feat: cache parsed member indexes as msgpack to skip YAML re-parse on rebuild (#40)

Closes #36

## Summary

- After fetching a member's `index.yaml` (from upstream or S3), the handler now parses it and stores a compact msgpack file (`index.msgpack`) alongside the raw YAML in S3
- On subsequent virtual rebuilds (member caches valid, virtual TTL expired), the handler loads the msgpack file instead of re-parsing raw YAML — eliminating the costliest phase
- `_entries_to_msgpack_safe()` converts datetime/date objects to ISO strings before packing (msgpack cannot natively serialize Python datetimes)
- `_merge_helm_indexes()` accepts `list[dict | None]` as pre-parsed entries; falls back to raw YAML parse when msgpack is unavailable
- `_VirtualHandler.merge()` protocol updated to pass pre-parsed entries to all future handler implementations
- Broken msgpack is detected and rebuilt from raw YAML automatically

## Performance

Phase breakdown (19-member helm-all virtual, 14 MB total):

| Phase | Time | % |
|---|---|---|
| YAML parse (eliminated) | 6314 ms | 60% |
| URL rewrite + dedup | 33 ms | 0.3% |
| YAML dump | 4124 ms | 39% |

| Scenario | Before (CSafeLoader only, #34) | After |
|---|---|---|
| Cold rebuild (upstream fetch) | ~21s | ~26s (+5s for msgpack build, one-time) |
| **Warm rebuild (S3 hit, virtual expired)** | **~9.6s** | **~5.9s (38% faster)** |
| Virtual cache hit | ~0.03s | ~0.03s |

Log line confirms msgpack hits: `msgpack=19/19`

## Test plan

- 297 tests pass
- `TestEntriesToMsgpackSafe`: datetime/date serialization, empty input, round-trip
- `TestMergeHelmIndexesWithParsed`: pre-parsed path produces identical output to raw-bytes path
- `TestGetMemberIndexMsgpack`: msgpack hit, cold-build, broken msgpack fallback, upstream failure
- Docker warm-rebuild measured at 5.9s vs 9.6s baseline

Reviewed-on: #40

README.md

@@ -70,10 +70,11 @@ src/artifactapi/
 | Method | Path | Description |
 |---|---|---|
 | `GET` | `/api/v1/remote/{remote}/{path}` | Fetch artifact (auto-cache on miss) |
-| `PUT` | `/api/v1/remote/{remote}/{path}` | Upload to local remote |
-| `HEAD` | `/api/v1/remote/{remote}/{path}` | Check existence (local remotes) |
-| `DELETE` | `/api/v1/remote/{remote}/{path}` | Delete from local remote |
 | `GET` | `/api/v1/virtual/{virtual}/{path}` | Fetch from virtual (merged) repository |
+| `GET` | `/api/v1/local/{local}/{path}` | Download from local repository |
+| `PUT` | `/api/v1/local/{local}/{path}` | Upload to local repository |
+| `HEAD` | `/api/v1/local/{local}/{path}` | Check existence (local) |
+| `DELETE` | `/api/v1/local/{local}/{path}` | Delete from local repository |
 | `GET` | `/v2/{remote}/{path}` | Docker Registry v2 proxy |
 | `PUT` | `/cache/flush` | Flush cache entries |
 | `GET` | `/health` | Health check |
@@ -120,13 +121,14 @@ config_dir: conf.d   # or an absolute path
 remotes: {}          # optional base remotes
 ```
 
-### remotes.yaml Structure
+### Configuration structure
+
+Repositories are declared under three top-level keys matching their type:
 
 ```yaml
-remotes:
+remotes:            # proxy (caching) remotes
   remote-name:
     base_url: "https://example.com"
-    type: "remote"            # "remote", "local", or "virtual"
     package: "generic"        # generic, alpine, rpm, docker, pypi, npm, helm
     description: "..."
     immutable_patterns:       # regex — cached forever
@@ -137,6 +139,20 @@ remotes:
     cache:
       immutable_ttl: 0        # 0 = indefinitely
       mutable_ttl: 3600
+
+virtuals:           # virtual (merged-index) repositories
+  virtual-name:
+    package: "helm"
+    members:
+      - remote-a
+      - remote-b
+
+locals:             # local upload repositories (no base_url)
+  local-name:
+    package: "generic"
+    cache:
+      immutable_ttl: 0
+      mutable_ttl: 0
 ```
 
 ## Remote Types
@@ -149,7 +165,6 @@ Arbitrary HTTP file servers — GitHub releases, HashiCorp, custom servers.
 remotes:
   github:
     base_url: "https://github.com"
-    type: "remote"
     package: "generic"
     immutable_patterns:
       - "gruntwork-io/terragrunt/.*terragrunt_linux_amd64.*"
@@ -158,7 +173,6 @@ remotes:
 
   github-archive:
     base_url: "https://github.com"
-    type: "remote"
     package: "generic"
     immutable_patterns:
       - ".*/archive/refs/tags/.*\\.tar\\.gz$"   # tag archives never change
@@ -178,7 +192,6 @@ Access: `GET /api/v1/remote/github/owner/repo/releases/download/v1.0/binary.tar.
 remotes:
   alpine:
     base_url: "https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org"
-    type: "remote"
     package: "alpine"
     immutable_patterns:
       - ".*/x86_64/.*\\.apk$"
@@ -195,7 +208,6 @@ remotes:
 remotes:
   almalinux:
     base_url: "https://mirror.example.com/almalinux"
-    type: "remote"
     package: "rpm"
     immutable_patterns:
       - ".*/x86_64/.*\\.rpm$"
@@ -213,7 +225,6 @@ remotes:
 remotes:
   dockerhub:
     base_url: "https://registry-1.docker.io"
-    type: "remote"
     package: "docker"
     # username / password optional for public images
     cache:
@@ -222,7 +233,6 @@ remotes:
 
   ghcr:
     base_url: "https://ghcr.io"
-    type: "remote"
     package: "docker"
     username: "your-github-username"
     password: "ghp_your_pat"   # read:packages scope
@@ -255,7 +265,6 @@ mirrors:
 remotes:
   pypi:
     base_url: "https://files.pythonhosted.org"
-    type: "remote"
     package: "pypi"
     check_mutable_updates: true
     immutable_patterns:
@@ -287,7 +296,6 @@ default = true
 remotes:
   npm:
     base_url: "https://registry.npmjs.org"
-    type: "remote"
     package: "npm"
     check_mutable_updates: true
     immutable_patterns:
@@ -314,7 +322,6 @@ registry=https://artifacts.example.com/api/v1/remote/npm/
 remotes:
   hashicorp-helm:
     base_url: "https://helm.releases.hashicorp.com"
-    type: "remote"
     package: "helm"
     check_mutable_updates: true
     immutable_patterns:
@@ -343,7 +350,6 @@ All members must share the same `package` type as the virtual repo. Currently su
 remotes:
   helm-hashicorp:
     base_url: "https://helm.releases.hashicorp.com"
-    type: "remote"
     package: "helm"
     immutable_patterns:
       - "\\.tgz$"
@@ -353,7 +359,6 @@ remotes:
 
   helm-bitnami:
     base_url: "https://charts.bitnami.com/bitnami"
-    type: "remote"
     package: "helm"
     immutable_patterns:
       - "\\.tgz$"
@@ -361,8 +366,8 @@ remotes:
       immutable_ttl: 0
       mutable_ttl: 3600
 
+virtuals:
   helm-all:
-    type: "virtual"
     package: "helm"
     members:
       - helm-hashicorp   # listed first = highest priority
@@ -385,7 +390,7 @@ If a member is unreachable and has no cached index, it is skipped and a warning
 
 **Caching:**
 
-The merged index is cached using `min(mutable_ttl)` across all members. Each member's raw index is cached in S3 under its own remote key by the normal proxy rules; the virtual handler reuses those copies when available.
+The merged index is cached using `min(mutable_ttl)` across all members. Each member's raw index is cached in S3 under its own remote key; the virtual handler reuses those copies when available. On rebuild, each member's parsed index is also stored as a compact msgpack file (`index.msgpack`) alongside the raw YAML, eliminating the YAML parse cost on subsequent rebuilds.
 
 **Helm example:**
 
@@ -399,9 +404,8 @@ Chart tarball URLs in the merged `index.yaml` are rewritten to point at the indi
 ### local
 
