bootc-dev / bootc-dev/bootc

Conflation between OCI labels and annotations

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Description

This came up in a chat.

We use the OCI annotation keys `org.opencontainers.image.created` and `org.opencontainers.image.version`, however at a glance it looks like we're inconsistent on whether we use those keys when looking at actual annotations, or rather looking at the labels on the container. Those are not the same thing. Quick AI-assisted dump of some places this comes up:

---

## Instances of annotation constants used to query labels

| File | Line | Constant | Queried from |
|------|------|----------|-------------|
| `crates/lib/src/status.rs` | 205 | `ANNOTATION_CREATED` | config labels |
| `crates/lib/src/install/aleph.rs` | 55 | `ANNOTATION_CREATED` | config labels |
| `crates/ostree-ext/src/container/mod.rs` | 490 | `ANNOTATION_VERSION` | config labels |

## Correct usages (for comparison)

| File | Line | Constant | Queried from |
|------|------|----------|-------------|
| `crates/ostree-ext/src/container/store.rs` | 597 | `ANNOTATION_CREATED` | manifest annotations |
| `crates/lib/src/bootc_composefs/status.rs` | 514 | `ANNOTATION_VERSION` | manifest annotations |

## Additional observations

1. **`ANNOTATION_VERSION` is less problematic in practice** because the write-side in `crates/ostree-ext/src/container/encapsulate.rs:265-318` intentionally writes the version to **both** config labels and manifest annotations. And for non-ostree-ext-built images, Dockerfiles typically use `LABEL org.opencontainers.image.version=...`, so it ends up in labels anyway.

2. **`ANNOTATION_CREATED` is the more problematic one.** The encapsulate code does *not* write it into labels — it only sets `config.set_created()`. So the label lookup at `status.rs:205` and `aleph.rs:55` will almost never match; they're saved by the fallback to `config.created()`.

3. **There's an inconsistency between the ostree and composefs code paths.** The composefs status code (`bootc_composefs/status.rs:514`) correctly reads `ANNOTATION_VERSION` from manifest annotations, while the ostree status code (`status.rs:211` via `version_for_config`) reads it from config labels. These could diverge for images where the value is only in one location.

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