Note_Tech

All technological notes.

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Ansible - Role

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Role

• role

  • a way to organize playbooks and related files into a standardized directory structure.

• Benefits:

  • Encapsulation:
    • A role packages everything needed to configure a service or perform a function (tasks, handlers, variables, templates, etc.).
  • Reusability:
    • You can reuse the same role across multiple projects or environments.
  • Structure:
    • Roles follow a fixed directory layout, so Ansible knows where to find tasks, handlers, templates, and files automatically.
  • Composability: You can include multiple roles in a single playbook.
• Ways to search for an existing role
  • galaxy UI
  • ansible-galaxy search role_name

• Install a role

  • ansible-galaxy install role_name -p ./roles
• Check the configuration of role
  • ansible-config dump | grep ROLE

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Standard Role Directory Structure

myrole/ ├── defaults/ # Default variables (lowest priority) │ └── main.yml ├── vars/ # Other variables (higher priority) │ └── main.yml ├── files/ # Static files to copy ├── templates/ # Jinja2 templates ├── tasks/ # Main list of tasks │ └── main.yml ├── handlers/ # Handlers triggered by notify │ └── main.yml ├── meta/ # Role dependencies and metadata │ └── main.yml └── README.md # Documentation (optional but recommended)

• Command to create directory structure
  • ansible-galaxy init role_name

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Assign playbook a role

• Specify a role in a playbook

- name: Install and configure mysql
  hosts: db-server
  roles:
    - mysql

• Specify with privilege and variable

- name: Install and configure mysql
  hosts: db-server
  roles:
    - role: mysql
      become: yes
      vars:
        mysql_user_name: db_user

• Ways to reference a role for a playbook

1. create roles in the playbook dir, and place all files required by the role into this dir
2. Place the role required file in the default dir /etc/ansible/roles

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