feat(xtest): Consider using published artifacts for lts/latest versions #382
Description
Summary
Currently, xtest builds all SDK versions from source. For lts and latest (released versions), we could alternatively consume published artifacts (npm packages, Maven JARs).
Potential Benefits
- Fidelity: Tests the exact artifact users download, catching packaging issues (missing files, bad dependencies) that source builds miss
- Performance: Skips compilation step
Current Constraints
The CLI wrappers in xtest/sdk/{js,java,go} are designed to build from source. Implementing this would require "hybrid mode" support.
Considerations
- xtest's primary purpose is cross-SDK compatibility testing, not release artifact verification
- We've already added dependency caching, which mitigates performance concerns
- A separate "release smoke test" workflow in each SDK repo might be a cleaner approach
- Adds complexity to an already complex build system
Decision
Documenting for future consideration. Lower priority than other improvements.
Generated during Issue #377 discussion