Create separate repository for Cosmovisor

[mdyring]

Summary

It would be nice for validators to have a single repository for Cosmosvisor with its own tags for versioning and issues tracking specific to Cosmovisor functionality.

Problem Definition

1. Versioning is unclear.
2. New features and bug fixes end up being tied with a specific SDK version (such as described in Cosmovisor hangs node when piping API response.  #9875).
3. It seems excessive to clone the entire cosmos-sdk to build Cosmovisor.

Proposal

1. Setup a fresh repository, e.g. github.com/cosmos/cosmovisor
2. Introduce a versioning scheme that does not depend on cosmos-sdk
3. Provide an overview in README.md of compatibility between Cosmosvisor and SDK versions.
4. Get a standing ovation from validators. 🥇

---

For Admin Use

• Not duplicate issue
• Appropriate labels applied
• Appropriate contributors tagged
• Contributor assigned/self-assigned

[robert-zaremba]

Cosmovisor is using it's own tags and it's own releases. Moreover Cosmovisor is it's own module. Go works well with installing a binary from a multi module or multi binary repository.

I know that it seams more clear to put the Cosmovisor in it's own repository. We had few discussions about it (ps: I was also supporting moving it to other repository) in the past and decided to keep it in the same repository as the Cosmos SDK, because it's managed by the Cosmos SDK team, uses same test flow and hopefully have more awareness about this project.

[mdyring]

Cosmovisor is using it's own tags and it's own releases. Moreover Cosmovisor is it's own module. Go works well with installing a binary from a multi module or multi binary repository.

I know that it seams more clear to put the Cosmovisor in it's own repository. We had few discussions about it (ps: I was also supporting moving it to other repository) in the past and decided to keep it in the same repository as the Cosmos SDK, because it's managed by the Cosmos SDK team, uses same test flow and hopefully have more awareness about this project.

Hi Robert, yeah I understand that it is to some extent a matter of personal taste. I see some thumbs-up on the original issue, so I believe other people might hold a similar view as you and I :-)

I would still argue that the most appropriate solution is to split the repos as the Cosmos stack is intended to be modular. Already today we have gaia and Cosmos SDK repos separated.

The only reason that I spend the time to bring this up was because our validator operations were affected by #9875 and I found the mixing of repos and versioning non-intuitive.

If the projects remain glued together it would be a good addition with some installation instructions in the Cosmovisor readme on how to build a specific version. Could be something simple such as go install github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/cosmovisor/cmd/[email protected]

[aaronc]

Thanks for your suggestion @mdyring. Cosmovisor was in a separate repo before and it didn't have enough maintainers. Thus we prefer a mono-repo solution so that we can ensure it gets maintained. If there is a big enough group of maintainers outside the core SDK team at some point, maybe we can re-explore a separate repo then. For now it's staying here.

Yes, it is a separate go module with separate version tags and the installation command you suggested is now documented in the README. If there you see other gaps in documentation, please let us know.

[robert-zaremba]

Gaia is a Cosmos SDK chain, not a tool / framework.

A week ago (or more) we updated the installation instructions. I hope it's clear now how to install cosmovisor. We are also integrating go releaser to attach binaries to the on GitHub Cosmovisor Release Page.