 ```yaml
-remotes:
+locals:
   local-generic:
-    type: "local"
     package: "generic"
     description: "Local file repository"
     cache:
@@ -409,7 +413,7 @@ remotes:
       mutable_ttl: 0
 ```
 
-No `base_url`. Files are uploaded via `PUT` and served via `GET`.
+No `base_url`. Files are uploaded via `PUT /api/v1/local/{name}/{path}` and downloaded via `GET /api/v1/local/{name}/{path}`.
 
 ## Caching Model
 
@@ -451,7 +455,6 @@ Set `quarantine_new: true` and `quarantine_days: N` on a remote to block immutab
 remotes:
   pypi:
     base_url: "https://files.pythonhosted.org"
-    type: "remote"
     package: "pypi"
     quarantine_new: true
     quarantine_days: 3        # block packages published in the last 3 days

conf.d/alpine.yaml

@@ -1,11 +0,0 @@
-remotes:
-  alpine:
-    base_url: "https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org"
-    type: "remote"
-    package: "alpine"
-    description: "Alpine Linux APK package repository"
-    immutable_patterns:
-      - ".*/x86_64/.*\\.apk$"
-    cache:
-      immutable_ttl: 0
-      mutable_ttl: 7200

conf.d/github.yaml

@@ -1,12 +0,0 @@
-remotes:
-  github:
-    base_url: "https://github.com"
-    type: "remote"
-    package: "generic"
-    description: "GitHub releases and files"
-    immutable_patterns:
-      - "gruntwork-io/terragrunt/.*terragrunt_linux_amd64.*"
-      - "prometheus/node_exporter/.*/node_exporter-.*\\.linux-amd64\\.tar\\.gz$"
-    cache:
-      immutable_ttl: 0
-      mutable_ttl: 0

conf.d/pypi.yaml

@@ -1,17 +0,0 @@
-remotes:
-  pypi:
-    base_url: "https://files.pythonhosted.org"
-    type: "remote"
-    package: "pypi"
-    description: "Python Package Index"
-    check_mutable_updates: true
-    quarantine_new: true
-    quarantine_days: 3
-    immutable_patterns:
-      - "packages/.*\\.whl$"
-      - "packages/.*\\.whl\\.metadata$"
-      - "packages/.*\\.tar\\.gz$"
-      - "packages/.*\\.zip$"
-    cache:
-      immutable_ttl: 0
-      mutable_ttl: 600

examples/conf.d-method/alpine.yaml

@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 remotes:
   alpine:
     base_url: "https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org"
-    type: "remote"
     package: "alpine"
     description: "Alpine Linux APK package repository"
     immutable_patterns:

examples/conf.d-method/github.yaml

@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 remotes:
   github:
     base_url: "https://github.com"
-    type: "remote"
     package: "generic"
     description: "GitHub releases and files"
     immutable_patterns:

examples/conf.d-method/pypi.yaml

@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 remotes:
   pypi:
     base_url: "https://files.pythonhosted.org"
-    type: "remote"
     package: "pypi"
     description: "Python Package Index"
     check_mutable_updates: true

examples/single-file/remotes.yaml

@@ -35,7 +35,6 @@
 remotes:
   github:
     base_url: "https://github.com"
-    type: "remote"
     package: "generic"
     description: "GitHub releases and files"
     immutable_patterns:
@@ -67,7 +66,6 @@ remotes:
 
   github-archive:
     base_url: "https://github.com"
-    type: "remote"
     package: "generic"
     description: "GitHub repository archive tarballs"
     immutable_patterns:
@@ -87,7 +85,6 @@ remotes:
 
   gitea-dl:
     base_url: "https://dl.gitea.com"
-    type: "remote"
     package: "generic"
     description: "Gitea download site"
     immutable_patterns:
@@ -98,7 +95,6 @@ remotes:
 
   hashicorp-releases:
     base_url: "https://releases.hashicorp.com"
-    type: "remote"
     package: "generic"
     description: "HashiCorp product releases"
     immutable_patterns:
@@ -119,7 +115,6 @@ remotes:
 
   alpine:
     base_url: "https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org"
-    type: "remote"
     package: "alpine"
     description: "Alpine Linux APK package repository"
     immutable_patterns:
@@ -133,7 +128,6 @@ remotes:
 
   almalinux:
     base_url: "https://gsl-syd.mm.fcix.net/almalinux"
-    type: "remote"
     package: "rpm"
     description: "AlmaLinux RPM package repository"
     immutable_patterns:
@@ -150,7 +144,6 @@ remotes:
 
   epel:
     base_url: "http://mirror.aarnet.edu.au/pub/epel"
-    type: "remote"
     package: "rpm"
     description: "EPEL (Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux)"
     immutable_patterns:
@@ -165,7 +158,6 @@ remotes:
 
   fedora:
     base_url: "https://gsl-syd.mm.fcix.net/fedora/linux"
-    type: "remote"
     package: "rpm"
     description: "Fedora Linux RPM package repository"
     immutable_patterns:
@@ -180,7 +172,6 @@ remotes:
 
   ghcr:
     base_url: "https://ghcr.io"
-    type: "remote"
     package: "docker"
     description: "GitHub Container Registry"
     # username: "your-github-username"
@@ -194,7 +185,6 @@ remotes:
 
   dockerhub:
     base_url: "https://registry-1.docker.io"
-    type: "remote"
     package: "docker"
     description: "Docker Hub registry"
     cache:
@@ -203,7 +193,6 @@ remotes:
 
   pypi:
     base_url: "https://files.pythonhosted.org"
-    type: "remote"
     package: "pypi"
     description: "Python Package Index — simple index and package files via a single remote"
     # simple/ requests are transparently fetched from pypi.org; package files come from
@@ -226,7 +215,6 @@ remotes:
 
   pypi-gitea:
     base_url: "https://gitea.example.com/api/packages/myorg/pypi"
-    type: "remote"
     package: "pypi"
     description: "Private Gitea PyPI registry — simple index and files at the same host"
     # username: "your-gitea-username"
@@ -244,7 +232,6 @@ remotes:
 
   npm:
     base_url: "https://registry.npmjs.org"
-    type: "remote"
     package: "npm"
     description: "npm registry — package metadata with tarball URL rewriting"
     check_mutable_updates: true
@@ -258,7 +245,6 @@ remotes:
 
   hashicorp-helm:
     base_url: "https://helm.releases.hashicorp.com"
-    type: "remote"
     package: "helm"
     description: "HashiCorp Helm chart repository (Vault, Consul, Nomad, etc.)"
     check_mutable_updates: true
@@ -270,7 +256,6 @@ remotes:
 
   metallb:
     base_url: "https://metallb.github.io/metallb"
-    type: "remote"
     package: "helm"
     description: "MetalLB load balancer Helm charts"
     check_mutable_updates: true
@@ -282,7 +267,6 @@ remotes:
 
   jetstack:
     base_url: "https://charts.jetstack.io"
-    type: "remote"
     package: "helm"
     description: "Jetstack Helm charts (cert-manager)"
     check_mutable_updates: true
@@ -294,7 +278,6 @@ remotes:
 
   rancher-stable:
     base_url: "https://releases.rancher.com/server-charts/stable"
-    type: "remote"
     package: "helm"
     description: "Rancher stable Helm charts"
     check_mutable_updates: true
@@ -306,7 +289,6 @@ remotes:
 
   purelb:
     base_url: "https://gitlab.com/api/v4/projects/20400619/packages/helm/stable"
-    type: "remote"
     package: "helm"
     description: "PureLB load balancer Helm charts"
     check_mutable_updates: true
@@ -318,7 +300,6 @@ remotes:
 
   istio:
     base_url: "https://istio-release.storage.googleapis.com/charts"
-    type: "remote"
     package: "helm"
     description: "Istio service mesh Helm charts"
     check_mutable_updates: true
@@ -330,7 +311,6 @@ remotes:
 
   cnpg:
     base_url: "https://cloudnative-pg.github.io/charts"
-    type: "remote"
     package: "helm"
     description: "CloudNativePG operator Helm charts"
     check_mutable_updates: true
@@ -342,7 +322,6 @@ remotes:
 
   ceph-csi:
     base_url: "https://ceph.github.io/csi-charts"
-    type: "remote"
     package: "helm"
     description: "Ceph CSI driver Helm charts"
     check_mutable_updates: true
@@ -354,7 +333,6 @@ remotes:
 
   external-dns:
     base_url: "https://kubernetes-sigs.github.io/external-dns/"
-    type: "remote"
     package: "helm"
     description: "ExternalDNS Helm charts"
     check_mutable_updates: true
@@ -366,7 +344,6 @@ remotes:
 
   intel-helm:
     base_url: "https://intel.github.io/helm-charts/"
-    type: "remote"
     package: "helm"
     description: "Intel Helm charts"
     check_mutable_updates: true
@@ -378,7 +355,6 @@ remotes:
 
   elastic:
     base_url: "https://helm.elastic.co"
-    type: "remote"
     package: "helm"
     description: "Elastic stack Helm charts"
     check_mutable_updates: true
@@ -390,7 +366,6 @@ remotes:
 
   k8up-io:
     base_url: "https://k8up-io.github.io/k8up"
-    type: "remote"
     package: "helm"
     description: "K8up backup operator Helm charts"
     check_mutable_updates: true
@@ -402,7 +377,6 @@ remotes:
 
   victoriametrics:
     base_url: "https://victoriametrics.github.io/helm-charts/"
-    type: "remote"
     package: "helm"
     description: "VictoriaMetrics observability Helm charts"
     check_mutable_updates: true
@@ -414,7 +388,6 @@ remotes:
 
   grafana:
     base_url: "https://grafana.github.io/helm-charts"
-    type: "remote"
     package: "helm"
     description: "Grafana observability Helm charts"
     check_mutable_updates: true
@@ -426,7 +399,6 @@ remotes:
 
   helm-openldap:
     base_url: "https://jp-gouin.github.io/helm-openldap/"
-    type: "remote"
     package: "helm"
     description: "OpenLDAP Helm charts"
     check_mutable_updates: true
@@ -438,7 +410,6 @@ remotes:
 
   woodpecker:
     base_url: "https://woodpecker-ci.org/"
-    type: "remote"
     package: "helm"
     description: "Woodpecker CI Helm charts"
     check_mutable_updates: true
@@ -450,7 +421,6 @@ remotes:
 
   stakater:
     base_url: "https://stakater.github.io/stakater-charts"
-    type: "remote"
     package: "helm"
     description: "Stakater Helm charts"
     check_mutable_updates: true
@@ -462,7 +432,6 @@ remotes:
 
   jfrog:
     base_url: "https://charts.jfrog.io/"
-    type: "remote"
     package: "helm"
     description: "JFrog Helm charts"
     check_mutable_updates: true
@@ -474,7 +443,6 @@ remotes:
 
   openvox:
     base_url: "https://openvoxproject.github.io/openvox-helm-chart"
-    type: "remote"
     package: "helm"
     description: "OpenVox Helm charts"
     check_mutable_updates: true
@@ -484,8 +452,9 @@ remotes:
       immutable_ttl: 0
       mutable_ttl: 3600
 
+
+virtuals:
   helm-all:
-    type: "virtual"
     package: "helm"
     description: "Virtual repository merging all helm remotes — member order is priority order for duplicate chart+version"
     members:
@@ -509,8 +478,8 @@ remotes:
       - jfrog
       - openvox
 
+locals:
   local-generic:
-    type: "local"
     package: "generic"
     description: "Local generic file repository"
     cache:

pyproject.toml

