talks/ansible_101/index.md

title	description	author	keywords
Ansible 101	A small overview and best practice guide for ansible	Ricardo Band	automation,basics

Ansible 101

A small overview and best practice guide for ansible

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Python

• 🐍 use python 3.6+
  • newer = better ✨
• Dedicated virtualenv
• 📦 container

FROM python:3-slim
ADD .
RUN pip install -r requirements.txt
ENTRYPOINT ["ansible-playbook"]
CMD ["--help"]

• podman run -it --rm ansible my-playbook.yml

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Ansible

• ansible package is only the CLI
• ansible-core is the actual library
• only versions 2.19 and later are semantic
• CLI versions increase quite fast currently at version 6
• Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2.2 (tm)

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ansible.cfg

• Define inventory path
  • Could be sourced by a plugin from a DCIM
• Define roles path
  • Can be ommitted if all roles are externally sourced
• Switch output plugin stdout_callback = yaml
• Always use root
  • Easier then writing become: yes everywhere
  • 90% of tasks require root anyway
• SSH options
  • Faster ssh by reusing connections

    [ssh_connection]
    pipelining = True
    ssh_args = -o ControlMaster=auto -o ControlPersist=600
    

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requirements.txt

Python dependencies

• Ansible dependencies
  • ansible~=6.0
  • Libraries needed by ansible modules or plugins
• Role dependencies
  • Libraries needed by roles
• Collection dependencies
  • Libraries needed by collections

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requirements.yml

Ansible dependencies

• Roles
• Collections
• Get dependencies from Ansible docs, example: podman

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Variables

• group_vars
• host_vars
• "Task vars"
• Role vars
• Role defaults

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Playbooks

• Simple playbook
• Playbook with roles

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Roles

roles/<github_username>.<rolename>/
├── defaults
│   └── main.yml
├── files
│   └── etc
│       └── foo
│           └── config.ini
├── meta
│   ├── argument_specs.yml
│   └── main.yml
├── tasks
│   └── main.yml
├── templates
│   └── etc
│       └── foo
│           └── conf.d
│               └── special.ini.j2
└── vars
    └── main.yml

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Roles

• meta
• defaults vs vars
• files vs templates
• Advanced tasks

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Advances topics

• 🔐 Secrets
• Create your own roles
• Create your own collections
  • If you need your own plugins or modules

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Secrets

$ ansible-galaxy collection install community.general

password: "{{ lookup('community.general.passwordstore', 'accounts/foobar.com') }}"
aws_secret_key: "{{ lookup('community.general.passwordstore', 'accounts/aws subkey=secret_key') }}"
aws_access_key: "{{ lookup('community.general.passwordstore', 'accounts/aws subkey=access_key') }}"

See: https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/collections/community/general/passwordstore_lookup.html

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❓ questions ❓