Introduction to Vagrants Experimental Feature Flag

Vagrant Experimental Feature Flag

Experimental

Welcome to the documentation for Vagrant - the command line utility for
managing the lifecycle of virtual machines. This website aims to document
every feature of Vagrant from top-to-bottom, covering as much detail as
possible.

Documentation

Overview

Vagrant is able to define and control multiple guest machines per
Vagrantfile. This is known as a "multi-machine" environment.

Multi-Machine

The primary function of the Vagrantfile is to describe the type
of machine required for a project, and how to configure and
provision these machines. Vagrantfiles are called Vagrantfiles because
the actual literal filename for the file is "Vagrantfile".

Vagrantfile

The settings within "config.vm" modify the configuration of the
machine that Vagrant manages.

config.vm - Vagrantfile

<code>config.vm</code>

The settings within "config.ssh" relate to configuring how Vagrant
will access your machine over SSH. As with most Vagrant settings, the
defaults are typically fine, but you can fine tune whatever you would like.

config.ssh - Vagrantfile

<code>config.ssh</code>

The Vagrantfile is a very flexible configuration format. Since it is just
Ruby, there is a lot you can do with it. However, in that same vein, since
it is Ruby, there are a lot of ways you can shoot yourself in the foot. When
using some of the tips and tricks on this page, please take care to use them
correctly.

Tips & Tricks - Vagrantfile

Tips &amp; Tricks

The settings within "config.vagrant" modify the behavior of Vagrant
itself.

config.vagrant - Vagrantfile

<code>config.vagrant</code>

A set of Vagrant version requirements can be specified in the Vagrantfile
to enforce that people use a specific version of Vagrant with a Vagrantfile.
This can help with compatibility issues that may otherwise arise from using
a too old or too new Vagrant version with a Vagrantfile.

Minimum Vagrant Version - Vagrantfile

Minimum Vagrant Version

Configuration versions are the mechanism by which Vagrant 1.1+ is able to
remain backwards compatible with Vagrant 1.0.x Vagrantfiles, while introducing
dramatically new features and configuration options.

Configuration Version - Vagrantfile

Configuration Version

The settings within "config.winrm" relate to configuring how Vagrant
will access your Windows guest over WinRM. As with most Vagrant settings, the
defaults are typically fine, but you can fine tune whatever you would like.

config.winrm - Vagrantfile

<code>config.winrm</code>

The settings within "config.winssh" relate to configuring how Vagrant
will access your machine over Windows OpenSSH. As with most Vagrant settings, the
defaults are typically fine, but you can fine tune whatever you would like.

config.winssh - Vagrantfile

<code>config.winssh</code>

Documentation of various configuration options for Vagrant Triggers

Vagrant Triggers Configuration

Configuration

Vagrant Triggers

Triggers

Vagrant Triggers Usage

Usage

Synced folders are configured within your Vagrantfile using the
"config.vm.synced_folder" method.

Basic Usage - Synced Folders

Basic Usage

Synced folders enable Vagrant to sync a folder on the host machine to the
guest machine, allowing you to continue working on your project's files
on your host machine, but use the resources in the guest machine to
compile or run your project.

Synced Folders

In some cases the default shared folder implementations such as VirtualBox
shared folders have high performance penalties. If you are seeing less than
ideal performance with synced folders, NFS can offer a solution. Vagrant has
built-in support to orchestrate the configuration of the NFS server on the host
and guest for you.

NFS - Synced Folders

Vagrant can use rsync as a mechanism to sync a folder to the guest machine.
This synced folder type is useful primarily in situations where other synced
folder mechanisms are not available, such as when NFS or VirtualBox shared
folders are not available in the guest machine.

RSync - Synced Folders

RSync

Vagrant can use SMB as a mechanism to create a bi-directional synced folder
between the host machine and the Vagrant machine.

SMB - Synced Folders

If you are using the Vagrant VirtualBox provider, then VirtualBox shared
folders are the default synced folder type. These synced folders use the
VirtualBox shared folder system to sync file changes from the guest to the
host and vice versa.

VirtualBox Shared Folders - Synced Folders

VirtualBox

Vagrant can share any or every port to your Vagrant environment, not
just SSH and HTTP.

Vagrant Connect - Vagrant Share

Connect

Vagrant Share can create a publicly accessible URL endpoint to access an
HTTP server running in your Vagrant environment. This is known as "HTTP
sharing," and is enabled by default when "vagrant share" is used.

