# Tutorials

This doc is here to help you get acquainted with beaker
and how we run our acceptance tests at Puppet. We'll go
over the purpose of each doc, giving you an idea of when
you might need each one. The list has been organized as
a learning guide for someone new to using beaker, so be
aware of that if you're just dipping into a topic.

For more high level & motivation topics, checkout our
[concepts docs](../concepts). If you're looking for
more details on a topic than what is provided in the
tutorials, checkout our [how to docs](../how_to). And
if you'd like API level details, feel free to skip on
over to our
[Rubydocs](http://www.rubydoc.info/github/puppetlabs/beaker/frames).
And without further pre-amble, we beaker!

## Installation

If you haven't installed beaker yet, your guide to doing
so can be found [here](installation.md).

## Quick Start
 
As a completely new beaker user, the
[quick start rake tasks doc](quick_start_rake_tasks.md)
will take you through getting beaker running for the
first time.

## OK, We're Running. Now What?

This is where things get interesting. There are a
number of directions you can go, based on your needs.
Here's a list of the common directions people take at
this point.

### Test Writing

Most people reading this doc are in Quality orgs, or
are developers who need to get some testing done for
their current work. If getting a particular bit of
testing done is your next step, this is the direction
for you.

Checkout our [let's write a test](lets_write_a_test.md)
to start with test writing!

### Running Beaker Itself

For the quick start guide, we resorted to using rake
tasks to get beaker running quickly and easily. In
the real world, people need much more customization
out of their testing environments. One of the main
ways people provide these options is through
command line arguments.

If you want to find out more about running beaker
itself, checkout [the command line](the_command_line.md).

### Environment Details

If you don't need to get your tests running _anywhere_,
but need them on a ton of Operating Systems (OSes),
then your next stop is setting up your test environment.

Our
[creating a test environment doc](creating_a_test_environment.md)
is the next spot for you!

### High Level Execution Details

For a higher level look at what happens during beaker
execution, which we call a _run_, checkout our
[test run doc](test_run.md). A _run_ is an entire
beaker execution cycle, from when the command is run
until beaker exits.

As one phase of a test run, the test suites are executed.
To get more information about the test suites that
are available, and how you configure them, you can
checkout our [test suites doc](test_suites.md).