Working with Provisioners

1. Using Shell Provisioner

Property	Description	Example
type	Specifies the provisioner type. Must be `shell`.	`type = "shell"`
path	Path to the shell script file to execute.	`path = "scripts/setup.sh"`
inline	Inline shell commands to execute directly.	`inline = "echo 'Hello World'"`
args	Arguments to pass to the script or inline commands.	`args = ["arg1", "arg2"]`
privileged	Whether to run the script with elevated privileges (default: true).	`privileged = false`
keep_file	Whether to keep the script file on the guest machine (default: false).	`keep_file = true`

Example: Basic Shell Provisioner

provisioner "shell" do
  inline "echo 'Provisioning started'"
end

Example: Using a Script File

provisioner "shell" do
  path "scripts/bootstrap.sh"
  args "--verbose"
end

Note: The shell provisioner runs on the guest machine and supports both inline scripts and external script files.

2. Inline Shell Scripts

Property	Description	Example
inline	Defines the shell script to run directly in the Vagrantfile	`inline => "echo 'Hello from inline script'"`
interpreter	Specifies the interpreter to use for the inline script	`interpreter => "/bin/bash"`

Example: Running an inline shell script

vagrant up
config.provisioner.shell do |shell|
  shell.inline = "echo 'Provisioning with inline script'"
end

Example: Using inline script with variables

vagrant up
config.provisioner.shell do |shell|
  shell.inline = "echo 'User: $USER'"
  shell.interpreter = "/bin/bash"
end

3. External Shell Scripts

Property	Description	Example
script	Path to the external shell script file	`script = "provision.sh"`
args	Arguments to pass to the script	`args = ["--verbose", "--config"]`

Example: Running an External Shell Script

config.vm.provision "shell", path: "scripts/setup.sh"

Example: Passing Arguments to Script

config.vm.provision "shell", path: "scripts/deploy.sh", args: ["--env", "production"]

4. Using Ansible Provisioner

Option	Values	Notes
ansible.playbook	`playbook.yml`	Path to the Ansible playbook file
ansible.verbose	`false`	Enable verbose output for debugging
ansible.limit	`all`	Limit the hosts to run the playbook on
ansible.extra_arguments	`--skip-tags=common`	Extra arguments to pass to the Ansible command

Example: Basic Vagrantfile with Ansible provisioner

Vagrant.configure("2") do |config|
  config.vm.box = "ubuntu/focal64"

  config.vm.provision :ansible do |ansible|
    ansible.playbook = "playbook.yml"
  end
end

Example: Advanced Vagrantfile with Ansible provisioner

Vagrant.configure("2") do |config|
  config.vm.box = "ubuntu/focal64"

  config.vm.provision :ansible do |ansible|
    ansible.playbook = "playbook.yml"
    ansible.verbose = true
    ansible.limit = "web"
    ansible.extra_arguments = "--skip-tags=common --extra-vars=\"env=prod\""
  end
end

Note: Ensure Ansible is installed on the host machine and the Vagrant box has Python installed to run Ansible modules.

5. Configuring Ansible Playbook

Property	Description	Default Value	Notes
ansible.playbook	Path to the Ansible playbook file	`playbook.yml`	Must be a valid YAML file
ansible.verbose	Enable verbose output for debugging	`false`	Set to `true` for detailed logs
ansible.limit	Limit the hosts to run the playbook on	`null`	Accepts host patterns or groups
ansible.extra_vars	Extra variables to pass to the playbook	`{}`	JSON object of variables

Example: Basic Ansible Playbook Configuration

Vagrant.configure("2") do |config|
  config.vm.provision "ansible" do |ansible|
    ansible.playbook = "playbook.yml"
    ansible.verbose = true
  end
end

Example: Passing Extra Variables

Vagrant.configure("2") do |config|
  config.vm.provision "ansible" do |ansible|
    ansible.playbook = "playbook.yml"
    ansible.extra_vars = {
      "app_env" => "production",
      "version" => "1.2.3"
    }
  end
end

6. Using Ansible Local

Property	Description	Default
ansible.local_playbook	Path to the playbook file to run locally	`null`
ansible.verbose	Enable verbose output for Ansible runs	`false`
ansible.debug	Enable debug mode for Ansible runs	`false`

Example: Basic Vagrantfile with Ansible Local

Vagrant.configure("2") do |config|
  config.vm.box = "ubuntu/focal64"

  config.vm.provision :ansible_local do |ansible|
    ansible.playbook = "playbook.yml"
  end
end

Example: Advanced Vagrantfile with Ansible Local

Vagrant.configure("2") do |config|
  config.vm.box = "ubuntu/focal64"

  config.vm.provision :ansible_local do |ansible|
    ansible.playbook = "playbook.yml"
    ansible.verbose = true
    ansible.debug = false
  end
end

Note: The ansible.local_playbook path is relative to the Vagrantfile location.

