Remove patch dependencies #23329

Activity

1. pront

   added

   type: tech debtA code change that does not add user value.A code change that does not add user value.

   good first issueAnything that is good for new contributors.Anything that is good for new contributors.

   on Jul 2, 2025
2. pront

   added the

   Task

   issue type on Jul 2, 2025
3. pront

   added

   domain: depsAnything related to Vector's dependenciesAnything related to Vector's dependencies

   on Jul 2, 2025
4. Trighap52 commented on Feb 15, 2026

   

   Trighap52

   on Feb 15, 2026

   Contributor

   More actions

   I gave this a shot and opened a PR: #24658
5. pront commented on Feb 17, 2026

   

   pront

   on Feb 17, 2026

   MemberAuthor

   More actions

   Thanks @Trighap52, we will take a look at your PR.
6. Captain1653 commented on Oct 12, 2026

   

   Captain1653

   on Oct 12, 2026

   Last edited by Captain1653

   More actions

   Hi.

   I looked into the current [patch.crates-io] to see what remains to be unpatched.

   Right now, the only entry left in Cargo.toml is ntapi:

   [patch.crates-io]
   # The `heim` crates depend on `ntapi` 0.3.7 on Windows, but that version has an
   # unaligned access bug fixed in the following revision.
   ntapi = { git = "https://github.com/MSxDOS/ntapi.git", rev = "24fc1e47677fc9f6e38e5f154e6011dc9b270da6" }

   Context & Root Cause

   • Transitive dependency: ntapi is pulled transitively via heim. Since the upstream heim crate hasn't had a release in ~6 years, Vector maintains its own fork.

   • The bug: The patch exists to fix an unaligned memory access crash on Windows present in ntapi 0.3.7 (used by heim).

   • Upstream status: As discussed in the ntapi issue, this was fixed in ntapi 0.4.x, but since 0.4 introduces breaking API changes, Cargo resolves versions independently and won't automatically upgrade 0.3.x.

   Two Alternatives

   • Bump ntapi in the heim fork: Technically, we could bump ntapi to 0.4.x directly inside Vector's heim fork, which would allow dropping the [patch.crates-io] entry here. However, this means taking on FFI changes and potential regression risks. It can be hard and painful :(

   • Close this issue in favor of Replace heim metrics collection crate with sysinfo #21861: Vector already tracks replacing heim with sysinfo in Replace heim metrics collection crate with sysinfo #21861 . Once that migration lands, heim and the ntapi patch will naturally be removed together without touching the old fork.

   Recommendation

   Given that the current [patch.crates-io] is stable and working, spending effort modifying the legacy heim fork purely to remove a [patch.crates-io] introduces unnecessary risk.

   It might make sense to close this issue (or at least remove the good first issue label) so it doesn't mislead new contributors into thinking this is a simple standalone cleanup task, and track the remaining work directly in #21861.

   This old PR also can be closed.
7. Trighap52 commented on Oct 13, 2026

   

   Trighap52

   on Oct 13, 2026

   Contributor

   More actions

   Thanks for your comment. I’ve closed #24674. I’d be happy to help with #21861 by comparing Vector’s current heim usage with sysinfo’s capabilities and documenting any platform-specific gaps. Would that be useful?

   👍React with 👍1Reacted by Pavlos Rontidis