# Storing Static Data in the Pillar

Pillar is an interface for Salt designed to offer global values that can be distributed to minions. Pillar data is managed in a similar way as the Salt State Tree.

Pillar was added to Salt in version 0.9.8

Note

Storing sensitive data

Pillar data is compiled on the master. Additionally, pillar data for a given minion is only accessible by the minion for which it is targeted in the pillar configuration. This makes pillar useful for storing sensitive data specific to a particular minion.

## Declaring the Master Pillar

The Salt Master server maintains a `pillar_roots` setup that matches the structure of the `file_roots` used in the Salt file server. Like `file_roots`, the `pillar_roots` option maps environments to directories. The pillar data is then mapped to minions based on matchers in a top file which is laid out in the same way as the state top file. Salt pillars can use the same matcher types as the standard top file.

conf_master:pillar_roots is configured just like `file_roots`. For example:

    pillar_roots:
      base:
        - /srv/pillar

This example configuration declares that the base environment will be located in the `/srv/pillar` directory. It must not be in a subdirectory of the state tree.

The top file used matches the name of the top file used for States, and has the same structure:

`/srv/pillar/top.sls`

    base:
      '*':
        - packages

In the above top file, it is declared that in the `base` environment, the glob matching all minions will have the pillar data found in the `packages` pillar available to it. Assuming the `pillar_roots` value of `/srv/pillar` taken from above, the `packages` pillar would be located at `/srv/pillar/packages.sls`.

Any number of matchers can be added to the base environment. For example, here is an expanded version of the Pillar top file stated above:

/srv/pillar/top.sls:

    base:
      '*':
        - packages
      'web*':
        - vim

In this expanded top file, minions that match `web*` will have access to the `/srv/pillar/packages.sls` file, as well as the `/srv/pillar/vim.sls` file.

Another example shows how to use other standard top matching types to deliver specific salt pillar data to minions with different properties.

Here is an example using the `grains` matcher to target pillars to minions by their `os` grain:

    dev:
      'os:Debian':
        - match: grain
        - servers

Pillar definitions can also take a keyword argument `ignore_missing`. When the value of `ignore_missing` is `True`, all errors for missing pillar files are ignored. The default value for `ignore_missing` is `False`.

Here is an example using the `ignore_missing` keyword parameter to ignore errors for missing pillar files:

    base:
      '*':
        - servers
        - systems
        - ignore_missing: True

Assuming that the pillar `servers` exists in the fileserver backend and the pillar `systems` doesn't, all pillar data from `servers` pillar is delivered to minions and no error for the missing pillar `systems` is noted under the key `_errors` in the pillar data delivered to minions.

Should the `ignore_missing` keyword parameter have the value `False`, an error for the missing pillar `systems` would produce the value `Specified SLS 'servers' in environment 'base' is not available on the salt master` under the key `_errors` in the pillar data delivered to minions.

`/srv/pillar/packages.sls`

    {% if grains['os'] == 'RedHat' %}
    apache: httpd
    git: git
    {% elif grains['os'] == 'Debian' %}
    apache: apache2
    git: git-core
    {% endif %}

    company: Foo Industries

Important

See Is Targeting using Grain Data Secure? for important security information.

The above pillar sets two key/value pairs. If a minion is running RedHat, then the `apache` key is set to `httpd` and the `git` key is set to the value of `git`. If the minion is running Debian, those values are changed to `apache2` and `git-core` respectively. All minions that have this pillar targeting to them via a top file will have the key of `company` with a value of `Foo Industries`.

Consequently this data can be used from within modules, renderers, State SLS files, and more via the shared pillar dictionary:

    apache:
      pkg.installed:
        - name: {{ pillar['apache'] }}

    git:
      pkg.installed:
        - name: {{ pillar['git'] }}

Finally, the above states can utilize the values provided to them via Pillar. All pillar values targeted to a minion are available via the 'pillar' dictionary. As seen in the above example, Jinja substitution can then be utilized to access the keys and values in the Pillar dictionary.

