Cactidocumentation/Create-Packages.md

Create Packages

A Cacti package is a signed .xml.gz file containing template definitions and selected scripts or query resources. This development-branch interface is separate from ordinary XML export. Cacti 1.2 has installer and CLI package import support, but not these package-management screens.

Prepare the author and signing keys

Run cli/genkey.php --help with PHP from the Cacti installation to review the options for that version. For a new author identity, an example is:

php cli/genkey.php --generate \
  --author="Template Author" \
  --homepage="https://example.org/templates" \
  --email="templates@example.org" \
  --country=US --state=Example --org=Example --unit=Monitoring --days=365

Replace the example metadata with the author's details. The tool writes the signing material and author information into the configured PKI directory. package.key is private; package.pem is the certificate, package.pub is the public key, and package.info contains author metadata. Allow the packaging process to read what it needs, keep the private key inaccessible through HTTP, and back up the author identity securely. Do not publish the private key.

Reuse the existing identity when publishing an update. --replace replaces signing material; it is not an ordinary package-update step. Changing keys also changes the identity recipients must verify and trust. See Package Public Keys.

Build the package

1. Open Console > Import/Export > Create Packages.
2. Choose the object type and exact template to export. Select Include Dependencies when the recipient needs its referenced templates, input methods, queries, profiles, CDEFs and VDEFs.
3. Complete the description, license, version, class, tags and installation instructions. The package version is the author's version, not the Cacti XML hash compatibility code.
4. Inspect the dependent files and include the scripts/query resources required by the template. Check any dependencies that cannot be discovered from paths in the template; an external agent, credentials or device configuration is not supplied merely by including a script.
5. Submit the package and check for export errors. Download the resulting signed .xml.gz file.

The Device Templates screen can also Download a package or Archive its current definition with a note. Those actions appear when the package public key exists; successful packaging also needs the matching signing material and author information. An archive is a saved package definition, not a backup of collected RRD data.

Verify before distribution

Test the package in a separate Cacti installation using the recipient's release. Follow Import Packages, review the signer and selected files, and confirm the templates, scripts and queries are present. Then create a graph for a device exposing the required measurements and verify collected values. A valid signature does not establish device or firmware compatibility.

Distribute the package with its author version, required Cacti/runtime versions, external setup instructions and independently verifiable signer information. For repository distribution, see Package Repositories.

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