Awesome
Vagrant lets you easily package an environment and share it with anyone. <br />
Key Benefits
- Run your production OS/Stack on your local machine with minimal overhead. <br />
- Consistently set up a new machine with only a few commands. <br />
- Never have to worry about which version(s) of packages your colleagues have on their machine.
Also ...
- Isolate anything new/experimental/untested from your main OS (e.g: want to play with a new NoSQL database? spin up a Vagrant VM in seconds without installing XYZ-DB as root on your main machine!)
- Side-step Security Vulnerabilities by using a VM! (Don't want to run Java on your machine because you're sick of having to update it each time a new Security Vulnerability is discovered? Install it using Vagrant!)
Will it work for me...?
YES! You can run vagrant on the most popular operating systems; <br />
<br />
Microsoft Windows, Mac and Linux (most flavours).
Requirements
- Basic comfort with command line
- Internet Connection (for downloads)
- Time: 30 mins
Up & Running in Three Easy Steps
1. Download & Install Vagrant + VirtualBox
First thing you need to do is install VirtualBox:
(Vagrant uses a "headless" VirtualBox Virtual Machine (VM) - you don't need to know what that is or how it works just trust that it does its job really well, is well documented and extensively tested)
and Vagrant:
2. Clone this repository
git clone https://github.com/nelsonic/learn-vagrant.git && cd learn-vagrant
This means that you will now have the only file you need in your directory to get Vagrant up and running: the Vagrantfile. This file adds the configuration you need to the vagrant box.
The one in this repository updates Ubuntu, installs Node.js, updates it and prints out the version. There is also commented out code there that would have installed MongoDB and run some tests. If you're setting up your own configuration, copying this file would be a good place to start!
Windows users will also need a vagrantfile_ssh.txt file - in the windows-only directory of this repository.
3. Boot Ubuntu (installs latest Node.js)
Boot the Vagrant Box:
vagrant up
(this will install ubuntu and node.js so may take a few minutes - depending on your internet connection)
Anything you do within the directory you're currently in will now take place exclusively in your Vagrant environment.
Login and Explore
SSH (login) to the Vagrant Box:
vagrant ssh
to exit simply type exit in the terminal (this logs you out but Vagrant will still be running):
exit
Windows Only
Because windows does not come with an SSH client you will need to install one.
Todo
- investigate best way to enable ssh on windows!
- http://docs-v1.vagrantup.com/v1/docs/getting-started/ssh.html
- http://stackoverflow.com/questions/9885108/ssh-to-vagrant-box-in-windows
<br /><br />
Other useful commands
Shut down the Vagrant Box
vagrant halt
This will shut down while preserving the state of the machine, much like hitting the 'pause' button.
Need to Kill it?
vagrant destroy
This will stop the machine altogether and you will no longer be operating within Vagrant in the directory.
More Detailed Instructions
Create our base Ubuntu Box:
vagrant box add base https://cloud-images.ubuntu.com/vagrant/trusty/current/trusty-server-cloudimg-amd64-vagrant-disk1.box
This command will create a box called "base" and download the base install of ubuntu version 14.04 (latest)
you should see:
==> box: Adding box 'base' (v0) for provider:
box: Downloading: https://cloud-images.ubuntu.com/vagrant/trusty/current/trusty-server-cloudimg-amd64-vagrant-disk1.box
==> box: Successfully added box 'base' (v0) for 'virtualbox'!
This will be useful if you want to install the box globally so that you don't have to download and install it through the Vagrantfile every time you run vagrant up.
<br />
<br />
Useful Links
- Background: http://dobsondev.com/vagrant-development-environment
- What is Vagrant? http://code.tutsplus.com/tutorials/vagrant-what-why-and-how--net-26500
- Getting Started Guide: http://docs.vagrantup.com/v2/getting-started/index.html
- Windows? http://stackoverflow.com/questions/9885108/ssh-to-vagrant-box-in-windows
Which box should I start with?
- List of Vagrant Boxes: http://www.vagrantbox.es
Install Node.js on Unbunt:
- Official: https://github.com/joyent/node/wiki/installing-node.js-via-package-manager
- https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-install-node-js-on-an-ubuntu-14-04-server
nvm in vagrant: https://github.com/robertkowalski/vagrant-nvm(waste of time! just use the ppa!)
Tutorials
- Build Podcast Vagrant Ep: http://build-podcast.com/vagrant/
- http://scotch.io/tutorials/get-vagrant-up-and-running-in-no-time
Background
Why do we even need Vagrant?
For better or worse, people still use different operating systems for their development machines. While many have made the switch to Mac or Ubuntu, most people are still developing on Windows. Using vagrant as a VM to run your production OS locally means you can keep everything consistent everywhere, regardless of your local OS.
How did we get here?
In the dark ages of development (pre 2012) people had to manually install all the dependencies for projects, often leading to version conflicts and incompatibilities. :cry:
Enter Vagrant to save the day!
Now you can keep a single file listing all the dependencies required
to boot a fully-functional development machine using a single
vagrant up command.
Minimal Overhead
CPU
Memory
Discussion
Docker vs. Vagrant
- http://www.scriptrock.com/articles/docker-vs-vagrant
- http://stackoverflow.com/questions/16647069/should-i-use-vagrant-or-docker-io-for-creating-an-isolated-environment
- http://dahlgren.so/software/2014/05/11/From-Vagrant-To-Docker/
Next
Vagrant on Digital Ocean / AWS ?
Inspiration / Thanks
Special Thanks to Joaquim Serafim for encouraging me to learn/use Vagrant <br /> see: https://github.com/joaquimserafim/vagrant-nodejs-redis-mongodb