HTTP Sharing - Vagrant Share

HTTP Sharing

Vagrant Share allows you to  share your Vagrant environment with anyone in
the world, enabling collaboration directly in your Vagrant environment
in almost any network environment with just a single command- "vagrant share".

Vagrant Share

If you are developing a custom Vagrant provider, you will need to do a tiny
bit more work in order for it to work well with Vagrant Share.

Custom Provider - Vagrant Share

Custom Provider

Sharing your Vagrant environment understandably raises a number of security
concerns.

Security - Vagrant Share

Security

Vagrant share makes it trivially easy to allow remote SSH access to your
Vagrant environment by supplying the "--ssh" flag to "vagrant share".

SSH Sharing - Vagrant Share

SSH Sharing

Vagrant Push FTP and SFTP strategy pushes the code in your Vagrant development
environment to a remote FTP or SFTP server.

Vagrant Push - FTP & SFTP Strategy

FTP / SFTP

The Vagrant Push Heroku strategy pushes your application's code to Heroku.
Only files which are committed to the Git repository are pushed to Heroku.

Vagrant Push - Heroku Strategy

Heroku

Vagrant Push is a revolutionary feature that allows users to push the code in
their Vagrant environment to a remote location.

Vagrant Push

Push

The Vagrant Push Local Exec strategy pushes your application's code using a
user-defined script.

Vagrant Push - Local Exec Strategy

Local Exec

The Vagrant Ansible provisioner allows you to provision the guest using
Ansible playbooks by executing "ansible-playbook" from the Vagrant host.

Ansible - Provisioning

Ansible

This page details the common options to the Vagrant Ansible provisioners.

Common Ansible Options - Provisioning

Common Ansible Options

This page includes options and information that is applicable to both Vagrant
Ansible provisioners.

Ansible - Short Introduction

Ansible Intro

The Vagrant Ansible Local provisioner allows you to provision the guest using Ansible playbooks by executing "ansible-playbook" directly on the guest
machine.

Ansible Local - Provisioning

Ansible Local

While Vagrant offers multiple options for how you are able to provision
your machine, there is a standard usage pattern as well as some important
points common to all provisioners that are important to know.

Basic Usage - Provisioning

The Vagrant CFEngine provisioner allows you to provision the guest using
CFEngine. It can set up both CFEngine policy servers and clients. You can
configure both the policy server and the clients in a single multi-machine
Vagrantfile.

CFEngine Provisioner

CFEngine

The Vagrant Chef Apply provisioner allows you to provision the guest using
Chef with chef-apply.

Chef Apply - Provisioning

Chef Apply

The Vagrant Chef Client provisioner allows you to provision the guest using
Chef, specifically by connecting to an existing Chef Server and registering
the Vagrant machine as a node within your infrastructure.

Chef Client - Provisioning

Chef Client

The following options are available to all Vagrant Chef provisioners. Many of
these options are for advanced users only and should not be used unless you
understand their purpose.

Common Chef Options - Provisioning

Chef Common Configuration

The Vagrant Chef Solo provisioner allows you to provision the guest using
Chef, specifically with chef-solo.

Chef Solo - Provisioning

Chef Solo

The Vagrant Chef Zero provisioner allows you to provision the guest using
Chef, specifically with chef-zero.

Chef Zero - Provisioning

Chef Zero

The Vagrant Docker provisioner can automatically install Docker, pull Docker
containers, and configure certain containers to run on boot.

Docker - Provisioning

Docker

The Vagrant file provisioner allows you to upload a file or directory from the
host machine to the guest machine.

File Uploads - Provisioning

File

Provisioners in Vagrant allow you to automatically install software, alter configurations, and more on the machine as part of the `vagrant up` process.

Provisioning

The Vagrant Podman provisioner can automatically install Podman, and run it as a drop in replacement for Docker.

Podman - Provisioning

Podman

The Vagrant Puppet agent provisioner allows you to provision the guest using
Puppet, specifically by calling "puppet agent", connecting to a Puppet master,
and retrieving the set of modules and manifests from there.

Puppet Agent - Provisioning

Puppet Agent

The Vagrant Puppet provisioner allows you to provision the guest using
Puppet, specifically by calling "puppet apply", without a Puppet Master.

Puppet Apply - Provisioning

Puppet Apply

The Vagrant Salt provisioner allows you to provision the guest using
Salt states.

Salt - Provisioning

Salt

The Vagrant Shell provisioner allows you to upload and execute a script within
the guest machine.

