# Meteor upgrade — 1.6.1.1 → 2.x (→ 3.x blocked)

Incremental, verified upgrade of `todos-contra-el-fuego-web`. Branch:
`meteor3-upgrade` (base `tcef-master`). Local commits only — no push until
authorized.

## ⚠️ Hard blocker for the final 3.x jump: MongoDB 3.2

Production runs against the shared replica set **rsmain on MongoDB 3.2.11**.
Meteor 3 ships the modern `mongodb` Node driver, which requires a server
**≥ 4.2/4.4**. Meteor **2.x still works against Mongo 3.2**.

Therefore this branch lands on **Meteor 2.5** — empirically the highest release
whose bundled `mongodb` driver still connects to Mongo 3.2 (2.6 bumps the driver
to 4.x and fails; see "Escala ceiling" below) — with everything green. The
`meteor update --release 3.x` step (and even 2.6+) is **deliberately not taken**
until the Comunes infra team upgrades rsmain (shared infra — coordinated in a
separate phase, not unilaterally). Server code should still be migrated to
async/await before the final 3.x jump so it is mechanical (tracked as debt).

## ⚠️ Deploy-ordering dependency: notifications cutover

The old push/email notification code was removed from the web (see the
notifications commit) because it now lives in the **tcef-notifications**
microservice. **Production must not run this build until tcef-notifications is
emitting in prod** — otherwise users stop receiving notifications. The web
deploy and the notifications cutover must be coordinated.

## Safety net: REST smoke test

`smoke/` is a standalone Node harness that calls every REST endpoint the Flutter
app consumes, against a seeded local dev server, and diffs the responses against
committed snapshots (`smoke/snapshots/`). See `smoke/README.md`.

**Run after every escala — it must stay byte-identical:**

```bash
docker run -d --name tcef-mongo32 -p 27018:27017 mongo:3.2   # once
export PATH="$HOME/.meteor:$PATH" MONGO_URL="mongodb://localhost:27018/fuegos"
meteor --settings settings-development.json --port 3100 &     # dev server
./smoke/smoke.sh                                              # seed + compare
```

## Escalas

### Baseline — Meteor 1.6.1.1 (starting point)

- Boots against Mongo 3.2 with `settings-development.json`.
- Dev-enabling changes (do not affect production behavior):
  - `IPGeocoder.js`: degrade gracefully when the MaxMind GeoLite2 DB is absent
    (provisioned by cron in prod) instead of crashing at boot.
  - `settings-development.json`: added dev-only `private.internalApiToken`
    (`dev-smoke-token`) — the REST API only registers its routes when this is
    set.
- **Notifications code removed** (migrated to tcef-notifications): deleted
  `notificationsObserver.js`, `notificationsProcess.js`, the "Process pending
  notif" SyncedCron job, and the `node-gcm` dependency. `subsUnion.js` kept (it
  feeds `subs-public-union`, consumed by the app).
- REST smoke baseline captured here. ✅ green.

### Escala 1 — 1.6.1.1 → 1.8.3  ✅ green

```bash
meteor update --release 1.8.3
meteor npm install --save @babel/runtime@^7.26.0
```

Core packages bumped (highlights): `meteor` 1.8.6→1.9.3, `ecmascript`
0.10.7→0.13.2, `modules` 0.11.6→0.14.0, `mongo` 1.4.7→1.7.0, `npm-mongo`
2.2.34→**3.2.0** (mongodb driver 3.x — still fine against Mongo 3.2 server),
`webapp` 1.5.0→1.7.5, `standard-minifier-js` →2.5.2. `underscore` auto-added
(1.7 dropped it from meteor-base), `fetch` + `modern-browsers` added.

**Breaking change — Babel beta → stable.** Boot failed with
`Cannot find module '@babel/runtime/helpers/objectSpread2'`: the pinned
`@babel/runtime@7.0.0-beta.44` predates helpers that 1.8's `ecmascript` emits.
Fixed by upgrading to stable **7.x** (`@babel/runtime@^7.29.7`). Note: `@latest`
resolves to `8.x`, which is too new for Meteor's 7-style helper layout — pin to
`^7`.

