podman build with --build-arg-file behaves differently from source or ContainerFile

[NemoTR]

Issue Description

I don't know if this is a bug or not, but I think this does not make sense:

• source needs the key=value entries in the file to have quotes if there is a space in the value.
• podman build --build-arg-file needs the key=value entries in the file to have no quotes either there is spaces in the value or not.

I read Containerfile reference and podman build reference but gained little about this.

My Containerfile:

FROM ubuntu:24.04

ARG STRING
ARG STRING1

RUN echo ${STRING}
RUN echo "${STRING}"

RUN echo ${STRING1}
RUN echo "${STRING1}"

My argfile.conf:

STRING="123 123"
STRING1=123 123

Now I build:

$ podman build --no-cache -t test_image --build-arg-file=argfile.conf .
STEP 1/7: FROM ubuntu:24.04
STEP 2/7: ARG STRING
--> 5e229dcb25af
STEP 3/7: ARG STRING1
--> 8c9652c4e0c4
STEP 4/7: RUN echo ${STRING}
"123 123"
--> 74d44f2fbe04
STEP 5/7: RUN echo "${STRING}"
"123 123"
--> 24f700dd7a74
STEP 6/7: RUN echo ${STRING1}
123 123
--> 75f15980678e
STEP 7/7: RUN echo "${STRING1}"
123 123
COMMIT test_image
--> 94d2b6bbf5c8
Successfully tagged localhost/test_image:latest
94d2b6bbf5c8f7a9b4edbbe692c62e4d1fedae08eb9a8755638736f6f9de5ead

And than I use source：

$ source argfile.conf 
123: command not found

Why RUN echo "${STRING}" outputs "123 123" that has quotes?
I simply tried:

$ echo ""123 123""
123 123
$ echo "\"123 123\""
"123 123"

Seems the ARG STRING is actually \"123 123\", is this a bug? Or why is it designed like this?

Best regards!

Steps to reproduce the issue

Steps to reproduce the issue
1.
Containerfile:

FROM ubuntu:24.04

ARG STRING
ARG STRING1

RUN echo ${STRING}
RUN echo "${STRING}"

RUN echo ${STRING1}
RUN echo "${STRING1}"

argfile.conf:

STRING="123 123"
STRING1=123 123

2. podman build --no-cache -t test_image --build-arg-file=argfile.conf .
3. source argfile.conf

Describe the results you received

The ARG STRING is actually \"123 123\". While the ARG STRING1 is actually what I need for podman build but it can't be load by source.

Describe the results you expected

I expect podman build --build-arg-file to ignore quotes.

