Add documentation for Maven virtual registry UI
Problem
The Maven Virtual Registry now features a user interface that enables users to manage virtual registries and upstreams through the GitLab UI; however, the documentation currently only covers API-based management. Users need comprehensive documentation for the new UI functionality.
Current UI Capabilities
The new UI allows users to:
- CRUD virtual registries: Create, edit, and delete virtual registries
- CRUD upstream registries: Add, edit, and delete upstream registries
- Test upstream connections: Verify connectivity to upstream registries
- Reorder upstreams: Change the priority order of upstream registries
- Browse cached packages: View and search packages cached from upstreams
- View cache metadata: See creation time, size, and source for cache entries
- Delete cache entries: Remove specific items from the cache
Proposal
Add comprehensive UI documentation to the Maven Virtual Registry page (/user/packages/virtual_registry/maven/
) that covers:
New "Manage virtual registries in the UI" section
- How to navigate to the virtual registries interface
- Creating a new virtual registry
- Editing virtual registry details
- Deleting a virtual registry
New "Manage upstream registries in the UI" section
- Adding new upstream registries
- Configuring upstream settings (name, URL, credentials, cache validity)
- Editing existing upstreams
- Testing upstream connections
- Reordering upstream priority
- Deleting upstreams
New "Browse and manage cached packages" section
- Viewing cached packages by upstream
- Searching cached packages
- Viewing cache metadata
- Deleting specific cache entries
Updated structure
- Keep existing API documentation alongside new UI sections
- Maintain all existing client configuration documentation
- Preserve Maven-specific requirements and restrictions
Benefits
- Complete feature coverage - Documents all UI capabilities for virtual registry management
- Improved user experience - Users can choose between UI and API approaches
- Better discoverability - UI procedures are clearly documented with step-by-step instructions
- Reduced support burden - Users have self-service documentation for common tasks
Edited by Tim Rizzi