Chef – Infrastructure as Code & Automation

Module 1: Introduction to Chef

• Chef overview: infrastructure automation with Ruby-based DSL
• Chef architecture: Chef Infra Server, Workstation, and Nodes
• Chef vs Puppet and Ansible: comparison and positioning
• Setting up Chef Workstation: knife, chef-client, and ChefDK tools

Module 2: Chef Fundamentals

• Resources: the building blocks of Chef recipes
• Common resources: package, file, directory, service, and execute
• Recipe structure: writing and running a basic Chef recipe
• Chef apply: running recipes locally without a Chef Server

Module 3: Cookbooks and Recipes

• Cookbook structure: recipes, attributes, templates, files, and metadata
• Creating cookbooks: chef generate cookbook command
• Recipe includes: using include_recipe to compose cookbooks
• Cookbook dependencies: metadata.rb depends and version constraints

Module 4: Attributes and Data Bags

• Attribute types: default, normal, override, and automatic
• Attribute precedence: understanding the Chef attribute hierarchy
• Data Bags: storing global JSON data for use in recipes
• Encrypted Data Bags: securing sensitive configuration data

Module 5: Templates and Files

• ERB templates: dynamic configuration file generation in Chef
• Template resource: rendering ERB files with node attribute variables
• Cookbook files: distributing static files to managed nodes
• Remote files: downloading files from URLs in Chef recipes

Module 6: Chef Roles and Environments

• Roles: grouping recipes and attributes for node classification
• Role files: JSON and Ruby role definitions
• Environments: separating development, staging, and production configs
• Search: querying Chef Server for node, role, and data bag data

Module 7: Test Kitchen and InSpec

• Test Kitchen: local cookbook testing with Vagrant or Docker
• kitchen.yml: configuring platforms, suites, and provisioners
• InSpec: compliance testing and infrastructure verification
• Writing InSpec controls: verifying package, file, service, and port state

Module 8: Capstone Project and Assessment

• Chef cookbook: web server stack with attributes, templates, and data bags
• Role and environment configuration for multi-tier application
• Test Kitchen and InSpec: automated cookbook testing and compliance
• Final assessment and course certification

Experience in the Industry Learn from Chef practitioners who have automated infrastructure configuration for cloud and on-premises environments, using Chef cookbooks to manage web servers, databases, and application stacks at enterprise scale.

Backgrounds at the Top Our Chef trainers have worked at DevOps consulting firms and enterprise infrastructure automation teams delivering Chef implementations for regulated industries including finance, healthcare, and government.

Clear & Effective Teaching Chef architecture, resources, cookbooks, recipes, attributes, data bags, ERB templates, roles, environments, Test Kitchen, and InSpec compliance testing are explained with real infrastructure automation examples.

Hands-On Learning Focus Students write Chef recipes and cookbooks, configure attributes and data bags, create ERB templates, define roles and environments, test with Test Kitchen, and verify compliance with InSpec through structured labs.

Up-to-Date Knowledge Trainers keep content current with the latest Chef Infra and Chef InSpec releases, Progress Chef platform updates, and evolving infrastructure-as-code and compliance automation best practices.