Writer: Andrew Wandola
Editor: Austin Lang
Reviewer: Lynn Cadet
There’s this show called “This Farming Life” that airs on Amazon Prime. It’s one of my favorites. The beautiful landscape. The animals. The bond with nature. I just love it!
The cast makes farm life seem so much fun. But when something goes wrong, everything goes wrong. I’m instantly reminded that I’m not built for that life.
One small issue at the farm can quickly lead to another. The same thing can happen with your tech stack. A misconfigured setting can lead to a cascade of “oopsies.” That’s why you need configuration management.
Configuration management means keeping your computer system organized, consistent, and under control. This includes things like software, hardware, and system settings.
Configuration management is to your tech stack as a skilled farm hand is to a homestead. I know that doesn’t paint the most detailed picture currently, so buckle up; you’ve got a lot to learn today. I’ll begin with the basics.
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Configuration Management Basics
Imagine a team working on a bunch of servers, apps, or cloud environments. Yes, they’re a team, and that’s cool. But if everyone’s making changes without keeping track, it’ll be just a matter of time before they have to deal with all manner of issues.
I’m talking about mismatched settings, broken systems, or even downtime. And that’s bad… really bad, especially for business.
Configuration management is all about control and consistency. The settings, configurations, and setup details for your systems, software, and infrastructure… everything. The goal here is to make sure everything works as it should.
When you’re dealing with changes — like updating software, tweaking server settings, or adding new resources — configuration management helps you track those changes.
It keeps a record of what’s been done, who did it, and when. That way, if something breaks, you know where to look and how to fix it.
Now, let’s talk about something called the “single source of truth.” This right here is the gospel. It never lies.
It’s the master version of all your settings and configurations. And its job is to tell the truth. That’s because systems can, sometimes, lie. And when they do, they cause problems.
Look at your phone, for example. How many of the apps you’ve installed are running on the latest version?
Do you realize that some of the issues you keep experiencing with these apps are caused by a lack of regular updates? What if I told you that there’s a new update, but you just didn’t know about it?
If you doubt it, go check the “single source of truth,” AKA your system setting. It’ll tell you the newest version of your app. By sticking to this version, you avoid having unexpected problems.
Key Components of Configuration Management
Configuration management has several components. The job here is to make sure that systems and environments stay consistent, organized, and functional. Here’s what they entail.
Configuration Items (CIs)
Configuration Items are the individual pieces of your IT environment that need managing. These could be anything from servers, databases, network devices, applications, and even documentation.
So what exactly do you manage? The list is endless, but think along the lines of specific details, like settings and relationships with other components.
Configuration Baselines
A configuration baseline is the “official” version of a CI that’s been reviewed and approved. As the name suggests, it acts as the primary point of reference for any changes you want to make in the future.
That’s one way of making sure that updates are intentional and don’t mess up the system. When you look at the baseline, you can easily find your way around the system.
My closest city is Seattle, for example. So if I ever get lost within the city for any reason, all I need to do is find my way to the famous Space Needle. From there, I’ll be able to know where I’m at and how to get around.
That, to me, is my baseline. My single point of reference, in other words.
Configuration Management Database (CMDB)
The CMDB is like a library where all the information about your CIs and their dependencies is stored. This is what you look at when you want to understand how different components are connected.
It also exists to make sure that everyone works with the same data when troubleshooting or planning changes. You don’t want people adding things to the database that could conflict with what already exists.
Change Control
You don’t want a situation where anyone just logs in to the system and makes changes whenever they feel like it. That’s a recipe for disaster.
To prevent this, configuration management involves something called change control. This is the process of managing updates to configurations in a systematic way.
It makes sure that changes are planned, reviewed, tested, and approved before being implemented. As a result, it minimizes the risk of breaking something in the process.
Why Configuration Management Is Important
Let’s now talk about why we need configuration management.
Consistency Across Environments
I’m a huge fan of Manchester United. Any soccer fan in the house? Get yourselves a round and put it on my tab, please. Now, I can’t imagine a scenario where there’s a match going on, and players are wearing different jerseys. They wouldn’t be able to string three passes together.
Do you know why? Because their shirts are not consistent with the club’s official colors. That makes it difficult to know who is who on the pitch. It’s the same thing in tech. If things are not aligned, chaos could ensue.
Configuration management makes sure that the settings and setups are the same across all environments. If everyone agrees on white socks, black shorts, and red shirts, they all stick to that.
Here’s a real-life example:
Let’s say you’re developing an application and are in the testing phase. You expect the app to work during production. But sometimes, things don’t go as planned.
That’s where you bring in configuration management. It checks everything during the testing phase to make sure that the app will work during production.
It’s just like the match official checking the player’s kits before they enter the pitch. They don’t want them to wear contradicting colors for obvious reasons.
Another benefit is that it prevents configuration drift, which happens when your system and its settings change gradually over time without documentation. You don’t want that to happen — it could send everything crashing down.
