StackStorm - Detailed Review

StackStorm Overview

StackStorm is an event-driven automation platform that offers a range of features and functionalities, particularly beneficial for DevOps and ChatOps environments. Here are the main features and how they work:

Sensors

Sensors in StackStorm are Python plugins that integrate with external systems to receive or watch for events. When an event occurs, the sensor emits a trigger into the StackStorm system. This allows for real-time monitoring and reaction to various events from different sources.

Triggers

Triggers are representations of external events within StackStorm. These can be generic triggers like timers or webhooks, or integration-specific triggers such as Sensu alerts or JIRA issue updates. New trigger types can be defined by writing custom sensor plugins. Triggers serve as the starting point for automations in StackStorm.

Actions

Actions are outbound integrations that perform specific tasks. These can be generic actions like SSH commands or REST calls, or integration-specific actions like OpenStack, Docker, or Puppet. Actions can be invoked directly via the CLI or API, or they can be part of rules and workflows. Actions are typically Python plugins or scripts with added metadata to integrate with StackStorm.

Rules

Rules map triggers to actions or workflows based on matching criteria. They define the “if-then” logic that determines which actions to take when a trigger is emitted. Rules ensure that the right actions are executed in response to specific events, automating the decision-making process.

Workflows

Workflows combine multiple actions into a single, cohesive process. They define the order of actions, transition conditions, and how data is passed between actions. Workflows are useful for automations that require more than one step and can be invoked manually or triggered by rules. Workflows are defined using YAML and are easy to share and review.

Packs

Packs are units of content deployment in StackStorm. They group integrations (triggers and actions) and automations (rules and workflows) together, simplifying the management and sharing of StackStorm content. Packs can be downloaded from the StackStorm Exchange, shared on GitHub, or created and shared by users themselves.

Audits

StackStorm maintains an audit trail of all action executions, whether manual or automated. This includes detailed records of the triggering context and execution results. These logs can be integrated with external logging and analytical tools like LogStash, Splunk, statsd, and syslog, providing transparency and accountability in automation processes.

Integration with Other Tools

StackStorm can integrate with various tools and services, such as PagerDuty, LogicMonitor, and others. For example, integrating with PagerDuty allows for triggering, acknowledging, and resolving incidents directly through StackStorm. Similarly, integrating with LogicMonitor enables the automation of complex IT workflows using alerts from LogicMonitor, which can trigger actions or workflows in StackStorm.

AI Integration

While the primary documentation does not explicitly mention AI integration, StackStorm’s automation capabilities are highly flexible and can be extended to include AI-driven components. For instance, you could integrate AI tools or services as part of the actions or workflows, allowing for more sophisticated decision-making processes based on AI outputs. However, as of the current information, there is no built-in AI functionality within StackStorm itself.

Conclusion

In summary, StackStorm is a powerful automation platform that leverages event-driven triggers, rules, actions, and workflows to automate various operational tasks. Its flexibility and extensibility make it a valuable tool for automating complex IT workflows and integrating with a wide range of services and tools.