/docker-compose.yml -f deploy/docker-compose.demo.yml up -d --build

    Plus the "drop the -f flag for clean install" prose now spells out
    the correct fallback (`-f deploy/docker-compose.yml` alone).

  docs/contributor/qa-prerequisites.md (Step 1)
    Same single-file → two-file fix, plus an inline note explaining
    why the override-only file requires the base (so the next person
    who reads it understands the contract instead of re-discovering it).

  deploy/ENVIRONMENTS.md (Demo Overlay → What it adds)
    Replaced the stale "One line: mounts seed_demo.sql into PostgreSQL's
    init directory" claim — that hasn't been true since U-3 — with the
    accurate "One env var: CERTCTL_DEMO_SEED=true; server applies
    seed_demo.sql at boot via postgres.RunDemoSeed" description, plus
    the historical context for why the overlay can't stand alone.

The certctl.io landing page hits the same bug (line 759); fix shipping
in a separate commit in that repo.

Acceptance gate (manual):
  - copy/paste the new README Quick Start command end-to-end against
    a fresh clone — succeeds, dashboard at https://localhost:8443
    shows the seeded demo data within ~30s.
  - clean-install fallback (`docker compose -f deploy/docker-compose.yml
    up -d --build`) starts a working stack with no demo data.
2026-05-05 20:55:26 +00:00

100 lines
4.5 KiB
Markdown

# QA Prerequisites
> Last reviewed: 2026-05-05
Operational prereqs for running release QA against certctl. Before any of the contributor-facing testing surfaces (test-environment.md, gui-qa-checklist.md, release-sign-off.md) are useful, the local stack needs to be in a known-good state.
## Why manual QA on top of automated tests?
Automated tests mock dependencies and run in isolation. Manual QA validates the full integrated stack: real PostgreSQL, real HTTP, real agent binary, real file I/O, real scheduler timing. It catches issues that unit tests can't: migration ordering, Docker networking, env var parsing, browser rendering, and timing-dependent scheduler behavior.
## Environment setup
**Step 1: Start the full stack.**
```bash
cd deploy && docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.demo.yml up --build -d
```
This builds three containers (postgres, certctl-server, certctl-agent) and runs them on a bridge network. The `--build` flag ensures you're testing the current code, not a stale image. The `demo` overlay is an override file (no `image:` or `build:` of its own) that layers `CERTCTL_DEMO_SEED=true` onto the base — both files must be passed in that order or compose errors with `service "certctl-server" has neither an image nor a build context specified`. The seed populates the database with realistic fixtures.
**Step 2: Wait for healthy state.**
```bash
for i in $(seq 1 30); do
STATUS=$(docker compose ps --format json 2>/dev/null | jq -r 'select(.Health != null) | "\(.Name): \(.Health)"' 2>/dev/null)
echo "$STATUS"
echo "$STATUS" | grep -q "unhealthy\|starting" || break
sleep 2
done
```
Why: Docker Compose starts containers in dependency order (postgres → server → agent), but "started" doesn't mean "ready." Health checks confirm postgres accepts connections, the server responds on `/health`, and the agent process is running.
**Step 3: Set shell variables used throughout the QA flow.**
```bash
export SERVER=https://localhost:8443
export API_KEY="change-me-in-production"
export AUTH="Authorization: Bearer $API_KEY"
export CT="Content-Type: application/json"
export CACERT="--cacert ./deploy/test/certs/ca.crt"
```
Every curl command in QA docs uses these variables. Setting them once avoids typos and keeps the docs copy-pasteable.
> **Note:** The default Docker Compose sets `CERTCTL_AUTH_TYPE: none` for the demo overlay, meaning auth is disabled. Tests that exercise auth require flipping this to `api-key`; instructions are in the relevant test docs.
**Step 4: Build CLI and MCP server binaries on the host.**
```bash
go build -o certctl-cli ./cmd/cli/...
go build -o certctl-mcp ./cmd/mcp-server/...
```
The CLI and MCP server are separate binaries that talk to the server over HTTP. Building them verifies the code compiles and produces the executables you'll test later.
## Demo data baseline
The seed data (`migrations/seed.sql` + `migrations/seed_demo.sql`) pre-populates the database with realistic fixtures. Confirm it loaded:
```bash
curl -s $CACERT -H "$AUTH" $SERVER/api/v1/stats/summary | jq .
```
**Expected shape:**
```json
{
"total_certificates": 15,
"active_certificates": ...,
"expiring_certificates": ...,
"expired_certificates": ...,
"pending_renewals": ...
}
```
**Reference IDs in the demo data** (used across QA docs):
| Resource | IDs | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Teams | `t-platform`, `t-security`, `t-payments`, `t-frontend`, `t-data` | 5 |
| Owners | `o-alice`, `o-bob`, `o-carol`, `o-dave`, `o-eve` | 5 |
| Policies | `rp-standard`, `rp-urgent`, `rp-manual` | 3 |
| Issuers | `iss-local`, `iss-acme-le`, `iss-stepca`, `iss-digicert` | 4 |
| Agents | `ag-web-prod`, `ag-web-staging`, `ag-lb-prod`, `ag-iis-prod`, `ag-data-prod` | 5 |
| Targets | `tgt-nginx-prod`, `tgt-nginx-staging`, `tgt-f5-prod`, `tgt-iis-prod`, `tgt-nginx-data` | 5 |
| Profiles | `prof-standard-tls`, `prof-internal-mtls`, `prof-short-lived`, `prof-high-security` | 4 |
| Certificates | `mc-api-prod`, `mc-web-prod`, `mc-pay-prod`, etc. | 15 |
| Agent Groups | `ag-linux-prod`, `ag-linux-amd64`, `ag-windows`, `ag-datacenter-a`, `ag-manual` | 5 |
| Network Scan Targets | `nst-dc1-web`, `nst-dc2-apps`, `nst-dmz` | 3 |
## Once these are green
Move to the appropriate downstream surface:
- [`test-environment.md`](test-environment.md) — full local environment tutorial with real CAs (Pebble, step-ca, etc.)
- [`gui-qa-checklist.md`](gui-qa-checklist.md) — manual GUI test pass
- [`release-sign-off.md`](release-sign-off.md) — release-day checklist
- [`testing-strategy.md`](testing-strategy.md) — what we test in CI vs daily deep-scan vs manual QA