Shell Scripts - Provisioning

Shell

Vagrant boxes are all provider-specific. A box for VirtualBox is incompatible
with the VMware Fusion provider, or any other provider. A box must be
installed for each provider, and can share the same name as other boxes as
long as the providers differ. So you can have both a VirtualBox and VMware
Fusion "bionic64" box.

Basic Usage - Providers

While well-behaved Vagrant providers should work with any Vagrantfile with
sane defaults, providers generally expose unique configuration options so that
you can get the most out of each provider

Configuration - Providers

To learn how to make your own custom Vagrant providers, read the Vagrant
plugin development guide on creating custom providers.

Custom Provider - Providers

By default, VirtualBox is the default provider for Vagrant. VirtualBox is
still the most accessible platform to use Vagrant: it is free, cross-platform,
and has been supported by Vagrant for years. With VirtualBox as the default
provider, it provides the lowest friction for new users to get started with
Vagrant.

Default Provider - Providers

Default Provider

While Vagrant ships out of the box with support for VirtualBox, Hyper-V, and
Docker. Vagrant has the ability to manage other types of machines as well.
This is done by using other providers with Vagrant.

Providers

Providers are distributed as Vagrant plugins, and are therefore installed
using standard plugin installation steps. After installing a plugin which
contains a provider, the provider should immediately be available.

Installation - Providers

Installation

As with every Vagrant provider, the Vagrant VMware providers have a custom box
format.

Box Format - VMware Provider

Boxes

While Vagrant VMware providers are a drop-in replacement for VirtualBox, there
are some additional features that are exposed that allow you to more finely
configure VMware-specific aspects of your machines.

Configuration - VMware Provider

Frequently asked questions related to using Vagrant with VMware
Workstation and VMware Fusion

Frequently Asked Questions - VMware Provider

HashiCorp develops an official VMware Fusion and VMware Workstation provider
for Vagrant. This provider allows Vagrant to power VMware based machines and
take advantage of the improved stability and performance that VMware software
offers.

VMware Provider

VMware

The Vagrant VMware provider requires a two step installation
process which includes a system package and a Vagrant plugin.

Installation - VMware Provider

This page tracks some known issues or limitations of the VMware provider.
Note that none of these are generally blockers to using the provider, but
are good to know.

Known Issues - VMware Provider

Known Issues

The Vagrant VMware providers are used just like any other provider. Please
read the general basic usage page for providers.

Usage - VMware Provider

The Vagrant VMware Utility works with the Vagrant VMware Provider to
interact with the system VMware installation.

VMware Utility

As with every Vagrant provider, the Vagrant VirtualBox provider has a custom
box format that affects how base boxes are made.

Creating a Base Box - VirtualBox Provider

Creating a Base Box

This page lists some common issues people run into with Vagrant and VirtualBox
as well as solutions for those issues.

Common Issues - VirtualBox Provider

Common Issues

The VirtualBox provider exposes some additional configuration options
that allow you to more finely control your VirtualBox-powered Vagrant
environments.

Configuration - VirtualBox Provider

Vagrant comes with support out of the box for VirtualBox, a free,
cross-platform consumer virtualization product.

VirtualBox Provider

The Vagrant VirtualBox provider supports using the private network as a
VirtualBox internal network. By default, private networks are host-only
networks, because those are the easiest to work with.

Networking - VirtualBox Provider

Networking

The Vagrant VirtualBox provider is used just like any other provider. Please
read the general basic usage page for providers.

Usage - VirtualBox Provider

As with every Vagrant provider, the Vagrant Hyper-V provider has a custom box
format that affects how base boxes are made.

Creating a Base Box - Hyper-V Provider

The Vagrant Hyper-V provider has some provider-specific configuration options
you may set.

Configuration- Hyper-V Provider

Vagrant comes with support out of the box for Hyper-V, a native hypervisor
written by Microsoft. Hyper-V is available by default for almost all
Windows 8.1 and later installs.

Hyper-V Provider

Hyper-V

The Hyper-V provider works in almost every way like the VirtualBox
or VMware provider would, but has some limitations that are inherent to
Hyper-V itself.

Limitations - Hyper-V Provider

Limitations

The Hyper-V provider is used just like any other provider. Please read the
general basic usage page for providers.

Usage - Hyper-V Provider

The Docker provider in Vagrant behaves just like any other provider.
If you are familiar with Vagrant already, then using the Docker provider
should be intuitive and simple.

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