REST smoke test: **byte-identical to baseline.** ✅

### Escala 2 — 1.8.3 → 1.11 (version resolution only)

```bash
meteor update --release 1.11
```

Resolution reached 1.11 (`ecmascript` 0.14.3, `mongo` 1.10.0, `npm-mongo`
**3.8.0** — still Mongo-3.2-compatible, `accounts-*` 1.x, `email` 2.0). But this
release surfaced the two big blockers below. The app was ultimately driven to
**2.3** (see next section); 1.11 was a transit point, not a landing.

### Escala 3 — → Meteor 2.3  ✅ green (builds + runs against Mongo 3.2, smoke byte-identical)

`.meteor/release = METEOR@2.3`. `npm-mongo` **3.9.0** (mongodb driver 3.x) — the
last driver line that still speaks to a Mongo 3.2 server. Core bumps:
`accounts-*` 2.0, `ecmascript` 0.15.2, `mongo` 1.12.0, HMR added.

This escala was dominated by **dead Atmosphere packages** (the plan's #1 risk).
Root causes and fixes, in the order they were hit:

1. **`arkham:comments-ui` — no Meteor 2.x build.** The vendored local package
   used `Npm.depends`, and rebuilding a *local* package's npm deps crashes
   meteor-tool ≥1.11 on this host (`node_contextify.cc … Assertion
   args[1]->IsString()` → SIGABRT; reproducible with any `Npm.depends`, even
   `is-number`). Switching to the Atmosphere isopack avoided the local rebuild
   but the package is abandoned: its newest 2.x-solvable version (0.2.15) pins
   `accounts-password@1.0.1`, conflicting with Meteor 2.0's accounts-password 2.0.
   **Decision (user-approved): reimplement comments as a small React feature**
   (`imports/api/Comments/*`, `imports/ui/components/Comments/CommentsBox.js`),
   dropping the package entirely. Fire-page comments only (the sole usage), with
   likes/dislikes, image/YouTube embed, owner edit/remove, and the
   "email other commenters" side-effect preserved. Comment text is now rendered
   as **safe plain text** (+ media embed) instead of markdown-to-HTML — a small
   scope reduction and a security improvement (no raw-HTML injection of user
   content). The old local fork is preserved in its nested git repo
   (commit `4761da9`).

2. **`coffeescript@1.0.17` build plugin — crashes the build.** The same
   `node_contextify` assertion fired at *build start* on this host whenever the
   coffeescript compiler plugin loaded. It was pulled transitively by the dead
   **test stack** (`meteortesting:mocha`, `practicalmeteor:chai`,
   `xolvio:cleaner`) and by the old auto-downgraded `nimble:restivus@0.6.6`
   (which needs `iron:router`). Removing those removed coffeescript and
   unblocked the build. A trivial `meteor create` app builds fine on the same
   tool, confirming the crash is package-specific, not a broken tool.

3. **`nimble:restivus` — the REST API package — pins `accounts-password@1.3.3`**
   (incompatible with 2.x) and is CoffeeScript (needs the crashing plugin).
   **Vendored** as `packages/nimble-restivus`: the `.coffee` sources were
   precompiled to plain JS (`lib/restivus-all.js`, single translation unit so
   the `Auth`/`Route`/`Restivus` classes share scope; `Restivus` left
   un-`var`'d so Meteor's `api.export` picks it up), and `package.js` loosens
   `accounts-password` to 2.x and drops the coffeescript dependency. This also
   let restivus resolve to 0.8.12 (json-routes based), which **removed the whole
   `iron:router` stack**. REST behavior unchanged (smoke byte-identical).

4. **`maximum:server-transform` (unused) removal** broke
   `Meteor.publishTransformed` in `FalsePositives/server/publications.js`; no
   transform was actually configured, so replaced with plain `Meteor.publish`.

