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Key Characteristics

  • Environment Agnostic: Unlike deployments, runbooks do not directly interact with environments. They focus on executing specific tasks or workflows independently.
  • Flexible Triggers: Runbooks can be triggered in multiple ways:
    • Manually: Through the Ctrlplane UI or API.
    • API: Programmatically from external systems or scripts.
    • Scheduled: On a predefined schedule (e.g., daily, weekly, monthly).
  • Reusable Workflows: Runbooks can encapsulate complex workflows, making them easy to reuse and share across different contexts.

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Use Cases

Runbooks are ideal for a variety of scenarios, including:
  • Incident Response: Automate troubleshooting steps, data collection, and communication during incidents.
  • Maintenance Tasks: Schedule routine tasks like backups, log rotations, and system health checks.
  • Operational Procedures: Automate repetitive manual tasks like user provisioning, database maintenance, or infrastructure updates.
  • Testing and Validation: Trigger automated tests and validation suites on demand or on a schedule.

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How Runbooks Work

  • Creation: Runbooks are created similarly to deployments, defining the workflows to be executed.
  • Trigger Configuration: You configure the triggers for each runbook, specifying whether it should be triggered manually, via API, or on a schedule.
  • Workflow Execution: When a runbook is triggered, Ctrlplane executes the associated workflows, performing the defined actions.

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Key Points

  • Runbooks are versatile tools for automating a wide range of tasks.
  • Runbooks are not tied to specific environments, giving you more flexibility in their use.
  • Runbooks can be triggered manually, via API, or on a schedule.