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---
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layout: "docs"
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page_title: "Provisioning"
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sidebar_current: "provisioning"
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description: |-
Provisioners in Vagrant allow you to automatically install software, alter configurations, and more on the machine as part of the `vagrant up` process.
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---
# Provisioning
Provisioners in Vagrant allow you to automatically install software, alter configurations,
and more on the machine as part of the `vagrant up` process.
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This is useful since [boxes ](/docs/boxes.html ) typically are not
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built _perfectly_ for your use case. Of course, if you want to just use
`vagrant ssh` and install the software by hand, that works. But by using
the provisioning systems built-in to Vagrant, it automates the process so
that it is repeatable. Most importantly, it requires no human interaction,
so you can `vagrant destroy` and `vagrant up` and have a fully ready-to-go
work environment with a single command. Powerful.
Vagrant gives you multiple options for provisioning the machine, from
simple shell scripts to more complex, industry-standard configuration
management systems.
If you've never used a configuration management system before, it is
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recommended you start with basic [shell scripts ](/docs/provisioning/shell.html )
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for provisioning.
You can find the full list of built-in provisioners and usage of these
provisioners in the navigational area to the left.
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## When Provisioning Happens
Provisioning happens at certain points during the lifetime of your
Vagrant environment:
* On the first `vagrant up` that creates the environment, provisioning is run.
If the environment was already created and the up is just resuming a machine
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or booting it up, they will not run unless the `--provision` flag is explicitly
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provided.
* When `vagrant provision` is used on a running environment.
* When `vagrant reload --provision` is called. The `--provision` flag must
be present to force provisioning.
You can also bring up your environment and explicitly _not_ run provisioners
by specifying `--no-provision` .
