Preface

The software industry is changing and so are the related fields. Old paradigms are slowly giving way to new roles and shifting views on what the different professions should bring to the table. The DevOps trend pervades more and more workflows. Developers set up and maintain their own environments. Operations raise automation to new levels and translate whole infrastructures to code.

A steady stream of new technologies allows for ever-evolving, more efficient organizational principles. One of these is Puppet. Its fresh take on server configuration management caused a rapid adoption and distribution throughout the industry. In the few years of its existence, Puppet has managed to rally thousands of users who employ it in numerous contexts to achieve manifold results. While it is not the only configuration management system available, it is certainly the most widespread by now.

From its specialized language, to the system that makes it work, Puppet has innovated and rapidly conquered. Its extendible structure, paired with a large and helpful community, has made Puppet a powerhouse of easy configuration. The more well known a software is, the greater the chance that Puppet will deploy and configure it out of the box.

Puppet's own learning curve is not sharp, and the available documentation is not only extensive, but also of high quality. Nevertheless, even experienced programmers and administrators can face difficulties at some point. Advanced use may require the navigation of some intricacies that stem from Puppet's unique modeling approach.

This book aims to impart all the knowledge required to tap into not only the basics of Puppet, but also its core. The very ideas and principles of Puppet-based designs are explored and explained. Sophisticated tooling is presented to enable efficient and productive use. The reader is rapidly introduced to and familiarized with a whole range of Puppet-centric technology.