5. **`fourseven:scss` 4.5.4 → 4.14.1** — `node-sass@4.5.3` won't build on node 12
   (Meteor ≥1.9); 4.14.1 uses a node-12-compatible node-sass with prebuilt
   binaries. (Meteor 1.8 built it on node 8.) `4.15.0` needs ecmascript ≥ 0.15.1
   → too new for 1.11.

6. **`less`, `markdown` removed** — no `.less`/`.md` source files; their build
   plugins were dead weight.

### ⚠️ Local build-host caveat

Meteor-tool's bundled node (12.x/14.x) SIGABRTs (`node_contextify` assertion) on
this machine (kernel 6.12) when certain old build plugins load — this is an
environment interaction, not a code defect (the deploy host built these fine
historically). It was fully worked around by removing the dead build plugins
above. If a future escala hits it again, build in a container matching the
deploy target (Debian) rather than on this host.

### Escalas 2.4 & 2.5 — ✅ green

`meteor update --release 2.4`, then `--release 2.5`. Both trivial; `npm-mongo`
stays at **3.9.1** (mongodb driver 3.x). REST smoke byte-identical against
`mongo:3.2` on both.

## Escala ceiling vs Mongo 3.2 — **landing on Meteor 2.5** (empirically verified)

Meteor bumps the bundled `mongodb` Node driver to **4.3.1 at Meteor 2.6**, which
requires server wire version ≥ 6 (**MongoDB ≥ 3.6**). Production's rsmain is
**Mongo 3.2** (wire version 4). Verified directly by booting 2.6 against a real
`mongo:3.2`:

```
MongoCompatibilityError: Server at localhost:27018 reports maximum wire
version 4, but this version of the Node.js Driver requires at least 6
(MongoDB 3.6)
=> Exited with code: 1
```

So **Meteor 2.5 is the highest release that runs against the production Mongo
3.2** (npm-mongo 3.9.1). That is where this branch lands: everything green, REST
smoke byte-identical. Going past 2.5 (to 2.16 or 3.x) is gated on upgrading the
shared rsmain replica set to Mongo ≥ 4.4 first — the same DB blocker as 3.x.

## 🚧 3.x — blocked (do not run `meteor update --release 3.x`)

Two independent blockers, both external/coordination:
1. **MongoDB 3.2 → ≥ 4.4.** Meteor 3's driver requires it. Shared Comunes infra
   (rsmain) — coordinate the DB upgrade in a separate phase. This *also* gates
   Meteor 2.5+.
2. **Notifications cutover.** The old notif code is already removed from this
   branch; production must not run this build until `tcef-notifications` is
   emitting in prod.

When Mongo is ≥ 4.4 and the notifications service is live in prod, the remaining
3.x work is: `meteor update --release 3.x`, finish the async/await migration of
server code (collections/methods/publications `*Async`, no Fibers), React 18
render root, and re-run the smoke test.

## 3.x groundwork — done on branch `meteor3-wip` (in progress, not deployable)

To de-risk the eventual 3.x jump, the migration was driven as far as it goes
against a **modern dockerized MongoDB** (the "mongo superior" decision: give
fuegos its own Mongo 7 instead of the shared rsmain 3.2, which is what actually
unblocks Meteor 3's driver). This lives on `meteor3-wip`; `meteor3-upgrade` stays
at the deployable Meteor 2.5.

**Modern Mongo (local, reproducible):**
```bash
docker run -d --name tcef-mongo7 -p 27019:27019 mongo:7 --replSet rs0 --port 27019 --bind_ip_all
docker exec tcef-mongo7 mongosh --port 27019 --quiet --eval 'rs.initiate({_id:"rs0",members:[{_id:0,host:"localhost:27019"}]})'
export MONGO_URL="mongodb://localhost:27019/fuegos?replicaSet=rs0"
# meteor-tool node 22 needs this to reach warehouse.meteor.com (else Happy-Eyeballs
# picks an unreachable IPv6):
export NODE_OPTIONS="--dns-result-order=ipv4first --no-network-family-autoselection"
```

