Modules in Bolt

Module Path

There is a list of directories where Bolt search for content. It is called the modulepath. Bolt obtains content from

• The current Bolt project.
• Any modules in the configurable modules directory. By default, this is modules/.
• The Bolt-managed moduledir (.modules).
• Any modules that come with Bolt.

Installing Modules 

We can use the command line to implement the following tasks.

• Create a project
• Add a Puppet Forge module 
• Update project modules.

Create a Project

You can manage to create a project using the following code. It is done using pre-installed modules.

For instance, if we want to turn the current directory into a project named exampleCodingNinjas_project which has puppetlabs/apache and puppetlabs/mysql modules installed, we can use the following command:

*nix shell command

bolt project init examplecodingninjas_project 

PowerShell cmdlet

New-BoltProject -Name examplecodingninjas_project 

The project's Puppetfileis mentioned below, which lists the puppetlabs/apache and puppetlabs/mysql modules and all of their dependencies:

mod 'puppetlabs-apache', '5.5.0'
mod 'puppetlabs-mysql', '10.6.0'
mod 'puppetlabs-stdlib', '6.3.0'
mod 'puppetlabs-concat', '6.2.0'
mod 'puppetlabs-translate', '2.2.0'
mod 'puppetlabs-resource_api', '1.1.0'
mod 'puppetlabs-puppetserver_gem', '1.1.1'

Install A Module To An Existing Project

The first step is to add a forge module and dependencies to a current object.

*nix shell command

bolt module add puppetlabs/apt

Powershell cmdlet

Add-BoltModule -Module puppetlabs/apt

Install the Modules Associated with Your Bolt Project

The following code comes in handy while installing.

*nix shell command

bolt module add puppetlabs/apt

Powershell cmdlet

Add-BoltModule -Module puppetlabs/apt

Install Modules Using Proxy 

For declaring a global proxy that can be used to install Forge and git modules set the proxy key under module-install to the following:

# bolt-project.yaml
module-install:
  proxy: https://proxy.com:8080

It is also possible to set a proxy that is only used when installing Forge modules. To do the same, set the proxy key under the forge section of the module-install option:

# bolt-project.yaml
module-install:
  forge:
    proxy: https://forge-proxy.com:8080.

Install Using Tokens of Authorization.

If you intend to set an authorization token that can be used when installing Forge modules, set the authorization_token key under the forge section of the module-install option. When you set the authorization_token key, you must also take care of the baseurl key.

# bolt-project.yaml
module-install:
  forge:
    authorization_token: Bearer eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5c...
    baseurl: https://forge.example.com

For information on how to carry out the installation of modules, you can refer to the official documentation.

Module Structure 

The content should be inside a puppet module on the current Bolt project’s modulepath before the bolt tries to load the content like tasks, plans, functions, classes, and types. Bolt modulepath includes the modules and, modules directories by default.

Directory Structure

Packaged Modules

Forge Modules

The following table represents some of the modules that are provided with Bolt.

Local Modules

Aggregate, Canary, puppet_connect, and puppetdb_facts are some of the modules provided with bolt packages, They are not present in Puppet forge.

• Aggregate- This module provides the aggregate::count and aggregate::targets plans. This plan allows you to run another task, script, or command and aggregate the results. 
• Canary- This module provides the canary plan. This plan allows you to run another task, script, or command in canary mode.
• Puppet_connect- This module provides the puppet_connect::test_input_data plan, which is used to test that the provided Puppet Connect input data is complete.
• Puppetdb_facts- This module provides the puppetdb_fact plan, which collects facts for the specified targets.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do you mean by modulepath?

There is a list of directories where Bolt search for content. It is called the modulepath.

What is the use of Modules in Bolt?

Modules solve use cases and manage applications. Modules include helpful plans and tasks. They also allow to share of custom bolt tasks or utilize the bolt content programmatically.

What does puppetlabs/ruby_task_helper do?

The puppetlabs/ruby_task_helper serves as a helper for writing tasks in ruby.

What is the extension for plans in Bolt?

Plans must end in the .pp or .yaml extensions.

Name some local modules in packaged modules.

Aggregate, Canary, puppert_connect, and puppetdb are some local modules.

Conclusion

This blog discussed the concept of modules in the bolt. It also discussed the task of dependency management.

For more information on Bolt, you can refer to the following articles-

• Plans in Bolts
• Running Bolt
• About Bolts

Refer to our guided paths on Coding Ninjas Studio to learn more about DSA, Competitive Programming, JavaScript, System Design, etc. Enroll in our courses and refer to the mock test and problems available. Take a look at the interview experiences and interview bundle for placement preparations.

Happy Coding!