Don't you wish you could configure a server as easily as creating a Docker image? Meet Efs2, A dead simple configuration management tool that is powered by stupid shell scripts.

Efs2 is an idea to combine the stupid shell scripts philosophy of fss with the simplicity of a Dockerfile.

Let's take a look at how easy it is to use Efs2 to configure NGINX on Ubuntu.

Efs2 is simple to install, with the fastest method being to download one of our binary releases.

It is also possible to install Efs2 with Go (requires v1.14+).

$ go get -u github.com/madflojo/efs2

Once installed, we can start defining our steps to setup NGINX.

An Efs2file powers Efs2's configuration; much like a Dockerfile, this file uses a simple set of instructions to configure our target servers.

# Install and Configure NGINX

# Run apt-get update
RUN apt-get update --fix-missing && apt-get -y upgrade

# Install nginx
RUN apt-get install nginx

# Deploy Config files
PUT example.com.conf /etc/nginx/sites-available/example.com.conf 0644

# Create a Symlink
RUN ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/example.com.conf /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/example.com.conf

# Restart NGINX
RUN systemctl restart nginx

The above Efs2file showcases how simple the Efs2 instructions are. Our NGINX server is configured with two simple instructions RUN and PUT.

The RUN instruction is simple; it executes whatever command you provide. The PUT instruction uploads files. That's it, that's all the instructions included with Efs2. Simple but effective.

Efs2 uses SSH to execute the instructions specified within the Efs2file. Just run the Efs2 command, followed by the target hosts.

$ efs2 host1.example.com host2.example.com

Efs2 offers several additional options, such as parallel execution and various authentication methods.

  -v, --verbose   Enable verbose output
  -q, --quiet     Silence output
  -f, --file=     Specify an alternative Efs2File (default: ./Efs2file)
  -i, --key=      Specify an SSH Private key to use (default: ~/.ssh/id_rsa)
  -p, --parallel  Execute tasks across multiple hosts in parallel
  -d, --dryrun    Print tasks to be executed without actually executing any tasks
      --port=     Define an alternate SSH Port (default: 22)
  -u, --user=     Remote host username (default: current user)
      --passwd    Ask for a password to use for host authentication

Efs2 is a small project to fit the fine line between complex configuration management and simple shell scripts. We are always looking for users to share their stories and contribute to our examples repository.

For those interested in helping develop Efs2. The time, skills, and perspectives you contribute to this project are valued. Please reference our Issues Page for open ideas and our Contributing Guide for contribution details.

If you like Efs2, please tell others about it by sharing this project on the social media site of your choice.