“What to expect when you’re InSpec-ing” is a series of concise learning segments focused on InSpec topics using InSpec resources and controls in quick examples that demonstrate the feature set of the InSpec compliance and testing suite.
To develop the “Auditing with InSpec” certification, the Chef Training team immersed ourselves in how InSpec worked. The entire process taught me the richness and expressiveness of InSpec. To understand every topic, I found myself creating sample code to exercise each feature in different scenarios.
I knew that I would use these examples:
- to increase the value of InSpec’s documentation.
- in future learning modules in the “Compliance Automation with InSpec” track on Learn Chef Rally.
- to enhance my upcoming “Running with Scissors” workshop at ChefConf on May 22, 2018.
Also, I wanted to share this information through concise examples that you could see in five minutes. This desire (and my enjoyment of puns) led me to create the “What to expect when you’re InSpec’ing” video series.
In each video, I pick a specific InSpec topic and demonstrate through different scenarios how to use a feature or set of features. It’s incredibly powerful to see a feature described, implemented, and used to understand how it will improve your workflow.
For instance, in “Conditional Execution”, I show conditionally executing a control based on:
- the target’s platform (e.g., Windows 2012, Linux, Azure, Amazon Web Services).
- the target platform meets the prerequisites (e.g., Is this application installed? Is this file present?)
- the target supports multiple configurations (e.g., Is the required value in the primary or secondary configuration file?)
The goal is that within about the same time it took you to read this blog post you would understand how InSpec enables you to accomplish this task. So what are you waiting for — watch an episode and learn what to expect when you’re using InSpec to ensure your platforms are compliant.
