When critical applications start misbehaving, every second counts. That's where runbooks come in—they're like a recipe for engineers, providing step-by-step instructions to quickly resolve incidents and restore systems.

This blog focuses on creating effective runbooks that are clear, concise, and actionable. Whether you’re an experienced engineer or new to DevOps, a well-structured runbook is your guide through chaos, helping you make the right moves to fix issues. We’ll cover best practices for crafting these essential documents and introduce tools to automate incident management. By the end, you’ll know how to create valuable runbooks and enhance your incident management strategy.

A runbook is like a well-written manual for a piece of complex machinery—it's a set of instructions that tells you exactly what to do when something breaks or needs maintenance. In the context of DevOps and IT operations, a runbook is a document that outlines a series of steps to troubleshoot and resolve specific incidents or perform routine tasks. Imagine it as a recipe you follow when cooking a meal. Each step is carefully laid out so you can achieve the desired outcome without missing a beat.

Runbooks are designed to be straightforward and easy to follow, ensuring that even someone new to the system can carry out the procedures effectively. They cover a range of scenarios, from restarting a service to responding to a security breach, acting as the first line of defence in maintaining system stability. In essence, a runbook is your go-to guide when you need to act quickly and confidently in the face of an incident.

Runbooks play a crucial role in incident management, much like a pilot's checklist ensures a safe flight. They provide a consistent, reliable approach to handling incidents, reducing the likelihood of errors and downtime. When an unexpected issue arises, a well-crafted runbook acts as a lifeline, guiding engineers through the necessary steps to quickly resolve the problem and restore normal operations.

By standardising the response process, runbooks ensure that every incident is handled in a predictable and efficient manner, regardless of who is on call. This is especially valuable during high-pressure situations when time is of the essence. Just as a pilot relies on their checklist to navigate turbulence, engineers rely on runbooks to steer through technical challenges and maintain the smooth operation of their systems.

Creating a strong runbook is like assembling a reliable toolkit—each part has a purpose and together they guide you through any incident. Key elements every runbook should include:

1. Clear Objective: Clearly state what the runbook aims to achieve, whether it's restarting a service or handling a security issue. This sets the direction for all steps that follow.
2. Step-by-Step Instructions: Provide detailed steps that anyone can follow, including commands, settings, and visual aids, to ensure clarity and eliminate ambiguity.
3. Verification Steps: Include checks before and after the procedure to ensure everything is working correctly and prevent further issues.
4. Troubleshooting Tips: Offer solutions for common errors, acting as a backup plan if things don't go as expected.
5. Contact Points: List contacts for help if needed, ensuring support is easily accessible.

These elements make your runbook a comprehensive guide, helping engineers effectively manage incidents and maintain system efficiency.

Creating an effective runbook is about more than just documenting steps; it's about crafting a reliable guide for consistent and efficient incident management.

Here are key best practices:

1. Keep It Simple and Concise:
   • Use clear, straightforward language to ensure anyone can follow the instructions quickly and without confusion. Avoid jargon and unnecessary details to maintain focus on essential steps.
2. Regular Updates:
   • Regularly review and update runbooks to reflect changes in infrastructure, software, and technologies. Assign responsibility for each runbook to ensure it stays accurate and up-to-date.
3. Automate Where Possible:
   • Automate repetitive or routine tasks within the runbook to reduce human error and increase efficiency. Use tools or scripts to handle these tasks and clearly document automated processes.
4. Ensure Accessibility:
   • Make runbooks easy to find and access by storing them in a centralised, accessible location. Ensure all relevant team members can quickly access runbooks during an incident.
5. Test and Validate:
   • Regularly test runbooks through drills or simulations to ensure they are effective in real-world scenarios. This ensures clarity and functionality, and helps the team become familiar with the procedures.

By following these best practices, your runbooks will be valuable tools for effective incident management, helping your team respond swiftly and accurately under pressure.

