berks

Install cookbook dependencies into a local repo

$ berks install

$ berks update [cookbook]

$ berks upload [cookbook]

$ berks contingent [cookbook]

berks command [options]

Common commands include:
berks install - Installs cookbook dependencies.
berks upload - Uploads cookbooks to a Chef Infra Server.
berks package - Packages cookbooks into a tarball.
berks vendor - Vendors cookbooks to a specific directory.
berks update - Updates cookbook dependencies.
berks outdated - Lists outdated cookbook dependencies.

-b, --berksfile
    Specify an alternative path to the Berksfile.

-e, --except
    Exclude cookbooks belonging to a specified group from the operation.

-o, --only
    Include only cookbooks belonging to a specified group for the operation.

-f, --force
    Force the operation, e.g., overwrite existing files or upload unconditionally.

-d, --debug
    Enable debug logging output for more verbose information.

-c, --config
    Specify an alternative path to the Berkshelf configuration file.

--path
    For 'install' or 'vendor' commands, specify the target directory for cookbooks.

--no-sync
    For 'install' command, prevent syncing cookbooks to the vendor directory.

Berkshelf, commonly invoked as berks, is a powerful dependency management tool designed specifically for Chef cookbooks. It allows developers to declare, resolve, and install cookbook dependencies by reading a Berksfile. Similar in concept to tools like Bundler for Ruby gems or npm for Node.js packages, berks ensures that all required cookbooks and their specified versions are available for a Chef-client run, local development, or testing environment.

It fetches cookbooks from various sources, including the Chef Supermarket, Git repositories, or local paths, and stores them in a local cache for offline use. This systematic approach simplifies the entire Chef cookbook development lifecycle, providing a consistent and reproducible method for managing complex inter-cookbook dependencies, thus enhancing collaboration and deployment reliability.

Berkshelf requires a Ruby environment with RubyGems installed. While still widely used, newer Chef Infra Client versions (12.18+) offer Policyfiles as an alternative, built-in dependency management system, which can simplify some workflows. Network connectivity is typically required to fetch external cookbook dependencies from sources like Chef Supermarket or Git repositories.

The primary configuration file for berks. It is a Ruby DSL file that declares the required cookbooks, their versions, and their sources (e.g., Supermarket, Git, path). It's analogous to a Gemfile in Bundler or package.json in Node.js.

The default public repository for Chef cookbooks. berks primarily resolves cookbook dependencies by fetching them from the Chef Supermarket unless other sources are explicitly defined in the Berksfile.

Berkshelf was developed by Jamie Winsor as a crucial tool to address the challenge of managing dependencies within the Chef ecosystem. Before its advent, managing cookbook dependencies was often manual and error-prone, relying on techniques like Git submodules or simple copying. berks introduced a declarative approach via the Berksfile, making dependency resolution and installation consistent and reproducible. Its creation significantly streamlined Chef cookbook development and deployment. While it remains a fundamental tool, its development has seen some shift since the introduction of Policyfiles in later Chef Infra Client versions, which offer an alternative, integrated dependency management approach.

chef(8), bundle(1), npm(1), gem(1)