Note that you cannot just list key/value-information in `top.sls`. Instead, target a minion to a pillar file and then list the keys and values in the pillar. Here is an example top file that illustrates this point:

    base:
      '*':
         - common_pillar

And the actual pillar file at '/srv/pillar/common_pillar.sls':

    foo: bar
    boo: baz

Note

When working with multiple pillar environments, assuming that each pillar environment has its own top file, the jinja placeholder `{{ saltenv }}` can be used in place of the environment name:

    {{ saltenv }}:
      '*':
         - common_pillar

Yes, this is `{{ saltenv }}`, and not `{{ pillarenv }}`. The reason for this is because the Pillar top files are parsed using some of the same code which parses top files when running states, so the pillar environment takes the place of `{{ saltenv }}` in the jinja context.

## Dynamic Pillar Environments

If environment `__env__` is specified in `pillar_roots`, all environments that are not explicitly specified in `pillar_roots` will map to the directories from `__env__`. This allows one to use dynamic git branch based environments for state/pillar files with the same file-based pillar applying to all environments. For example:

    pillar_roots:
      __env__:
        - /srv/pillar

    ext_pillar:
      - git:
        - __env__ https://example.com/git-pillar.git

Added in version 2017.7.5,2018.3.1.

Taking it one step further, `__env__` can also be used in the `pillar_root` filesystem path. It will be replaced with the actual `pillarenv` and searched for Pillar data to provide to the minion. Note this substitution ONLY occurs for the `__env__` environment. For instance, this configuration:

    pillar_roots:
      __env__:
        - /srv/__env__/pillar

is equivalent to this static configuration:

    pillar_roots:
      dev:
        - /srv/dev/pillar
      test:
        - /srv/test/pillar
      prod:
        - /srv/prod/pillar

Added in version 3005.

## Pillar Namespace Flattening

The separate pillar SLS files all merge down into a single dictionary of key-value pairs. When the same key is defined in multiple SLS files, this can result in unexpected behavior if care is not taken to how the pillar SLS files are laid out.

For example, given a `top.sls` containing the following:

    base:
      '*':
        - packages
        - services

with `packages.sls` containing:

    bind: bind9

and `services.sls` containing:

    bind: named

Then a request for the `bind` pillar key will only return `named`. The `bind9` value will be lost, because `services.sls` was evaluated later.

Note

Pillar files are applied in the order they are listed in the top file. Therefore conflicting keys will be overwritten in a 'last one wins' manner! For example, in the above scenario conflicting key values in `services` will overwrite those in `packages` because it's at the bottom of the list.

It can be better to structure your pillar files with more hierarchy. For example the `package.sls` file could be configured like so:

    packages:
      bind: bind9

This would make the `packages` pillar key a nested dictionary containing a `bind` key.

## Pillar Dictionary Merging

If the same pillar key is defined in multiple pillar SLS files, and the keys in both files refer to nested dictionaries, then the content from these dictionaries will be recursively merged.

For example, keeping the `top.sls` the same, assume the following modifications to the pillar SLS files:

`packages.sls`:

    bind:
      package-name: bind9
      version: 9.9.5

`services.sls`:

    bind:
      port: 53
      listen-on: any

The resulting pillar dictionary will be:

    $ salt-call pillar.get bind
    local:
        ----------
        listen-on:
            any
        package-name:
            bind9
        port:
            53
        version:
            9.9.5

Since both pillar SLS files contained a `bind` key which contained a nested dictionary, the pillar dictionary's `bind` key contains the combined contents of both SLS files' `bind` keys.

## Including Other Pillars

Added in version 0.16.0.

Pillar SLS files may include other pillar files, similar to State files. Two syntaxes are available for this purpose. The simple form simply includes the additional pillar as if it were part of the same file:

    include:
      - users

The full include form allows two additional options -- passing default values to the templating engine for the included pillar file as well as an optional key under which to nest the results of the included pillar:

    include:
      - users:
          defaults:
              sudo: ['bob', 'paul']
          key: users

With this form, the included file (users.sls) will be nested within the 'users' key of the compiled pillar. Additionally, the 'sudo' value will be available as a template variable to users.sls.

## In-Memory Pillar Data vs. On-Demand Pillar Data

Since compiling pillar data is computationally expensive, the minion will maintain a copy of the pillar data in memory to avoid needing to ask the master to recompile and send it a copy of the pillar data each time pillar data is requested. This in-memory pillar data is what is returned by the `pillar.item`, `pillar.get`, and `pillar.raw` functions.