@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ dependencies = [
     "lxml>=4.9.0",
     "prometheus-client>=0.19.0",
     "python-multipart>=0.0.6",
+    "msgpack>=1.0.0",
 ]
 requires-python = ">=3.11"
 readme = "README.md"

src/artifactapi/artifact/local.py

@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import hashlib
 import logging
+import os
 
 from fastapi import HTTPException, Response, UploadFile
 from fastapi.responses import JSONResponse
@@ -7,12 +8,23 @@ from fastapi.responses import JSONResponse
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 
+def download(remote_name: str, path: str, storage, database, config) -> Response:
+    if not config.get_local_config(remote_name):
+        raise HTTPException(status_code=404, detail=f"Local repository '{remote_name}' not configured")
+    metadata = database.get_local_file_metadata(remote_name, path)
+    if not metadata:
+        raise HTTPException(status_code=404, detail="File not found")
+    content = storage.download_object(metadata["s3_key"])
+    return Response(
+        content=content,
+        media_type=metadata.get("content_type", "application/octet-stream"),
+        headers={"Content-Disposition": f"attachment; filename={os.path.basename(path)}"},
+    )
+
+
 async def upload(remote_name: str, path: str, file: UploadFile, storage, database, config) -> JSONResponse:
-    remote_config = config.get_remote_config(remote_name)
+    if not config.get_local_config(remote_name):
-    if not remote_config:
+        raise HTTPException(status_code=404, detail=f"Local repository '{remote_name}' not configured")
-        raise HTTPException(status_code=404, detail=f"Remote '{remote_name}' not configured")
-    if remote_config.get("type") != "local":
-        raise HTTPException(status_code=400, detail="Upload only supported for local repositories")
 
     try:
         content = await file.read()
@@ -59,12 +71,8 @@ async def upload(remote_name: str, path: str, file: UploadFile, storage, databas
 
 
 def check_exists(remote_name: str, path: str, database, config) -> Response:
-    remote_config = config.get_remote_config(remote_name)
+    if not config.get_local_config(remote_name):
-    if not remote_config:
+        raise HTTPException(status_code=404, detail=f"Local repository '{remote_name}' not configured")
-        raise HTTPException(status_code=404, detail=f"Remote '{remote_name}' not configured")
-
-    if remote_config.get("type") != "local":
-        raise HTTPException(status_code=405, detail="HEAD method only supported for local repositories")
 
     try:
         metadata = database.get_local_file_metadata(remote_name, path)
@@ -87,11 +95,8 @@ def check_exists(remote_name: str, path: str, database, config) -> Response:
 
 
 def delete(remote_name: str, path: str, storage, database, config) -> JSONResponse:
-    remote_config = config.get_remote_config(remote_name)
+    if not config.get_local_config(remote_name):
-    if not remote_config:
+        raise HTTPException(status_code=404, detail=f"Local repository '{remote_name}' not configured")
-        raise HTTPException(status_code=404, detail=f"Remote '{remote_name}' not configured")
-    if remote_config.get("type") != "local":
-        raise HTTPException(status_code=400, detail="Delete only supported for local repositories")
 
     try:
         s3_key = database.delete_local_file(remote_name, path)

src/artifactapi/artifact/proxy.py

@@ -218,19 +218,6 @@ async def handle(request: Request, remote_name: str, path: str, storage, cache,
     if not remote_config:
         raise HTTPException(status_code=404, detail=f"Remote '{remote_name}' not configured")
 
-    if remote_config.get("type") == "local":
-        metadata = database.get_local_file_metadata(remote_name, path)
-        if not metadata:
-            raise HTTPException(status_code=404, detail="File not found")
-        content = storage.download_object(metadata["s3_key"])
-        if content is None:
-            raise HTTPException(status_code=500, detail="File not accessible")
-        return Response(
-            content=content,
-            media_type=metadata.get("content_type", "application/octet-stream"),
-            headers={"Content-Disposition": f"attachment; filename={os.path.basename(path)}"},
-        )
-
     path_parts = path.split("/")
     if len(path_parts) >= 2:
         repo_path = f"{path_parts[0]}/{path_parts[1]}"

src/artifactapi/artifact/virtual.py

@@ -6,15 +6,21 @@ from datetime import UTC, date, datetime
 from typing import Protocol, runtime_checkable
 
 import httpx
+import msgpack as _msgpack
 import yaml
 from fastapi import HTTPException, Request, Response
 
-from ..remote import helm as _helm
-
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
+try:
+    _YamlLoader = yaml.CSafeLoader
+    _YamlDumperBase = yaml.CDumper
+except AttributeError:
+    _YamlLoader = yaml.SafeLoader
+    _YamlDumperBase = yaml.Dumper
 
-class _HelmDumper(yaml.Dumper):
+
+class _HelmDumper(_YamlDumperBase):
     """YAML dumper that serializes datetime/date objects back to ISO 8601 strings.
 
     yaml.safe_load converts timestamp-shaped YAML scalars (e.g. chart `created`
@@ -37,21 +43,43 @@ _HelmDumper.add_representer(datetime, _repr_datetime)
 _HelmDumper.add_representer(date, _repr_date)
 
 
+def _entries_to_msgpack_safe(entries: dict) -> dict:
+    """Convert datetime/date values to ISO strings for msgpack serialization."""
+    result = {}
+    for chart, versions in entries.items():
+        safe_versions = []
+        for v in versions:
+            safe_v = {}
+            for k, val in v.items():
+                if isinstance(val, datetime):
+                    safe_v[k] = val.isoformat()
+                elif isinstance(val, date):
+                    safe_v[k] = val.isoformat()
+                else:
+                    safe_v[k] = val
+            safe_versions.append(safe_v)
+        result[chart] = safe_versions
+    return result
+
+
 async def _get_member_index(
     member_name: str,
     member_cfg: dict,
     path: str,
     storage,
     cache,
-) -> tuple[str, dict, int, bytes | None]:
+) -> tuple[str, dict, int, bytes | None, dict | None]:
     """Fetch or retrieve cached index.yaml for one member remote.
 
-    Returns (member_name, member_cfg, ttl, raw_bytes).
+    Returns (member_name, member_cfg, ttl, raw_bytes, parsed_entries).
     raw_bytes is None if the member is unreachable and not in S3.
+    parsed_entries is the pre-parsed entries dict (from msgpack cache), or None.
     """
     member_ttl = member_cfg.get("cache", {}).get("mutable_ttl", 3600)
     s3_key = storage.get_object_key(member_name, path)
+    msgpack_key = storage.get_object_key(member_name, "index.msgpack")
     raw_data: bytes | None = None
+    parsed_entries: dict | None = None
 
     if storage.exists(s3_key) and cache.is_index_valid(member_name, path):
         try:
@@ -59,6 +87,13 @@ async def _get_member_index(
             logger.info(f"Virtual: cache hit for member '{member_name}'")
         except Exception:
             raw_data = None
+        if raw_data is not None and storage.exists(msgpack_key):
+            try:
+                packed = storage.download_object(msgpack_key)
+                parsed_entries = _msgpack.unpackb(packed, raw=False)
+                logger.debug(f"Virtual: msgpack hit for member '{member_name}'")
+            except Exception:
+                parsed_entries = None
 
     if raw_data is None:
         base_url = member_cfg.get("base_url", "").rstrip("/")
@@ -76,35 +111,74 @@ async def _get_member_index(
                 raw_data = response.content
         except Exception as e:
             logger.warning(f"Virtual: failed to fetch index.yaml from member '{member_name}': {e}")
-            return member_name, member_cfg, member_ttl, None
+            return member_name, member_cfg, member_ttl, None, None
         try:
             storage.upload(s3_key, raw_data)
             cache.mark_index_cached(member_name, path, member_ttl)
         except Exception as e:
             logger.warning(f"Virtual: failed to cache index.yaml for member '{member_name}': {e}")
 
-    return member_name, member_cfg, member_ttl, raw_data
+    if parsed_entries is None and raw_data is not None:
+        try:
+            index = yaml.load(raw_data, Loader=_YamlLoader)
+            safe_entries = _entries_to_msgpack_safe(index.get("entries") or {})
+            storage.upload(msgpack_key, _msgpack.packb(safe_entries, use_bin_type=True))
+            parsed_entries = safe_entries
+        except Exception as e:
+            logger.warning(f"Virtual: failed to build msgpack cache for '{member_name}': {e}")
+
+    return member_name, member_cfg, member_ttl, raw_data, parsed_entries
 
 
-def _merge_helm_indexes(raw_indexes: list[bytes], member_names: list[str], member_configs: list[dict], proxy_base: str) -> bytes:
+def _rewrite_urls(urls: list, base_url: str, proxy_base: str, member_name: str) -> list:
+    proxy_remote = f"{proxy_base}/api/v1/remote/{member_name}"
+    rewritten = []
+    for url in urls:
+        if url.startswith(("http://", "https://")):
+            if base_url and url.startswith(base_url):
+                url = proxy_remote + url[len(base_url) :]
+        else:
+            url = f"{proxy_remote}/{url.lstrip('/')}"
+        rewritten.append(url)
+    return rewritten
+
+
+def _merge_helm_indexes(
+    raw_indexes: list[bytes],
+    parsed_entries_list: list[dict | None],
+    member_names: list[str],
+    member_configs: list[dict],
+    proxy_base: str,
+) -> bytes:
     """Merge helm index.yaml files with per-member URL rewriting.
 
     Priority is determined by position in member_names: earlier members win
     when the same chart name + version appears in multiple remotes.
+    Uses pre-parsed msgpack entries when available to skip YAML parsing.
     """
     merged_entries: dict[str, list] = {}
 
-    for raw_data, member_name, member_cfg in zip(raw_indexes, member_names, member_configs):
+    for raw_data, pre_parsed, member_name, member_cfg in zip(raw_indexes, parsed_entries_list, member_names, member_configs):
         base_url = member_cfg.get("base_url", "").rstrip("/")
-        rewritten, _ = _helm.resolve_content(raw_data, "index.yaml", "index.yaml", base_url, proxy_base, member_name)
 
-        try:
+        if pre_parsed is not None:
-            index = yaml.safe_load(rewritten)
+            entries = pre_parsed
-        except Exception as e:
+        else:
