To run Puppet without a master, install the Puppet agent package on each Ubuntu node, keep a versioned environment locally, and execute manifests with puppet apply. Each run compiles and applies a catalog on that node, writes a report, and exits; it is a foreground, one-shot command rather than a daemon. You must therefore provide your own code distribution, scheduling, reporting, dependency management, and secret delivery.
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This design is supported for Ubuntu 22.04, 24.04, and 26.04 package targets on the x86_64 and ARM architectures listed by Puppet. The procedure below uses a production environment at /etc/puppetlabs/code/environments/production, with a local module tree and a manifest that can be previewed before enforcement.
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What masterless Puppet is—and what it is not
Masterless Puppet means running puppet apply directly on every managed node. Puppet describes it as “the standalone Puppet execution tool” for applying individual manifests. The command compiles a catalog, applies resources, writes a report, and exits. It does not remain resident as a service.
By default, a puppet apply run does not initiate outbound network connections or accept inbound connections. That reduces network dependence and exposure, but it also removes services a primary-server design would normally provide. A masterless deployment must arrange these responsibilities separately:
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- Distribute the manifest and module revision to each node.
- Schedule runs with cron, a systemd timer, CI, or another scheduler.
- Collect reports and alert on failed runs.
- Provide module dependencies and required data, including secrets, locally or through an explicitly managed mechanism.
- Control Puppet package and module versions so nodes do not drift unexpectedly.
It is therefore not a smaller Puppet server. It is local, one-shot execution repeated by an external process.
Check Ubuntu and architecture support first
Puppet’s current supported-agent table lists Ubuntu 22.04, 24.04, and 26.04 package targets, with x86_64 and ARM architectures shown for those releases. Confirm both values before installing anything; an otherwise correct package can still be unsuitable for the node’s release or CPU architecture.
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- Record whether the machine uses x86_64 or one of the listed ARM architectures.
- Select the Puppet package built for that release and architecture.
- Pin the package version used by your fleet instead of allowing uncontrolled upgrades.
- Verify package signatures when your organization’s security or change policy requires it.
Use Puppet’s current Ubuntu installation guidance to configure the package source and install the matching agent package. The exact repository instructions can change as supported releases and package versions change, so do not copy an installation command intended for a different Ubuntu release.
Create a local code environment
A predictable directory tree makes the command line, version control, and automation agree about which code is being applied. One practical layout is:
/etc/puppetlabs/code/
└── environments/
└── production/
├── manifests/
│ └── site.pp
└── modules/The main manifest is /etc/puppetlabs/code/environments/production/manifests/site.pp. Put reusable modules in the neighboring modules/ directory. Keep this entire environment in source control, including a lock or other record of module versions where your workflow supports it, and distribute the same revision to every node that is meant to have identical configuration.
The manifest can be supplied on the command line, as in the examples below, or passed inline with -e. Puppet also uses settings such as basemodulepath and the selected environment to locate code and data. Supplying the manifest path explicitly is useful in a masterless setup because it makes a scheduled command unambiguous.
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Install modules for online and offline nodes
Online nodes
When a node can reach the Puppet Forge, install a module with:
puppet module install <author>-<module>The command installs the module and its dependencies into the first modulepath directory by default. Confirm that this is the environment you intend to use; installing into a different modulepath can leave site.pp unable to find the code even though the installation appeared to succeed.
Offline nodes
An isolated node cannot resolve dependencies automatically. Move the required module tarball to the node, install it locally, and provide every dependency through the same offline process. Test the complete dependency closure before promoting the bundle to production. A tarball that contains only the top-level module is not sufficient if that module declares other modules.
