boilerplates/.wiki/Core-Concepts-Defaults.md

Default Variables

Save time by setting default values for variables you use frequently. This page explains how to manage your default variable configuration.

What are Default Variables?

Default variables are user-defined values that override template manifest values for a module. They allow you to:

• Avoid repetitive typing during template generation
• Standardize values across multiple templates
• Customize your environment once, use everywhere

Precedence Order

Variables are resolved in this order (lowest to highest priority):

1. Template manifest values from template.json
2. User config (your saved defaults) ← This page
3. --var-file
4. CLI arguments (--var)
5. Interactive prompt answers

Your saved defaults override template manifest values, but they can still be overridden at generation time.

Managing Defaults

All default management commands follow this pattern:

boilerplates <module> defaults <command> [args]

View Defaults

List all saved defaults for a module:

boilerplates compose defaults list

Output:

Default Variables (Compose):
  container_timezone: America/New_York
  restart_policy: unless-stopped
  traefik_network: traefik
  network_external: true

Set a Default

Save a default value:

boilerplates compose defaults set container_timezone="America/New_York"

Response:

Set default: container_timezone = America/New_York

Tips:

• Use quotes for values with spaces
• Booleans: true or false
• Numbers: no quotes needed

Examples:

# String
boilerplates compose defaults set restart_policy="unless-stopped"

# Integer
boilerplates compose defaults set user_uid=1000

# Boolean
boilerplates compose defaults set traefik_enabled=true

# String with spaces
boilerplates compose defaults set container_hostname="my app server"

Get a Default

View a single default value:

boilerplates compose defaults get container_timezone

Output:

container_timezone: America/New_York

Remove a Default

Delete a saved default:

boilerplates compose defaults rm container_timezone

Response:

Removed default: container_timezone

The variable will now use template manifest values again.

Clear All Defaults

Remove all saved defaults for a module:

boilerplates compose defaults clear

Response:

Cleared all defaults for compose

Warning: This cannot be undone. Consider backing up your config first.

Configuration Storage

Defaults are usually stored in:

~/.config/boilerplates/config.yaml

If a local ./config.yaml exists in your current working directory, the CLI uses that file instead.

Example content:

libraries:
  - name: default
    type: git
    url: https://github.com/christianlempa/boilerplates-library.git
    branch: main
    directory: .

defaults:
  compose:
    container_timezone: America/New_York
    restart_policy: unless-stopped
    traefik_network: traefik
    network_external: true
  terraform:
    region: us-east-1
    instance_type: t3.micro

Manual Editing

You can manually edit the config file:

# Edit the global configuration example
nano ~/.config/boilerplates/config.yaml

# Verify defaults
boilerplates compose defaults list

If you are using a local ./config.yaml, edit that file instead.

Common Use Cases

Timezone Configuration

Set your local timezone once:

boilerplates compose defaults set container_timezone="Europe/Berlin"

Now all Docker containers use your timezone by default.

Network Configuration

Standardize network settings:

boilerplates compose defaults set network_external=true
boilerplates compose defaults set network_name="docker-network"

Traefik Configuration

Set common Traefik values:

boilerplates compose defaults set traefik_network="traefik"
boilerplates compose defaults set traefik_domain="example.com"
boilerplates compose defaults set traefik_tls_certresolver="cloudflare"

User IDs

Match your host user:

boilerplates compose defaults set user_uid=$(id -u)
boilerplates compose defaults set user_gid=$(id -g)

Restart Policy

Standardize container behavior:

boilerplates compose defaults set restart_policy="unless-stopped"

Overriding Defaults

Even with defaults set, you can override them:

Interactive Mode

During interactive generation, defaults appear as pre-filled values. Press Enter to accept or type a new value:

Container timezone [America/New_York]: Europe/London

CLI Arguments

Override with --var:

boilerplates compose generate nginx \
  --var container_timezone="UTC" \
  --no-interactive

The CLI argument takes precedence over your saved default.

