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Use the apt_package resource to manage packages on Debian, Ubuntu, and other platforms that use the APT package system.

Syntax

A apt_package resource block manages a package on a node, typically by installing it. The simplest use of the apt_package resource is: apt_package 'package_name' which will install the named package using all of the default options and the default action of :install.

The full syntax for all of the properties that are available to the apt_package resource is:

apt_package 'name' do
  default_release              String
  options                      String, Array
  overwrite_config_files       true, false # default value: false
  package_name                 String, Array
  response_file                String
  response_file_variables      Hash # default value: {}
  timeout                      String, Integer
  version                      String, Array
  action                       Symbol # defaults to :install if not specified
end

where:

• apt_package is the resource.
• name is the name given to the resource block.
• action identifies which steps Chef Infra Client will take to bring the node into the desired state.
• default_release, options, overwrite_config_files, package_name, response_file, response_file_variables, timeout, and version are the properties available to this resource.

Actions

The apt_package resource has the following actions:

:install

Install a package. If a version is specified, install the specified version of the package. (default)

:lock

Locks the apt package to a specific version.

:nothing

This resource block does not act unless notified by another resource to take action. Once notified, this resource block either runs immediately or is queued up to run at the end of a Chef Infra Client run.

:purge

Purge a package. This action typically removes the configuration files as well as the package.

:reconfig

Reconfigure a package. This action requires a response file.

:remove

Remove a package.

:unlock

Unlocks the apt package so that it can be upgraded to a newer version.

:upgrade

Install a package and/or ensure that a package is the latest version.

Properties

The apt_package resource has the following properties:

default_release

Ruby Type: String

The default release. For example: stable.

options

Ruby Type: String, Array

One (or more) additional options that are passed to the command. For example, common apt-get directives, such as --no-install-recommends. See the apt-get man page for the full list.

overwrite_config_files

Ruby Type: true, false | Default Value: false

Overwrite existing configuration files with those supplied by the package, if prompted by APT.

New in Chef Client 14.0

package_name

Ruby Type: String, Array

An optional property to set the package name if it differs from the resource block’s name.

response_file

Ruby Type: String

The direct path to the file used to pre-seed a package.

response_file_variables

Ruby Type: Hash | Default Value: {}

A Hash of response file variables in the form of {‘VARIABLE’ => ‘VALUE’}.

timeout

Ruby Type: String, Integer

The amount of time (in seconds) to wait before timing out.

version

Ruby Type: String, Array

The version of a package to be installed or upgraded.

Multiple Packages

A resource may specify multiple packages and/or versions for platforms that use Apt, Chocolatey, DNF, Homebrew, Pacman, or Zypper package managers. Specifying multiple packages and/or versions allows a single transaction to:

• Download the specified packages and versions via a single HTTP transaction
• Update or install multiple packages with a single resource during a Chef Infra Client run

For example, installing multiple packages:

package %w(package1 package2)

Installing multiple packages with versions:

package %w(package1 package2) do
  version [ '1.3.4-2', '4.3.6-1']
end

Upgrading multiple packages:

package %w(package1 package2) do
  action :upgrade
end

Removing multiple packages:

package %w(package1 package2) do
  action :remove
end

Purging multiple packages:

package %w(package1 package2) do
  action :purge
end

Notifications, via an implicit name:

package %w(package1 package2) do
  action :nothing
end

log 'call a notification' do
  notifies :install, 'package[package1, package2]', :immediately
end

Common Resource Functionality

Chef resources include common properties, notifications, and resource guards.

Common Properties

The following properties are common to every resource:

compile_time

Ruby Type: true, false | Default Value: false

Control the phase during which the resource is run on the node. Set to true to run while the resource collection is being built (the compile phase). Set to false to run while Chef Infra Client is configuring the node (the converge phase).

ignore_failure

Ruby Type: true, false, :quiet | Default Value: false

Continue running a recipe if a resource fails for any reason. :quiet will not display the full stack trace and the recipe will continue to run if a resource fails.

retries

Ruby Type: Integer | Default Value: 0

The number of attempts to catch exceptions and retry the resource.

retry_delay

Ruby Type: Integer | Default Value: 2

The delay in seconds between retry attempts.

sensitive

Ruby Type: true, false | Default Value: false

Ensure that sensitive resource data is not logged by Chef Infra Client.