With configuration management, you’re able to detect any deviations early. And when you do, you can quickly bring everything back in line with the baseline setup I mentioned earlier.
I’ll tell you more about configuration drift later in this article. Keep reading, my friend!
Reduced Downtime
Systems fail because of many different reasons. But incorrect or conflicting configurations are some of the most common causes of failure.
Configuration management isn’t going to magically fix these issues. But it for sure reduces these risks.
How’s that possible?
By making sure that every change made to the environment is deliberate, tested, and documented.
This minimizes the chances of introducing bugs or misconfigurations that could lead to downtime.
Efficient Troubleshooting
You’ll find that troubleshooting is also faster and more accurate when configurations are properly managed. That’s because you’ve got receipts for every change made to your system.
If something isn’t working as it should, all you’ve got to do is pull out the receipts and check when and where things went wrong. For example, if a server starts behaving oddly after a recent update, the change log can serve as your receipt.
More specifically, it’ll guide you to the exact tweak that caused the issue.
Remember, we’re human. And we’re prone to errors.
That’s why machines are there to help us minimize the chances of making such errors. Even if someone accidentally makes a mistake, configuration management tools can roll back to the last known good state.
Compliance and Auditing
Many industries, especially those in healthcare, government, and finance, have strict regulatory requirements around data handling and system security.
Before we proceed further, I want to make one thing clear here: configuration management isn’t necessarily a sign of compliance itself. It’s just something that you do to make sure you meet these standards.
When you have configuration management in place, it’s easier for auditors to verify that your infrastructure adheres to policies and guidelines.
Configuration Management Tools and Software
We’ve seen that there are tools and software out there that help with configuration management. Their primary role is to simplify and automate the process of managing system settings. Now let me introduce you to some popular examples.
Popular Tools
Ansible, Puppet, Chef, and SaltStack are among the most popular configuration management tools and software. With these tools, you can automate tasks like deploying software, managing system configurations, and scaling infrastructure.
It’s worth mentioning that while they work almost the same way, each has its strengths.
Ansible, for example, is simple and agentless. What this means is that it doesn’t require installing a special program (an “agent”) on the systems it’s managing. Rather, it connects to those systems directly using existing protocols like SSH (for Linux) or WinRM (for Windows).
Puppet and Chef, on the other hand, are what you need for powerful scripting.
Powerful scripting means being able to write detailed instructions or scripts. These instructions define exactly how your systems should be configured and managed.
For example, they can include tasks like installing specific software, setting up directories, configuring files, or even managing services. With Chef, in particular, you write “recipes” in Ruby, which are flexible and can handle complex tasks, like setting up an entire web server with custom configurations.
Recipes, in the context of how Chef works, are just a set of instructions that describe how to configure a system. You’re basically giving the Chef a recipe to follow.
For instance, you can be more specific by telling it which software to install, which services to start or stop, and how files should be created or modified.
Note: Recipes are grouped into cookbooks in Chef. That makes it easy to manage multiple related configurations for a project or environment.
Version Control Systems (VCS)
In web development, there’s something called version control. These are tools that we use to track the changes we make to files.
Git is one of the most popular VCSs out there. Developers use it to collaborate on updates, revert to previous versions if needed, and maintain a history of all changes. This ensures that your configurations are consistent and well-documented.
Automation
Automation is one of the best ways to reduce the chances of human error. And it sits at the very heart of modern configuration management.
It speeds up processes like provisioning new servers or applying updates across multiple systems. By automating repetitive tasks, automation tools can free up your time for more critical projects.
At the same time, it maintains a high level of accuracy and consistency every step of the way.
Configuration Management in DevOps
There should be some form of a bridge between development and operations. Otherwise, things can easily fall apart. That bridge, in this case, is configuration management. Here’s what it does.
Role in Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD)
Some environments can’t function properly without continuous development and deployment.
I’ll give you an example:
Lately, I’ve fallen in love with Tubi. Yes, that often-overlooked streaming app.
One thing I noticed about this streaming app is that its development team is always on top of things. Before the first leaf touches the ground in the fall, they have a category called “Fall Specials.” They’re always spinning up new categories and shows.
So, what’s the point you may be wondering? The dev team at Tubi is working overtime to make sure its content stays fresh and relevant. That’s the perfect example of a CI/CD pipeline.
In such an environment, configuration management is a lifesaver. It keeps configurations consistent as code moves from development to testing and then to production.
For perspective, when our category guy throws in a new category, it lands at the feet of a “tester’. The “tester” then verifies that everything looks good and works as it should before deploying it to your living room.
It goes something like this:
“Is this movie really a fall special? Confirmed.”
“Does it load properly?” Confirmed.”
“Does it fit Tubi’s user interface perfectly? Confirmed.”
“Is it ready to deploy? Confirmed that too.”
This sequence means fewer surprises and smoother deployments.
Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
Times have changed. Gone are the days when infrastructure was a term that we used to describe physical equipment.