7. Setting Up Chef Provisioner

Property	Description	Default	Notes
chef_server_url	URL of the Chef Server	nil	Required for Chef Server mode
chef_oauth_token	OAuth token for authentication	nil	Required for Chef Server mode
chef_environment	Environment to run the provisioner in	`_default`	Can be overridden
chef_node_name	Name of the Chef node	`vagrant-<var>hostname</var>`	Automatically generated if not set
chef_run_list	Run list of recipes to execute	`[]`	Must be an array of recipe names
chef_attributes	Attributes to pass to Chef	`{}`	Hash of attribute key-value pairs

Example: Basic Chef Provisioner Configuration

config.vm.provision "chef_solo" do |chef|
  chef.run_list = [
    "recipe[myapp::default]"
  ]
  chef.attributes = {
    "myapp" => {
      "config_value" => "production"
    }
  }
end

Note: Chef Solo is deprecated in favor of Chef Infra Client. Use chef_client for newer setups.

Warning: Ensure the Chef server or client is properly configured and accessible from the Vagrant environment.

8. Configuring Puppet Provisioner

Option	Values	Description
provisioner	`puppet`	Specifies the provisioner type to use.
manifest_file	`manifest.pp`	Path to the main Puppet manifest file.
module_path	`modules/`	Directory containing Puppet modules.
options	`--verbose`	Additional options to pass to the Puppet command.

Example: Basic Puppet Provisioner Configuration

config.vm.provision "puppet" do |puppet|
  puppet.manifest_file = "site.pp"
  puppet.module_path = ["modules", "site-modules"]
  puppet.options = "--verbose --debug"
end

Note: Ensure Puppet is installed on the guest machine or use a base box that includes it.

9. Using Docker Provisioner

Property	Values	Description
type	`docker`	Specifies the provisioner type as Docker
image	`ubuntu:20.04`	Docker image to use for provisioning
container_name	`vagrant-docker-container`	Name of the container to create
command	`echo "Provisioning complete"`	Command to run inside the container

Example: Basic Docker Provisioner Configuration

# Vagrantfile
Vagrant.configure("2") do |config|
  config.vm.box = "ubuntu/focal64"

  config.vm.provision :docker do |d|
    d.image = "nginx:latest"
    d.container_name = "web-server"
    d.command = "echo 'Nginx is running'"
  end
end

Note: The Docker provisioner requires Docker to be installed on the host machine.

Warning: Ensure that the Docker image specified is accessible from the host machine.

10. Setting Provisioner Run Conditions

Condition	Description	Example
run	Controls whether the provisioner runs. Valid values: "always", "once", "never".	`run = "once"`
only_if	Runs provisioner only if the specified command exits with code 0.	`only_if = "test -f /etc/myapp.conf"`
unless	Skips provisioner if the specified command exits with code 0.	`unless = "test -f /etc/myapp.conf"`

Example: Using only_if and unless

config.vm.provision "shell", only_if: "test -f /etc/myapp.conf" do |s|
  s.inline = "echo 'Config file exists, running provisioner'"
end

config.vm.provision "shell", unless: "test -f /etc/myapp.conf" do |s|
  s.inline = "echo 'Config file missing, skipping provisioner'"
end

11. Using Multiple Provisioners

Vagrant allows you to define and run multiple provisioners in a single Vagrant environment. These provisioners can be of different types and are executed in the order they are defined.

Provisioner Type	Description	Execution Order	Notes
shell	Runs shell scripts on the guest machine	Sequential	Can be defined multiple times; each runs in order
ansible	Uses Ansible playbooks to provision the guest	Sequential	Must be defined after shell provisioners if order matters
chef-solo	Uses Chef Solo to configure the guest	Sequential	Can be mixed with other provisioners
puppet	Uses Puppet to configure the guest	Sequential	Supports both manifest and module-based configurations

Example: Defining Multiple Provisioners

Vagrant.configure("2") do |config|
  config.vm.box = "ubuntu/focal64"

  # Shell provisioner
  config.vm.provision :shell, inline: "echo 'Running shell provisioner'"

  # Ansible provisioner
  config.vm.provision :ansible do |ansible|
    ansible.playbook = "playbook.yml"
  end

  # Chef Solo provisioner
  config.vm.provision :chef_solo do |chef|
    chef.cookbooks_path = "cookbooks"
    chef.run_list = ["recipe[myapp::default]"]
  end

  # Puppet provisioner
  config.vm.provision :puppet do |puppet|
    puppet.manifest_file = "manifest.pp"
  end
end

Note: Provisioners are executed in the order they appear in the Vagrantfile. If you need to control execution order, ensure provisioners are defined in the correct sequence.

12. Setting Provisioner Order

Provisioner Type	Execution Order	Notes
shell	`1`	Executes first in the order
file	`2`	Executes after shell provisioners
template	`3`	Executes after file provisioners
puppet	`4`	Executes after template provisioners
ansible	`5`	Executes after puppet provisioners
chef	`6`	Executes after ansible provisioners
docker	`7`	Executes after chef provisioners
powershell	`8`	Executes after docker provisioners

Note: The order of provisioners is determined by their type, and can be overridden using the order attribute in the Vagrantfile.

Example: Setting Provisioner Order

Vagrant.configure("2") do |config|
  config.vm.provision "shell", inline: "echo 'First provisioner'"
  config.vm.provision "shell", inline: "echo 'Second provisioner", order: 2
  config.vm.provision "shell", inline: "echo 'Third provisioner", order: 1
end