Restore workspace from backup #1572

Allda · 2026-01-14T12:18:51Z

What does this PR do?

Add init container for workspace restoration

A new init container is added to the workspace deployment in case user choose to restore the workspace from backup.

By setting the workspace attribute "controller.devfile.io/restore-workspace" the controller sets a new init container instead of cloning data from git repository.

By default an automated path to restore image is used based on cluster settings. However user is capable overwrite that value using another attribute "controller.devfile.io/restore-source-image".

The restore container runs a wokspace-recovery.sh script that pull an image using oras an extract files to a /project directory.

What issues does this PR fix or reference?

#1525

Is it tested? How?

No automated tests are available in the first phase. I will add tests once I get the first approval that the concept is ok.

How to test:

Configure a cluster to enable backups
Create a new workspace and make changes in any of its files and save it.
Stop the workspace `kubectl patch devworkspace restore-workspace-2 --type=merge -p '{"spec": {"started": false}}'
Wait till it is stopped, and backup is executed for the workspace (verify the backup image exists in the registry)
Delete a workspace from cluster kubectl delete devworkspace restore-workspace-2
Add an attribute to the workspace CRD as shown below (controller.devfile.io/restore-workspace)
Create a workspace
Wait till it boots up and verify the changed file is present

kind: DevWorkspace
apiVersion: workspace.devfile.io/v1alpha2
metadata:
  labels:
    controller.devfile.io/creator: ""
  name: restore-workspace-2
spec:
  started: true
  routingClass: 'basic'
  template:
    attributes:
      controller.devfile.io/storage-type: common
      controller.devfile.io/restore-workspace: 'true'

PR Checklist

E2E tests pass (when PR is ready, comment /test v8-devworkspace-operator-e2e, v8-che-happy-path to trigger)
- v8-devworkspace-operator-e2e: DevWorkspace e2e test
- v8-che-happy-path: Happy path for verification integration with Che

What's missing:

integration with registry authentication
integration with build in OCP registry

openshift-ci · 2026-01-14T12:18:58Z

[APPROVALNOTIFIER] This PR is NOT APPROVED

This pull-request has been approved by: Allda
Once this PR has been reviewed and has the lgtm label, please assign dkwon17 for approval. For more information see the Code Review Process.

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pkg/library/env/workspaceenv.go

tolusha · 2026-01-15T16:34:38Z

pkg/library/restore/restore.go

+		{Name: "BACKUP_IMAGE", Value: restoreSourceImage},
+	}...)
+
+	return &corev1.Container{


We need some default resources specified for this container

I added a new config with default values for resources.

tolusha · 2026-01-15T16:40:59Z

controllers/workspace/devworkspace_controller.go

+	}
+
+	// Add init container to clone projects only if restore container wasn't created
+	if !workspaceRestoreCreated {


Could you elaborate please, why do we need fall back on this?
cc @dkwon17

I changed how the init containers are chosen based on the @dkwon17 suggestion. Please check again if it is clear now. It should be easier to read now.

dkwon17 · 2026-01-16T02:17:30Z

pkg/library/restore/restore.go

+) (*corev1.Container, error) {
+	wokrspaceTempplate := &workspace.Spec.Template
+	// Check if restore is requested via workspace attribute
+	if !wokrspaceTempplate.Attributes.Exists(constants.WorkspaceRestoreAttribute) {


IMHO I think it would be more readable if this check was done by the caller in devworkspace_controller.go

In the example presented in the Is it tested? How? section of this PR, the example has:

controller.devfile.io/restore-workspace: 'true'

which made me assume that:

controller.devfile.io/restore-workspace: 'false'

would disable the restore functionality for the devworkspace.

Could we also check for "false" string here?

I extracted the condition and moved it to the controller itself to make the code path easier to read. I also enhanced the logic to recognize the attribute value. The new test verifies that setting a value to false skips the restore container.

pkg/library/storage/storage.go

pkg/library/restore/restore.go

pkg/constants/attributes.go

A new init container is added to the workspace deployment in case user choose to restore the workspace from backup. By setting workspace attribute "controller.devfile.io/restore-workspace" the controller sets a new init container instead of cloning data from git repository. By default an automated path to restore image is used based on cluster settings. However user is capable overwrite that value using another attribute "controller.devfile.io/restore-source-image". The restore container runs a wokspace-recovery.sh script that pull an image using oras an extract files to a /project directory. Signed-off-by: Ales Raszka <[email protected]>

A new tests that verifies the workspace is created from a backup. It checks if a deployment is ready and if it contains a new restore init container with proper configuration. There are 2 tests - one focused on common pvc and other that have per-workspace storage. Signed-off-by: Ales Raszka <[email protected]>

The condition whether an workspace should be restored from workspace was in the restore module itself. This make a reading a code more difficult. Now the condition is checked in the controller itself and restore container is only added when enabled. This commit also fixes few minor changes based on the code review comments: - Licence header - Attribute validation - Add a test for disabled workspace recovery - Typos Signed-off-by: Ales Raszka <[email protected]>

A new config is added to control the restore container. Default values are set for the new init container. It can be changed by user in the config. The config uses same logic as the project clone container config. Signed-off-by: Ales Raszka <[email protected]>

Allda · 2026-01-16T12:39:50Z

controllers/workspace/devworkspace_controller_test.go

+					BackupCronJob: &controllerv1alpha1.BackupCronJobConfig{
+						Enable: ptr.To[bool](true),
+						Registry: &controllerv1alpha1.RegistryConfig{
+							Path: "localhost:5000",


@dkwon17 For the purposes of the integration tests, I need a valid backup container somewhere in a registry (the container could be empty with vely low size) to be able start and successfully execute the restore container. What would be the best place to upload it?

To verify the tests works I used my local registry, but that's not an option for running it outside of the localhost.

Allda requested review from akurinnoy, dkwon17, ibuziuk and rohanKanojia as code owners January 14, 2026 12:18

tolusha reviewed Jan 15, 2026

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openshift-merge-robot added the needs-rebase label Jan 16, 2026

Allda added 4 commits January 16, 2026 09:56

Allda force-pushed the 23570-restore-workspace branch from 1b95d94 to 5480c1c Compare January 16, 2026 11:04

openshift-merge-robot removed the needs-rebase label Jan 16, 2026

Allda commented Jan 16, 2026

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PR Checklist

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