Cross-platform application containerized execution

A method, comprising:

• receiving, by a processor, specification of a plurality of exclusion/inclusion directories related to containerized execution of a cross-platform application associated with a first operating system on a target platform;
• adding, by the processor, the plurality of exclusion/inclusion directories to a manifest file of a container image for the cross-platform application that has been containerized for execution on a source platform different than the target platform;
• identifying within the manifest file, by the processor, specification of a plurality of image layers for the cross-platform application within the container image, the image layers ordered from a first image layer through a last image layer;
• starting with the first image layer and ending at the last image layer, unpacking, by the processor, each image layer at the target platform by extracting files from each image layer in accordance with the plurality of exclusion/inclusion directories;
• as each image layer is unpacked at the target platform, computing, by the processor, a checksum of the files copied from the image layer to the target platform and adding the computed checksum for the image layer to the manifest file;
• saving, by the processor, the container image including the manifest file to which the plurality of exclusion/inclusion directories and the computed checksum for each image layer has been added;
• creating, by the processor, a new version of the cross-platform application associated with a second operating system for execution on the target platform,
• wherein the first operating system is different than the second operating system,
• receiving, by the processor, specification of a link from a source directory path on the source platform to a target path on the target platform in correspondence with which a directory structure is created on the target platform;
• and
• adding, by the processor, the link to the manifest file,
• wherein the link pertains to a file system isolation-oriented command specific to the source platform that is unavailable at the target platform and that is translated to a symbolic link to the created directory structure on the target platform to maintain file system isolation during containerized execution of the cross-platform application on the target platform and
• wherein the file system isolation-oriented command specific to the source platform and referring to the source directory comprises a change root command unavailable at the target platform, the change root command changing a root directory to the source directory on the source platform and wherein execution of the target platform is performed without native execution of the change root command.

A computing device running a target platform, comprising:

• a storage device storing a container image for a cross-platform application that has been containerized for execution on a source platform different than the target platform;
• a processor;
• a non-transitory computer-readable data storage medium storing program code that the processor executes to:
• identify, within a manifest file of the container image, specification of a plurality of image layers for the cross-platform application associated with a first operating system within the container image, the image layers ordered from a first image layer through a last image layer;
• identify, within the manifest file, specification of a plurality of exclusion/inclusion directories related to containerized execution of the cross-platform application on a target platform different than the source platform;
• starting with the first image layer and ending at the last image layer, unpack each image layer at the target platform by copying files from each image layer to a directory at the target platform in accordance with the identified specification of the plurality of exclusion/inclusion directories;
• execute a version of the cross-platform application associated with a second operating system corresponding to the image layers as unpacked at the target platform, in a containerized manner,
• wherein the first operating system is different than the second operating system;
• identify, within the manifest file, a link from a source directory path on the source platform to a target directory path on the target platform;
• create a directory structure on the target platform corresponding to the target directory path;
• and
• as the version of the cross-platform application is executed, translate a file system isolation-oriented command specific to the source platform that is unavailable at the target platform and which refers to the source directory path to a symbolic link to the created directory structure on the target platform corresponding to the target directory path as specified by the link,
• wherein translation of the file system isolation-oriented command to the symbolic link maintains file system isolation during containerized execution of the cross-platform application on the target platform and
• wherein the file system isolation-oriented command specific to the source platform and referring to the source directory comprises a change root command unavailable at the target platform, the change root command changing a root directory to the source directory on the source platform and wherein execution of the target platform is performed without native execution of the change root command.