Saltstack is a Configuration Management whatever and a Remote Execution whatever.

An alternative to Saltstack, which relies on SSH and Python only, is Ansible.

https://salt.readthedocs.org/en/latest/index.html

Videos:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-6v275Kno4
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUnctaMqRfc
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osGLqv0zPI0 (very good)

http://docs.saltstack.org/en/latest/topics/tutorials/modules.html

• SLS: SaLt State (File)
• Environment
• Salt State Tree

• top.sls: https://salt.readthedocs.org/en/latest/ref/states/top.html

• SaLt State (SLS): http://docs.saltstack.org/en/latest/ref/states/index.html
• Some examples: http://saltstarters.org/
• More examples: https://github.com/saltstack/salt-states/

• List of builtin state modules: http://docs.saltstack.org/en/latest/ref/states/all/index.html
• List of Modules: http://docs.saltstack.org/en/latest/py-modindex.html
• Grains: http://docs.saltstack.org/en/latest/topics/targeting/grains.html
• Source code: https://github.com/saltstack/salt

• file_roots: http://docs.saltstack.org/en/latest/ref/file_server/file_roots.html
• Environments: https://salt.readthedocs.org/en/latest/ref/file_server/file_roots.html
• Highstate data structure definitions: https://salt.readthedocs.org/en/latest/ref/states/highstate.html?highlight=file.managed
• https://salt.readthedocs.org/en/latest/ref/states/all/salt.states.file.html#salt.states.file.managed

• http://docs.saltstack.org/en/latest/ref/configuration