Remove Cloud Image Recognition mocks, cloud databases, and contract tests #3831

PTC has notified customers that Vuforia Engine Cloud Image Recognition retires effective May 2, 2027. Existing services remain operational during the notice period; after the end-of-life date, Cloud Image Recognition databases and associated services will no longer be available. Source: the PTC Vuforia Team customer email supplied by the maintainer.

Remove support for the retiring cloud image service, including cloud image target management as well as recognition queries. Model Target and VuMark support remain in scope for the project; the email does not announce their retirement.

Scope:

• Remove cloud image recognition/query emulation and cloud image target management from all interception adapters (requests, httpx/RESPX, and HTTPX2), shared core logic, validators, and public mock controls.
• Remove cloud database/image target state, matching/rating helpers, recognition-count seeding/reporting, and cloud-only configuration, exports, and serialization. Retain shared state and validators required by VuMarks and Model Targets.
• Remove the corresponding tests and fixtures from both the local suite and the installable contract-tests/ package; retain the Model Target and VuMark contracts and their reusable backend interfaces.
• Apply the removal to the server/ package and compatibility forwarders under mock_vws._flask_server: remove the VWQ/cloud recognition service and cloud-only target-manager routes, deployment wiring, image targets, and health checks. Preserve server deployment and health checks for Model Target and VuMark support.
• Remove cloud-only real-service credentials/provisioning, CI partitions, fixtures/assets, dependencies, container examples, and documentation. Keep real-service authentication/setup needed by the remaining APIs.
• Replace README/getting-started cloud examples with supported functionality and document the breaking removals in release notes.

Coordinate with VWS-Python/vws-python#3328 and the fixture cleanup in vws-test-fixtures. Account for the server extraction tracked by #3737/#3741 so the removal follows the code if it moves to another repository.

Done when core, installed contract tests, and retained server deployments can be built and tested without cloud image databases or a VWQ service, with Model Target and VuMark behavior still covered.