Per-Module Defaults

Each module has its own defaults:

# Compose defaults
boilerplates compose defaults set restart_policy="unless-stopped"

# Terraform defaults (separate)
boilerplates terraform defaults set region="us-east-1"

# Ansible defaults (separate)
boilerplates ansible defaults set become=true

Defaults don't transfer between modules—they're module-specific.

Backup and Restore

The examples below use the global config path. If the CLI is using a local ./config.yaml, substitute that path instead.

Backup Configuration

Save your configuration:

cp ~/.config/boilerplates/config.yaml ~/boilerplates-config-backup.yaml

Restore Configuration

Restore from backup:

cp ~/boilerplates-config-backup.yaml ~/.config/boilerplates/config.yaml

Share Configuration

Share defaults with your team:

# Export defaults
cat ~/.config/boilerplates/config.yaml | grep -A 100 "defaults:" > team-defaults.yaml

# Share file with team
# Team members can merge into their config.yaml

Advanced Usage

Environment-Specific Defaults

Maintain multiple configurations:

# Production defaults
cp ~/.config/boilerplates/config.yaml ~/.config/boilerplates/config-prod.yaml

# Development defaults
cp ~/.config/boilerplates/config.yaml ~/.config/boilerplates/config-dev.yaml

# Switch between them
cp ~/.config/boilerplates/config-prod.yaml ~/.config/boilerplates/config.yaml

Scripted Configuration

Set defaults programmatically:

#!/bin/bash

# Set common defaults
boilerplates compose defaults set container_timezone="$(cat /etc/timezone)"
boilerplates compose defaults set user_uid="$(id -u)"
boilerplates compose defaults set user_gid="$(id -g)"
boilerplates compose defaults set restart_policy="unless-stopped"

Troubleshooting

Defaults Not Applied

If defaults aren't being used:

# Verify defaults are set
boilerplates compose defaults list

# Check config file
cat ~/.config/boilerplates/config.yaml

# Ensure module name matches
# "compose" not "docker-compose"

Config File Errors

If config file is corrupted:

# Validate global config YAML syntax
python3 -c "import yaml; yaml.safe_load(open('~/.config/boilerplates/config.yaml'))"

# Or remove and recreate
mv ~/.config/boilerplates/config.yaml ~/.config/boilerplates/config.yaml.bak
boilerplates repo update  # Recreates config

Wrong Values

If wrong values appear:

# Check precedence
# 1. Template manifest values
# 2. User defaults ← Check here
# 3. --var-file
# 4. CLI --var
# 5. Interactive answers

# Verify your defaults
boilerplates compose defaults list

# Check the loaded template state
boilerplates compose show <template-name>

Best Practices

Essential Defaults

Set these common defaults:

# System
boilerplates compose defaults set container_timezone="$(cat /etc/timezone)"
boilerplates compose defaults set user_uid=$(id -u)
boilerplates compose defaults set user_gid=$(id -g)

# Containers
boilerplates compose defaults set restart_policy="unless-stopped"

# Networking (if using external networks)
boilerplates compose defaults set network_external=true
boilerplates compose defaults set network_name="docker-network"

Don't Over-Configure

Only set defaults for values you use consistently:

Good:

• Timezone (same everywhere)
• User UID/GID (same everywhere)
• Network settings (if standardized)

Bad:

• Service names (unique per service)
• Hostnames (unique per service)
• Port numbers (conflict-prone)

Document Your Defaults

Keep a list of your defaults for reference:

# Save to file
boilerplates compose defaults list > ~/my-defaults.txt

Review Periodically

Check your defaults occasionally:

boilerplates compose defaults list

Remove obsolete or unused values.

Next Steps

• Libraries - Managing template libraries
• Variables - Understanding variable types and behavior
• Getting Started - Using defaults in template generation

See Also

• Installation - CLI setup
• Concepts - How templates work