propellor/doc/README.mdwn

[Propellor](https://propellor.branchable.com/) is a
configuration management system using Haskell and Git.
Each system has a list of properties, which Propellor ensures
are satisfied.

Propellor is configured via a git repository, which typically lives
in `~/.propellor/` on your development machine. Propellor clones the
repository to each host it manages, in a 
[secure](http://propellor.branchable.com/security/) way. The git repository
contains the full source code to Propellor, along with its config file.

Properties are defined using Haskell. Edit `~/.propellor/config.hs`
to get started. There is fairly complete 
[API documentation](http://hackage.haskell.org/package/propellor/),
which includes many built-in Properties for dealing with
[Apt](http://hackage.haskell.org/package/propellor/docs/Propellor-Property-Apt.html)
and
[Apache](http://hackage.haskell.org/package/propellor/docs/Propellor-Property-Apache.html)
,
[Cron](http://hackage.haskell.org/package/propellor/docs/Propellor-Property-Cron.html)
and
[Commands](http://hackage.haskell.org/package/propellor/docs/Propellor-Property-Cmd.html)
,
[Dns](http://hackage.haskell.org/package/propellor/docs/Propellor-Property-Dns.html)
and
[Docker](http://hackage.haskell.org/package/propellor/docs/Propellor-Property-Docker.html), etc.

There is no special language as used in puppet, chef, ansible, etc.. just
the full power of Haskell. Hopefully that power can be put to good use in
making declarative properties that are powerful, nicely idempotent, and
easy to adapt to a system's special needs!

If using Haskell to configure Propellor seems intimidating,
see [configuration for the Haskell newbie](https://propellor.branchable.com/haskell_newbie/).

## quick start

1. Get propellor installed
     `cabal install propellor`
          or
     `apt-get install propellor`
2. Run propellor for the first time. It will set up a `~/.propellor/` git
   repository for you.
3. If you don't have a gpg private key already, generate one: `gpg --gen-key`
4. Run: `propellor --add-key $KEYID`, which will make propellor trust
   your gpg key, and will sign your `~/.propellor` repository using it.
5. Push the git repository to a central server (github or your own):
   `cd ~/.propellor/; git remote add origin ssh://git.example.com/propellor.git; git push -u origin master`
6. Edit `~/.propellor/config.hs`, and add a host you want to manage.
   You can start by not adding any properties, or only a few.
7. Pick a host and run: `propellor --spin $HOST`
8. Now you have a simple propellor deployment, but it doesn't do
   much to the host yet, besides installing propellor.

   So, edit `~/.propellor/config.hs` to configure the host (maybe
   start with a few simple properties), and re-run step 7.
   Repeat until happy and move on to the next host. :)
9. To move beyond manually running `propellor --spin` against hosts
   when you change their properties, add a property to your hosts
   like: `Cron.runPropellor "30 * * * *"`
   
   Now they'll automatically update every 30 minutes, and you can
   `git commit -S` and `git push` changes that affect any number of
   hosts.
10. Write some neat new properties and send patches to <propellor@joeyh.name>!

## debugging

Set `PROPELLOR_DEBUG=1` to make propellor print out all the commands it runs
and any other debug messages that Properties choose to emit.