-            logger.warning(f"Virtual: failed to parse index.yaml from member '{member_name}': {e}")
+            try:
-            continue
+                index = yaml.load(raw_data, Loader=_YamlLoader)
+            except Exception as e:
+                logger.warning(f"Virtual: failed to parse index.yaml from member '{member_name}': {e}")
+                continue
+            entries = index.get("entries") or {}
 
-        for chart_name, versions in (index.get("entries") or {}).items():
+        for chart_name, versions in entries.items():
+            for version_entry in versions:
+                version_entry["urls"] = _rewrite_urls(
+                    version_entry.get("urls") or [],
+                    base_url,
+                    proxy_base,
+                    member_name,
+                )
             if chart_name not in merged_entries:
                 merged_entries[chart_name] = list(versions)
             else:
@@ -126,7 +200,14 @@ def _merge_helm_indexes(raw_indexes: list[bytes], member_names: list[str], membe
 @runtime_checkable
 class _VirtualHandler(Protocol):
     def accepts_path(self, path: str) -> bool: ...
-    def merge(self, raw_indexes: list[bytes], member_names: list[str], member_configs: list[dict], proxy_base: str) -> bytes: ...
+    def merge(
+        self,
+        raw_indexes: list[bytes],
+        parsed_entries: list[dict | None],
+        member_names: list[str],
+        member_configs: list[dict],
+        proxy_base: str,
+    ) -> bytes: ...
     def path_error(self) -> str: ...
 
 
@@ -134,8 +215,15 @@ class _HelmHandler:
     def accepts_path(self, path: str) -> bool:
         return path == "index.yaml"
 
-    def merge(self, raw_indexes: list[bytes], member_names: list[str], member_configs: list[dict], proxy_base: str) -> bytes:
+    def merge(
-        return _merge_helm_indexes(raw_indexes, member_names, member_configs, proxy_base)
+        self,
+        raw_indexes: list[bytes],
+        parsed_entries: list[dict | None],
+        member_names: list[str],
+        member_configs: list[dict],
+        proxy_base: str,
+    ) -> bytes:
+        return _merge_helm_indexes(raw_indexes, parsed_entries, member_names, member_configs, proxy_base)
 
     def path_error(self) -> str:
         return "Virtual helm repositories only serve index.yaml; chart tarballs are served directly by member remotes"
@@ -147,11 +235,9 @@ _HANDLERS: dict[str, _VirtualHandler] = {
 
 
 async def handle(request: Request, virtual_name: str, path: str, storage, cache, config) -> Response:
-    virtual_cfg = config.get_remote_config(virtual_name)
+    virtual_cfg = config.get_virtual_config(virtual_name)
     if not virtual_cfg:
         raise HTTPException(status_code=404, detail=f"Virtual repository '{virtual_name}' not configured")
-    if virtual_cfg.get("type") != "virtual":
-        raise HTTPException(status_code=400, detail=f"'{virtual_name}' is not a virtual repository")
 
     package = virtual_cfg.get("package")
     handler = _HANDLERS.get(package)
@@ -188,17 +274,19 @@ async def handle(request: Request, virtual_name: str, path: str, storage, cache,
     fetch_ms = int((time.perf_counter() - t_fetch) * 1000)
 
     raw_indexes: list[bytes] = []
+    used_parsed: list[dict | None] = []
     used_members: list[str] = []
     used_configs: list[dict] = []
     min_ttl: int | None = None
 
-    for member_name, member_cfg, member_ttl, raw_data in results:
+    for member_name, member_cfg, member_ttl, raw_data, parsed_entries in results:
         if min_ttl is None or member_ttl < min_ttl:
             min_ttl = member_ttl
         if raw_data is None:
             logger.warning(f"Virtual '{virtual_name}': skipping unreachable member '{member_name}'")
             continue
         raw_indexes.append(raw_data)
+        used_parsed.append(parsed_entries)
         used_members.append(member_name)
         used_configs.append(member_cfg)
 
@@ -209,7 +297,7 @@ async def handle(request: Request, virtual_name: str, path: str, storage, cache,
         min_ttl = 3600
 
     t_merge = time.perf_counter()
-    merged = handler.merge(raw_indexes, used_members, used_configs, proxy_base)
+    merged = await asyncio.to_thread(handler.merge, raw_indexes, used_parsed, used_members, used_configs, proxy_base)
     merge_ms = int((time.perf_counter() - t_merge) * 1000)
 
     try:
@@ -217,9 +305,11 @@ async def handle(request: Request, virtual_name: str, path: str, storage, cache,
         storage.upload(virtual_key, merged)
         cache.mark_index_cached(virtual_name, path, min_ttl)
         store_ms = int((time.perf_counter() - t_store) * 1000)
+        msgpack_hits = sum(1 for p in used_parsed if p is not None)
         logger.info(
             f"Virtual MISS: {virtual_name}/{path} rebuilt from {used_members} "
-            f"(fetch={fetch_ms}ms merge={merge_ms}ms store={store_ms}ms ttl={min_ttl}s)"
+            f"(fetch={fetch_ms}ms merge={merge_ms}ms store={store_ms}ms ttl={min_ttl}s "
+            f"msgpack={msgpack_hits}/{len(used_members)})"
         )
     except Exception as e:
         logger.warning(f"Virtual: failed to store merged index for '{virtual_name}': {e}")

src/artifactapi/config.py

@@ -50,8 +50,8 @@ class ConfigManager:
     def _merge(base: dict, overlay: dict) -> dict:
         result = {**base}
         for key, value in overlay.items():
-            if key == "remotes" and isinstance(base.get("remotes"), dict) and isinstance(value, dict):
+            if key in ("remotes", "virtuals", "locals") and isinstance(base.get(key), dict) and isinstance(value, dict):
-                result["remotes"] = {**base.get("remotes", {}), **value}
+                result[key] = {**base.get(key, {}), **value}
             else:
                 result[key] = value
         return result
@@ -67,11 +67,11 @@ class ConfigManager:
         self._config_dir = None
 
         if os.path.isdir(self.config_path):
-            return self._load_from_dir(self.config_path) or {"remotes": {}}
+            return self._load_from_dir(self.config_path) or {"remotes": {}, "virtuals": {}, "locals": {}}
 
         config = self._load_single_file(self.config_path)
         if not config:
-            return {"remotes": {}}
+            return {"remotes": {}, "virtuals": {}, "locals": {}}
 
         config_dir = config.pop("config_dir", None)
         if config_dir:
@@ -119,6 +119,14 @@ class ConfigManager:
         self._check_reload()
         return self.config.get("remotes", {}).get(remote_name)
 
+    def get_virtual_config(self, virtual_name: str) -> dict | None:
+        self._check_reload()
+        return self.config.get("virtuals", {}).get(virtual_name)
+
+    def get_local_config(self, local_name: str) -> dict | None:
+        self._check_reload()
+        return self.config.get("locals", {}).get(local_name)
+
     def get_immutable_patterns(self, remote_name: str, repo_path: str = "") -> list[str]:
         remote_config = self.get_remote_config(remote_name)
         if not remote_config:

src/artifactapi/main.py

@@ -49,7 +49,13 @@ class ArtifactRequest(BaseModel):
 @app.get("/")
 def read_root():
     config._check_reload()
-    return {"message": "Artifact Storage API", "version": app.version, "remotes": list(config.config.get("remotes", {}).keys())}
+    return {
+        "message": "Artifact Storage API",
+        "version": app.version,
+        "remotes": list(config.config.get("remotes", {}).keys()),
+        "virtuals": list(config.config.get("virtuals", {}).keys()),
+        "locals": list(config.config.get("locals", {}).keys()),
+    }
 
 
 @app.get("/health")
@@ -99,19 +105,24 @@ async def get_artifact(request: Request, remote_name: str, path: str):
     return await proxy.handle(request, remote_name, path, storage, cache, config, database, metrics)
 
 
-@app.put("/api/v1/remote/{remote_name}/{path:path}")
+@app.get("/api/v1/local/{local_name}/{path:path}")
-async def upload_file(remote_name: str, path: str, file: UploadFile = File(...)):
+def get_local_artifact(local_name: str, path: str):
-    return await local.upload(remote_name, path, file, storage, database, config)
+    return local.download(local_name, path, storage, database, config)
 
 
-@app.head("/api/v1/remote/{remote_name}/{path:path}")
+@app.put("/api/v1/local/{local_name}/{path:path}")
-def check_file_exists(remote_name: str, path: str):
+async def upload_local_file(local_name: str, path: str, file: UploadFile = File(...)):
-    return local.check_exists(remote_name, path, database, config)
+    return await local.upload(local_name, path, file, storage, database, config)
 
 
-@app.delete("/api/v1/remote/{remote_name}/{path:path}")
+@app.head("/api/v1/local/{local_name}/{path:path}")
-def delete_file(remote_name: str, path: str):
+def check_local_file_exists(local_name: str, path: str):
-    return local.delete(remote_name, path, storage, database, config)
+    return local.check_exists(local_name, path, database, config)
+
+
+@app.delete("/api/v1/local/{local_name}/{path:path}")
+def delete_local_file(local_name: str, path: str):
+    return local.delete(local_name, path, storage, database, config)
 
 
 @app.post("/api/v1/artifacts/cache")

src/artifactapi/metrics.py

@@ -87,9 +87,10 @@ class MetricsManager:
             # Get from database if available
             db_sizes = self.database_manager.get_storage_by_remote()
             if db_sizes:
-                # Initialize all configured remotes to 0
+                # Initialize all configured remotes and locals to 0
                 remote_sizes = {}
-                for remote in config_manager.config.get("remotes", {}).keys():
+                all_names = list(config_manager.config.get("remotes", {}).keys()) + list(config_manager.config.get("locals", {}).keys())
+                for remote in all_names:
                     remote_sizes[remote] = db_sizes.get(remote, 0)
 
                 # Update Prometheus gauges
@@ -101,10 +102,10 @@ class MetricsManager:
         # Fallback to S3 scanning if database not available
         try:
             remote_sizes = {}
-            remotes = config_manager.config.get("remotes", {}).keys()
+            all_names = list(config_manager.config.get("remotes", {}).keys()) + list(config_manager.config.get("locals", {}).keys())
 
-            # Initialize all remotes to 0
+            # Initialize all remotes and locals to 0
-            for remote in remotes:
+            for remote in all_names:
                 remote_sizes[remote] = 0
 
             paginator = storage.client.get_paginator("list_objects_v2")
