How to Install Vagrant: A Step-by-Step Guide

If you're looking for ways to install Vagrant and create a reliable environment for your projects, this guide is perfect for you. In this article, we'll walk you through the process of installing Vagrant and creating a Windows Server 2016 base box.

Adding to Vagrant Cloud or Local Machine

To start with, you can add your Vagrant box to the Vagrant Cloud so that it's easily shareable. Alternatively, you can simply add it to your local Vagrant machine using the following command:

'install vagrant'

Creating a Windows Server 2016 Base Box

If you're new to creating Windows base images using Packer and Boxstarter, Matt Wrock's article is a great resource to get started. In this guide, we'll use his approach to create a Windows Server 2016 Vagrant box.

To begin with, I needed a Windows base box for Vagrant. This marked the start of my journey, but I haven't yet reached my destination. Boxstarter is a powerful tool that allows you to automate installations of Windows using Chocolatey packages. Chocolatey is a package manager for Windows that can install a wide range of software.

Using Boxstarter and Chocolatey

Before creating our Windows Server 2016 base box, I wasn't sure how to use Boxstarter and Chocolatey. However, once I came across these tools, I realized the ease with which I could automate installations of various software packages.

For one of my projects, it would be incredibly useful to have an easy way to install IIS, PHP, and SQL Server on Windows in a repeatable manner. By following this guide, you'll learn how to create a reliable environment for your projects using Vagrant, Boxstarter, and Chocolatey.

Install vagrant