To effectively craft runbooks, it's crucial to include detailed steps and specific commands that guide engineers through the process. Here are a few enhanced examples of good runbooks that can provide valuable guidance for creating your own.

Example 1: Restarting a Web Server

Objective: Restart the web server to resolve performance issues or downtime.

Steps:

1. Pre-Check:
   • Verify Server Status: Check the status of the web server using the appropriate monitoring tool (e.g., Grafana, Nagios). Confirm that the server is indeed down or experiencing issues.
   • Check Load and Logs: Log into the server via SSH and check the system load and logs to gather initial clues.
   • ssh [email protected]

top  # Check for high CPU or memory usage

tail -n 100 /var/log/apache2/error.log  # Review the last 100 lines of the error log for any issues


2. Notify:
   • Inform relevant stakeholders of the issue and the planned restart via Slack or email.
   • echo "Web server is experiencing issues, initiating restart" | mail -s "Web Server Outage" [email protected]


3. Backup Configuration:
   • Backup the current web server configuration to ensure no data is lost during the restart.
   • cp /etc/apache2/apache2.conf /etc/apache2/apache2.conf.bak_$(date +%F)


4. Stop the Server:
   • Stop the web server service gracefully to ensure all connections are closed.
   • sudo systemctl stop apache2


5. Start the Server:
   • Start the web server service to bring the application back online.
   • sudo systemctl start apache2


6. Post-Check:
   • Confirm that the server is running properly by checking its status and logs.
   • sudo systemctl status apache2

tail -n 100 /var/log/apache2/access.log  # Ensure requests are being processed correctly


7. Update Stakeholders:
   • Notify stakeholders that the server has been restarted and is back online.
   • echo "Web server restart complete, services are back online" | mail -s "Web Server Restored" [email protected]



Troubleshooting:

• If the server does not start: Check the error logs located at /var/log/apache2/error.log for specific error messages.
• cat /var/log/apache2/error.log | grep -i 'error'


• If another process is using the server’s port: Identify and stop the conflicting process.
• sudo lsof -i :80  # Identify processes using port 80

sudo kill -9 [PID]  # Replace [PID] with the process ID



Contact Points:

• Primary: John Doe ([email protected])
• Secondary: DevOps Team ([email protected])

Example 2: Handling a Database Outage

Objective: Restore the database service after an unexpected outage.

Steps:

1. Identify the Issue:
   • Review monitoring alerts and logs to pinpoint the cause of the outage.
   • Connect to the database server to check system resources and logs.
   • ssh [email protected]

df -h  # Check disk space usage

free -m  # Check memory usage

tail -n 100 /var/log/postgresql/postgresql-12-main.log  # Check PostgreSQL logs for errors


2. Check Disk Space:
   • Ensure the server has sufficient disk space, as a full disk can cause service outages.
   • df -h /var/lib/postgresql  # Check disk usage specifically for PostgreSQL data directory


3. Restart Database Service:
   • Restart the database service to bring it back online.
   • sudo systemctl restart postgresql


4. Validate Data Integrity:
   • Run database integrity checks to ensure there is no data corruption.
   • sudo -u postgres psql -c "SELECT pg_database.datname FROM pg_database WHERE datistemplate = false;"  # List all non-template databases

sudo -u postgres psql -c "REINDEX DATABASE dbname;"  # Replace 'dbname' with the actual database name


5. Post-Check:
   • Verify the database is accessible and that applications relying on it are functioning properly.
   • sudo -u postgres psql -c "\\\\\\\\l"  # List all databases to ensure they are accessible


6. Document the Incident:
   • Update the incident management system with details about the outage and steps taken to resolve it.

Troubleshooting:

• If the database service fails to start: Review the logs at /var/log/postgresql/postgresql-12-main.log.
• tail -n 50 /var/log/postgresql/postgresql-12-main.log | grep -i 'fatal'


• If data corruption is detected: Follow the backup and recovery runbook to restore the database from a backup.

