CNG Image Analysis: Investigate reusability and local image building strategies

Objective

Investigate the feasibility of reusing Cloud Native GitLab (CNG) images for development environments and explore strategies for local image building when reuse is not possible.

Background

Current status shows "Reusing CNG images as-is still appears to be near impossible" due to version mapping issues and development-specific requirements.

Scope

• Analyze CNG image version mapping to service versions
• Investigate cost and feasibility of building CNG images locally on-demand
• Explore building non-CNG images optimized for development
• Assess services not currently part of CNG (AI Gateway, 3rd-party services)

Deliverables

• CNG image reusability analysis report
• Development-optimized image specifications
• Services gap analysis (non-CNG services)
• Recommended approach for image management

Acceptance Criteria

• Clear assessment of CNG image reusability limitations
• Strategy for handling non-CNG services
• Recommended image management approach
• Technical implementation plan for chosen strategy

Results

At the current state of maturity, CNG Images are currently not usable to support broader-scale development. For more details on reasoning and alternative options, see comment.

There's a follow up planned to Explore paths to make the usage of CNG images f... (gitlab-org/quality/tooling/team#121)

Related Epic

Part of &17447