This document introduces Vagrant, an open source tool that allows users to create and manage virtual development environments. It discusses how Vagrant works with virtualization providers like VirtualBox to provide reproducible environments that match production. The document provides step-by-step instructions for installing Vagrant, configuring virtual machines using Vagrantfiles, provisioning machines, and networking. It highlights benefits like versioning environments and sharing code between hosts and guests.

1. Vagrant: are you still
develop in a non-virtual
environment?
Then we are coming to you!
Anatoly Bubenkov
Paylogic
http://github.com/bubenkoff
Monthly PyGrunn June 11 2013

2. Ok, I'm starting a project, what do I
need? (worst case)
● Centos 4 (but I like my Ubuntu 13.04)!
● MySQL (what??)
● MongoDB (oh...)
● SOLR
● RabbitMQ
● node.js
● python 2.4 :)
● lots of system packages installed from
external sources
Well, I don't want to install that on my machine,
and actually can't!

3. Back to the past: can you please fix
that bug in a 2-years old project?
● I don't even remember what was there...
● Ok I've found the code, but how do I create
the test data?
● Spent hours to get it all working back...

4. As a Developer, I need the
environment which is:
● fully functional (eg. no limitations just
because of it's hard to set up locally)
● reproducable (fast to reproduce same stuff
on another machine in minutes)
● as close to production environment as
possible
● versioned (easy to make a savepoint, to
return to if any need and at any time)
● independent (no direct dependency on my
machine)

5. Possible solutions:
● 1 mb long INSTALL.txt :) - the hard way
● Deployment automation tools (Puppet and
etc) - need a clean machine
● docker.io - ubuntu specific (for now)
● or ...

6. Vagrant!

7. How it works?
Vagrant core
(command line)
Virtualbox
VmWare
Providers
Amazon
AWS
Provisioners
Shell
Puppet (ruby script)
Chef (ruby script)
Ansible (YAML config)
Base box
Instance
Base box
Instance
Base box
Instance

8. Installation
Exists for:
● Windows
● Linux
● Mac OS

9. Easy example:
$ vagrant init precise32 http://files.vagrantup.com/precise64.box
$ vagrant up
After running the above two commands, you'll
have a fully running virtual machine in
VirtualBox running Ubuntu 12.04 LTS 64-bit.

10. Configuration
Vagrantfile - configuration entry point (a ruby script)
Vagrant loads a series of Vagrantfiles, merging the settings
as it goes.
Ordering:
/home/mitchellh/projects/foo/Vagrantfile
/home/mitchellh/projects/Vagrantfile
/home/mitchellh/Vagrantfile
/home/Vagrantfile
/Vagrantfile
On each level, Vagrant will merge settings in.

11. Configuration example
Vagrantfile:
Vagrant.configure("2") do |config|
config.vm.hostname = "paylogic-virtual"
config.vm.box = "ubuntu-server-10.04-x64"
config.vm.box_url = "http://puppet-vagrant-boxes.puppetlabs.com/ubuntu-server-
10044-x64-vbox4210.box"
config.vm.network :private_network, ip: "192.168.44.10"
config.vm.network :forwarded_port, guest: 8000, host: 8000
config.vm.provider :virtualbox do |vb|
vb.customize ["modifyvm", :id, "--memory", "512"]
end
config.vm.provision :puppet do |puppet|
puppet.manifests_path = "puppet/manifests"
puppet.manifest_file = "default.pp"
end
end

12. Boxes
● Vagrant boxes are skeletons to rely on when you build
your own instance.
● Provider-specific
● Contain metadata and helper files to deploy
● Adding a box:
$ vagrant box add name url
● List:
$ vagrant box list
precise64 (virtualbox)
precise64 (vmware_fusion)
● Remove:
$ vagrant box remove precise64 virtualbox

13. Provisioners
Provisioning is a process of making your base
box the box you need.
Vagrant.configure("2") do |config|
# ... other configuration
config.vm.provision :shell, :inline => "mkdir /etc/app"
end
● shell
● chef
● puppet
● ansible

14. Networking
● High level configuration is provider-
independend
● Low level configuration is provider specific
● Multiple networks are supported at once

15. Synced folders
● Transparently configure shared folders via
virtualization providers
● By default, Vagrant will share your project
directory (the directory with theVagrantfile) to
/vagrant.
● But for the code, I prefer to share it FROM
virtual machine to host machine (NFS)

16. Multi-machine setup!
● You can configure several machines in
single Vagrantfile:
Vagrant.configure("2") do |config|
config.vm.provision :shell, :inline => "echo Hello"
config.vm.define :web do |web|
web.vm.box = "apache"
end
config.vm.define :db do |db|
db.vm.box = "mysql"
end
end
● Start/stop them all or separately:
vagrant up
vagrant up web
vagrant up db

17. Providers
Natively:
○ Virtualbox
Plugins:
○ Amazon AWS
○ VMware (paid)

18. Plugins
Useful for me:
● vagrant-vbox-snapshot - snapshot
management for vbox provider
● vagrant-vbguest - autoinstallation of vbox
guest additions
Installation is as simple as:
$ vagrant plugin install <plugin name>

19. Live demo
● Editing code
● Snapshot switching

20. But, but any consequences?
● System memory - you need it 'enough'
● Disk - you need a complete OS on virtual
machine, be prepared to give at least 10 Gb
per instance.
● Setting up network fs (NFS) - but that's only
for those who don't know vim :)
● Speed - of course there's some slowdown
due virtualization.

21. Thanks!
Questions?
Anatoly Bubenkov
Paylogic
http://github.com/bubenkoff

22. Links
● http://vagrantup.com
● https://www.virtualbox.org/
● https://github.com/dergachev/vagrant-vbox-snapshot
● https://github.com/dotless-de/vagrant-vbguest