Make modulepath precedence explicit
For troubleshooting or controlled rollouts, pass the modulepath directly:
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Write the main manifest
Create /etc/puppetlabs/code/environments/production/manifests/site.pp. This minimal example asks Puppet to install Nginx and manage a message-of-the-day file:
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# /etc/puppetlabs/code/environments/production/manifests/site.pp
package { 'nginx':
ensure => installed,
}
file { '/etc/motd':
ensure => file,
content => "Managed by masterless Puppetn",
}The manifest is intentionally local: it does not require a server to compile a catalog. As you add modules, keep node-specific data and sensitive values in the data mechanism you have chosen, and ensure each node can access the data at run time. Local execution does not remove the need to protect secrets; it moves that responsibility to every node and to the process that distributes its code.
Preview the first run with no-op mode
Always preview a new manifest or module revision before enforcing it. Run:
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sudo puppet apply --noop --modulepath=/etc/puppetlabs/code/environments/production/modules /etc/puppetlabs/code/environments/production/manifests/site.pp--noop reports the changes Puppet intends to make without enforcing them. Review package, file, service, and command changes in the output. A no-op run is also a useful check that the manifest parses and that the selected modulepath resolves the classes and defined types it references.
- Check that the package action is the expected install, update, or no-change result.
- Check file paths, ownership, modes, and content before allowing a replacement.
- Look for unexpected resources that come from a module dependency.
- Investigate catalog compilation errors instead of treating a partial output as safe.
No-op mode is a preview, not a substitute for a successful enforcing run. It can show intended changes while leaving the node untouched.
Enforce the catalog and capture useful exit codes
After reviewing the preview, remove --noop and run the same manifest:
sudo puppet apply --modulepath=/etc/puppetlabs/code/environments/production/modules /etc/puppetlabs/code/environments/production/manifests/site.ppFor automation, add --detailed-exitcodes:
sudo puppet apply --detailed-exitcodes --modulepath=/etc/puppetlabs/code/environments/production/modules /etc/puppetlabs/code/environments/production/manifests/site.ppWith detailed exit codes, automation can distinguish an unchanged successful run from one that made changes and from failures:
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| Code | Meaning | Automation response |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Successful run with no changes. | Mark the run healthy and unchanged. |
| 2 | Successful run that made changes. | Mark the run healthy; record the change event. |
| 1, 4, or 6 | Failure outcomes; the exact value depends on the failure and whether changes also occurred. | Alert or fail the job, then inspect Puppet output and reports. |
Do not write a scheduler that treats every nonzero result as identical. Code 2 is a successful, changing run; failure codes require investigation. Preserve the command output and report so you can identify whether the problem was catalog compilation, a resource action, a missing dependency, or unavailable data.
Schedule one-shot runs
Because puppet apply exits after one run and never runs as a daemon or service, an external scheduler must invoke it repeatedly. Common choices are:
- Cron: simple recurring execution on a node; capture stdout, stderr, and the detailed exit status.
- Systemd timer: provides service and timer units, dependency ordering, and journaled output.
- CI or orchestration: useful when a central pipeline distributes a known revision and triggers nodes in controlled batches.
Whichever scheduler you choose, call the same explicit manifest and modulepath used during testing. Ensure only one run operates on a node at a time, retain logs, and alert on Puppet failure codes. Scheduling cadence is an operational choice; Puppet itself does not supply it in masterless mode.
Distribute manifests, modules, and data
A primary-server design normally centralizes code delivery and catalog compilation. In a masterless design, select and document your replacement:
- Commit the environment, manifests, module metadata, and dependency versions to source control.
- Build a release artifact or package containing the exact tree required by the node.
- Deliver that revision through your approved Git, package, image, configuration-management, or CI mechanism.
- Install modules into the intended modulepath and verify dependency closure, especially for offline nodes.
- Run
--noopand then the enforcing command on a test node before broad rollout. - Record which revision each node has applied and retain the detailed exit status.
Do not assume that copying site.pp alone is enough. Puppet resolves modules and data through the environment and modulepath, so a node missing a module or a declared dependency can fail before it changes anything.
