This document discusses how continuous integration (CI) can help automate deployment testing for Chef configurations. It recommends implementing unit tests for recipes with ChefSpec, integration tests for server configurations with ServerSpec, and validating code quality with Foodcritic. These tests should run on every code commit via a CI server to catch errors early and provide stable, automated deployments. The document also provides an example development workflow using Docker containers, and recommends starting with writing tests before setting up the full CI pipeline.

1. CI for Chefs
How to cook successful deployments
Author: Nikolay Yurin - @yurinnick

2. Why?
● Code quality
● Portability
● DevOps time saving

3. Why?
Because we need stable
deployments, that’s why!

4. Deployment testing
● Start VM on Vagrant/AWS ~ 1-3 minutes
● Install chef client ~ 1 minute
● Wait for deployment ~ 10 - ∞ minutes
● Check configuration ~ 5 - 30 minutes

5. Unacceptable!
● About 20 minutes
● Manual testing
● No info about
current code status

6. CI/CD for deployment automation
● Unit test for every recipe
● Integration tests for every service
● Automated on-commit builds
● Email notifications
● Release to file storage or Chef Server

7. Kitchen set for the better chef
● ChefSpec - unit testing for every recipe
● Serverspec - integration testing for server
configurations
● Foodcritic - static code validation
● Docker - fast start/destroy containers

8. Foodcritic - verify ingredients
● Tests 45 most common
mistakes
● Checks template and
variables
● Integrates with Jenkins

9. ChefSpec - check recipe
● Test your recipes in RSpec style
● DSL with tons of manuals

10. Serverspec - deployment taste
● RSpec syntax again
● SSH or local exec
● Basic Windows
support

11. Development workflow
new_recipe.rb
spec_new_recipe.rb Foodcritic ChefSpec
Docker container
Chef +
Serverspec
Local validation process

12. Development workflow
CI Server
Git repository
new commit
fb-static-tests
Foodcritic
ChefSpec
fb-integration-tests
Serverspec
Artifact
Build report
On-commit code validation

13. Shut up and setup my CI!
● Start writing tests!
● Use dependency
manager
● Setup CI server
● Create centralized
release binary repo

14. TDD for Chef
http://www.amazon.com/Test-Driven-Infrastructure-Chef-
Behavior-Driven-Development/dp/1449372201

15. Questions?
Nikolay Yurin - @yurinnick - yurinnick@outlook.com