SimianArmy

SimianArmy is a suite of tools developed by Netflix for testing and maintaining cloud infrastructures and services. It includes various "monkeys" that introduce controlled chaos into cloud environments to test resilience, identify weaknesses, and ensure high availability. The project aims to improve the reliability and robustness of cloud-based applications.

Pros

• Enhances system reliability by proactively identifying weaknesses
• Provides a suite of tools for different aspects of chaos engineering
• Highly customizable and extensible for specific use cases
• Helps teams prepare for real-world failures and outages

Cons

• Requires careful configuration to avoid unintended disruptions
• May be complex to set up and manage for smaller teams
• Some components may be outdated or less maintained
• Primarily designed for AWS, which may limit its usefulness for other cloud platforms

Code Examples

1. Configuring Chaos Monkey:

public class CustomChaosMonkeyConfiguration extends BasicChaosMonkeyConfiguration {
    @Override
    public boolean isEnabled() {
        return true;
    }

    @Override
    public int getMeanTimeBetweenKillsInSeconds() {
        return 3600; // Run every hour
    }
}

2. Implementing a custom Monkey:

public class CustomMonkey extends Monkey {
    @Override
    public void doMonkeyBusiness() {
        // Custom chaos logic here
        logger.info("Custom monkey is causing chaos!");
    }
}

3. Scheduling a Monkey:

public class MonkeyScheduler {
    @Scheduled(fixedRate = 3600000) // Run every hour
    public void runMonkey() {
        Monkey monkey = new CustomMonkey();
        monkey.doMonkeyBusiness();
    }
}

Getting Started

To get started with SimianArmy:

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/Netflix/SimianArmy.git
   

2. Build the project:

   ./gradlew build
   

3. Configure your AWS credentials in simianarmy.properties

4. Run SimianArmy:

   ./gradlew run
   

Note: Ensure you thoroughly understand the potential impacts before running in a production environment.