[NIFI-3241] support (or at least don't break) running nifi directly

• Type: Improvement
• Status: Open
• Priority: Minor
• Resolution: Unresolved
• Component/s: Configuration, Configuration Management, Documentation & Website, Tools and Build
• Labels: bootstrap documentation
• Assignee: Unassigned
• Reporter: Hunter Morgan
• Created: 21/Dec/16 17:47
• Updated: 21/Dec/16 17:47

Description

I'd like running nifi without the bootstrap to be a supported model. The bootstrap component unnecessarily complicates running nifi. It solves already solved problems. If people don't already have process supervision, monitoring/alerting, secret management, then it is useful, but I don't want to have to manage this application completely differently than other applications.
I would like to start nifi the same way the bootstrap component starts nifi - https://www.codatlas.com/github.com/apache/nifi/master/nifi-bootstrap/src/main/java/org/apache/nifi/bootstrap/RunNiFi.java?line=899 - and I will pursue that early next year. This would be helpful for using an extant supervisor like runit, and for debugging - to allow you to easily start a foreground instance.
I don't expect the bootstrap component to go away. I don't mind if it stays. Even if direct execution is not "supported," it would be really helpful to document it on the website and to try to keep from adding anything to bootstrap that would prevent running nifi directly. Next year I can contribute to documenting it, however community buy-in will be necessary in order to add it to the docs and to keep bootstrap optional.
This is mostly a docs task.