**Reached `METEOR@3.1` with all package-version conflicts resolved.** Dead
packages swapped for Meteor-3 equivalents:

| Old (mongo@1.x / dead) | New |
|---|---|
| `mongo-livedata` | removed (deprecated alias) |
| `facts` | `facts-base` |
| `saucecode:timezoned-synced-cron` | `quave:synced-cron` |
| `aldeed:collection2-core` | `aldeed:collection2@4.0.4` |
| `mys:fonts` (pinned caching-compiler@1.0.0) | removed |
| `fourseven:scss@4.14.1` (node-sass, fails on node 22) | `@5.0.0` (Dart Sass) + `sass` npm |
| `nimble:restivus` (vendored) | accounts-password loosened to `2.0.0 \|\| 3.0.0` |

SCSS then compiles (Dart Sass; only `@import`/`lighten`/`darken` deprecation
warnings — cosmetic debt: migrate to `@use` + `color.adjust`).

**Blocked at the client-bundle linker:** `Runtime is not available, but it uses
features needing the runtime: underscore` — one of the old client atmosphere
packages (bert / blaze-react / cookie-consent / meteor-status / bootstrap-4 /
etc.) needs replacing for Meteor 3's linker. Beyond that, the **server
async/await migration is the main remaining effort** (unavoidable for 3.x):

- `Rest.js` + its helpers (`countRealFires`, `firesUnion`, `whichAreFalsePositives`,
  `fireFromHash`, `subscriptionsInsert`, `upsertFalsePositive`) use sync Mongo
  (`findOne`, `find().fetch()/.count()`, `insert/update/remove/upsert`) → must
  become `*Async`.
- The vendored **restivus must be patched to `await`** async endpoint handlers
  (its `_callEndpoint` uses the return value synchronously).
- `methods.js`/`publications.js` across the app, `subsUnion.js`, `migrations.js`,
  the Comments feature, and startup files → async.
- `cron.js` `SyncedCron` import (quave export) and `facts.js` `Facts` import
  (facts-base export).
- React 16 → 18 render root (`createRoot`) in `startup/client/index.js`.

This is a multi-hour migration; the smoke test (now `mongosh`-capable, see
`smoke/smoke.sh` on that branch) is the gate. Resume on `meteor3-wip`.

## Dependency debt (tracked, to resolve in the noted escala)

| Dep | From | Target | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| React / react-dom | 16.0 | 18 | **debt** — deferred; ancient react-* libs (react-bootstrap 0.31, reactstrap 5-alpha, react-leaflet 1.8) break on 18. React 16 works through Meteor 2.x/3.x. Own front-end project. |
| Server async/await | Fibers | `*Async` APIs | **pending** — prep for 3.x; 2.x still runs on Fibers so not yet required. |
| raven / flowkey:raven | 2.4 | @sentry/node + @sentry/react | debt — DSN off until GlitchTip/Sentry back (sentry.comunes.org dead → harmless boot-log timeout noise) |
| nodemailer | 4 | 6+ | pending |
| Babel | 7 beta | 7 stable | ✅ done (escala 1) |
| i18next | 10 | current | debt — pin; not on the critical path |
| Leaflet | 1.3.1 | current | debt — pin; not on the critical path |
| arkham:comments-ui | 1.4.x | — | ✅ replaced with in-repo React feature |
| nimble:restivus | Atmosphere | vendored | ✅ local precompiled package, accounts-password 2.x |
| maximum:server-transform, meteorhacks:zones, less, markdown, test stack | — | — | ✅ removed (dead/unused) |
| fourseven:scss | 4.5.4 | 4.14.1 | ✅ node-12 compatible |
| node-gcm | 1.0.2 | — | ✅ removed (dead API, moved to microservice) |

### Comments React feature — verification note

The server builds and the REST smoke test is green, and the client bundle
compiles, but the comments UI itself is **not exercised by the smoke test**
(it's not part of the Flutter REST contract). It needs manual staging
verification: on a fire archive page — logged-in post/edit/remove, like/dislike,
and image/YouTube embed.