Notifications

notifies

Ruby Type: Symbol, 'Chef::Resource[String]'

A resource may notify another resource to take action when its state changes. Specify a 'resource[name]', the :action that resource should take, and then the :timer for that action. A resource may notify more than one resource; use a notifies statement for each resource to be notified.

If the referenced resource does not exist, an error is raised. In contrast, subscribes will not fail if the source resource is not found.

A timer specifies the point during a Chef Infra Client run at which a notification is run. The following timers are available:

:before

Specifies that the action on a notified resource should be run before processing the resource block in which the notification is located.

:delayed

Default. Specifies that a notification should be queued up, and then executed at the end of a Chef Infra Client run.

:immediate, :immediately

Specifies that a notification should be run immediately, per resource notified.

The syntax for notifies is:

notifies :action, 'resource[name]', :timer

subscribes

Ruby Type: Symbol, 'Chef::Resource[String]'

A resource may listen to another resource, and then take action if the state of the resource being listened to changes. Specify a 'resource[name]', the :action to be taken, and then the :timer for that action.

Note that subscribes does not apply the specified action to the resource that it listens to - for example:

file '/etc/nginx/ssl/example.crt' do
  mode '0600'
  owner 'root'
end

service 'nginx' do
  subscribes :reload, 'file[/etc/nginx/ssl/example.crt]', :immediately
end

In this case the subscribes property reloads the nginx service whenever its certificate file, located under /etc/nginx/ssl/example.crt, is updated. subscribes does not make any changes to the certificate file itself, it merely listens for a change to the file, and executes the :reload action for its resource (in this example nginx) when a change is detected.

If the other resource does not exist, the subscription will not raise an error. Contrast this with the stricter semantics of notifies, which will raise an error if the other resource does not exist.

A timer specifies the point during a Chef Infra Client run at which a notification is run. The following timers are available:

:before

Specifies that the action on a notified resource should be run before processing the resource block in which the notification is located.

:delayed

Default. Specifies that a notification should be queued up, and then executed at the end of a Chef Infra Client run.

:immediate, :immediately

Specifies that a notification should be run immediately, per resource notified.

The syntax for subscribes is:

subscribes :action, 'resource[name]', :timer

Guards

A guard property can be used to evaluate the state of a node during the execution phase of a Chef Infra Client run. Based on the results of this evaluation, a guard property is then used to tell Chef Infra Client if it should continue executing a resource. A guard property accepts either a string value or a Ruby block value:

• A string is executed as a shell command. If the command returns 0, the guard is applied. If the command returns any other value, then the guard property is not applied. String guards in a powershell_script run Windows PowerShell commands and may return true in addition to 0.
• A block is executed as Ruby code that must return either true or false. If the block returns true, the guard property is applied. If the block returns false, the guard property is not applied.

A guard property is useful for ensuring that a resource is idempotent by allowing that resource to test for the desired state as it is being executed, and then if the desired state is present, for Chef Infra Client to do nothing.

The following properties can be used to define a guard that is evaluated during the execution phase of a Chef Infra Client run:

not_if

Prevent a resource from executing when the condition returns true.

only_if

Allow a resource to execute only if the condition returns true.

Multiple Packages

A resource may specify multiple packages and/or versions for platforms that use Apt, Chocolatey, DNF, Homebrew, Pacman, or Zypper package managers. Specifying multiple packages and/or versions allows a single transaction to:

• Download the specified packages and versions via a single HTTP transaction
• Update or install multiple packages with a single resource during a Chef Infra Client run

For example, installing multiple packages:

package %w(package1 package2)

Installing multiple packages with versions:

package %w(package1 package2) do
  version [ '1.3.4-2', '4.3.6-1']
end

Upgrading multiple packages:

package %w(package1 package2) do
  action :upgrade
end

Removing multiple packages:

package %w(package1 package2) do
  action :remove
end

Purging multiple packages:

package %w(package1 package2) do
  action :purge
end

Notifications, via an implicit name:

package %w(package1 package2) do
  action :nothing
end

log 'call a notification' do
  notifies :install, 'package[package1, package2]', :immediately
end

Examples

The following examples demonstrate various approaches for using the apt_package resource in recipes:

Install a package using package manager:

apt_package 'name of package' do
  action :install
end

Install a package without specifying the default action:

apt_package 'name of package'

Install multiple packages at once:

apt_package %w(package1 package2 package3)

Install without using recommend packages as a dependency:

package 'apache2' do
  options '--no-install-recommends'
end