The Confusion Caused by Upgrade Notes

Oct 13, 2025 by talynt.org 17 views

Introduction

As we continue to upgrade our tools and plugins to the latest versions, we may encounter issues that require attention. In this article, we will discuss a specific problem that arose when upgrading to Buildkite v5, specifically the disappearance of the image-name field. We will explore the root cause of the issue, the confusion caused by the upgrade notes, and the solution to resolve the problem.

The Issue

When upgrading to Buildkite v5, users may notice that the image-name field is no longer present in the docker-compose.yml file. This can be confusing, especially when following the upgrade notes provided by the Buildkite team. The issue is not just a simple oversight, but rather a change in the way the plugin handles image names.

The Confusion Caused by Upgrade Notes

The upgrade notes for Buildkite v5 provide a clear guide on how to upgrade from v4 to v5. However, the notes do not explicitly mention the disappearance of the image-name field. Instead, they provide a diff of the changes between the two versions, which can be confusing for users who are not familiar with the plugin's configuration.

-    - docker-compose#v4.16.0:
+    - docker-compose#v5.6.0:
         build: base
         config: ".buildkite/docker-compose.yml"
         env:
         - PRE_STEPS
         - RACK
-        image-name: ruby-3-4-build_id
         cache-from:
         - base:ecr.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/builds:ruby-3-4-br-main
         push:
         - base:ecr.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/builds:ruby-3-4-br-
-        image-repository: ecr.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/builds
+        - base:ecr.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/builds:ruby-3-4-build_id

The Solution

After further investigation, it became clear that the solution to the issue is to combine the image-repository and image-name fields into a single entry in the push list. This means that instead of having two separate fields, users should now specify the full image name in a single field.

Example Use Case

To illustrate the solution, let's consider an example use case. Suppose we have a docker-compose.yml file that looks like this:

version: '3'
services:
  web:
    build: base
    config: ".buildkite/docker-compose.yml"
    env:
      - PRE_STEPS
      - RACK
    image-name: ruby-3-4-build_id
    cache-from:
      - base:ecr.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/builds:ruby-3-4-br-main
    push:
      - base:ecr.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/builds:ruby-3-4-br-
    image-repository: ecr.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/builds

To upgrade to Buildkite v5, we would need to modify the docker-compose.yml file to combine the image-repository and image-name fields into a single entry in the push list. The resulting file would look like this:

version: '3'
services:
  web:
    build: base
    config: ".buildkite/docker-compose.yml"
    env:
      - PRE_STEPS
      - RACK
    cache-from:
      - base:ecr.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/builds:ruby-3-4-br-main
    push:
      - base:ecr.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/builds:ruby-3-4-build_id

Conclusion

Q: What is the image-name field in Buildkite v5?

A: The image-name field is a configuration option in Buildkite v5 that allows users to specify the name of the image that will be pushed to the registry.

Q: Why is the image-name field disappearing in Buildkite v5?

A: The image-name field is no longer needed in Buildkite v5 because the plugin now combines the image-repository and image-name fields into a single entry in the push list.

Q: How do I resolve the issue of the image-name field disappearing in Buildkite v5?

A: To resolve the issue, you need to combine the image-repository and image-name fields into a single entry in the push list. This means that instead of having two separate fields, you should now specify the full image name in a single field.

Q: What is the format of the combined image-repository and image-name fields?

A: The combined image-repository and image-name fields should be in the format of image-repository: image-name. For example, ecr.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/builds:ruby-3-4-build_id.

Q: How do I modify my docker-compose.yml file to accommodate the new configuration?

A: To modify your docker-compose.yml file, you need to remove the image-name field and add the combined image-repository and image-name fields to the push list. Here is an example of how to modify your docker-compose.yml file:

version: '3'
services:
  web:
    build: base
    config: ".buildkite/docker-compose.yml"
    env:
      - PRE_STEPS
      - RACK
    cache-from:
      - base:ecr.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/builds:ruby-3-4-br-main
    push:
      - base:ecr.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/builds:ruby-3-4-build_id

Q: What if I have multiple images that I want to push to the registry?

A: If you have multiple images that you want to push to the registry, you can add multiple entries to the push list, each with the combined image-repository and image-name fields. For example:

version: '3'
services:
  web:
    build: base
    config: ".buildkite/docker-compose.yml"
    env:
      - PRE_STEPS
      - RACK
    cache-from:
      - base:ecr.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/builds:ruby-3-4-br-main
    push:
      - base:ecr.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/builds:ruby-3-4-build_id
      - base:ecr.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/builds:ruby-3-4-build_id-2

Q: Where can I find more information about the image-name field and the combined image-repository and image-name fields?

A: You can find more information about the image-name field and the combined image-repository and image-name fields in the Buildkite documentation. Specifically, you can refer to the upgrading to v5 documentation.