podman info output

$ podman info
host:
  arch: amd64
  buildahVersion: 1.33.7
  cgroupControllers:
  - cpu
  - memory
  - pids
  cgroupManager: systemd
  cgroupVersion: v2
  conmon:
    package: conmon_2.1.10+ds1-1build2_amd64
    path: /usr/bin/conmon
    version: 'conmon version 2.1.10, commit: unknown'
  cpuUtilization:
    idlePercent: 99.85
    systemPercent: 0.06
    userPercent: 0.09
  cpus: 32
  databaseBackend: sqlite
  distribution:
    codename: noble
    distribution: ubuntu
    version: "24.04"
  eventLogger: journald
  freeLocks: 2044
  hostname: sev-host
  idMappings:
    gidmap:
    - container_id: 0
      host_id: 1000
      size: 1
    - container_id: 1
      host_id: 100000
      size: 65536
    uidmap:
    - container_id: 0
      host_id: 1000
      size: 1
    - container_id: 1
      host_id: 100000
      size: 65536
  kernel: 6.8.0-51-generic
  linkmode: dynamic
  logDriver: journald
  memFree: 151873798144
  memTotal: 236234715136
  networkBackend: netavark
  networkBackendInfo:
    backend: netavark
    dns:
      package: aardvark-dns_1.4.0-5_amd64
      path: /usr/lib/podman/aardvark-dns
      version: aardvark-dns 1.4.0
    package: netavark_1.4.0-4_amd64
    path: /usr/lib/podman/netavark
    version: netavark 1.4.0
  ociRuntime:
    name: runc
    package: runc_1.1.12-0ubuntu3.1_amd64
    path: /usr/bin/runc
    version: |-
      runc version 1.1.12-0ubuntu3.1
      spec: 1.0.2-dev
      go: go1.22.2
      libseccomp: 2.5.5
  os: linux
  pasta:
    executable: /usr/bin/pasta
    package: passt_0.0~git20240220.1e6f92b-1_amd64
    version: |
      pasta unknown version
      Copyright Red Hat
      GNU General Public License, version 2 or later
        <https://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/gpl-2.0.html>
      This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.
      There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.
  remoteSocket:
    exists: true
    path: /run/user/1000/podman/podman.sock
  security:
    apparmorEnabled: false
    capabilities: CAP_CHOWN,CAP_DAC_OVERRIDE,CAP_FOWNER,CAP_FSETID,CAP_KILL,CAP_NET_BIND_SERVICE,CAP_SETFCAP,CAP_SETGID,CAP_SETPCAP,CAP_SETUID,CAP_SYS_CHROOT
    rootless: true
    seccompEnabled: true
    seccompProfilePath: /usr/share/containers/seccomp.json
    selinuxEnabled: false
  serviceIsRemote: false
  slirp4netns:
    executable: /usr/bin/slirp4netns
    package: slirp4netns_1.2.1-1build2_amd64
    version: |-
      slirp4netns version 1.2.1
      commit: 09e31e92fa3d2a1d3ca261adaeb012c8d75a8194
      libslirp: 4.7.0
      SLIRP_CONFIG_VERSION_MAX: 4
      libseccomp: 2.5.5
  swapFree: 8589930496
  swapTotal: 8589930496
  uptime: 49h 47m 24.00s (Approximately 2.04 days)
  variant: ""
plugins:
  authorization: null
  log:
  - k8s-file
  - none
  - passthrough
  - journald
  network:
  - bridge
  - macvlan
  - ipvlan
  volume:
  - local
registries:
  docker.io:
    Blocked: false
    Insecure: false
    Location: docker.io
    MirrorByDigestOnly: false
    Mirrors:
    - Insecure: false
      Location: docker.1ms.run
      PullFromMirror: ""
    - Insecure: false
      Location: docker.xuanyuan.me
      PullFromMirror: ""
    Prefix: docker.io
    PullFromMirror: ""
store:
  configFile: /home/server/.config/containers/storage.conf
  containerStore:
    number: 4
    paused: 0
    running: 4
    stopped: 0
  graphDriverName: overlay
  graphOptions: {}
  graphRoot: /home/server/.local/share/containers/storage
  graphRootAllocated: 1966736678912
  graphRootUsed: 881239289856
  graphStatus:
    Backing Filesystem: extfs
    Native Overlay Diff: "true"
    Supports d_type: "true"
    Supports shifting: "false"
    Supports volatile: "true"
    Using metacopy: "false"
  imageCopyTmpDir: /var/tmp
  imageStore:
    number: 444
  runRoot: /tmp/containers-user-1000/containers
  transientStore: false
  volumePath: /home/server/.local/share/containers/storage/volumes
version:
  APIVersion: 4.9.3
  Built: 0
  BuiltTime: Thu Jan  1 00:00:00 1970
  GitCommit: ""
  GoVersion: go1.22.2
  Os: linux
  OsArch: linux/amd64
  Version: 4.9.3

Podman in a container

No

Privileged Or Rootless

None

Upstream Latest Release

No

Additional environment details

No response

Additional information

No response

[NemoTR]

I found that using ARG in ContainerFile needs quotes for strings with whitespace:

ARG S1=123 234
ARG S2="123 234"
RUN echo "${S1}"
RUN echo "${S2}"

STEP 22/25: ARG S1=123 234
--> a473e74a4dc4
STEP 23/25: ARG S2="123 234"
--> 404ba7dc2a3a
STEP 24/25: RUN echo "${S1}"
123
--> 8cbba6926ac5
STEP 25/25: RUN echo "${S2}"
123 234

So the behavior of treating quotes between defining ARG in ContainerFile and defining ARG through --build-arg-file is not the same, as we can`t use any quote for strings with whitespace in argfile.conf.