[Feature Request] Simple, secure and elegant adding a Debian / Ubuntu repository

[git70]

Currently, we must use a remote installation script, which is often not considered a safe solution: https://www.zerotier.com/download/#linux

In Debian and derivatives, there is an extrepo package that is used to seamlessly add external repositories https://packages.debian.org/bookworm/extrepo https://salsa.debian.org/extrepo-team/extrepo

Can you add the Zerotier repository to the database officially? Just complete the pull request here: https://salsa.debian.org/extrepo-team/extrepo-data

It is a clean and safe way (limiting user errors) to add external repositories. There are already many other repos: https://salsa.debian.org/extrepo-team/extrepo-data/-/tree/master/repos/debian?ref_type=heads

It has already been mentioned here, but without a reaction: https://discuss.zerotier.com/t/simple-secure-and-elegant-adding-a-linux-repository/16110

Cheers!

[laduke]

Thanks for the tip. In the past we haven't been able to get into debian repos because of static linking policies and open source licensing policies. I'm not sure if this thing has the same rules now or not...

[git70]

This is not a request to add ZT package to the Debian repository :) In a sense, the opposite is true: Add your repository to the extrepo package.

Extrepo is the base of external repositories of other companies. It is used for a simple, safe, elegant and in line with Debian adding foreign repositories to the system. See an example for Tailscale: https://salsa.debian.org/search?search=tailscale&nav_source=navbar&project_id=39209&group_id=6604&search_code=true&repository_ref=master

Currently, you need to take the following steps to add ZT to the system:

curl -s 'https://raw.githubusercontent.com/zerotier/ZeroTierOne/main/doc/contact%40zerotier.com.gpg' | gpg --import && \  
if z=$(curl -s 'https://install.zerotier.com/' | gpg); then echo "$z" | sudo bash; fi

(Using sudo bash is not recommended and is not elegant)

If you add your repo to extrepo, it will simply be like this: extrepo enable zerotier_repo and later (as usual) sudo apt install zerotier

Cheers!