Also, for those writing custom execution modules, or contributing to Salt's existing execution modules, the in-memory pillar data is available as the `__pillar__` dunder dictionary.

The in-memory pillar data is generated on minion start, and can be refreshed using the `saltutil.refresh_pillar` function:

    salt '*' saltutil.refresh_pillar

This function triggers the minion to asynchronously refresh the in-memory pillar data and will always return `None`.

In contrast to in-memory pillar data, certain actions trigger pillar data to be compiled to ensure that the most up-to-date pillar data is available. These actions include:

- Running states

- Running `pillar.items`

Performing these actions will not refresh the in-memory pillar data. So, if pillar data is modified, and then states are run, the states will see the updated pillar data, but `pillar.item`, `pillar.get`, and `pillar.raw` will not see this data unless refreshed using `saltutil.refresh_pillar`.

If you are using the Pillar Cache and have set `pillar_cache` to True, the pillar cache can be updated either when you run `saltutil.refresh_pillar`, or using the pillar runner function `pillar.clear_pillar_cache`:

    salt-run pillar.clear_pillar_cache 'minion'

The pillar will not be updated when running `pillar.items` or a state for example. If you are using a Salt version before 3003, you would need to manually delete the cache file, located in Salt's master cache. For example, on linux the file would be in this directory: /var/cache/salt/master/pillar_cache/

## How Pillar Environments Are Handled

When multiple pillar environments are used, the default behavior is for the pillar data from all environments to be merged together. The pillar dictionary will therefore contain keys from all configured environments.

The `pillarenv` minion config option can be used to force the minion to only consider pillar configuration from a single environment. This can be useful in cases where one needs to run states with alternate pillar data, either in a testing/QA environment or to test changes to the pillar data before pushing them live.

For example, assume that the following is set in the minion config file:

    pillarenv: base

This would cause that minion to ignore all other pillar environments besides `base` when compiling the in-memory pillar data. Then, when running states, the `pillarenv` CLI argument can be used to override the minion's `pillarenv` config value:

    salt '*' state.apply mystates pillarenv=testing

The above command will run the states with pillar data sourced exclusively from the `testing` environment, without modifying the in-memory pillar data.

Note

When running states, the `pillarenv` CLI option does not require a `pillarenv` option to be set in the minion config file. When `pillarenv` is left unset, as mentioned above all configured environments will be combined. Running states with `pillarenv=testing` in this case would still restrict the states' pillar data to just that of the `testing` pillar environment.

Starting in the 2017.7.0 release, it is possible to pin the pillarenv to the effective saltenv, using the `pillarenv_from_saltenv` minion config option. When this is set to `True`, if a specific saltenv is specified when running states, the `pillarenv` will be the same. This essentially makes the following two commands equivalent:

    salt '*' state.apply mystates saltenv=dev
    salt '*' state.apply mystates saltenv=dev pillarenv=dev

However, if a pillarenv is specified, it will override this behavior. So, the following command will use the `qa` pillar environment but source the SLS files from the `dev` saltenv:

    salt '*' state.apply mystates saltenv=dev pillarenv=qa

So, if a `pillarenv` is set in the minion config file, `pillarenv_from_saltenv` will be ignored, and passing a `pillarenv` on the CLI will temporarily override `pillarenv_from_saltenv`.

## Viewing Pillar Data

To view pillar data, use the `pillar` execution module. This module includes several functions, each of them with their own use. These functions include:

- `pillar.item` - Retrieves the value of one or more keys from the in-memory pillar data.

- `pillar.items` - Compiles a fresh pillar dictionary and returns it, leaving the in-memory pillar data untouched. If pillar keys are passed to this function however, this function acts like `pillar.item` and returns their values from the in-memory pillar data.

- `pillar.raw` - Like `pillar.items`, it returns the entire pillar dictionary, but from the in-memory pillar data instead of compiling fresh pillar data.

- `pillar.get` - Described in detail below.

## The `pillar.get` Function

Added in version 0.14.0.

