deprec makes managing servers easier

Installing and configuring services on linux hosts can be a real drag. Hours spent finding dependencies and working out how to configure things can leave you without an automated way to recreate the system.

The deprec gem is a set of tasks for Capistrano that automates installation, configuration and control of system services on servers running Ubuntu linux. It provides sensible defaults that can easily be over ridden. It’s to extend with your own recipes.

deprec is simple

Config management software shouldn’t have to take days to learn. It shouldn’t have too many moving parts. deprec provides a simple approach to provisioning and config management.

• Your commands are run immediately
• You get immediate feedback if they fail
• Simple toolchain – ruby and a few gems
• No bleeding edge dependencies like rabbitmq and couchdb
• deprec tasks are rerunnable (or idempotent if you want to sound clever)

When deprec tasks are run from the command line on your workstation they connect to your remote servers via SSH and do the work.

$ cap deprec:nagios:install HOSTS=monitor.failmode.com

lightweight config management

You wouldn’t dream of deploying code you didn’t keep under source control. Why should configuration be any different?

In addition to installing services, deprec provides config management that’s so simple you won’t know it’s there till you look.