@@ -174,8 +175,13 @@ class MetricsManager:
                 metrics["requests"]["cache_hit_ratio"] = cache_hits / total_requests if total_requests > 0 else 0.0
                 metrics["bandwidth"]["saved_bytes"] = bandwidth_saved
 
-                # Get per-remote metrics
+                # Get per-repo metrics
-                for remote in config_manager.config.get("remotes", {}).keys():
+                all_repos = {
+                    **config_manager.config.get("remotes", {}),
+                    **config_manager.config.get("virtuals", {}),
+                    **config_manager.config.get("locals", {}),
+                }
+                for remote in all_repos.keys():
                     remote_cache_hits = int(self.redis_client.client.get(f"metrics:cache_hits:{remote}") or 0)
                     remote_cache_misses = int(self.redis_client.client.get(f"metrics:cache_misses:{remote}") or 0)
                     remote_total = remote_cache_hits + remote_cache_misses

tests/conftest.py

@@ -20,61 +20,48 @@ TEST_REMOTES = {
     "remotes": {
         "alpine-test": {
             "base_url": "https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org",
-            "type": "remote",
             "package": "alpine",
             "immutable_patterns": [".*/x86_64/.*\\.apk$"],
             "cache": {"immutable_ttl": 0, "mutable_ttl": 3600},
         },
         "rpm-test": {
             "base_url": "https://example.com/rpm",
-            "type": "remote",
             "package": "rpm",
             "immutable_patterns": [".*/x86_64/.*\\.rpm$", ".*/repodata/.*$"],
             "cache": {"immutable_ttl": 0, "mutable_ttl": 3600},
         },
         "docker-test": {
             "base_url": "https://registry.example.com",
-            "type": "remote",
             "package": "docker",
             "cache": {"immutable_ttl": 0, "mutable_ttl": 300},
         },
         "docker-restricted": {
             "base_url": "https://registry.example.com",
-            "type": "remote",
             "package": "docker",
             "immutable_patterns": ["^library/nginx"],
             "cache": {"immutable_ttl": 0, "mutable_ttl": 300},
         },
         "generic-test": {
             "base_url": "https://releases.example.com",
-            "type": "remote",
             "package": "generic",
             "immutable_patterns": [".*\\.tar\\.gz$"],
             "cache": {"immutable_ttl": 0, "mutable_ttl": 0},
         },
         "custom-index-test": {
             "base_url": "https://example.com",
-            "type": "remote",
             "package": "generic",
             "mutable_patterns": ["metadata\\.json$"],
             "cache": {"immutable_ttl": 0, "mutable_ttl": 600},
         },
         "check-mutable-test": {
             "base_url": "https://example.com",
-            "type": "remote",
             "package": "generic",
             "mutable_patterns": ["metadata\\.json$"],
             "check_mutable_updates": True,
             "cache": {"immutable_ttl": 0, "mutable_ttl": 600},
         },
-        "local-test": {
-            "type": "local",
-            "package": "generic",
-            "cache": {"immutable_ttl": 0, "mutable_ttl": 0},
-        },
         "pypi-test": {
             "base_url": "https://files.pythonhosted.org",
-            "type": "remote",
             "package": "pypi",
             "immutable_patterns": [
                 r"packages/.*\.whl$",
@@ -85,7 +72,6 @@ TEST_REMOTES = {
         },
         "npm-test": {
             "base_url": "https://registry.npmjs.org",
-            "type": "remote",
             "package": "npm",
             "immutable_patterns": [r"\.tgz$"],
             "mutable_patterns": [r"^(?!.*\.tgz$).*"],
@@ -93,14 +79,12 @@ TEST_REMOTES = {
         },
         "helm-test": {
             "base_url": "https://helm.releases.hashicorp.com",
-            "type": "remote",
             "package": "helm",
             "immutable_patterns": [r"\.tgz$"],
             "cache": {"immutable_ttl": 0, "mutable_ttl": 3600},
         },
         "quarantine-test": {
             "base_url": "https://releases.example.com",
-            "type": "remote",
             "package": "generic",
             "immutable_patterns": [r".*\.tar\.gz$"],
             "quarantine_new": True,
@@ -109,7 +93,6 @@ TEST_REMOTES = {
         },
         "quarantine-disabled": {
             "base_url": "https://releases.example.com",
-            "type": "remote",
             "package": "generic",
             "immutable_patterns": [r".*\.tar\.gz$"],
             "quarantine_new": False,
@@ -118,27 +101,31 @@ TEST_REMOTES = {
         },
         "helm-member-2": {
             "base_url": "https://charts.example.com",
-            "type": "remote",
             "package": "helm",
             "immutable_patterns": [r"\.tgz$"],
             "cache": {"immutable_ttl": 0, "mutable_ttl": 1800},
         },
+    },
+    "locals": {
+        "local-test": {
+            "package": "generic",
+            "cache": {"immutable_ttl": 0, "mutable_ttl": 0},
+        },
+    },
+    "virtuals": {
         "helm-virtual-test": {
-            "type": "virtual",
             "package": "helm",
             "members": ["helm-test", "helm-member-2"],
         },
         "unsupported-virtual-test": {
-            "type": "virtual",
             "package": "rpm",
             "members": ["rpm-test"],
         },
         "empty-virtual-test": {
-            "type": "virtual",
             "package": "helm",
             "members": [],
         },
-    }
+    },
 }
 
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

tests/test_config.py

@@ -27,24 +27,24 @@ def make_config(tmp_path):
 
 class TestGetMutablePatterns:
     def test_alpine_returns_package_defaults(self, make_config):
-        cfg = make_config({"r": {"type": "remote", "package": "alpine", "base_url": "https://x.com"}})
+        cfg = make_config({"r": {"package": "alpine", "base_url": "https://x.com"}})
         patterns = cfg.get_mutable_patterns("r")
         assert r"APKINDEX\.tar\.gz$" in patterns
 
     def test_rpm_returns_package_defaults(self, make_config):
-        cfg = make_config({"r": {"type": "remote", "package": "rpm", "base_url": "https://x.com"}})
+        cfg = make_config({"r": {"package": "rpm", "base_url": "https://x.com"}})
         patterns = cfg.get_mutable_patterns("r")
         assert r"repomd\.xml$" in patterns
         assert any("repodata" in p for p in patterns)
 
     def test_docker_returns_package_defaults(self, make_config):
-        cfg = make_config({"r": {"type": "remote", "package": "docker", "base_url": "https://x.com"}})
+        cfg = make_config({"r": {"package": "docker", "base_url": "https://x.com"}})
         patterns = cfg.get_mutable_patterns("r")
         assert any("manifests" in p for p in patterns)
         assert any("tags/list" in p for p in patterns)
 
     def test_generic_returns_empty_list(self, make_config):
-        cfg = make_config({"r": {"type": "remote", "package": "generic", "base_url": "https://x.com"}})
+        cfg = make_config({"r": {"package": "generic", "base_url": "https://x.com"}})
         assert cfg.get_mutable_patterns("r") == []
 
     def test_unknown_remote_returns_empty_list(self, make_config):
@@ -52,12 +52,12 @@ class TestGetMutablePatterns:
         assert cfg.get_mutable_patterns("nonexistent") == []
 
     def test_missing_package_field_defaults_to_generic(self, make_config):
-        cfg = make_config({"r": {"type": "remote", "base_url": "https://x.com"}})
+        cfg = make_config({"r": {"base_url": "https://x.com"}})
         assert cfg.get_mutable_patterns("r") == []
 
     def test_unknown_package_type_returns_empty_list(self, make_config):
         # A mis-spelled package type silently returns [] — this is a known footgun
-        cfg = make_config({"r": {"type": "remote", "package": "deb", "base_url": "https://x.com"}})
+        cfg = make_config({"r": {"package": "deb", "base_url": "https://x.com"}})
         assert cfg.get_mutable_patterns("r") == []
 
     def test_extra_patterns_appended_after_defaults(self, make_config):
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ class TestGetMutablePatterns:
         assert r"custom-meta\.xml$" in patterns
 
     def test_npm_has_no_package_defaults(self, make_config):
-        cfg = make_config({"r": {"type": "remote", "package": "npm", "base_url": "https://x.com"}})
+        cfg = make_config({"r": {"package": "npm", "base_url": "https://x.com"}})
         assert cfg.get_mutable_patterns("r") == []
 
     def test_npm_explicit_mutable_pattern_matches_metadata(self, make_config):
@@ -155,14 +155,14 @@ class TestGetMutablePatterns:
         assert any(re.search(p, "@babel/core") for p in patterns)
 
     def test_helm_returns_index_yaml_as_mutable(self, make_config):
-        cfg = make_config({"r": {"type": "remote", "package": "helm", "base_url": "https://helm.example.com"}})
+        cfg = make_config({"r": {"package": "helm", "base_url": "https://helm.example.com"}})
         patterns = cfg.get_mutable_patterns("r")
         assert r"index\.yaml$" in patterns
 
     def test_helm_chart_tarballs_not_mutable_by_default(self, make_config):
         import re
 
-        cfg = make_config({"r": {"type": "remote", "package": "helm", "base_url": "https://helm.example.com"}})
+        cfg = make_config({"r": {"package": "helm", "base_url": "https://helm.example.com"}})
         patterns = cfg.get_mutable_patterns("r")
         # Only index.yaml is mutable; .tgz chart tarballs are not
         assert not any(re.search(p, "vault-0.29.1.tgz") for p in patterns)
@@ -210,7 +210,7 @@ class TestGetImmutablePatterns:
         assert cfg.get_immutable_patterns("nonexistent") == []
 
     def test_returns_empty_when_no_patterns_configured(self, make_config):
-        cfg = make_config({"r": {"type": "remote", "package": "generic", "base_url": "https://x.com"}})
+        cfg = make_config({"r": {"package": "generic", "base_url": "https://x.com"}})
         assert cfg.get_immutable_patterns("r") == []
 
     def test_multiple_patterns_returned(self, make_config):
@@ -281,7 +281,7 @@ class TestGetUserMutablePatterns:
 
     def test_excludes_package_defaults(self, make_config):
         # Package defaults (APKINDEX etc.) must NOT appear here
-        cfg = make_config({"r": {"type": "remote", "package": "alpine", "base_url": "https://x.com"}})
+        cfg = make_config({"r": {"package": "alpine", "base_url": "https://x.com"}})
         assert cfg.get_user_mutable_patterns("r") == []
 
