Abstract

List of services

Usage

Prerequisites

Required dependencies

• Python3.9+,
• PIP,
• Virtualenv

Dependencies installed using the Installation instructions

• Task,
• Debian packages:
  • curl
  • libcurl4-openssl-dev,
  • libssl-dev,
  • libcairo2,
  • libcairo2-dev,
  • libffi-dev,
  • python3-dev,
  • python3-virtualenv

Optional, dev-related dependencies

• Docker

Installation

# Debian amd64
sudo apt install -y \
  curl \
  libcurl4-openssl-dev \
  libssl-dev \
  libcairo2 \
  libcairo2-dev \
  libffi-dev \
  python3-virtualenv \
  python3-dev;
TASK_VERSION=$(curl -fsSL -XGET https://api.github.com/repos/go-task/task/releases/latest | grep tag_name | tr -d ' ",' | cut -d ':' -f 2)
curl -fsSLO https://github.com/go-task/task/releases/download/"${TASK_VERSION}"/task_linux_amd64.deb;
sudo dpkg -i task_linux_amd64.deb;
rm task_linux_amd64.deb;

Setup

# Generate default ansible configuration
./scripts/generate_ansible_config.sh > "${HOME}"/.ansible.cfg

# Setup Python virtualenv
task venv:setup

# Prepare and edit your inventory as needed
cp inventory/inventory.yml.dist inventory/inventory.yml

# Prepare and edit the global vault as needed
cp inventory/vault.yml.dist inventory/vault.yml

Usage

# encrypt vault
task venv -- ansible-vault encrypt configuration/host_vars/vault.yml
# decrypt vault if needed
task venv -- ansible-vault decrypt configuration/host_vars/vault.yml
# run ansible command with vault-encrypted data for one specific host
task venv -- ansible-playbook --ask-vault-password -l my_host playbooks/test.yml
# run a specific role, e.g. security, for a host
task venv -- ansible --ask-vault-password -m import_role --args 'name=nullified.infrastructure.security' my_host

Generic collection / roles commands

mkdir -p collections/ansible_collections
cd collections/ansible_collections
task venv -- ansible-galaxy collection init nullified.infrastructure
cd nullified/infrastructure/roles
task venv -- ansible-galaxy collection init tooling

---

Cheatsheet

Ansible usage

validate files ansible-playbook --syntax-check <file>

gather facts ansible <target> -m setup

handlers invoked by a task through notify, executed only if caller triggered a state change; runs at the end of the play in the order they are declared;

# -> force handlers to run:
- name: some task
  meta: flush_handlers

looping looping in task by using the loop array with items to loop over;

runtime grouping

name: coin
hosts: all
gather_facts: true
tasks:
  - name: group by OS
    group_by:
      key: "{{ ansible_facts.distribution }}"

builtin vars

• hostvars: {hostname => kvp_vars, ...},
• inventory_hostname(_short)?: name of current host,
• group_names: list of groups assigned to current host,
• groups: {groupname => [hostX, ...], ...},
• ansible_check_mode: isRunningInCheckMode ?,
• ansible_play_batch: list inventory hostnames active in current batch,
• ansibble_play_hosts: ist inventory hostnames active in current play,

Python modules

argument options

NOTE Ansible Up and Running, page 503

• default: default value if arg is required,
• choices: list of possible values for an array arg,
• deprecated_aliases: deprecate aliases; dict(name, version, date, collection_name),
• aliases: aliases for given argument,
• type: arg type,
• elements: set type of list elements if arg is array,
• fallback: tuple of a lookup function and a list to pass to it,
• no_log: mask arg value in logs for sensitive data,
• options: complex args; create list of suboptions,
• mutually_exclusive: list of mutually exclusive suboptions,
• required_together: list of names of sub options,
• required_one_of: list of required mutually exclusive suboptions,
• required_if: sequence of sequences,
• required_by: dic mapping option names to seqs of option names

---

Notes / Todo

dir layout

• collections: ansible root dir for all collections to reside in;
• images: docker images, mostly used for ansible-test / molecule;
• inventory: all inventory related files are stored here;
• playbooks: top level playbooks, describe the way the infrastructure is laid out;
• scripts: various scripts and helpers;