go-genproto to google-cloud-go message type migration

The message types for all of our client libraries are being migrated from the google.golang.org/genproto module to their respective product specific module in this repository. For example this asset request type that was once found in genproto can now be found in directly in the asset module.

Although the type definitions have moved, aliases have been left in the old genproto packages to ensure a smooth non-breaking transition.

How do I migrate to the new packages?

The easiest option is to run a migration tool at the root of our project. It is like go fix, but specifically for this migration. Before running the tool it is best to make sure any modules that have the prefix of cloud.google.com/go are up to date. To run the tool, do the following:

go run cloud.google.com/go/internal/aliasfix/cmd/aliasfix@latest .
go mod tidy

The tool should only change up to one line in the import statement per file. This can also be done by hand if you prefer.

Do I have to migrate?

Yes if you wish to keep using the newest versions of our client libraries with the newest features -- You should migrate by the start of 2023. Until then we will keep updating the aliases in go-genproto weekly. If you have an existing workload that uses these client libraries and does not need to update its dependencies there is no action to take. All existing written code will continue to work.

Why are these types being moved

  1. This change will help simplify dependency trees over time.
  2. The types will now be in product specific modules that are versioned independently with semver. This is especially a benefit for users that rely on multiple clients in a single application. Because message types are no longer mono-packaged users are less likely to run into intermediate dependency conflicts when updating dependencies.
  3. Having all these types in one repository will help us ensure that unintended changes are caught before they would be released.

Have questions?

Please reach out to us on our issue tracker if you have any questions or concerns.