Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Using GitHub with Saltstack

Salt Master with GitHub

I have started using a better work flow with my salt. Mainly integrating GitHub as my file backend. This isn't a new feature as the git backend in salt has been available for a while now but I finally started using it. It simplifies making changes when I am not at my desk as I can just clone the project make the changes and push it back out. Not to mention having a record of what was changed when is great for when things break.

The Setup

Setting up the salt master is easy only a few lines are needed to enable it. In your salt master config file (typically /etc/salt/master) add the following lines.

fileserver_backend:
  - git
gitfs_remotes:
  - git+ssh://git@github.com/kaptk2/gitfs.git

Replace the git+ssh:// line with your repository information.

Make sure you add a deploy key to your repository and test the key. Information on setting up deploy keys can be found on GitHub's site. After the key is tested restart the salt master and check your logs to make sure no errors pop up.

Conclustion

Salt is now powered by a GitHub repository, giving you all the nice stuff that git provides and the ability to work with others easily through GitHub.

References: