Summary

In this chapter, we discussed how resources are assumed to be applied in any order by default, and how metaparameters such as before, require, notify, and subscribe can be used to define any required order. We learned that DAGs can be used to visualize dependencies between resources, and that dependency cycles should be avoided to ensure the catalog can be applied successfully. We also discussed how certain resources automatically apply dependencies, such as a user requiring its primary group. The notify and subscribe metaparameters were explained, and their use of refresh was highlighted as particularly useful for resources such as exec, package, and service. This allows for these resources to be restarted, reinstalled, or rerun when necessary, such as when a configuration file changes. Additionally, we acknowledged that although resources should be assumed to have no order, they are in fact applied in the order they are written in a manifest to ensure consistency across environments...