REF-070: OCI Image Specification
REF-070: OCI Image Specification
Citation
Open Container Initiative. (2026). OCI Image Specification. OCI. https://github.com/opencontainers/image-spec
Descriptor specification: https://github.com/opencontainers/image-spec/blob/main/descriptor.md
Document Profile
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Year | 2017-2026 |
| Type | Content and descriptor specification |
| Status | Active OCI standard |
| GRADE / Quality | A - normative content descriptor specification with broad adoption |
| AIWG Relevance | Medium - Descriptor and digest model for verifiable resource bundles |
Executive Summary
The OCI Image Specification defines content descriptors that bind media type, size, and digest. The digest acts as a content identifier: clients can fetch bytes from an untrusted or intermediate source and independently verify that the bytes match the expected descriptor.
AIWG uses the same pattern for web resources: manifests commit descriptor paths, sizes, and SHA-256 digests; cache reads re-check the descriptor before the CLI uses a resource body.
AIWG Implementation Mapping
| OCI Image Concept | AIWG Resource Implication |
|---|---|
| Descriptor digest | Manifest `sha256` fields for bundles, prebuilt indices, and raw resources |
| Descriptor size | Manifest byte-size commitments for cache and body validation |
| Image manifest | AIWG release manifest |
| Image index | Future multi-graph or multi-platform resource manifest extensions |
| Content addressability | Cache key includes version and manifest digest |
Design Implications
- Descriptor verification should remain mandatory before any resource body is
parsed or rendered.
- Cache cleanup must preserve digest-keyed generations that are pinned by a
project lockfile.
- Descriptor metadata should be treated as public compatibility surface because
downstream tooling can build reproducibility checks on it.
Cross-References
- REF-069: OCI Distribution Specification defines the registry API around OCI
manifests and blobs.
- REF-071: SRI is a simpler content-hash precedent for web fetches.
- `src/resources/web-release.ts`: AIWG descriptor verification implementation.