Cartesi Development Environment

Developing the a distributed application for the Cartesi Machine has been greatly simplified with the new docker-based build system. However, for the build to work properly, you must be able to run a container in an emulated RiscV. In a regular Linux environment, this can be easily achieved by installing the correct qemu packages. However, in a cloud-based development environment such as GitPod or GitHub Codespaces, where the development environment itself runs within a container, it is not possible to install these packages on the host, rendering them unsuitable for running the build system.

This repository contains an Ansible playbook to set up a proper build system, including a Code Server editor so that the developer can use the environment through a familiar web-based VS Code interface.

Deploying on Cloud Providers

Currently the only streamlined cloud provider is Linode. However, have a look at the next section for instructions on how to run on any Debian-based VM.

Deploying with Linode Stackscripts

You can easily deploy a node in your account using a pre-existing StackScript:

1. Create your Linode account if you don't already have one, and log into the Linode Manager Console

2. Navigate to the arcane/cartesi-dev-env StackScript Deployment Page

3. In the "cartesi-dev-env Setup" section, enter a password to access the editor and your local user.

4. Select the other parameters for your virtual machine, including:

   • Region, accodring to your preferences
   • Plan. A Shared CPU instance with 4GB is a good starting point. This can be changed later if needed.
   • Enter a Root password or a SSH key

5. Click "Create Linode"

6. Wait a several minutes for the node to set up and try to access the IP address for your new VM in your browser. The default setup procedure installs a self-signed certificate, so be sure to accept it in the browser.

Manually running on your own VM

This Ansible playbook has been tested in an Ubuntu 22.04 virtual machine. To manualy execute the playbook, follow the steps:

1. Become root:

   sudo -i

2. Make sure Git and Ansible are installed:

   apt update
   apt install git ansible

3. Clone this repository:

   git clone https://github.com/prototyp3-dev/code-server-dev-env
   cd cartesi-dev-env

4. Run the playbook specifying the password for the editor:

   ansible-playbook -e code_password="<your_password>" site.yml

Features

• VS Code Interface, using Code Server
• Develop directly in the virtual machine: as the environment is not inside a container, Docker is fully accessible to you without any limitations.
• Standard development environment: standard set of compilers and build tools
• Docker Community Edition with RISC-V emulator preinstalled
• SSH Access: feel free to SSH into your virtual machine using the cartesi user and the same password you specified for the editor.