The `pillar.get` function works much in the same way as the `get` method in a python dict, but with an enhancement: nested dictionaries can be traversed using a colon as a delimiter.

If a structure like this is in pillar:

    foo:
      bar:
        baz: qux

Extracting it from the raw pillar in an sls formula or file template is done this way:

    {{ pillar['foo']['bar']['baz'] }}

Now, with the new `pillar.get` function the data can be safely gathered and a default can be set, allowing the template to fall back if the value is not available:

    {{ salt['pillar.get']('foo:bar:baz', 'qux') }}

This makes handling nested structures much easier.

Note

`pillar.get()` vs `salt['pillar.get']()`

It should be noted that within templating, the `pillar` variable is just a dictionary. This means that calling `pillar.get()` inside of a template will just use the default dictionary `.get()` function which does not include the extra `:` delimiter functionality. It must be called using the above syntax (`salt['pillar.get']('foo:bar:baz', 'qux')`) to get the salt function, instead of the default dictionary behavior.

## Setting Pillar Data at the Command Line

Pillar data can be set at the command line like the following example:

    salt '*' state.apply pillar='{"cheese": "spam"}'

This will add a pillar key of `cheese` with its value set to `spam`.

Note

Be aware that when sending sensitive data via pillar on the command-line that the publication containing that data will be received by all minions and will not be restricted to the targeted minions. This may represent a security concern in some cases.

## Pillar Encryption

Salt's renderer system can be used to decrypt pillar data. This allows for pillar items to be stored in an encrypted state, and decrypted during pillar compilation.

### Encrypted Pillar SLS

Added in version 2017.7.0.

Consider the following pillar SLS file:

    secrets:
      vault:
        foo: |
          -----BEGIN PGP MESSAGE-----

          hQEMAw2B674HRhwSAQgAhTrN8NizwUv/VunVrqa4/X8t6EUulrnhKcSeb8sZS4th
          W1Qz3K2NjL4lkUHCQHKZVx/VoZY7zsddBIFvvoGGfj8+2wjkEDwFmFjGE4DEsS74
          ZLRFIFJC1iB/O0AiQ+oU745skQkU6OEKxqavmKMrKo3rvJ8ZCXDC470+i2/Hqrp7
          +KWGmaDOO422JaSKRm5D9bQZr9oX7KqnrPG9I1+UbJyQSJdsdtquPWmeIpamEVHb
          VMDNQRjSezZ1yKC4kCWm3YQbBF76qTHzG1VlLF5qOzuGI9VkyvlMaLfMibriqY73
          zBbPzf6Bkp2+Y9qyzuveYMmwS4sEOuZL/PetqisWe9JGAWD/O+slQ2KRu9hNww06
          KMDPJRdyj5bRuBVE4hHkkP23KrYr7SuhW2vpe7O/MvWEJ9uDNegpMLhTWruGngJh
          iFndxegN9w==
          =bAuo
          -----END PGP MESSAGE-----
        bar: this was unencrypted already
        baz: |
          -----BEGIN PGP MESSAGE-----

          hQEMAw2B674HRhwSAQf+Ne+IfsP2IcPDrUWct8sTJrga47jQvlPCmO+7zJjOVcqz
          gLjUKvMajrbI/jorBWxyAbF+5E7WdG9WHHVnuoywsyTB9rbmzuPqYCJCe+ZVyqWf
          9qgJ+oUjcvYIFmH3h7H68ldqbxaAUkAOQbTRHdr253wwaTIC91ZeX0SCj64HfTg7
          Izwk383CRWonEktXJpientApQFSUWNeLUWagEr/YPNFA3vzpPF5/Ia9X8/z/6oO2
          q+D5W5mVsns3i2HHbg2A8Y+pm4TWnH6mTSh/gdxPqssi9qIrzGQ6H1tEoFFOEq1V
          kJBe0izlfudqMq62XswzuRB4CYT5Iqw1c97T+1RqENJCASG0Wz8AGhinTdlU5iQl
          JkLKqBxcBz4L70LYWyHhYwYROJWjHgKAywX5T67ftq0wi8APuZl9olnOkwSK+wrY
          1OZi
          =7epf
          -----END PGP MESSAGE-----
        qux:
          - foo
          - bar
          - |
            -----BEGIN PGP MESSAGE-----

