The Biomedical Applications Group at the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center maintains a sprawling set of Singularity/Apptainer containers used across Bridges-2. Keeping tabs on versions, build status, and readiness across many repos can get messy fast. So we created a tiny helper repo:
👉 GitHub: https://github.com/pscedu/singularity-report
singularity-report is a public, no-frills status page that answers the questions we ask every week:
- What’s the latest version for each tool?
- Did the last build pass?
- Is this image ready to publish and advertise to users?
- When was it last touched?
It’s intentionally lightweight so that day-to-day maintenance stays easy—and so our Bridges-2 Summer 2025 intern can jump right in.
What it tracks
Each row in the report summarizes one container, including:
- Category (e.g., Scientific tool, Utility)
- Name (links to the upstream repo)
- Latest version (human-readable, e.g.,
v2.1.5) - Last update (commit date or timestamp)
- Build-ready ✅/❌
- Publish-ready ✅/❌
The goal is quick visual triage: green means “ship it,” red means “needs love.”
How it’s organized
The repo follows a simple “docs + data + script” layout:
README.md— A concise table you can scan in seconds.data.tsv— The source of truth (one row per container). This makes edits reviewable and scriptable.- Helper script — A small script to validate/update the table from
data.tsv. This keeps the README in sync and enables future automation.
Because the data lives in a flat file, you can:
- grep/awk/sed your way through changes,
- run quick checks in CI,
- and generate JSON/CSV later for dashboards.
Why this exists (and who it serves)
- PSC maintainers & interns. Shared visibility helps prioritize upgrades, fix breakages quickly, and keep documentation honest.
- Researchers on Bridges-2. It’s clearer which containers are current and reliable for production workflows.
- External collaborators. Transparent maintenance improves trust and supports reproducibility.
In short: fewer surprises, faster updates, and a smoother path from upstream releases to production-ready images.
Contributing
Spotted a new upstream release? Want to add a container we maintain?
- Edit
data.tsvwith the new/updated row. - Run the helper script (if applicable) to refresh the table.
- Open a Pull Request with a short note (include the upstream release link if relevant).
We keep contributions small and reviewable so that anyone can help—especially students and new team members ramping up on Bridges-2.
Roadmap (sketch)
- CI validation for
data.tsv(schema + sanity checks). - Status badges for build/publish readiness.
- Release watchers that open issues when upstream tags bump.
- Optional JSON export for embedding in portals/dashboards.
Practical tips (PSC/Bridges-2 context)
- Run on compute nodes (not on login/front-end nodes).
- Bind only what you need; prefer PSC filesystems for IO.
- Use GPU-enabled images where appropriate.
- Document modulefiles/env hints close to the container entry so users don’t guess.
If you rely on our containers—or help maintain them—bookmark the repo and glance at the table before your next run. It’s a small tool, but it keeps the big picture—versions, readiness, and publishing—front and center for the PSC community.