Epic: Local preview "installation" method

[lucasvaltl]

Summary

Create a way to install a basic version of self-hosted Gitpod on a local machine for trial purposes. Should require minimal effort (time to wow) for most somewhat technical enterprise users.

Context

The easiest way to try out Gitpod is via our SaaS offering (gitpod.io). However, there are users and companies where this is not possible because of internal compliance issues and other restrictions (e.g. can only use vetted providers of software if it is running somewhere else). For these, Self-Hosted is the only viable path. However, our current self-hosted installation method requires you to set up an entire Kubernetes cluster just to try out Gitpod for the first time and see what it is all about. In a large corporation (exactly the ones that cannot use the SaaS version) this might mean going through internal hurdles to provision said cluster. Further this requires k8s experience.

We want to create a way for these corporate users that are technical but may not have deep Kubernetes expertise to experience Gitpod before they go to the next phase of investing more into it and getting for example a team to spin up a k8s cluster and install Gitpod self-hosted.

Value

• Enables those that cannot or do not want to run Gitpod SaaS to try out Gitpod, (hopefully) be amazed by it and potentially become full time users, and then potentially tell their friends / colleagues about it and start pushing for a wider implementation.

Acceptance Criteria

• Gitpod can be installed via simple and straight forward way that most somewhat technical enterprise users can successfully go through. It is a tradeoff: minimizing dependencies, minimizing installation steps vs. maximizing amount of addressable target users.
• Support for Mac, Windows and Linux

Measurement

• Measure amount of successful installations
• Amount of new leads we get from users that first used this installation method should be going up dramatically
• Amount of support questions we get related to basic K8s concepts should go down

Complexities

• Runtime: docker vs. vm
• Certs
• DNS resolution: localhost, DNS masks etc.

Related Issues / Work

• https://github.com/MrSimonEmms/gitpod-single-instance
• https://github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/tree/main/contrib/docker
• Epic: Awesome Gitpod Installation and Update/Upgrade Experience #7315 (comment)

Issues:

For milestones, see internal planning document

• [local-preview] Add Arm (and Mac M1) support #11309
• Local Preview Telemetry: Beginning of Installation #11301
• [local-preview] Better messaging in CLI output on Limitations and Next steps #11316
• [local-preview] Allow for opt out of telemetry #11350
• [local-preview] Reduce resource usage #11303
• Investigate ways to not require adding custom cert to browser #11379
• Research ways to not require creating Git Oauth app #11380
• [Local-Preview] In-product nudge towards next installation steps (i.e. PoV reference Architecture) #11381
• Which installation method is right for you docs page #11386
• [local preview] Check arch and fail fast on non-supported arch #11792

[csweichel]

Current work: https://github.com/gitpod-io/preview-install

[meysholdt]

On the Platform team, we used a Hack Friday to explore solutions around DNS and certs. Find the notes here:
https://www.notion.so/gitpod/Platform-Hack-Friday-3341419375c0499891499da281294151

[JohannesLandgraf]

Current work from @aledbf: https://gitpod.slack.com/archives/C02F19UUW6S/p1653860753279139