            hQEMAw2B674HRhwSAQgAg1YCmokrweoOI1c9HO0BLamWBaFPTMblOaTo0WJLZoTS
            ksbQ3OJAMkrkn3BnnM/djJc5C7vNs86ZfSJ+pvE8Sp1Rhtuxh25EKMqGOn/SBedI
            gR6N5vGUNiIpG5Tf3DuYAMNFDUqw8uY0MyDJI+ZW3o3xrMUABzTH0ew+Piz85FDA
            YrVgwZfqyL+9OQuu6T66jOIdwQNRX2NPFZqvon8liZUPus5VzD8E5cAL9OPxQ3sF
            f7/zE91YIXUTimrv3L7eCgU1dSxKhhfvA2bEUi+AskMWFXFuETYVrIhFJAKnkFmE
            uZx+O9R9hADW3hM5hWHKH9/CRtb0/cC84I9oCWIQPdI+AaPtICxtsD2N8Q98hhhd
            4M7I0sLZhV+4ZJqzpUsOnSpaGyfh1Zy/1d3ijJi99/l+uVHuvmMllsNmgR+ZTj0=
            =LrCQ
            -----END PGP MESSAGE-----

When the pillar data is compiled, the results will be decrypted:

    # salt myminion pillar.items
    myminion:
        ----------
        secrets:
            ----------
            vault:
                ----------
                bar:
                    this was unencrypted already
                baz:
                    rosebud
                foo:
                    supersecret
                qux:
                    - foo
                    - bar
                    - baz

Salt must be told what portions of the pillar data to decrypt. This is done using the `decrypt_pillar` config option:

    decrypt_pillar:
      - 'secrets:vault': gpg

The notation used to specify the pillar item(s) to be decrypted is the same as the one used in `pillar.get` function.

If a different delimiter is needed, it can be specified using the `decrypt_pillar_delimiter` config option:

    decrypt_pillar:
      - 'secrets|vault': gpg

    decrypt_pillar_delimiter: '|'

The name of the renderer used to decrypt a given pillar item can be omitted, and if so it will fall back to the value specified by the `decrypt_pillar_default` config option, which defaults to `gpg`. So, the first example above could be rewritten as:

    decrypt_pillar:
      - 'secrets:vault'

### Encrypted Pillar Data on the CLI

Added in version 2016.3.0.

The following functions support passing pillar data on the CLI via the `pillar` argument:

- `pillar.items`

- `state.apply`

- `state.highstate`

- `state.sls`

Triggering decryption of this CLI pillar data can be done in one of two ways:

1. Using the `pillar_enc` argument:

       # salt myminion pillar.items pillar_enc=gpg pillar='{foo: "-----BEGIN PGP MESSAGE-----\n\nhQEMAw2B674HRhwSAQf+OvPqEdDoA2fk15I5dYUTDoj1yf/pVolAma6iU4v8Zixn\nRDgWsaAnFz99FEiFACsAGDEFdZaVOxG80T0Lj+PnW4pVy0OXmXHnY2KjV9zx8FLS\nQxfvmhRR4t23WSFybozfMm0lsN8r1vfBBjbK+A72l0oxN78d1rybJ6PWNZiXi+aC\nmqIeunIbAKQ21w/OvZHhxH7cnIiGQIHc7N9nQH7ibyoKQzQMSZeilSMGr2abAHun\nmLzscr4wKMb+81Z0/fdBfP6g3bLWMJga3hSzSldU9ovu7KR8rDJI1qOlENj3Wm8C\nwTpDOB33kWIKMqiAjY3JFtb5MCHrafyggwQL7cX1+tI+AbSO6kZpbcDfzetb77LZ\nxc5NWnnGK4pGoqq4MAmZshw98RpecSHKMosto2gtiuWCuo9Zn5cV/FbjZ9CTWrQ=\n=0hO/\n-----END PGP MESSAGE-----"}'

   The newlines in this example are specified using a literal `\n`. Newlines can be replaced with a literal `\n` using `sed`:

       $ echo -n bar | gpg --armor --trust-model always --encrypt -r user@domain.tld | sed ':a;N;$!ba;s/\n/\\n/g'

