# Recipes: run saved bash scripts on multiple servers > Save bash scripts as recipes and run them on one or more servers at once, as root or the server user, with per-server variables and an email report. A recipe is a saved bash script that you run on one or more of your servers. Use recipes for work you repeat, such as installing a tool, cleaning up disk space, rotating logs or checking a setting on every server. You write the script once, and the organization can run it on any active server whenever it is needed. Each run starts one [background task](https://ops.vimonto.com/docs/organization/activity) per server, so you can follow the output of every server separately. Recipes belong to the organization: every member sees them, and members with the developer role or higher can create, change and run them. ![The recipes page with saved recipes and the recent runs per server](https://ops.vimonto.com/docs-media/en/recipes.webp?v=161e760d "Recipes in an organization") ## Create a recipe 1. Open **Recipes** in the top navigation of the organization. 2. Click **New recipe**. 3. Enter a **Name**, for example "Install htop". 4. Under **Run as**, choose **root** or **Server user** (the user that owns the sites on the server). 5. Write the **Script** in the editor. It runs with bash, so you can write it exactly as you would in a terminal. 6. Click **Save recipe**. The recipe now appears in the list, with the first line of its script, the user it runs as and when it last ran. ### Example: install a tool on every server ```bash apt-get update apt-get install -y htop ncdu ``` Run this as **root**. Commands that need root, such as `apt-get`, fail when the recipe runs as the server user. ## Use variables in a recipe A recipe can contain variables in double curly braces. Just before the script runs, Vimonto Deploy replaces them with the values of the server it runs on. The editor lists them under **Variables, filled in per server**. | Variable | Value | | --- | --- | | `{{server_id}}` | The server's ID in Vimonto Deploy. | | `{{server_name}}` | The server's name. | | `{{server_type}}` | The server type, such as `app` or `database`. | | `{{ip_address}}` | The public IP address. | | `{{private_ip_address}}` | The private IP address, if any; otherwise empty. | | `{{user}}` | The server's own user. | | `{{db_password}}` | The database password, as long as Vimonto Deploy still keeps it for the server. | Variables with names that don't exist in this list are left as you wrote them. Example: ```bash echo "Cleaning up on {{server_name}} ({{ip_address}})" du -sh /home/{{user}}/* ``` ## Run a recipe 1. Click **Run** next to the recipe. 2. Under **Servers**, check every server it should run on. The list shows the servers you have access to; only active servers can be selected. 3. Keep **Email me a report** on if you want one email when every server is done, with the last lines of output of each. Turn it off if you don't need it. 4. Click **Run recipe**. The recipe starts on every selected server at the same time, each as its own task. You can leave the page; the output is under **Activity**. When every server is done, you get a **Recipe finished** notification in the bell (and by email, if you switched that on). Only the person who started the run gets it. See [notifications](https://ops.vimonto.com/docs/more/notifications). ## Follow a run and read the output The **Recent runs** list at the bottom of the recipes page shows the last ten runs, with who started them and when. Each server in a run has its own chip with its status. Click a server to open its task and read the full output. A member who is limited to the servers of their [teams](https://ops.vimonto.com/docs/organization/teams) only sees runs on those servers, and only their servers in each run. A run on a server **fails** when the script ends with an exit code other than 0. The task then says which exit code the recipe stopped with. Start your script with `set -e` if you want it to stop at the first command that fails. A recipe can run for up to about an hour per server. Longer scripts are stopped. ## Run a recipe from a script or CI The [API](https://ops.vimonto.com/docs/more/api) lists the organization's recipes (`GET /api/v1/orgs/{organization}/recipes`) and runs one on a list of servers (`POST /api/v1/orgs/{organization}/recipes/{recipe}/run`), with a token that has the **Write** scope. Each server gets its own task, which you can follow through the API as well. ## Edit or delete a recipe Open the menu next to the recipe and choose: - **Edit** to change the name, the user or the script. Earlier runs keep the script they ran with. - **Delete** to remove the recipe for everyone in the organization. Earlier runs stay in the activity. ## Who can use recipes? Every member can see the recipes and their runs. Creating, editing, running and deleting recipes needs the owner, administrator, manager or developer role. See [members and roles](https://ops.vimonto.com/docs/organization/members-and-roles). When your organization uses [teams](https://ops.vimonto.com/docs/organization/teams), you can only run a recipe on the servers your teams give you access to. > [!WARNING] > A recipe can run any command on your servers, as root if it is set to. Check a script carefully before you run it on several servers, and test it on one server first. ## Frequently asked questions ### Can I run a recipe on all my servers at once? Yes. Check every server in the **Servers** list when you start the run. Each server gets its own task, and they run at the same time. ### What is the difference between root and the server user? **root** can do anything on the server, such as installing packages and changing system settings. The **Server user** is the user that owns your sites and runs your deploys; use it for work in your sites' directories, so files keep the right owner. ### Can I run the same recipe twice on one server at the same time? Yes. Vimonto Deploy doesn't stop you from running a recipe on a server where another recipe is still running, so be careful with scripts that shouldn't overlap. ### How long are recipe runs kept? Runs and their output are kept for 90 days, like other [activity](https://ops.vimonto.com/docs/organization/activity). ### Can I run one-off commands without saving a recipe? Use the [browser terminal](https://ops.vimonto.com/docs/servers/terminal) for one-off commands on a single server.