Contact Points:

• Database Admin: Jane Smith ([email protected])
• DevOps Lead: DevOps Team ([email protected])

For more runbook examples and templates, consider these publicly shared resources:

1. IBM Technology Zone Runbooks: A comprehensive collection for managing IBM cloud and on-premise environments, offering detailed guides for both routine tasks and complex troubleshooting. Explore them on GitHub.
2. Gitlab Runbooks: Gitlab’s handbook is one of the rarest incidents of open documentation on everything related to company management. They also have an elaborate list of runbooks accessible here.
3. Wikimedia Runbooks: Wikimedia has a publicly accessible repository of runbooks.
4. OpenRunbook: Tailored for open-source software, this project offers adaptable runbooks for dynamic environments, including best practices for troubleshooting and management. Available on GitHub.
5. Awesome Runbook: A curated list of runbooks for technologies like Elasticsearch, Kubernetes, and PostgreSQL, plus templates for creating your own. Check it out on GitHub.
6. OpenShift Runbooks: These are designed for handling alerts in OpenShift Container Platform, with runbooks organized by alert type and operator. Updated with real-world experiences, they're accessible on GitHub.

These resources can help you create effective, tailored runbooks for your team.

As technology evolves, so do our tools for managing it. Traditional runbooks have long been crucial for incident management, providing step-by-step guidance. However, with the growing complexity of modern systems, there's a need for more dynamic and automated solutions. Enter Doctor Droid Playbooks—an open-source alternative that automates and streamlines incident response.

Doctor Droid Playbooks take the concept of runbooks to the next level by automating tasks, adapting to real-time scenarios, and integrating with modern tools.

Here’s how Doctor Droid Playbooks improve upon traditional runbooks:

1. Automation of Routine Tasks:
   • Automates repetitive tasks like restarting services or running diagnostics, reducing human error and allowing engineers to focus on complex issues.
2. Dynamic Adaptability:
   • Adjusts actions based on real-time data, making responses more versatile and effective in varied situations.
3. Centralised Management and Collaboration:
   • Provides a shared platform for storing and managing all automation scripts, promoting consistency and collaboration across teams.
4. Integration with Modern Tools:
   • Seamlessly integrates with tools like monitoring systems and Slack, enhancing efficiency and responsiveness.

Doctor Droid Playbooks offer a more efficient, reliable, and scalable solution for incident management, making them a valuable alternative to traditional runbooks. They automate routine tasks, adapt to real-time conditions, centralize management, and integrate with modern tools, providing a powerful, modern solution for engineers.

To see the power of Doctor Droid Playbooks, let's compare a traditional runbook with a modern Playbook during a web service outage.

Scenario: A Web Service Outage

You're an on-call engineer alerted that a web application is down. Every minute of downtime is costly.

Using a Traditional Runbook:

1. Locate the runbook for web outages.
2. Manually verify the alert by checking the monitoring dashboard.
3. SSH into servers to inspect logs.
4. Restart the web service on affected servers.
5. Check if the service is back up; escalate if not.

This process requires manual execution, logging in, running commands, and waiting for results, prolonging downtime.

Using a Doctor Droid Playbook:

1. Automated Alert Verification: Playbook automatically checks the monitoring dashboard upon alert.
2. Automated Diagnostics: Runs diagnostics on servers, identifying issues without manual input.
3. Automated Service Restart: Automatically restarts the web service if needed.
4. Real-Time Monitoring and Feedback: Monitors service status, notifying the team if resolved or escalating with diagnostic data if not.

The Difference:

Doctor Droid Playbooks automate many steps, reducing resolution time from 15-20 minutes to just a few minutes, minimizing downtime and freeing engineers for complex tasks.

Why Choose Playbooks?

Doctor Droid Playbooks automate incident management, reduce human error, and improve response times, transforming static runbooks into dynamic, automated tools essential for modern engineering teams.