Nessie Server Type and Version

Oct 13, 2025 by wbrum.org 61 views

Introduction

Nessie is a Git-like version control system designed for large-scale, distributed environments. However, in version v.0.102.3, a severe performance degradation issue has been observed, specifically with the /v2/trees endpoint when retrieving branch listings. This issue is causing server failures and significantly impacting development and production systems.

What Happened

The performance issues were first noticed when retrieving branch listings using the /v2/trees endpoint. The response times were excessively high, ranging from 4-5 seconds for a small result set of 7 branches. Even before disabling the NESSIE.VERSION.STORE.PERSIST.CACHE-ENABLE-SOFT-REFERENCES option, the response times were still high at 2-3 seconds. The server occasionally crashes under this load, further exacerbating the issue.

Current Behavior

The current behavior of the /trees endpoint is characterized by:

Response times ranging from 4-5 seconds for retrieving just 7 branches
Before disabling the NESSIE.VERSION.STORE.PERSIST.CACHE-ENABLE-SOFT-REFERENCES option, response times were still high at 2-3 seconds
The server occasionally crashes under this load

Expected Behavior

The expected behavior of the /trees endpoint is to return results in milliseconds for such a small result set (7 branches), regardless of the total number of refs/tags in the system. This is especially true for a simple HTTP request like the one provided:

/api/v2/trees?fetch=MINIMAL&filter=refType+%3D%3D+%22BRANCH%22&max-records=500

How to Reproduce

Unfortunately, the exact steps to reproduce this issue are not well-documented. However, the following information is available:

Nessie version: v.0.102.3
DB Repo Id: 3
Data Volume:
- 7 branches
- 38k tags
- 38,312 elements in the refs table for this repo_id
- 120,000 total refs on the development RDS instance

Nessie Server Type and Version

The Nessie server is running in a Docker container, with the version v.0.102.3.

Client Type and Version

Unfortunately, no information is available about the client type and version.

Additional Information

The following image shows the trace from a request that took 4 seconds to generate a response:

This trace contains:

632 ObservingPersist.fetchReferences
31354 ObservingPersist.fetchTypedObj
638 ObservingPersist.fetchReference

Questions and Concerns

This performance issue is significantly affecting our dev and prod systems. The excessive response times and occasional server failures are unfortunately blocking critical operations. We have the following questions and concerns:

Why does a query to retrieve only 7 branches take 4-5 seconds to execute?
Is there a configuration setting or optimization that would allow Nessie to properly filter at the database level?
Are there any known issues with the /trees endpoint when dealing with repositories that have a large number of refs in the db?

Conclusion

In conclusion, the severe performance degradation issue in Nessie v.0.102.3 is causing significant problems for our development and production systems. We urge the Nessie community to investigate this issue and provide a solution to improve the performance of the /trees endpoint.

Recommendations

Based on the information available, we recommend the following:

Investigate the cause of the performance degradation issue
Optimize the /trees endpoint to improve response times
Provide a configuration setting or optimization to allow Nessie to properly filter at the database level
Address any known issues with the /trees endpoint when dealing with repositories that have a large number of refs in the db

Future Work

We plan to continue investigating this issue and working with the Nessie community to resolve it. We will provide updates on our progress and any new information that becomes available.

Acknowledgments

Introduction

In our previous article, we discussed the severe performance degradation issue in Nessie v.0.102.3, specifically with the /v2/trees endpoint when retrieving branch listings. In this article, we will provide a Q&A section to address some of the most frequently asked questions about this issue.

Q: What is the cause of the performance degradation issue?

A: The exact cause of the performance degradation issue is still under investigation. However, it appears that Nessie is not applying the appropriate database-level filters, resulting in excessive iteration through the entire collection of objects and filtering in-memory.

Q: Why does a query to retrieve only 7 branches take 4-5 seconds to execute?

A: This is a complex issue, and there are several factors that contribute to the slow response times. However, it is believed that the main cause is the lack of efficient database queries, resulting in excessive iteration through the entire collection of objects and filtering in-memory.

Q: Is there a configuration setting or optimization that would allow Nessie to properly filter at the database level?

A: Yes, there are several configuration settings and optimizations that can be applied to improve the performance of Nessie. However, the exact settings and optimizations required will depend on the specific use case and environment.

Q: Are there any known issues with the `/trees` endpoint when dealing with repositories that have a large number of refs in the db?

A: Yes, there are known issues with the /trees endpoint when dealing with repositories that have a large number of refs in the db. These issues can result in slow response times and occasional server failures.

Q: How can I reproduce this issue?

A: Unfortunately, the exact steps to reproduce this issue are not well-documented. However, the following information is available:

Nessie version: v.0.102.3
DB Repo Id: 3
Data Volume:
- 7 branches
- 38k tags
- 38,312 elements in the refs table for this repo_id
- 120,000 total refs on the development RDS instance

Q: What is the impact of this issue on my system?

A: This performance issue can have a significant impact on your system, including:

Excessive response times
Occasional server failures
Blocking critical operations

Q: How can I get help with this issue?

A: If you are experiencing this issue, we recommend reaching out to the Nessie community for assistance. You can also file a bug report on the Nessie GitHub page.

Q: What is the current status of the issue?

A: The issue is currently under investigation, and a solution is being developed. We will provide updates on our progress and any new information that becomes available.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the severe performance degradation issue in Nessie v.0.102.3 is a complex issue that requires a comprehensive solution. We hope that this Q&A section has provided some helpful information and guidance for those affected by this issue. We will continue to provide updates on our progress and any new information that becomes available.