Vagrant

Vagrant is a command line tool from HashiCorp for creating and managing virtual machines. It is used to build a consistent development environment that can be shared.

Vagrant reads a Vagrantfile that describes a virtual machine, its settings and how it should be provisioned. The vagrant up command creates and configures the machine from a box, which is a package format for environments. Synced folders share files between your computer and the guest machine. Networking options forward traffic to the guest, and plugins and triggers add more behaviour.

• Vagrantfile describes the whole machine
• One command to create and configure a machine
• Synced folders between host and guest
• Port forwarding to the guest machine
• Plugins and triggers for custom steps

Developers who want the same environment for every team member, and teams who need to test software on operating systems other than their own. It also suits people who want an isolated environment for a project.

Vagrant is open source under the MIT licence and is free to use. It needs a virtualisation provider on your computer, so check that your hardware and software support one. Public boxes come from a catalogue, so review the source of any box before you run it. The vendor also offers a hosted registry with a free option.