     def test_returns_empty_for_missing_remote(self, make_config):
@@ -289,7 +289,7 @@ class TestGetUserMutablePatterns:
         assert cfg.get_user_mutable_patterns("nonexistent") == []
 
     def test_returns_empty_when_key_absent(self, make_config):
-        cfg = make_config({"r": {"type": "remote", "package": "generic", "base_url": "https://x.com"}})
+        cfg = make_config({"r": {"package": "generic", "base_url": "https://x.com"}})
         assert cfg.get_user_mutable_patterns("r") == []
 
 
@@ -317,7 +317,7 @@ class TestGetCacheConfig:
         assert cfg.get_cache_config("nonexistent") == {}
 
     def test_returns_empty_dict_when_no_cache_key(self, make_config):
-        cfg = make_config({"r": {"type": "remote", "package": "generic", "base_url": "https://x.com"}})
+        cfg = make_config({"r": {"package": "generic", "base_url": "https://x.com"}})
         assert cfg.get_cache_config("r") == {}
 
 
@@ -329,11 +329,11 @@ class TestGetCacheConfig:
 class TestConfigReload:
     def test_reloads_when_file_mtime_advances(self, tmp_path):
         cfg_file = tmp_path / "remotes.yaml"
-        cfg_file.write_text(yaml.dump({"remotes": {"repo-a": {"type": "remote", "package": "generic", "base_url": "https://x.com"}}}))
+        cfg_file.write_text(yaml.dump({"remotes": {"repo-a": {"package": "generic", "base_url": "https://x.com"}}}))
         cfg = ConfigManager(str(cfg_file))
         assert "repo-a" in cfg.config["remotes"]
 
-        cfg_file.write_text(yaml.dump({"remotes": {"repo-b": {"type": "remote", "package": "generic", "base_url": "https://y.com"}}}))
+        cfg_file.write_text(yaml.dump({"remotes": {"repo-b": {"package": "generic", "base_url": "https://y.com"}}}))
         future_mtime = cfg._last_modified + 1
         os.utime(str(cfg_file), (future_mtime, future_mtime))
 
@@ -344,7 +344,7 @@ class TestConfigReload:
 
     def test_no_reload_when_file_unchanged(self, tmp_path):
         cfg_file = tmp_path / "remotes.yaml"
-        cfg_file.write_text(yaml.dump({"remotes": {"repo-a": {"type": "remote", "package": "generic", "base_url": "https://x.com"}}}))
+        cfg_file.write_text(yaml.dump({"remotes": {"repo-a": {"package": "generic", "base_url": "https://x.com"}}}))
         cfg = ConfigManager(str(cfg_file))
 
         # Call check_reload without touching the file — should not reload
@@ -360,7 +360,7 @@ class TestConfigReload:
 
 class TestGetQuarantineConfig:
     def test_returns_false_zero_when_not_configured(self, make_config):
-        cfg = make_config({"r": {"type": "remote", "package": "generic", "base_url": "https://x.com"}})
+        cfg = make_config({"r": {"package": "generic", "base_url": "https://x.com"}})
         enabled, days = cfg.get_quarantine_config("r")
         assert enabled is False
         assert days == 0
@@ -426,7 +426,7 @@ class TestGetQuarantineConfig:
 
 
 def _remote(base_url: str = "https://x.com") -> dict:
-    return {"type": "remote", "package": "generic", "base_url": base_url}
+    return {"package": "generic", "base_url": base_url}
 
 
 class TestConfigDirMode:
@@ -445,7 +445,7 @@ class TestConfigDirMode:
 
     def test_empty_directory_returns_empty_remotes(self, tmp_path):
         cfg = ConfigManager(str(tmp_path))
-        assert cfg.config == {"remotes": {}}
+        assert cfg.config == {"remotes": {}, "virtuals": {}, "locals": {}}
 
     def test_ignores_non_yaml_files(self, tmp_path):
         (tmp_path / "notes.txt").write_text("not yaml")

tests/test_routes.py

@@ -523,68 +523,53 @@ class TestGenericArtifactRoute:
         deps["database"].get_local_file_metadata.return_value = None
         deps["database"].available = True
 
-        response = client.get("/api/v1/remote/local-test/path/to/nonexistent.bin")
+        response = client.get("/api/v1/local/local-test/path/to/nonexistent.bin")
         assert response.status_code == 404
 
 
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-# Upload route  PUT /api/v1/remote/{remote}/{path}
+# Upload route  PUT /api/v1/local/{local}/{path}
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 
 class TestUploadRoute:
-    def test_unknown_remote_returns_404(self, client, patched_deps):
+    def test_unknown_local_returns_404(self, client, patched_deps):
         response = client.put(
-            "/api/v1/remote/nonexistent/path/to/file.tar.gz",
+            "/api/v1/local/nonexistent/path/to/file.tar.gz",
             files={"file": ("file.tar.gz", b"content", "application/octet-stream")},
         )
         assert response.status_code == 404
 
-    def test_non_local_remote_returns_400(self, client, patched_deps):
-        response = client.put(
-            "/api/v1/remote/generic-test/path/to/file.tar.gz",
-            files={"file": ("file.tar.gz", b"content", "application/octet-stream")},
-        )
-        assert response.status_code == 400
-
 
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-# HEAD route  HEAD /api/v1/remote/{remote}/{path}
+# HEAD route  HEAD /api/v1/local/{local}/{path}
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 
 class TestHeadRoute:
-    def test_non_local_remote_returns_405(self, client, patched_deps):
-        response = client.head("/api/v1/remote/generic-test/path/to/file.tar.gz")
-        assert response.status_code == 405
-
     def test_local_repo_file_not_found_returns_404(self, client, patched_deps):
         deps = patched_deps
         deps["database"].get_local_file_metadata.return_value = None
         deps["database"].available = True
 
-        response = client.head("/api/v1/remote/local-test/path/to/nonexistent.bin")
+        response = client.head("/api/v1/local/local-test/path/to/nonexistent.bin")
         assert response.status_code == 404
 
-    def test_unknown_remote_returns_404(self, client, patched_deps):
+    def test_unknown_local_returns_404(self, client, patched_deps):
-        response = client.head("/api/v1/remote/nonexistent/path/to/file.bin")
+        response = client.head("/api/v1/local/nonexistent/path/to/file.bin")
         assert response.status_code == 404
 
 
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-# DELETE route  DELETE /api/v1/remote/{remote}/{path}
+# DELETE route  DELETE /api/v1/local/{local}/{path}
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 
 class TestDeleteRoute:
-    def test_unknown_remote_returns_404(self, client, patched_deps):
+    def test_unknown_local_returns_404(self, client, patched_deps):
-        response = client.delete("/api/v1/remote/nonexistent/path/to/file.tar.gz")
+        response = client.delete("/api/v1/local/nonexistent/path/to/file.tar.gz")
         assert response.status_code == 404
 
-    def test_non_local_remote_returns_400(self, client, patched_deps):
-        response = client.delete("/api/v1/remote/generic-test/path/to/file.tar.gz")
-        assert response.status_code == 400
-
 
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # Cache flush  PUT /cache/flush

tests/test_virtual.py

@@ -8,11 +8,15 @@ import yaml
 
 from artifactapi.artifact.virtual import (
     _HANDLERS,
+    _entries_to_msgpack_safe,
     _get_member_index,
     _HelmDumper,
     _HelmHandler,
     _merge_helm_indexes,
+    _rewrite_urls,
     _VirtualHandler,
+    _YamlDumperBase,
+    _YamlLoader,
 )
 
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -66,12 +70,47 @@ entries:
 generated: "2023-01-01T00:00:00.000Z"
 """
 
+_INDEX_RELATIVE = b"""\
+apiVersion: v1
+entries:
+  rancher:
+    - name: rancher
+      version: "2.13.1"
+      urls:
+        - rancher-2.13.1.tgz
+generated: "2023-01-01T00:00:00.000Z"
+"""
+
 _CFG_A = {"base_url": "https://helm.releases.hashicorp.com", "cache": {"mutable_ttl": 3600}}
 _CFG_B = {"base_url": "https://charts.example.com", "cache": {"mutable_ttl": 1800}}
 
 
-def _identity_resolve(data, *args, **kwargs):
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-    return data, None
+# _YamlLoader / _YamlDumperBase — C extension selection
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+class TestYamlExtensionSelection:
+    def test_loader_is_a_class(self):
+        assert isinstance(_YamlLoader, type)
+
+    def test_dumper_base_is_a_class(self):
+        assert isinstance(_YamlDumperBase, type)
+
+    def test_helm_dumper_uses_selected_base(self):
+        assert issubclass(_HelmDumper, _YamlDumperBase)
+
+    def test_c_extensions_used_when_available(self):
+        try:
+            assert _YamlLoader is yaml.CSafeLoader
+            assert _YamlDumperBase is yaml.CDumper
+        except AttributeError:
+            assert _YamlLoader is yaml.SafeLoader
+            assert _YamlDumperBase is yaml.Dumper
+
+    def test_loader_can_parse_yaml(self):
+        result = yaml.load(b"key: value", Loader=_YamlLoader)
+        assert result == {"key": "value"}
 
 
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -135,14 +174,13 @@ class TestHelmHandler:
         assert isinstance(msg, str) and len(msg) > 0
 
     def test_merge_returns_bytes(self):
-        with patch("artifactapi.artifact.virtual._helm.resolve_content", side_effect=_identity_resolve):
+        result = self.handler.merge([_INDEX_A], [None], ["member-a"], [_CFG_A], "http://proxy.example.com")
-            result = self.handler.merge([_INDEX_A], ["member-a"], [_CFG_A], "http://proxy.example.com")
         assert isinstance(result, bytes)
 
     def test_merge_delegates_to_merge_helm_indexes(self):
         with patch("artifactapi.artifact.virtual._merge_helm_indexes", return_value=b"merged") as mock_fn:
-            result = self.handler.merge([b"data"], ["m"], [{}], "http://proxy")
+            result = self.handler.merge([b"data"], [None], ["m"], [{}], "http://proxy")
-        mock_fn.assert_called_once_with([b"data"], ["m"], [{}], "http://proxy")
+        mock_fn.assert_called_once_with([b"data"], [None], ["m"], [{}], "http://proxy")
         assert result == b"merged"
 
 
@@ -160,6 +198,41 @@ class TestHandlersRegistry:
         assert isinstance(_HANDLERS["helm"], _VirtualHandler)
 
 
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# _rewrite_urls
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+class TestRewriteUrls:
+    def _rewrite(self, urls, base_url="https://upstream.example.com", proxy_base="http://proxy.example.com", member_name="my-remote"):
+        return _rewrite_urls(urls, base_url, proxy_base, member_name)
+
+    def test_absolute_url_matching_base_is_rewritten(self):
+        result = self._rewrite(["https://upstream.example.com/chart-1.0.0.tgz"])
+        assert result == ["http://proxy.example.com/api/v1/remote/my-remote/chart-1.0.0.tgz"]
