CONCEPT Cited by 1 source
Bake vs provision split¶
Definition¶
The bake vs provision split is the architectural separation of instance preparation into two distinct phases:
- Bake phase (heavy, at image build time): Install packages, compile software, apply environment-agnostic configuration. Produces a fully prepared, known-good machine image.
- Provision phase (light, at instance boot time): Apply environment-specific settings — secrets, regional configuration, deployment metadata. Intentionally minimal.
Why it matters¶
By front-loading heavy operations into the bake phase:
- Fast startup: Instances become operational in seconds rather than minutes at boot (no package downloads, no compilation, no long chef-client runs).
- Predictability: Every instance of the same image version behaves identically — only per-environment variables differ.
- Scaling speed: Auto-scaling events and rolling deployments complete faster because new instances are immediately useful.
- Consistency: Reduces the window for partial-configuration failures at boot time.
Slack's implementation¶
In Shipyard, the bake phase installs packages and includes configuration consistent across environments. The provision phase "typically involves only dropping configuration, retrieving secrets, and starting services." This is why Shipyard instances "can become operational in seconds rather than minutes" (Source: sources/2026-07-14-slack-shipyard-next-generation-ec2-platform).
Seen in¶
- sources/2026-07-14-slack-shipyard-next-generation-ec2-platform — explicit architectural separation: "By moving heavy operations like package installation into the bake phase, instances can become operational in seconds rather than minutes."