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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

  1. Complete feature coverage - Documents all UI capabilities for virtual registry management
  2. Improved user experience - Users can choose between UI and API approaches
  3. Better discoverability - UI procedures are clearly documented with step-by-step instructions
  4. Reduced support burden - Users have self-service documentation for common tasks

Edited by Tim Rizzi