hashicorp / hashicorp/nomad

Clarify `bootstrap_expect` default value

Open
#10,176 1 comment 0 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub
stage/accepted theme/docs type/bug
Dominant language
Go
Stars
17k
Forks
2.1k
Avg merge
1d 9h
Merged PRs (30d)
105

Description

### Nomad version
All - Docs issue

### Operating system and Environment details
N/A

### Issue
The Nomad docs list `bootstrap_expect` as a required config value in the server stanza (https://www.nomadproject.io/docs/configuration/server#bootstrap_expect) with no default; when in fact this value is not required, and the current default value if unset is `0`.

If the intended behavior is to force the operator to set this explicitly, then Nomad should fail to start with an error message if it is not provided. If 0 is intended as a reasonable default, this should be documented.

### Reproduction steps
Start a nomad server instance with `bootstrap_expect` omitted. Nomad will start and behave as if the value is `0`.

#### Expected Result
Nomad fails to start and logs an error.

#### Actual Result
Nomad starts and and either does not bootstrap (versions below 0.11.0 or 1.0.2 and above) or bootstraps as a standalone instance (versions 0.11.0-1.0.2).

Contributor guide

No contributing guide indexed for this repository

Research direction

Open the server stanza documentation at the linked bootstrap_expect section and verify how an omitted value behaves across the Nomad versions described. Update the documentation so the required status and default are accurate, and ensure the reproduction behavior and version distinctions are reflected when the result is clear.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Domain
documentation
Issue type
Documentation
Difficulty
2/5
Estimated time
1-3 hours
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
45/100

Get new issues in your inbox

A short digest of beginner-friendly GitHub issues.