OpenShift Container Platform

Create a file-based catalog image

You can use the opm CLI to create a catalog image that uses the plain text file-based catalog format (JSON or YAML), which replaces the deprecated SQLite database format.

Prerequisites

You have installed the opm CLI.
You have podman version 1.9.3+.
A bundle image is built and pushed to a registry that supports Docker v2-2.

Procedure

Initialize the catalog:
1. Create a directory for the catalog by running the following command:
  $ mkdir <catalog_dir>
2. Generate a Dockerfile that can build a catalog image by running the opm generate dockerfile command:
  $ opm generate dockerfile <catalog_dir> \ -i registry.redhat.io/openshift4/ose-operator-registry-rhel9:v{product-version}
  
  + Specify the official Red Hat base image by using the -i flag, otherwise the Dockerfile uses the default upstream image.
  The Dockerfile must be in the same parent directory as the catalog directory that you created in the previous step:
  Example directory structure
  . ├── <catalog_dir> └── <catalog_dir>.Dockerfile
  where:
  
  .
  
  Specifies the parent directory.
  
  <catalog_dir>
  
  Specifies the catalog directory.
  
  <catalog_dir>.Dockerfile
  
  Specifies the Dockerfile generated by the opm generate dockerfile command.
3. Populate the catalog with the package definition for your Operator by running the opm init command:
  $ opm init <operator_name> \ --default-channel=preview \ --description=./README.md \ --icon=./operator-icon.svg \ --output yaml \ > <catalog_dir>/index.yaml
  - Replace the <operator_name> variable with the Operator or package, name.
  - The --default-channel flag specifies the channel that subscriptions default to if unspecified.
  - The --description flag specifies the path to the Operator’s README.md or other documentation.
  - The --icon flag specifies the path to the Operator’s icon.
  - The --output flag specifies the output format. JSON or YAML are valid values.
  - Replace the <catalog_dir> variable with the path for creating the catalog configuration file.
    
    This command generates an olm.package declarative config blob in the specified catalog configuration file.
Add a bundle to the catalog by running the opm render command:
```
$ opm render <registry>/<namespace>/<bundle_image_name>:<tag> \
    --output=yaml \
    >> <catalog_dir>/index.yaml
```
where:

<registry>/<namespace>/<bundle_image_name>:<tag>

Specifies the pull spec for the bundle image.

<catalog_dir>/index.yaml

Specifies the path to the catalog configuration file.

Channels must contain at least one bundle.
Add a channel entry for the bundle. For example, modify the following example to your specifications, and add it to your <catalog_dir>/index.yaml file:
Example channel entry
```
---
schema: olm.channel
package: <operator_name>
name: preview
entries:
  - name: <operator_name>.v0.1.0
```
Ensure that you include the period (.) after the <operator_name>`variable but before the `v in the version. Otherwise, the entry fails to pass the opm validate command.
Validate the file-based catalog:
1. Run the opm validate command against the catalog directory:
  $ opm validate <catalog_dir>
2. Check that the error code is 0:
  $ echo $?
  Example output
  0

Build the catalog image by running the podman build command:

$ podman build . \
    -f <catalog_dir>.Dockerfile \
    -t <registry>/<namespace>/<catalog_image_name>:<tag>

Push the catalog image to a registry:
1. If required, authenticate with your target registry by running the podman login command:
  $ podman login <registry>
2. Push the catalog image by running the podman push command:
  $ podman push <registry>/<namespace>/<catalog_image_name>:<tag>