Provided by: chef_12.3.0-3ubuntu1_all 
NAME
knife-role - The man page for the knife role subcommand.
A role is a way to define certain patterns and processes that exist across nodes in an organization as
belonging to a single job function. Each role consists of zero (or more) attributes and a run-list. Each
node can have zero (or more) roles assigned to it. When a role is run against a node, the configuration
details of that node are compared against the attributes of the role, and then the contents of that
role's run-list are applied to the node's configuration details. When a chef-client runs, it merges its
own attributes and run-lists with those contained within each assigned role.
The knife role subcommand is used to manage the roles that are associated with one or more nodes on a
Chef server.
COMMON OPTIONS
The following options may be used with any of the arguments available to the knife role subcommand:
--chef-zero-port PORT
The port on which chef-zero will listen.
-c CONFIG_FILE, --config CONFIG_FILE
The configuration file to use.
-d, --disable-editing
Use to prevent the $EDITOR from being opened and to accept data as-is.
--defaults
Use to have knife use the default value instead of asking a user to provide one.
-e EDITOR, --editor EDITOR
The $EDITOR that is used for all interactive commands.
-E ENVIRONMENT, --environment ENVIRONMENT
The name of the environment. When this option is added to a command, the command will run only
against the named environment.
-F FORMAT, --format FORMAT
The output format: summary (default), text, json, yaml, and pp.
-h, --help
Shows help for the command.
-k KEY, --key KEY
The private key that knife will use to sign requests made by the API client to the Chef server.
--[no-]color
Use to view colored output.
--print-after
Use to show data after a destructive operation.
-s URL, --server-url URL
The URL for the Chef server.
-u USER, --user USER
The user name used by knife to sign requests made by the API client to the Chef server.
Authentication will fail if the user name does not match the private key.
-V, --verbose
Set for more verbose outputs. Use -VV for maximum verbosity.
-v, --version
The version of the chef-client.
-y, --yes
Use to respond to all confirmation prompts with "Yes". knife will not ask for confirmation.
-z, --local-mode
Use to run the chef-client in local mode. This allows all commands that work against the Chef
server to also work against the local chef-repo.
BULK DELETE
The bulk delete argument is used to delete one or more roles that match a pattern defined by a regular
expression. The regular expression must be within quotes and not be surrounded by forward slashes (/).
Syntax
This argument has the following syntax:
$ knife role bulk delete REGEX
Options
This command does not have any specific options.
Examples
Use a regular expression to define the pattern used to bulk delete roles:
$ knife role bulk delete "^[0-9]{3}$"
CREATE
The create argument is used to add a role to the Chef server. Role data is saved as JSON on the Chef
server.
Syntax
This argument has the following syntax:
$ knife role create ROLE_NAME (options)
Options
This argument has the following options:
-d DESCRIPTION, --description DESCRIPTION
The description of the role. This value will populate the description field for the role on the
Chef server.
Examples
To add a role named role1, enter:
$ knife role create role1
In the $EDITOR enter the role data in JSON:
## sample:
{
"name": "role1",
"default_attributes": {
},
"json_class": "Chef::Role",
"run_list": ['recipe[cookbook_name::recipe_name],
role[role_name]'
],
"description": "",
"chef_type": "role",
"override_attributes": {
}
}
When finished, save it.
DELETE
The delete argument is used to delete a role from the Chef server.
Syntax
This argument has the following syntax:
$ knife role delete ROLE_NAME
Options
This command does not have any specific options.
Examples
$ knife role delete devops
Type Y to confirm a deletion.
EDIT
The edit argument is used to edit role details on the Chef server.
Syntax
This argument has the following syntax:
$ knife role edit ROLE_NAME
Options
This command does not have any specific options.
Examples
To edit the data for a role named role1, enter:
$ knife role edit role1
Update the role data in JSON:
## sample:
{
"name": "role1",
"default_attributes": {
},
"json_class": "Chef::Role",
"run_list": ['recipe[cookbook_name::recipe_name],
role[role_name]'
],
"description": "This is the description for the role1 role.",
"chef_type": "role",
"override_attributes": {
}
}
When finished, save it.
FROM FILE
The from file argument is used to create a role using existing JSON data as a template.
Syntax
This argument has the following syntax:
$ knife role from file FILE
Options
This command does not have any specific options.
Examples
To view role details based on the values contained in a JSON file:
$ knife role from file "path to JSON file"
LIST
The list argument is used to view a list of roles that are currently available on the Chef server.
Syntax
This argument has the following syntax:
$ knife role list
Options
This argument has the following options:
-w, --with-uri
Use to show the corresponding URIs.
Examples
To view a list of roles on the Chef server and display the URI for each role returned, enter:
$ knife role list -w
SHOW
The show argument is used to view the details of a role.
Syntax
This argument has the following syntax:
$ knife role show ROLE_NAME
Options
This argument has the following options:
-a ATTR, --attribute ATTR
The attribute (or attributes) to show.
Examples
To view information in JSON format, use the -F common option as part of the command like this:
$ knife role show devops -F json
Other formats available include text, yaml, and pp.
To view information in JSON format, use the -F common option as part of the command like this:
$ knife role show devops -F json
Other formats available include text, yaml, and pp.
AUTHOR
Chef
Chef 12.0 KNIFE-ROLE(1)