   Note

   Using `pillar_enc` will perform the decryption minion-side, so for this to work it will be necessary to set up the keyring in `/etc/salt/gpgkeys` on the minion just as one would typically do on the master. The easiest way to do this is to first export the keys from the master:

       # gpg --homedir /etc/salt/gpgkeys --export-secret-key -a user@domain.tld >/tmp/keypair.gpg

   Then, copy the file to the minion, setup the keyring, and import:

       # mkdir -p /etc/salt/gpgkeys
       # chmod 0700 /etc/salt/gpgkeys
       # gpg --homedir /etc/salt/gpgkeys --list-keys
       # gpg --homedir /etc/salt/gpgkeys --import --allow-secret-key-import keypair.gpg

   The `--list-keys` command is run create a keyring in the newly-created directory.

   Pillar data which is decrypted minion-side will still be securely transferred to the master, since the data sent between minion and master is encrypted with the master's public key.

2. Use the `decrypt_pillar` option. This is less flexible in that the pillar key passed on the CLI must be pre-configured on the master, but it doesn't require a keyring to be setup on the minion. One other caveat to this method is that pillar decryption on the master happens at the end of pillar compilation, so if the encrypted pillar data being passed on the CLI needs to be referenced by pillar or ext_pillar during pillar compilation, it must be decrypted minion-side.

### Adding New Renderers for Decryption

Those looking to add new renderers for decryption should look at the `gpg` renderer for an example of how to do so. The function that performs the decryption should be recursive and be able to traverse a mutable type such as a dictionary, and modify the values in-place.

Once the renderer has been written, `decrypt_pillar_renderers` should be modified so that Salt allows it to be used for decryption.

If the renderer is being submitted upstream to the Salt project, the renderer should be added in salt/renderers/. Additionally, the following should be done:

- Both occurrences of `decrypt_pillar_renderers` in salt/config/__init__.py should be updated to include the name of the new renderer so that it is included in the default value for this config option.

- The documentation for the `decrypt_pillar_renderers` config option in the master config file and minion config file should be updated to show the correct new default value.

- The commented example for the `decrypt_pillar_renderers` config option in the master config template should be updated to show the correct new default value.

## Binary Data in the Pillar

Salt has partial support for binary pillar data.

Note

There are some situations (such as salt-ssh) where only text (ASCII or Unicode) is allowed.

The simplest way to embed binary data in your pillar is to make use of YAML's built-in binary data type, which requires base64 encoded data.

    salt_pic: !!binary
        iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAMAAAC67D+PAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAACBjSFJNAA

Then you can use it as a `contents_pillar` in a state:

    /tmp/salt.png:
      file.managed:
        - contents_pillar: salt_pic

It is also possible to add ASCII-armored encrypted data to pillars, as mentioned in the Pillar Encryption section.

## Master Config in Pillar

For convenience the data stored in the master configuration file can be made available in all minion's pillars. This makes global configuration of services and systems very easy but may not be desired if sensitive data is stored in the master configuration. This option is disabled by default.

To enable the master config from being added to the pillar set `pillar_opts` to `True` in the minion config file:

    pillar_opts: True

## Minion Config in Pillar

Minion configuration options can be set on pillars. Any option that you want to modify, should be in the first level of the pillars, in the same way you set the options in the config file. For example, to configure the MySQL root password to be used by MySQL Salt execution module, set the following pillar variable:

    mysql.pass: hardtoguesspassword

## Master Provided Pillar Error

By default if there is an error rendering a pillar, the detailed error is hidden and replaced with:

    Rendering SLS 'my.sls' failed. Please see master log for details.

The error is protected because it's possible to contain templating data which would give that minion information it shouldn't know, like a password!

To have the master provide the detailed error that could potentially carry protected data set `pillar_safe_render_error` to `False`:

    pillar_safe_render_error: False

- Pillar Walkthrough
  - Setting Up Pillar
    - More Complex Data
  - Parameterizing States With Pillar
  - Pillar Makes Simple States Grow Easily
  - Setting Pillar Data on the Command Line
  - More On Pillar
  - Minion Config in Pillar