Preparing for Distribution

This documentation describes how to create a distributable version of the model backend for sharing inference code.

Before Distribution

The Inference Backend should be validated and tested before distribution. The following files should also be completed before packaging:

• MODEL_CARD.md: Document model details, limitations, and ownership.

• README.md: Provide usage instructions and relevant information for developers and contributors.

• LICENSE.txt: Specify the applicable licensing information for the project.

• packflow.yaml: Complete all metadata and configuration fields.

• requirements.txt: Specify all required Python dependencies.

These files are created as part of the Packflow project structure when initializing a new project with the packflow create command.

Packflow Config File

After initializing a project with the packflow create command, a file named packflow.yaml will be automatically generated in the project structure. This file contains information that Packflow can read to load the project, and presents a natural integration surface for other systems to load and interact with Packflow-built analytics.

Contents

The purpose of packflow.yaml is to track:

1. Project metadata, including name, version, description, and maintainers.

   • This information could be used as a part of a DevOps pipeline or workflow designed to efficiently import Packflow projects into a system.

Note

For instance, a DevOps pipeline could send automated emails to warn the maintainers of an issue with running the project, or to alert them of a vulnerability detected in one of the project’s dependencies.

2. Loader configuration, including python_version, inference_backend, and loader.

   • These configuration fields specify how an Inference Backend may be loaded from the Packflow project.

3. Environment variable configuration (env: section).

   • Key/value pairs defined here are applied as environment variables whenever the project is loaded. A warning is emitted if an existing variable is overwritten with a different value.

4. Backend configuration (backend_config: section).

   • Preprocessor and backend settings applied automatically when loading the project via InferenceBackendLoader.from_project(). See Backend Configuration and Configuration Sources for details.

5. Arbitrary custom metadata (extra: section).

   • Any project-scope configuration or metadata that does not fit the standard fields may be placed under the extra: mapping. Arbitrary top-level keys are not accepted; all custom values must be nested under extra:.

Creating a Package

Create a distributable package using the packflow export [PROJECT_PATH] command.

packflow export [PROJECT_PATH]

The [PROJECT_PATH] argument is optional; if not provided, the current working directory will be used as the project path.

This will create a zipped archive of the Packflow project in the current working directory, which can then be shared and deployed across different environments.

Note

In the archive filename, hyphens in the project name are replaced with underscores (e.g., my-analytic produces my_analytic-1.0.0.zip). This follows PEP 625 conventions, ensuring the hyphen in the filename unambiguously separates the project name from the version.

Note

Each package corresponds to a release. Creating packages from Git branches or tags is recommended for versioning.