Masterless versus a primary-server design
The choice is operational rather than a claim that one mode is universally better. The following comparison reflects how the documented execution behavior affects day-to-day administration.
| Concern | Masterless execution | Primary-server design |
|---|---|---|
| Catalog compilation | Each node compiles and applies its own catalog with puppet apply. |
A central Puppet service commonly compiles catalogs for nodes. |
| Scheduling | External cron, systemd timers, CI, or another scheduler is required. | Scheduling and check-in are commonly coordinated through the server/agent model. |
| Network exposure | By default, the apply command neither accepts inbound connections nor initiates outbound network connections. | Nodes generally communicate with the primary server, so network reachability and server protection are required. |
| Code and module distribution | You must distribute the environment and dependencies to every node. | The server provides a central source for catalogs and commonly for code. |
| Reporting | Collect and centralize local reports yourself. | Central services can provide a shared reporting and orchestration point. |
| Secrets and data | Every node needs access to the data its local manifest requires. | Secret and data access can be concentrated in server-side workflows, subject to their own controls. |
| Fleet scale | Works well when local autonomy or weak connectivity matters, but distribution and observability grow with node count. | Usually easier to coordinate across a large fleet, at the cost of central infrastructure and network dependency. |
Masterless is a strong fit for disconnected, edge, image-based, or deliberately self-contained systems. A primary server is often preferable when centralized orchestration, uniform reporting, and large-fleet coordination outweigh the benefits of local independence.
Troubleshoot common failures
“Could not find” a class, define, or module
Check the modulepath first. Confirm the module exists under the environment’s modules/ directory, then run with the explicit --modulepath shown above. If several module directories are specified, remember that the first matching directory wins.
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The module installs but its dependency is missing
On an online node, resolve and install the declared dependency. On an offline node, add the dependency tarball and install it as part of the same bundle. Re-test dependency closure before distributing the bundle to other isolated nodes.
No-op succeeds but enforcement fails
Compare the no-op and enforcing commands character for character. Confirm that the enforcing run uses the same manifest, modulepath, user privileges, and data. No-op does not perform the changes, so a real permission, package-manager, filesystem, or service error can appear only during enforcement.
The scheduler reports a failure but the node changed
Use --detailed-exitcodes and preserve the report. Exit code 6 can represent a run that both changed resources and encountered failures; do not automatically roll back changes. Inspect the failed resources, correct the manifest or node condition, and run again after reviewing a fresh no-op preview.
An offline node cannot obtain required data
Masterless execution does not provide a remote data channel. Package the non-secret data with the release where appropriate, and establish a controlled local or pre-provisioned method for secrets. Verify access under the account that the scheduler uses, not only under an interactive administrator account.
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Production checklist
- Ubuntu release and architecture match a supported Puppet package target: 22.04, 24.04, or 26.04, on a listed x86_64 or ARM architecture.
- Puppet package version is pinned, and signatures are verified according to policy.
- Manifests, modules, dependency versions, and data-handling rules are in source control.
- The environment uses the intended
production/manifests/site.ppand modulepath. - Online modules include all dependencies; offline bundles have been tested for complete dependency closure.
- Every new revision receives a
--noopreview before enforcement. - Schedulers invoke the explicit manifest and modulepath and prevent overlapping runs.
- Detailed exit codes are captured; code 2 is treated as a successful change, while 1, 4, and 6 trigger investigation.
- Reports and logs are retained centrally enough to identify which node, revision, and resource failed.
- Each node can access the secrets and other data required by its manifest without exposing them unnecessarily.
Key operating principles
Remember five properties when designing the environment: masterless Puppet is local puppet apply, not a reduced Puppet server; execution is foreground and one-shot; scheduling and code distribution are external; modulepath order decides which duplicate module implementation is loaded; and no-op previews plus detailed exit codes make rollouts safer and observable. If your team can operate those surrounding systems reliably, Ubuntu nodes can enforce Puppet code without a primary server.
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