The only difference between
- `pageserver_api::models::TenantConfig` and
- `pageserver::tenant::config::TenantConfOpt`
at this point is that `TenantConfOpt` serializes with
`skip_serializing_if = Option::is_none`.
That is an efficiency improvement for all the places that currently
serde `models::TenantConfig` because new serializations will no longer
write `$fieldname: null` for each field that is `None` at runtime.
This should be particularly beneficial for Storcon, which stores
JSON-serialized `models::TenantConfig` in its DB.
# Behavior Changes
This PR changes the serialization behavior: we omit `None` fields
instead of serializing `$fieldname: null`).
So it's a data format change (see section on compatibility below).
And it changes API responses from Storcon and Pageserver.
## API Response Compatibility
Storcon returns the location description.
Afaik it is passed through into
- storcon_cli output
- storcon UI in console admin UI
These outputs will no longer contain `$fieldname: null` values,
which de-bloats the output (good).
But in storcon UI, it also serves as an editor "default", which
will be eliminated after a storcon with this PR is released.
## Data Format Compatibility
Backwards compat: new software reading old serialized data will
deserialize to the same runtime value because all the field types
are exactly the same and `skip_serializing_if` does not affect
deserialization.
Forward compat: old software reading data serialized by new software
will map absence fields in the serialized form to runtime value
`Option::None`. This is serde default behavior, see this playground
to convince yourself:
https://play.rust-lang.org/?version=stable&mode=debug&edition=2024&gist=f7f4e1a169959a3085b6158c022a05eb
The `serde(with="humantime_serde")` however behaves strangely:
if used on an `Option<Duration>`, it still requires the field to be
present,
unlike the serde default behavior shown in the previous paragraph.
The workaround is to set `serde(default)`.
Previously it was set on each individual field, but, we do have the
container attribute, so, set it there.
This requires deriving a `Default` impl, which, because all fields are
`Option`,
is non-magic.
See my notes here:
https://gist.github.com/problame/eddbc225a5d12617e9f2c6413e0cf799
# Future Work
We should have separate types (& crates) for
- runtime types configuration (e.g. PageServerConf::tenant_config,
AttachedLocationConf)
- `config-v1` file pageserver local disk file format
- `mgmt API`
- `pageserver.toml`
Right now they all use the same, which is convenient but makes it hard
to reason about compatibility breakage.
# Refs
- corresponding docs.neon.build PR
https://github.com/neondatabase/docs/pull/470