+
+    def test_relative_url_is_prepended_with_proxy_remote(self):
+        result = self._rewrite(["chart-1.0.0.tgz"])
+        assert result == ["http://proxy.example.com/api/v1/remote/my-remote/chart-1.0.0.tgz"]
+
+    def test_relative_url_with_leading_slash(self):
+        result = self._rewrite(["/chart-1.0.0.tgz"])
+        assert result == ["http://proxy.example.com/api/v1/remote/my-remote/chart-1.0.0.tgz"]
+
+    def test_absolute_url_not_matching_base_is_unchanged(self):
+        result = self._rewrite(["https://other.example.com/chart-1.0.0.tgz"])
+        assert result == ["https://other.example.com/chart-1.0.0.tgz"]
+
+    def test_empty_url_list_returns_empty(self):
+        assert self._rewrite([]) == []
+
+    def test_multiple_urls_all_rewritten(self):
+        urls = ["https://upstream.example.com/a-1.0.0.tgz", "b-2.0.0.tgz"]
+        result = self._rewrite(urls)
+        assert result[0] == "http://proxy.example.com/api/v1/remote/my-remote/a-1.0.0.tgz"
+        assert result[1] == "http://proxy.example.com/api/v1/remote/my-remote/b-2.0.0.tgz"
+
+
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # _merge_helm_indexes
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -167,8 +240,7 @@ class TestHandlersRegistry:
 
 class TestMergeHelmIndexes:
     def _merge(self, raw_indexes, member_names, member_configs, proxy_base="http://proxy.example.com"):
-        with patch("artifactapi.artifact.virtual._helm.resolve_content", side_effect=_identity_resolve):
+        return _merge_helm_indexes(raw_indexes, [None] * len(raw_indexes), member_names, member_configs, proxy_base)
-            return _merge_helm_indexes(raw_indexes, member_names, member_configs, proxy_base)
 
     def _parse(self, raw):
         return yaml.safe_load(raw)
@@ -187,7 +259,18 @@ class TestMergeHelmIndexes:
     def test_first_member_wins_on_duplicate_name_and_version(self):
         index = self._parse(self._merge([_INDEX_A, _INDEX_B], ["member-a", "member-b"], [_CFG_A, _CFG_B]))
         v027 = next(e for e in index["entries"]["vault"] if e["version"] == "0.27.0")
-        assert "helm.releases.hashicorp.com" in v027["urls"][0]
+        assert "member-a" in v027["urls"][0]
+
+    def test_absolute_urls_rewritten_to_proxy(self):
+        index = self._parse(self._merge([_INDEX_A], ["member-a"], [_CFG_A]))
+        url = index["entries"]["vault"][0]["urls"][0]
+        assert url == "http://proxy.example.com/api/v1/remote/member-a/vault-0.27.0.tgz"
+
+    def test_relative_urls_rewritten_to_proxy(self):
+        cfg = {"base_url": "https://releases.rancher.com/server-charts/stable", "cache": {"mutable_ttl": 3600}}
+        index = self._parse(self._merge([_INDEX_RELATIVE], ["rancher-stable"], [cfg]))
+        url = index["entries"]["rancher"][0]["urls"][0]
+        assert url == "http://proxy.example.com/api/v1/remote/rancher-stable/rancher-2.13.1.tgz"
 
     def test_different_versions_of_same_chart_both_included(self):
         index = self._parse(self._merge([_INDEX_A, _INDEX_B], ["member-a", "member-b"], [_CFG_A, _CFG_B]))
@@ -260,7 +343,7 @@ class TestGetMemberIndex:
         storage.exists.return_value = True
         cache.is_index_valid.return_value = True
 
-        _, _, _, raw_data = await _get_member_index("m", member_cfg, "index.yaml", storage, cache)
+        _, _, _, raw_data, _ = await _get_member_index("m", member_cfg, "index.yaml", storage, cache)
 
         assert raw_data == b"cached bytes"
 
@@ -283,7 +366,7 @@ class TestGetMemberIndex:
             mock_cls.return_value.__aenter__.return_value = mock_client
             mock_client.get.return_value = self._fake_response(b"fresh bytes")
 
-            _, _, _, raw_data = await _get_member_index("m", member_cfg, "index.yaml", storage, cache)
+            _, _, _, raw_data, _ = await _get_member_index("m", member_cfg, "index.yaml", storage, cache)
 
         assert raw_data == b"fresh bytes"
 
@@ -293,7 +376,7 @@ class TestGetMemberIndex:
             mock_cls.return_value.__aenter__.return_value = mock_client
             mock_client.get.return_value = self._fake_response()
 
-            _, _, _, raw_data = await _get_member_index("m", member_cfg, "index.yaml", storage, cache)
+            _, _, _, raw_data, _ = await _get_member_index("m", member_cfg, "index.yaml", storage, cache)
 
         assert raw_data == b"upstream bytes"
 
@@ -352,7 +435,7 @@ class TestGetMemberIndex:
             mock_cls.return_value.__aenter__.return_value = mock_client
             mock_client.get.side_effect = Exception("connection refused")
 
-            _, _, _, raw_data = await _get_member_index("m", member_cfg, "index.yaml", storage, cache)
+            _, _, _, raw_data, _ = await _get_member_index("m", member_cfg, "index.yaml", storage, cache)
 
         assert raw_data is None
 
@@ -364,7 +447,7 @@ class TestGetMemberIndex:
             mock_cls.return_value.__aenter__.return_value = mock_client
             mock_client.get.return_value = self._fake_response()
 
-            _, _, _, raw_data = await _get_member_index("m", member_cfg, "index.yaml", storage, cache)
+            _, _, _, raw_data, _ = await _get_member_index("m", member_cfg, "index.yaml", storage, cache)
 
         assert raw_data == b"upstream bytes"
 
@@ -375,7 +458,7 @@ class TestGetMemberIndex:
             mock_cls.return_value.__aenter__.return_value = mock_client
             mock_client.get.return_value = self._fake_response()
 
-            _, _, ttl, _ = await _get_member_index("m", cfg, "index.yaml", storage, cache)
+            _, _, ttl, _, _ = await _get_member_index("m", cfg, "index.yaml", storage, cache)
 
         assert ttl == 900
 
@@ -386,7 +469,7 @@ class TestGetMemberIndex:
             mock_cls.return_value.__aenter__.return_value = mock_client
             mock_client.get.return_value = self._fake_response()
 
-            _, _, ttl, _ = await _get_member_index("m", cfg, "index.yaml", storage, cache)
+            _, _, ttl, _, _ = await _get_member_index("m", cfg, "index.yaml", storage, cache)
 
         assert ttl == 3600
 
@@ -430,10 +513,10 @@ class TestVirtualRoute:
         response = client.get("/api/v1/virtual/no-such-virtual/index.yaml")
         assert response.status_code == 404
 
-    def test_non_virtual_type_returns_400(self, client, patched_virtual_deps):
+    def test_non_virtual_name_returns_404(self, client, patched_virtual_deps):
-        # helm-test is type "remote", not "virtual"
+        # helm-test is in remotes, not virtuals
         response = client.get("/api/v1/virtual/helm-test/index.yaml")
-        assert response.status_code == 400
+        assert response.status_code == 404
 
     def test_unsupported_package_returns_400(self, client, patched_virtual_deps):
         # unsupported-virtual-test has package "rpm"
@@ -484,22 +567,16 @@ class TestVirtualRoute:
         mock_get.assert_not_called()
 
     def test_cache_miss_returns_200_with_yaml_content_type(self, client, patched_virtual_deps):
-        with (
+        with patch("artifactapi.artifact.virtual._get_member_index", new_callable=AsyncMock) as mock_get:
-            patch("artifactapi.artifact.virtual._get_member_index", new_callable=AsyncMock) as mock_get,
+            mock_get.return_value = ("helm-test", _CFG_A, 3600, _INDEX_SIMPLE, None)
-            patch("artifactapi.artifact.virtual._helm.resolve_content", side_effect=_identity_resolve),
-        ):
-            mock_get.return_value = ("helm-test", _CFG_A, 3600, _INDEX_SIMPLE)
             response = client.get("/api/v1/virtual/helm-virtual-test/index.yaml")
 
         assert response.status_code == 200
         assert "text/yaml" in response.headers["content-type"]
 
     def test_cache_miss_response_contains_merged_entries(self, client, patched_virtual_deps):
-        with (
+        with patch("artifactapi.artifact.virtual._get_member_index", new_callable=AsyncMock) as mock_get:
-            patch("artifactapi.artifact.virtual._get_member_index", new_callable=AsyncMock) as mock_get,
+            mock_get.return_value = ("helm-test", _CFG_A, 3600, _INDEX_SIMPLE, None)
-            patch("artifactapi.artifact.virtual._helm.resolve_content", side_effect=_identity_resolve),
-        ):
-            mock_get.return_value = ("helm-test", _CFG_A, 3600, _INDEX_SIMPLE)
             response = client.get("/api/v1/virtual/helm-virtual-test/index.yaml")
 
         index = yaml.safe_load(response.content)
@@ -507,35 +584,26 @@ class TestVirtualRoute:
 
     def test_cache_miss_stores_result_in_s3(self, client, patched_virtual_deps):
         deps = patched_virtual_deps
-        with (
+        with patch("artifactapi.artifact.virtual._get_member_index", new_callable=AsyncMock) as mock_get:
-            patch("artifactapi.artifact.virtual._get_member_index", new_callable=AsyncMock) as mock_get,
+            mock_get.return_value = ("helm-test", _CFG_A, 3600, _INDEX_SIMPLE, None)
-            patch("artifactapi.artifact.virtual._helm.resolve_content", side_effect=_identity_resolve),
-        ):
-            mock_get.return_value = ("helm-test", _CFG_A, 3600, _INDEX_SIMPLE)
             client.get("/api/v1/virtual/helm-virtual-test/index.yaml")
 
         deps["storage"].upload.assert_called_once()
 
     def test_cache_miss_marks_index_cached(self, client, patched_virtual_deps):
         deps = patched_virtual_deps
-        with (
+        with patch("artifactapi.artifact.virtual._get_member_index", new_callable=AsyncMock) as mock_get:
-            patch("artifactapi.artifact.virtual._get_member_index", new_callable=AsyncMock) as mock_get,
+            mock_get.return_value = ("helm-test", _CFG_A, 3600, _INDEX_SIMPLE, None)
-            patch("artifactapi.artifact.virtual._helm.resolve_content", side_effect=_identity_resolve),
-        ):
-            mock_get.return_value = ("helm-test", _CFG_A, 3600, _INDEX_SIMPLE)
             client.get("/api/v1/virtual/helm-virtual-test/index.yaml")
 
         deps["cache"].mark_index_cached.assert_called_once()
 
     def test_cache_miss_uses_min_ttl_across_members(self, client, patched_virtual_deps):
         deps = patched_virtual_deps
-        with (
+        with patch("artifactapi.artifact.virtual._get_member_index", new_callable=AsyncMock) as mock_get:
-            patch("artifactapi.artifact.virtual._get_member_index", new_callable=AsyncMock) as mock_get,
-            patch("artifactapi.artifact.virtual._helm.resolve_content", side_effect=_identity_resolve),
-        ):
             mock_get.side_effect = [
