POSIX file command missing for barman

[SBDevUser]

Hello,

barman lists POSIX file as one of its requirement which is not present in the used debian:slim image. I suggest adding it by including something like apt-get install -y file in the Dockerfile.

I found out about this error from barman while creating a backup.

EXCEPTION: [Errno 2] No such file or directory: 'file'
See log file for more details.

[SBDevUser]

also, rsync is missing

[dosubot]

Hi @SBDevUser! I'm Dosu and I’m helping the postgres-containers team.

Confirmed—rsync is not included in the current CloudNativePG operand images, and this is expected due to the project's move toward minimal images and plugin-based backup solutions. The recommended approach is to use the Barman Cloud Plugin for backups instead of relying on Barman (and its dependencies like rsync) being present in the image by default. If you still need rsync for a legacy workflow, you can create a custom Dockerfile based on the official image and install any required utilities on top of it. More details on this transition and the rationale are discussed here and here. Let me know if you need an example Dockerfile or help with the plugin setup.

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[SBDevUser]

Ok, so if the image is supposed to be minimal, why is Barman included at all? At the very least, its dependencies should be properly fulfilled.

[dosubot]

The minimal image is designed to include only the essentials for running PostgreSQL, which means most extra tools and dependencies—including Barman and its requirements—are intentionally excluded to keep the image small and secure. Historically, Barman was bundled in some images, but the project is transitioning to a plugin-based architecture: backup tools like Barman Cloud are now provided via dedicated sidecar images or plugins, not in the minimal image itself. This modular approach lets you use the minimal image for most workloads and add only the backup functionality you need via plugins or custom builds. If you need Barman and its dependencies, you can use the legacy "system" images (while they're still available) or build your own image on top of the minimal one by installing the required packages. The missing dependencies are a result of this minimization strategy, not an oversight—it's part of the move to a more maintainable and flexible container ecosystem. More details are discussed in this issue and here.

To reply, just mention @dosu.

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[NiccoloFei]

I found out about this error from barman while creating a backup.
EXCEPTION: [Errno 2] No such file or directory: 'file'
See log file for more details.

What command did you run to hit that error? barman is only available via the system flavor images, and we only support the barman-cloud scripts (see https://docs.pgbarman.org/release/3.16.2/user_guide/barman_cloud.html#), e.g the scripts that are prefixed with barman-cloud which work standalone, without requiring a Barman server.