# Getting configuration from chef server

**URL:** <https://discourse.chef.io/t/getting-configuration-from-chef-server/8586>\
**Category:** Chef Infra (archive)\
**Created:** [May 30, 2016, 8:20am UTC](https://discourse.chef.io/t/getting-configuration-from-chef-server/8586 "2016-05-30T08:20:38Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![chernaj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce7236/32.png) [@chernaj](https://discourse.chef.io/u/chernaj)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 8:20am UTC](https://discourse.chef.io/t/getting-configuration-from-chef-server/8586/1 "2016-05-30T08:20:39Z")

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Hi,

I have a configuration on my server that is described in a cookbook and i want to get that from the server.  
What are the commands on both client and server sides?

thanks

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**Author:** ![chernaj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce7236/32.png) [@chernaj](https://discourse.chef.io/u/chernaj)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 12:55pm UTC](https://discourse.chef.io/t/getting-configuration-from-chef-server/8586/2 "2016-05-30T12:55:54Z")

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I mean i want to run a cookbook from the client side without using knife to bootstrap from the server. How can i do that?

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**Author:** ![kkeane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9fc29f/32.png) [@kkeane](https://discourse.chef.io/u/kkeane)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 8:45pm UTC](https://discourse.chef.io/t/getting-configuration-from-chef-server/8586/3 "2016-05-30T20:45:48Z")

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Several different options:

- If you don’t want to use a server at all, you can use chef zero. In that case, the client basically acts as a server; you just have to provide all the required cookbooks on the client.
- If you do want to use a server, but don’t want to use the bootstrap process, you can install the chef client using omnitruck (or set up the chef repository). Copy the validation pem file to /etc/chef and create a basic client.rb file. The client will automatically register with the server the first time you run it. It will run with an empty runlist; to specify a run list, add either the -r or -o parameters.

Kevin Keane  
Whom the IT Pros Call  
The NetTech  
[http://www.4nettech.com](http://www.4nettech.com)  
Our values: Privacy, Liberty, Justice  
See [https://www.4nettech.com/corp/the-nettech-values.html](https://www.4nettech.com/corp/the-nettech-values.html)

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**Author:** ![chernaj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce7236/32.png) [@chernaj](https://discourse.chef.io/u/chernaj)\
**Post date:** [May 31, 2016, 8:18am UTC](https://discourse.chef.io/t/getting-configuration-from-chef-server/8586/4 "2016-05-31T08:18:47Z")

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Okay thanks a lot for your answer! that really helps : can i use the same user and the same key to create other chef-clients ?