Bootstrap installation#

The Salt Project provides a public repository for packages at the Salt Project Package Repo.

The preferred method for installing Salt is using distribution packages. This method ensures that:

All dependencies are met.
Salt is installed in a tested and distribution-aligned way.

Note

Salt is often distributed in split packages, but only the salt-master and salt-minion packages are required for Salt to function.

About the Salt bootstrap installation#

The Salt Bootstrap project maintains a Bash shell script that installs Salt on any Linux/Unix platform. The script installs salt-master and salt-minion system packages and enables Salt services automatically.

This script only works on Unix-like operating systems such as FreeBSD and Linux. For most installation, the best options are typically stable and a version.

-P is also needed for Ubuntu-based distributions. If the bootstrap script can’t find a package for a needed file, -P then installs it through pip.

For example:

bootstrap-salt.sh -P stable 3007.0

For more information, see:

Installation types
Commonly used bootstrap script options
Additional bootstrap script options

The source code and reference documentation for the bootstrap script is on the salt-bootstrap repository.

Warning

The bootstrap script can only install packages that are on repo.saltproject.io. It will not work with packages on archive.repo.saltproject.io, which contains the old packages for unsupported versions.

Install using the bootstrap script#

The bootstrap script can be used to install specific services:

Download the install script using the following command:
```
curl -o bootstrap-salt.sh -L https://bootstrap.saltproject.io
```
Note

Alternatively, to download the bash script and run it immediately, use:
```
curl -L https://bootstrap.saltproject.io | sudo sh -s --
```
Warning

By default, the bootstrap script installs classic packages of Salt 3005 unless you use the onedir option. See Installation types for more information.
Optional: Use the following command to make the bootstrap script executable:
```
chmod +x bootstrap-salt.sh
```
Run the bash script to install Salt services. Add option flags as needed to customize the installation. See Commonly used bootstrap script options and Additional bootstrap script options for more information.

For example, to run the default, which only installs the minion service:
```
./bootstrap-salt.sh
```
To install both the Salt master and minion services:
```
./bootstrap-salt.sh -M
```
To install just the Salt master service:
```
./bootstrap-salt.sh -M -N
```
To perform a pip-based installation:
```
./bootstrap-salt.sh -P
```

Tip

The Salt bootstrap README provides additional examples for a variety of installation scenarios. Consider reading it for more information.

Installation types#

Type	Description	Arguments
`stable`	Installs the latest stable release, which is the default installation type.	If you don’t provide an argument, the latest stable release is used by default. Example: bootstrap-salt.sh stable
`stable [version]`	Install a specific version. Only supported for packages available at repo.saltproject.io. To pin a 3xxx minor version, specify it as `3xxx.0`.	Pass the version number of Salt release that you want to install. Example: bootstrap-salt.sh -P stable 3007.0 bootstrap-salt.sh stable v3004.2
`onedir`	Install the onedir version of the Salt 3005 release. By default, the bootstrap script installs classic packages of Salt 3005. See Upgrade to onedir for more information about onedir.	Pass the onedir option to install onedir packages. Example: bootstrap-salt.sh -P onedir
`testing`	This installation type is specific to the RHEL-family of operating systems. Use this to configure EPEL testing repository.	No arguments. Example: bootstrap-salt.sh testing
`git`	Install from the head of the default branch (master or main).	If you don’t provide an argument, the latest head from the default branch is used by default. Example: bootstrap-salt.sh git bootstrap-salt.sh git develop
`git [ref]`	Install from any git reference (such as a branch, tag, or commit).	Pass in a git reference, such as a branch, tag, or commit to install from. Example: bootstrap-salt.sh git 3003.3 bootstrap-salt.sh git v3002.7

Commonly used bootstrap script options#

You can combine options that don’t take arguments together, if needed. For example:

./bootstrap-salt.sh -MNP

The following are the most commonly used bootstrap options:

Option	Description	Arguments
`-M`	Install the `salt-master` service.	No arguments.
`-P`	Install from packages. Use `pip` if that fails.	No arguments.
`-U`	Update all packages through the operating systems package manager before installing. NOTE: Running this operation may take a long time.	No arguments.
`-A <IP address>`	Declares the IP address or FQDN of the Salt master that the Salt minion will connect to and be eventually managed by. When the Salt minion service first starts, the minion will send its key to the Salt master at this IP address or hostname (FQDN) for acceptance.	The `-A` flag needs to be followed by an argument that includes the Salt master’s IP address. This flag creates the `/etc/salt/minion.d/99-master-address.conf` file with the content that lists the master’s IP address or FQDN. Example: bootstrap-salt.sh -A 192.0.2.1 stable 3007.0 bootstrap-salt.sh -A fqdn.example.com stable 3007.0
`-i <minion ID>`	The `-i` flag sets the `/etc/salt/minion_id` file to the minion ID you want to assign a custom ID to the Salt minion. The minion ID is the name that the master uses to identify the minion. When the minion ID is set up automatically, it defaults to the minion’s hostname (FQDN). However, you can use this option to set a custom minion ID using whatever datatype or naming convention you prefer.	Most strings are allowed. If you decide to customize your minion IDs, try to keep the ID brief but descriptive of its role. Example: bootstrap-salt.sh -i apache-server-1 stable 3007.0 bootstrap-salt.sh -i center-3-rack-2 stable 3007.0
`-R`	Specify a custom repository URL if you have created a mirror repository for your Salt packages. This option assumes the custom repository URL points to a repository that mirrors Salt packages located at https://repo.saltproject.io/. The option passed with `-R` replaces the `repo.saltproject.io`. If `-R` is passed, `-r` is also set. Currently only works on CentOS/RHEL and Debian-based distributions. You could also use this option to point to https://archive.repo.saltproject.io/.	Pass the URL of the mirror repository that the node should use for Salt packages. This option assumes the repository exists. Example: bootstrap-salt.sh -R repo.example.com
`-r`	Disable all repository configurations performed by this script. This option assumes all the necessary repository configurations are already present on the system.	No arguments.