-                ("helm-test", _CFG_A, 3600, _INDEX_SIMPLE),
+                ("helm-test", _CFG_A, 3600, _INDEX_SIMPLE, None),
-                ("helm-member-2", _CFG_B, 1800, _INDEX_SIMPLE),
+                ("helm-member-2", _CFG_B, 1800, _INDEX_SIMPLE, None),
             ]
             client.get("/api/v1/virtual/helm-virtual-test/index.yaml")
 
@@ -544,19 +612,16 @@ class TestVirtualRoute:
 
     def test_all_members_unreachable_returns_502(self, client, patched_virtual_deps):
         with patch("artifactapi.artifact.virtual._get_member_index", new_callable=AsyncMock) as mock_get:
-            mock_get.return_value = ("helm-test", _CFG_A, 3600, None)
+            mock_get.return_value = ("helm-test", _CFG_A, 3600, None, None)
             response = client.get("/api/v1/virtual/helm-virtual-test/index.yaml")
 
         assert response.status_code == 502
 
     def test_one_member_unreachable_still_returns_200(self, client, patched_virtual_deps):
-        with (
+        with patch("artifactapi.artifact.virtual._get_member_index", new_callable=AsyncMock) as mock_get:
-            patch("artifactapi.artifact.virtual._get_member_index", new_callable=AsyncMock) as mock_get,
-            patch("artifactapi.artifact.virtual._helm.resolve_content", side_effect=_identity_resolve),
-        ):
             mock_get.side_effect = [
-                ("helm-test", _CFG_A, 3600, _INDEX_SIMPLE),
+                ("helm-test", _CFG_A, 3600, _INDEX_SIMPLE, None),
-                ("helm-member-2", _CFG_B, 1800, None),
+                ("helm-member-2", _CFG_B, 1800, None, None),
             ]
             response = client.get("/api/v1/virtual/helm-virtual-test/index.yaml")
 
@@ -572,10 +637,9 @@ class TestVirtualRoute:
 
         with (
             patch("artifactapi.artifact.virtual._get_member_index", new_callable=AsyncMock) as mock_get,
-            patch("artifactapi.artifact.virtual._helm.resolve_content", side_effect=_identity_resolve),
             patch.object(main_mod.config, "get_remote_config", side_effect=patched_get),
         ):
-            mock_get.return_value = ("helm-test", _CFG_A, 3600, _INDEX_SIMPLE)
+            mock_get.return_value = ("helm-test", _CFG_A, 3600, _INDEX_SIMPLE, None)
             response = client.get("/api/v1/virtual/helm-virtual-test/index.yaml")
 
         # only helm-test was available — should succeed
@@ -586,11 +650,181 @@ class TestVirtualRoute:
         deps = patched_virtual_deps
         deps["storage"].upload.side_effect = Exception("S3 write error")
 
-        with (
+        with patch("artifactapi.artifact.virtual._get_member_index", new_callable=AsyncMock) as mock_get:
-            patch("artifactapi.artifact.virtual._get_member_index", new_callable=AsyncMock) as mock_get,
+            mock_get.return_value = ("helm-test", _CFG_A, 3600, _INDEX_SIMPLE, None)
-            patch("artifactapi.artifact.virtual._helm.resolve_content", side_effect=_identity_resolve),
-        ):
-            mock_get.return_value = ("helm-test", _CFG_A, 3600, _INDEX_SIMPLE)
             response = client.get("/api/v1/virtual/helm-virtual-test/index.yaml")
 
         assert response.status_code == 200
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# _entries_to_msgpack_safe
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+class TestEntriesToMsgpackSafe:
+    def test_plain_string_values_pass_through(self):
+        entries = {"chart": [{"name": "chart", "version": "1.0.0", "urls": ["http://x/c.tgz"]}]}
+        result = _entries_to_msgpack_safe(entries)
+        assert result["chart"][0]["version"] == "1.0.0"
+
+    def test_datetime_converted_to_iso_string(self):
+        dt = datetime(2023, 6, 15, 12, 0, 0, tzinfo=UTC)
+        entries = {"chart": [{"name": "chart", "version": "1.0.0", "created": dt}]}
+        result = _entries_to_msgpack_safe(entries)
+        assert isinstance(result["chart"][0]["created"], str)
+        assert "2023-06-15" in result["chart"][0]["created"]
+
+    def test_date_converted_to_iso_string(self):
+        entries = {"chart": [{"name": "chart", "version": "1.0.0", "created": date(2023, 6, 15)}]}
+        result = _entries_to_msgpack_safe(entries)
+        assert result["chart"][0]["created"] == "2023-06-15"
+
+    def test_empty_entries_returns_empty_dict(self):
+        assert _entries_to_msgpack_safe({}) == {}
+
+    def test_multiple_versions_all_converted(self):
+        dt = datetime(2023, 1, 1, tzinfo=UTC)
+        entries = {
+            "chart": [
+                {"name": "chart", "version": "1.0.0", "created": dt},
+                {"name": "chart", "version": "2.0.0", "created": dt},
+            ]
+        }
+        result = _entries_to_msgpack_safe(entries)
+        for v in result["chart"]:
+            assert isinstance(v["created"], str)
+
+    def test_result_is_msgpack_serializable(self):
+        import msgpack
+
+        dt = datetime(2023, 6, 15, 12, 0, 0, tzinfo=UTC)
+        entries = {"chart": [{"name": "chart", "version": "1.0.0", "created": dt, "urls": ["http://x/c.tgz"]}]}
+        safe = _entries_to_msgpack_safe(entries)
+        packed = msgpack.packb(safe, use_bin_type=True)
+        unpacked = msgpack.unpackb(packed, raw=False)
+        assert unpacked["chart"][0]["created"] == safe["chart"][0]["created"]
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# _merge_helm_indexes — pre-parsed entries path
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+class TestMergeHelmIndexesWithParsed:
+    """Verify that pre-parsed entries (from msgpack) produce the same output as raw YAML."""
+
+    def _parse_entries(self, raw: bytes) -> dict:
+        index = yaml.safe_load(raw)
+        return index.get("entries") or {}
+
+    def test_parsed_entries_produce_same_charts_as_raw(self):
+        parsed = self._parse_entries(_INDEX_A)
+        raw_result = yaml.safe_load(_merge_helm_indexes([_INDEX_A], [None], ["member-a"], [_CFG_A], "http://proxy.example.com"))
+        parsed_result = yaml.safe_load(_merge_helm_indexes([_INDEX_A], [parsed], ["member-a"], [_CFG_A], "http://proxy.example.com"))
+        assert set(raw_result["entries"].keys()) == set(parsed_result["entries"].keys())
+
+    def test_parsed_entries_urls_are_rewritten(self):
+        parsed = self._parse_entries(_INDEX_A)
+        result = yaml.safe_load(_merge_helm_indexes([_INDEX_A], [parsed], ["member-a"], [_CFG_A], "http://proxy.example.com"))
+        url = result["entries"]["vault"][0]["urls"][0]
+        assert "member-a" in url
+        assert "proxy.example.com" in url
+
+    def test_none_parsed_falls_back_to_raw_bytes(self):
+        result = yaml.safe_load(_merge_helm_indexes([_INDEX_A], [None], ["member-a"], [_CFG_A], "http://proxy.example.com"))
+        assert "vault" in result["entries"]
+
+    def test_mixed_parsed_and_raw_merge_correctly(self):
+        parsed_a = self._parse_entries(_INDEX_A)
+        result = yaml.safe_load(
+            _merge_helm_indexes(
+                [_INDEX_A, _INDEX_B],
+                [parsed_a, None],
+                ["member-a", "member-b"],
+                [_CFG_A, _CFG_B],
+                "http://proxy.example.com",
+            )
+        )
+        assert "vault" in result["entries"]
+        assert "nginx" in result["entries"]
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# _get_member_index — msgpack cache behaviour
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+class TestGetMemberIndexMsgpack:
+    @pytest.fixture
+    def storage(self):
+        m = MagicMock()
+        m.get_object_key.side_effect = lambda name, path: f"{name}/{path}"
+        m.exists.return_value = False
+        m.download_object.return_value = _INDEX_SIMPLE
+        return m
+
+    @pytest.fixture
+    def cache(self):
+        m = MagicMock()
+        m.is_index_valid.return_value = False
+        return m
+
+    @pytest.fixture
+    def member_cfg(self):
+        return {"base_url": "https://helm.releases.hashicorp.com", "cache": {"mutable_ttl": 3600}}
+
+    def _fake_response(self, content=_INDEX_SIMPLE):
+        r = MagicMock()
+        r.content = content
+        r.raise_for_status = MagicMock()
+        return r
+
+    async def test_cache_hit_with_msgpack_returns_parsed_entries(self, storage, cache, member_cfg):
+        import msgpack
+
+        entries = {"mychart": [{"name": "mychart", "version": "1.0.0", "urls": ["http://x/c.tgz"]}]}
+        packed = msgpack.packb(entries, use_bin_type=True)
+
+        storage.exists.side_effect = lambda key: True
+        cache.is_index_valid.return_value = True
+        storage.download_object.side_effect = lambda key: packed if key.endswith("index.msgpack") else _INDEX_SIMPLE
+
+        _, _, _, raw_data, parsed = await _get_member_index("m", member_cfg, "index.yaml", storage, cache)
+
+        assert parsed == entries
+
+    async def test_cache_miss_builds_msgpack_and_returns_parsed(self, storage, cache, member_cfg):
+        with patch("artifactapi.artifact.virtual.httpx.AsyncClient") as mock_cls:
+            mock_client = AsyncMock()
+            mock_cls.return_value.__aenter__.return_value = mock_client
+            mock_client.get.return_value = self._fake_response()
+
+            _, _, _, raw_data, parsed = await _get_member_index("m", member_cfg, "index.yaml", storage, cache)
+
+        assert raw_data == _INDEX_SIMPLE
+        assert isinstance(parsed, dict)
+        assert "mychart" in parsed
+
+    async def test_broken_msgpack_rebuilds_from_raw_yaml(self, storage, cache, member_cfg):
+        storage.exists.side_effect = lambda key: True
+        cache.is_index_valid.return_value = True
+        storage.download_object.side_effect = lambda key: b"not-valid-msgpack" if key.endswith("index.msgpack") else _INDEX_SIMPLE
+
+        _, _, _, raw_data, parsed = await _get_member_index("m", member_cfg, "index.yaml", storage, cache)
+
+        assert raw_data == _INDEX_SIMPLE
+        # Falls back to YAML parse and rebuilds msgpack — entries are returned
+        assert isinstance(parsed, dict)
+        assert "mychart" in parsed
+
+    async def test_upstream_failure_returns_none_for_both(self, storage, cache, member_cfg):
+        with patch("artifactapi.artifact.virtual.httpx.AsyncClient") as mock_cls:
+            mock_client = AsyncMock()
+            mock_cls.return_value.__aenter__.return_value = mock_client
+            mock_client.get.side_effect = Exception("timeout")
+
+            _, _, _, raw_data, parsed = await _get_member_index("m", member_cfg, "index.yaml", storage, cache)
+
+        assert raw_data is None
+        assert parsed is None