It looks like docker_18_05 should be built with Go 1.10, but docker_18_03 — with Go 1.9.
https://github.com/docker/docker-ce/blob/v18.03.1-ce/components/engine/Dockerfile.e2e#L2
https://github.com/docker/docker-ce/blob/v18.05.0-ce/components/engine/Dockerfile.e2e#L2
/cc @srhb

@GrahamcOfBorg test docker-tools docker

Yes, I think we should still attempt to use the same versions that upstream does.

Success on aarch64-linux

Attempted: tests.docker-tools, tests.docker

No partial log is available.

Failure on x86_64-linux (full log)

Attempted: tests.docker-tools, tests.docker

fixing missing hash on '/nix/store/ykdgcy5ssgpv7qfw94jdxip7jpdznh4v-nghttp2-1.32.0-lib'
updating size field on '/nix/store/ykdgcy5ssgpv7qfw94jdxip7jpdznh4v-nghttp2-1.32.0-lib' to 188136
Packing layer...
Computing layer checksum...
builder for '/nix/store/z3vmskdmcq95shpkds54pwckv16hi7m4-docker-layer-nix.drv' failed with exit code 1
cannot build derivation '/nix/store/qgivdlfjad49rhzmafgcswwb5z4m8hah-runtime-deps.drv': 1 dependencies couldn't be built
cannot build derivation '/nix/store/db46ar5mfh11fi07xaq2zgrdg896i0qq-docker-image-nix.tar.gz.drv': 2 dependencies couldn't be built
cannot build derivation '/nix/store/va7z1pam988zyi842li11qqif9pll0qy-nixos-test-driver-docker-tools.drv': 5 dependencies couldn't be built
cannot build derivation '/nix/store/8prgrlmb24fi28zhvx5kzzhdw8bwjgwc-vm-test-run-docker-tools.drv': 1 dependencies couldn't be built
error: build of '/nix/store/8prgrlmb24fi28zhvx5kzzhdw8bwjgwc-vm-test-run-docker-tools.drv' failed

I am figuring-out why:

{  go ? null, go_1_9 ? null }:    # <---
rec {
  dockerGen = { ... }:
    let
      docker-containerd = containerd.overrideAttrs (oldAttrs: rec {
        go = (if versionAtLeast version "18.05.5-ce" then go else go_1_9);    # <---
        buildInputs = [ removeReferencesTo go ];
      });
    in
    stdenv.mkDerivation ( rec {
      inherit docker-containerd;
      buildInputs = [ removeReferences go ];
    });

  docker_18_03 = dockerGen rec { ... };

  docker_18_05 = dockerGen rec { ... };
}

Makes Go to come back.
Note, both in (18_03 && 18_05) versions.

So the main question is: how to manage package version override, so that removeReferencesTo works?

Maybe the real question is formulated backwards. It is a quirk, and we need to change removeReferencesTo itself, to work with normal overrides.

You don't have to introduce go_1_9 into docker/default.nix, you can simply put this in all-packages.nix:

  inherit (callPackage ../applications/virtualization/docker { go = go_1_9; })
    docker_18_03;
  inherit (callPackage ../applications/virtualization/docker { go = go_1_10; })
    docker_18_05;

Putting it in docker/default.nix, makes:

• obvious for everyone who looks at docker
• since situation with Docker&Go versions soon can change, that means people would automatically maintain this topic
• here we work to solve removeReferencesTo for overrides.

Putting it in all-packages.nix would result in the same:

• I would not track it.
• everyone looks at docker/default.nix, and try to figure-out what is going on.
• we return to initial position with Docker closure includes Go, while Go with introduction of 1.10 became gargantuan 1,368,973,064 (graphic), and it adds to Docker 673,164,112 at current moment.

Since removeReferencesTo is a cool concept, and at this moment not really used, so we better figure-out how to make it work with overrides of buildInputs.

Closed in favor of: #41849
I did not found that solution.