Additional bootstrap script options#

For a slightly more comprehensive list of options, see the source code and reference documentation on the salt-bootstrap repo.

Option	Description	Arguments
`-a`	Pip install all Python pkg dependencies for Salt. Must be used with `-V` to install all pip packages into the virtualenv. (Only available for Ubuntu-based distributions).	No arguments.
`-b`	Assume that dependencies are already installed and software sources are set up. If the `git` installation type is selected, git tree is still checked out as dependency step.	No arguments.
`-c`	Temporary configuration directory. Used with -k and -K.	Pass in a directory path.
`-C`	Only run the configuration function. Implies `-F` (forced overwrite). To overwrite Master or Syndic configs, `-M` or `-S`, respectively, must also be specified. Salt installation will be omitted, but some of the dependencies could be installed to write configuration with `-j` or `-J`.	No arguments.
`-d`	Disables checking if Salt services are enabled to start on system boot. You can also do this by touching `/tmp/disable_salt_checks` on the target host.	No arguments.
`-D`	Show the debug output in the CLI.	No arguments.
`-f`	Only used for git installation types. This option forces shallow cloning for git installations. Rather than cloning an entire repository, it only includes the portion of the repository that you are interested in to improve performance. Note that this option may result in an `n/a` in the version number.	No arguments.
`-F`	Allow copied files to overwrite existing (config, init.d, etc.).	No arguments.
`-g`	Salt Git repository URL. It defaults to the Salt repository at https://repo.saltproject.io/.	No arguments.
`-H`	Use the specified HTTP proxy for all download URLs (including https://).	Pass in the URL for the HTTP proxy. For example: `http://myproxy.example.com:3128`.
`-I`	If set, allow insecure connections while downloading any files. For example, pass `--no-check-certificate` to `wget` or `--insecure` to `curl`. On Debian and Ubuntu, using this option with `-U` allows obtaining GnuPG archive keys insecurely if the distribution has changed release signatures.	No arguments.
`-j`	Replace the minion configuration file with data passed in as a JSON string. If a minion configuration file is found, a reasonable effort will be made to save the file with a `.bak` extension. If used in conjunction with `-C` or `-F`, no `.bak` file will be created as either of those options will force a complete overwrite of the file. When formatting JSON strings, it might be helpful to use a JSON checking and conversion tools that are available online.	Include a JSON string. For example: `JSONSTRING='{"grains":{"roles":"test"}}'`
`-J`	Replace the master configuration file with data passed in as a JSON string. If a master configuration file is found, a reasonable effort will be made to save the file with a `.bak` extension. If used in conjunction with `-C` or `-F`, no `.bak` file will be created as either of those options will force a complete overwrite of the file. When formatting JSON strings, it might be helpful to use a JSON checking and conversion tools that are available online.	Include a JSON string. For example: `JSONSTRING='{"grains":{"roles":"test"}}'`
`-k`	Temporary directory holding the minion keys which will pre-seed the master.	Pass in a path for a directory that has minion keys in it.
`-K`	If set, keep the temporary files in the temporary directories specified with `-c` and `-k`.	No arguments.
`-l`	Disable ssl checks. When passed, switches `https` calls to `http` where possible.	No arguments.
`-L`	Also install salt-cloud and required python-libcloud package.	No arguments.
`-n`	No colors.	No arguments.
`-N`	Do not install salt-minion.	No arguments.
`-p`	Extra-package to install while installing Salt dependencies. One package per `-p` flag. You are responsible for verifying the correct package name. The bootstrap script will not provide an error message if the package cannot be installed.	Provide the virtual package name for the system you are using.
`-q`	Quiet salt installation from git: `setup.py install -q`. The log will display less messages unless there is an error.	No arguments.
`-s`	Sleep time used when waiting for daemons to start/restart and when checking for the services running. The default is 3.	Pass in a number (in seconds) for how long the sleep time should be.
`-S`	Also install salt-syndic.	No arguments.
`-v`	Display script version.	No arguments.
`-V`	Install Salt into virtualenv. Only available for Ubuntu-based distributions.	No arguments.
`-X`	Do not start daemons after installation.	No arguments.