refactor: externalize container and image base directories

- Add `base_dir` field to `ContainerFactory`
- Initialize `base_dir` from `CONTAINERS_DIR` env or user home
- Replace hardcoded `/containers` paths with `base_dir` variable
- Update image `created_at` retrieval to use `os.stat`

examples/virt/heropods/heropods.vsh

@@ -1,3 +1,16 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env -S v -n -w -cg -gc none  -cc tcc -d use_openssl -enable-globals run
 
 import freeflowuniverse.herolib.virt.heropods
+// Initialize factory
+
+mut factory := heropods.new(
+	reset:      false
+	use_podman: true
+) or { panic('Failed to init ContainerFactory: ${err}') }
+
+container := factory.new(
+	name:              'myalpine'
+	image:             .custom
+	custom_image_name: 'alpine_3_20'
+	docker_url:        'docker.io/library/alpine:3.20'
+)!

lib/virt/heropods/container_create.v

@@ -36,22 +36,22 @@ pub fn (mut self ContainerFactory) new(args ContainerNewArgs) !&Container {
 	match args.image {
 		.alpine_3_20 {
 			image_name = 'alpine'
-			rootfs_path = '/containers/images/alpine/rootfs'
+			rootfs_path = '${self.base_dir}/images/alpine/rootfs'
 		}
 		.ubuntu_24_04 {
 			image_name = 'ubuntu_24_04'
-			rootfs_path = '/containers/images/ubuntu/24.04/rootfs'
+			rootfs_path = '${self.base_dir}/images/ubuntu/24.04/rootfs'
 		}
 		.ubuntu_25_04 {
 			image_name = 'ubuntu_25_04'
-			rootfs_path = '/containers/images/ubuntu/25.04/rootfs'
+			rootfs_path = '${self.base_dir}/images/ubuntu/25.04/rootfs'
 		}
 		.custom {
 			if args.custom_image_name == '' {
 				return error('custom_image_name is required when using custom image type')
 			}
 			image_name = args.custom_image_name
-			rootfs_path = '/containers/images/${image_name}/rootfs'
+			rootfs_path = '${self.base_dir}/images/${image_name}/rootfs'
 
 			// Check if image exists, if not and docker_url provided, create it
 			if !os.is_dir(rootfs_path) && args.docker_url != '' {
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ pub fn (mut self ContainerFactory) new(args ContainerNewArgs) !&Container {
 
 	// Create container using crun
 	osal.exec(
-		cmd:    'crun create --bundle /containers/configs/${args.name} ${args.name}'
+		cmd:    'crun create --bundle ${self.base_dir}/configs/${args.name} ${args.name}'
 		stdout: true
 	)!
 
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ pub fn (mut self ContainerFactory) new(args ContainerNewArgs) !&Container {
 }
 
 fn (self ContainerFactory) create_container_config(container_name string, rootfs_path string) ! {
-	config_dir := '/containers/configs/${container_name}'
+	config_dir := '${self.base_dir}/configs/${container_name}'
 	osal.exec(cmd: 'mkdir -p ${config_dir}', stdout: false)!
 
 	// Generate OCI config.json using template

lib/virt/heropods/container_image.v

@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ import json
 @[heap]
 pub struct ContainerImage {
 pub mut:
-	image_name  string @[required] // image is located in /containers/images/<image_name>/rootfs
+	image_name  string @[required] // image is located in ${self.factory.base_dir}/images/<image_name>/rootfs
 	docker_url  string // optional docker image URL
 	rootfs_path string // path to the extracted rootfs
 	size_mb     f64    // size in MB
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ pub mut:
 @[params]
 pub struct ContainerImageArgs {
 pub mut:
-	image_name string @[required] // image is located in /containers/images/<image_name>/rootfs
+	image_name string @[required] // image is located in ${self.factory.base_dir}/images/<image_name>/rootfs
 	docker_url string // docker image URL like "alpine:3.20" or "ubuntu:24.04"
 	reset      bool
 }
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ pub mut:
 // Create new image or get existing
 pub fn (mut self ContainerFactory) image_new(args ContainerImageArgs) !&ContainerImage {
 	mut image_name := texttools.name_fix(args.image_name)
-	rootfs_path := '/containers/images/${image_name}/rootfs'
+	rootfs_path := '${self.base_dir}/images/${image_name}/rootfs'
 
 	// Check if image already exists
 	if image_name in self.images && !args.reset {
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ fn (mut self ContainerImage) download_from_docker(docker_url string, reset bool)
 	console.print_header('Downloading image: ${docker_url}')
 
 	// Clean image name for local storage
-	image_dir := '/containers/images/${self.image_name}'
+	image_dir := '${self.factory.base_dir}/images/${self.image_name}'
 
 	// Remove existing if reset is true
 	if reset && os.is_dir(image_dir) {
@@ -133,15 +133,15 @@ fn (mut self ContainerImage) update_metadata() ! {
 	self.size_mb = size_str.f64()
 
 	// Get creation time
-	stat_result := osal.exec(cmd: 'stat -c "%Y" ${self.rootfs_path}', stdout: false)!
-	self.created_at = stat_result.output.trim_space() // TODO: should this be ourtime?
+	info := os.stat(self.rootfs_path) or { return error('stat failed: ${err}') }
+	self.created_at = info.ctime.str() // or mtime.str(), depending on what you want
 }
 
 // List all available images
 pub fn (mut self ContainerFactory) images_list() ![]&ContainerImage {
 	mut images := []&ContainerImage{}
 
-	images_base_dir := '/containers/images'
+	images_base_dir := '${self.base_dir}/images'
 	if !os.is_dir(images_base_dir) {
 		return images
 	}
@@ -206,7 +206,7 @@ pub fn (mut self ContainerFactory) image_import(args ImageImportArgs) !&Containe
 
 	console.print_header('Importing image from ${args.source_path}')
 
-	image_dir := '/containers/images/${image_name_clean}'
+	image_dir := '${self.base_dir}/images/${image_name_clean}'
 	rootfs_path := '${image_dir}/rootfs'
 
 	// Check if image already exists

lib/virt/heropods/factory.v

@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ pub mut:
 	tmux_session string
 	containers   map[string]&Container
 	images       map[string]&ContainerImage
+	base_dir     string
 }
 
 @[params]
@@ -28,8 +29,10 @@ pub fn new(args FactoryInitArgs) !ContainerFactory {
 
 fn (mut self ContainerFactory) init(args FactoryInitArgs) ! {
 	// Ensure base directories exist
+	self.base_dir = os.getenv_opt('CONTAINERS_DIR') or { os.home_dir() + '/.containers' }
+
 	osal.exec(
-		cmd:    'mkdir -p /containers/images /containers/configs /containers/runtime'
+		cmd:    'mkdir -p ${self.base_dir}/images ${self.base_dir}/configs ${self.base_dir}/runtime'
 		stdout: false
 	)!
 
@@ -70,7 +73,7 @@ fn (mut self ContainerFactory) setup_default_images(reset bool) ! {
 
 // Load existing images from filesystem into cache
 fn (mut self ContainerFactory) load_existing_images() ! {
-	images_base_dir := '/containers/images'
+	images_base_dir := '${self.base_dir}/containers/images'
 	if !os.is_dir(images_base_dir) {
 		return
 	}