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wtf is chef_bork?

jkeiser/chef_bork — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-07-18 · repo last pushed 2015-10-12

RubyAudience · ops devopsComplexity · 2/5DormantSetup · easy

TL;DR

A Chef cookbook that backports Chef 12.5's newer custom-resource syntax so it also works on older Chef 12.0+ versions.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((chef_bork))
    What it does
      Backports resource syntax
      Bridges Chef versions
      Wraps compat_resource
    Tech stack
      Ruby
      Chef cookbook
    Use cases
      Mixed Chef version orgs
      Modern syntax on old Chef
      Gradual infra upgrades
    Audience
      DevOps engineers
      Infra automation teams
    Setup
      Add two dependencies
      Works on Chef 12.0 plus
      All supported platforms

Code map

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filefunction / class

Why would anyone build with this?

REASON 1

Write Chef 12.5-style custom resources while some servers still run Chef 12.0-12.4.

REASON 2

Avoid forcing an org-wide Chef upgrade before adopting newer custom resource syntax.

REASON 3

Add compat_resource and chef_bork as cookbook dependencies to unlock the newer syntax.

What's in the stack?

RubyChef

How it stacks up

jkeiser/chef_bork100rabhg/masterdetailapp100rabhg/pizzafactroy
LanguageRubyRubyRuby
Last pushed2015-10-122024-02-202025-01-26
MaintenanceDormantDormantStale
Setup difficultyeasymoderatemoderate
Complexity2/52/53/5
Audienceops devopsdeveloperpm founder

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you spin it up?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

Just add two cookbook dependencies to metadata.rb, no other configuration needed.

Yoink these prompts

Prompt 1
Show me how to add chef_bork and compat_resource as dependencies in my cookbook's metadata file.
Prompt 2
Explain how chef_bork lets me use Chef 12.5 custom resource syntax on an older Chef 12.0 server.
Prompt 3
Help me write a custom resource using the newer Chef syntax that will work with chef_bork on Chef 12.2.
Prompt 4
What exactly does compat_resource do that chef_bork depends on?

Frequently asked questions

wtf is chef_bork?

A Chef cookbook that backports Chef 12.5's newer custom-resource syntax so it also works on older Chef 12.0+ versions.

What language is chef_bork written in?

Mainly Ruby. The stack also includes Ruby, Chef.

Is chef_bork actively maintained?

Dormant — no commits in 2+ years (last push 2015-10-12).

How hard is chef_bork to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 5min to a first successful run.

Who is chef_bork for?

Mainly ops devops.

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