In an IT environment, infrastructure can also be in the form of code. Instead of setting up things manually, you just write a few lines of code and everything falls into place.
The best part? The code you’ve just written can be version-controlled, shared, and reused.
The possibilities are endless. For example, you can replicate setups across different stages or even different regions without worrying about inconsistencies.
Collaboration Across Teams
Do you remember the days of working on group projects before the cloud existed? Today’s kids will never know the struggle of duplicate work and the miscommunication that happened without real-time collaboration tools like Google Docs.
Similarly, configuration management offers every member of your team access to the same configuration information. Working in such an environment is a lot easier than doing it without.
As a developer, I can comfortably write code knowing what the production environment looks like. Across the room, the operations team can prepare infrastructure that meets my needs as a developer.
The bottom line is that everything works better when you’re all on the same page. That’s what configuration management does.
Challenges in Configuration Management
Things can become a little tricky as systems grow in size and complexity. Here are some common challenges you may encounter when that happens.
Configuration Drift
Configuration drift, as you saw earlier, is when small, untracked changes pile up over time.
Here’s the example I promised you:
When I was in my early twenties I developed an obsession with Chipotle (who didn’t?). I started out buying it once a month, then once a week, and finally found myself getting it once every few days. This didn’t happen overnight, it was a slow creep.
But once I realized how much I was spending on Chipotle, I had to snap out of it to avoid destroying my monthly budget. You could call this a budgetary drift, if you will.
In IT, configuration drift happens in a similar manner. One server might get a manual update while others don’t. Perhaps this happens a few more times over the course of a year.
As time goes by, you’ll begin to notice unexpected behavior from your system. Even worse, this drift makes troubleshooting harder and can cause serious issues during deployments or updates further down the road.
Complexity and Scale
Implementing configuration management can be quite difficult. Usually, these environments consist of thousands of servers, databases, and network devices,
The same applies to dynamic environments like those in cloud systems. Without the right tools, keeping everything consistent at scale is sometimes out of the question.
Security Risks
Poorly managed configurations can turn a once-stable system into a walking target for hackers. A good example is an environment with a default password. If you lose the password and a malicious party finds it, they’ll use it to access the environment.
It’s like sharing an apartment with roommates who lose their keys all the time. There’s a single point of entry into the apartment, and everyone has a key to access it. What could possibly go wrong?
Everything!
That one roommate who keeps losing their apartment keys can put you all at risk of a break-in by an intruder. Or, if that doesn’t happen, you’ll spend a lot of money replacing the lock every time someone loses a key.
Best Practices in Configuration Management
The good news is that some of the challenges I’ve outlined above are completely avoidable. Here are some quick tips to keep in mind.
Establish Clear Baselines and Standards
Having an approved baseline for each configuration helps maintain consistency. A baseline acts as the “golden standard.”
Essentially, it demonstrates how a system or component should be configured. So if things go in the wrong direction, you just rewind them to begin from the baseline.
Remember when I used the city of Seattle as an example? I’m bad with directions. When I’m taking a walk around the city, and I lose my way, all I need to do is locate the Space Needle. From there, I’ll be able to get my dumb self back on track.
Setting clear baselines is also recommended when onboarding new team members. You don’t want them guessing how things should be configured. That’s how things go wrong.
Instead of guesswork, you establish documented standards. That way, they’ll always have a point of reference whenever they lose their direction.
Automate and Document Changes
We’re not machines. To avoid some of the mistakes we make as humans, we just need to adopt automation in configuration management.
For instance, you shouldn’t have to manually complete repetitive tasks like deploying updates or applying patches. That’s what automation is for.
But keep in mind that automation alone isn’t enough. There should be some form of documentation for every change made. Otherwise, you won’t know who did what, how, why, when, and where they did it.
Regular Audits and Compliance Checks
You need to make sure that your configurations are up-to-date and that they comply with industry standards or regulations. That’s exactly why you need regular audits and compliance checks.
Audits are meant to verify that your systems match the approved baselines. They can also help identify outdated settings that could cause vulnerabilities.
Compliance checks, on the other hand, are enough proof that your organization is following best practices.
Monitor and Track Configuration Drift
To solve the issue of configuration drift, you need monitoring tools. These tools can keep an eye on unplanned or undocumented changes that tend to cause systems to deviate from their baselines.
And you have many options here, starting with Chef Automate or Terraform Enterprise.
Once these tools detect a drift, they’ll take corrective actions to realign systems with their baseline. This proactive approach minimizes the risk of inconsistencies. Importantly, they help all environments maintain their stability and predictability.
Managing Your Configuration Is a Game Changer
I hope you’ve learned an important lesson here: configuring your system is not enough. You need a system that tracks, organizes, and controls these settings.
That’s what configuration management is all about. In some environments, every change you make can improve or disrupt the existing systems.
But when you manage these configurations, you’ll worry less about system failures. That’s because configuration management is an umbrella term for many good things that it brings to your system: automation, uptime, easier troubleshooting, and so much more.
