[lfx-mentorship-2025-Mar-May] Kmesh eBPF unit test

[LiZhenCheng9527]

• Description: As the community features continue to expand, the number of eBPF programs in the data plane has increased. Due to the inherent limitations of eBPF (third-state encoding, neither user space nor kernel space, running in a kernel virtual machine with a dedicated instruction set), Kmesh implements complex governance logic through features like tail call and map-in-map, which poses challenges for data plane quality protection.
  eBPF, a recently introduced programmable technology in the kernel, currently has an immature ecosystem. The industry is actively exploring eBPF testing capabilities (e.g., Unit Testing eBPF). This project aims to develop an eBPF UT testing framework in conjunction with the Kmesh project to ensure the quality of the Kmesh data plane.
• Expected Outcome:
  • Export Kmesh eBPF programs to support UT test case.
  • Export design documentation for eBPF UT tests
• Recommended Skills: C, eBPF, (go)
• Mentor(s): @bitcoffeeiux ([email protected])
• Useful Link:
  • https://github.com/kmesh-net/kmesh/blob/main/docs/proposal/unit_test_framework_zh.md
  • https://github.com/kmesh-net/kmesh/blob/main/test/unittest/workload

[Dhiren-Mhatre]

Hello @LiZhenCheng9527 and @bitcoffeeiux,
I am very interested in contributing to the "[lfx-mentorship-2025-Mar-May] Kmesh eBPF Unit Test" project. With a strong background in Golang, I have previously contributed to open-source projects such as Prometheus and the Palisadoes Foundation, where I gained valuable experience in building scalable and efficient systems.
The project's focus on developing an eBPF unit testing framework for Kmesh aligns perfectly with my interests in low-level programming and kernel technologies. I am eager to apply my skills in C and Golang while learning more about eBPF's capabilities and challenges.
I look forward to the opportunity to collaborate with the team and contribute to ensuring the quality of Kmesh's data plane.

[btwshivam]

Hello @bitcoffeeiux I’m Shivam, i have experience in eBPF testing and kernel-level development. I recently worked on unit testing for Inspektor Gadget, focusing on running eBPF gadget tests across different kernel versions.

I’m very interested in contributing to the Kmesh eBPF Unit Test Project and helping build a robust testing framework. I’ve gone through the documentation and would love to discuss the current testing challenges and possible approaches.

[btwshivam]

Hey, @LiZhenCheng9527 I’d like to pick a small task, such as writing a basic eBPF unit test. Could you suggest a good starting point or any existing gaps in the test suite that I can work on?