GOSS(1)

📦 version 0.4.10, in ubuntu resolute, ubuntu stonking

💖 GOSS(1) 💖

okay bestie, sit down, grab a boba, because we're talking about goss — that's the command, and this whole page is its manual, section 1, User Commands. she's cute, she's fast, and she will absolutely tell you whether your server is behaving. 🫶

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

goss [global options] command [command options] ...

that's it. global options first, then a command, then whatever that command wants. simple. iconic. no cap. 💅

🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

so goss is a YAML based serverspec alternative tool for validating a server's configuration. yes, alternative, like she's the cooler transfer student. 🦋

the whole vibe is: writing tests normally is a chore, right? well goss eases the process of writing tests by letting you generate tests from the current system state. like, it looks at what your server is actually doing and writes the receipts for you. ✨

once the test suite is written, you can:

  • execute it 🔥
  • wait-on it ⏳
  • or serve it as a health endpoint 🩺

that's the entire glow-up. periodt.

👑 COMMANDS 👑

  • validate, v — Validate system 💯 (this is the main character, honestly)
  • serve, s — Serve a health endpoint 🩺
  • render, r — render gossfile after imports 🎀
  • autoadd, aa — automatically add all matching resource to the test suite 🪄 (yes it does the work for you, obsessed)
  • add, a — add a resource to the test suite ➕
  • help, h — Shows a list of commands or help for one command 🙋♀️

💅 OPTIONS 💅

okay here's the options menu, read it carefully bestie, every single one matters:

  • --log-level value, --loglevel value, -L value, -l value — Goss log verbosity level (default: "INFO") [$GOSS_LOGLEVEL] — so many ways to spell it, pick your fave 💖
  • --gossfile value, -g value — Goss file to read from / write to (default: "./goss.yaml") [$GOSS_FILE] — your main file, your baby 🎀
  • --vars value — json/yaml file containing variables for template [$GOSS_VARS] 🧚
  • --vars-inline value — json/yaml string containing variables for template (overwrites vars) [$GOSS_VARS_INLINE] — note that: it overwrites vars, so don't be surprised when the inline one wins 👀
  • --package value — Package type to use [apk, dpkg, pacman, rpm] 📦
  • --help, -h — show help 🙋♀️
lowkey reminder: those [$GOSS_LOGLEVEL], [$GOSS_FILE], [$GOSS_VARS] and [$GOSS_VARS_INLINE] brackets mean the option can also be fed through the environment variable. env var besties, we love you. 🌈

⭐ SEE ALSO ⭐

there's nothing else listed here bestie, it's just us and goss against the world. 🌍💜

and that's the whole page, fr fr. this manual is for goss 0.4.9, dated August 2025, straight from the User Commands section — so if you're reading this in the future and something's different, that's a you-and-a-newer-version problem, not a me problem. 😭

go validate something. slay. 👑✨💅

📦 where this page comes from