Ansible lookup variable. Those roles have the “default/main.

Ansible lookup variable To make a module variable optional, set the default value to the special variable omit: In Ansible 2. This feature provides an easier and more consistent interface Sep 23, 2014 · I wonder if there is a way for Ansible to access local environment variables. general. vars for easy linking to the plugin documentation and to avoid conflicting with other collections that may have the same lookup plugin name. So the win_shell task in your example - executed on the remote machine (s) - is absolutely not equivalent to your lookup tests - executed on the controller. Actual Results Discovering variables: facts and magic variables With Ansible you can retrieve or discover certain variables containing information about your remote systems or about Ansible itself. json. Used by: community. Feb 26, 2019 · I have an ansible (2. ansible. Those roles have the “default/main. -3 lookup only works on localhost. template task), template lookup from a template file, or just mentions regular {{ var }} templates, which are obvious, but I need loops and the fancy bits of jinja :-p In essence, I have a I am attempting to deploy ssh keys with ansible using a file lookup task that utilizes { { item. 7. Mar 9, 2023 · To read the password from an encrypted variable, you can use the ansible-vault command to decrypt the file containing the variable and then read the variable value. May 27, 2015 · It appears that rather than storing the variable at the start of the play and using the lookup value throughout, ansible (or possibly jinja2) is inlining the variable. You must remember that the parts you are reassembling were disassembled by you. Contents of {{ varfile }} should be a dictionary of the form {"key":"value"}, you will find ansible gives you trouble if you include a space after the colon. In most cases, you can use the short plugin name env. This lookup plugin is part of ansible-core and included in all Ansible installations. ansible_facts ['ansible_os_family'] ansible_facts: This is a special dictionary containing various facts about the target system. What Are Environment Example 2: Lookups and loops items Lookups are an integral part of loops. Dec 27, 2023 · If you‘ve used Ansible to automate infrastructure, applications, or environments, you know the power of its declarative style, simple playbooks, and comprehensive library of modules. Mar 5, 2018 · Curly brackets doesn't stack so you can't use { { }} inside { { }} So something like this should work. Nov 5, 2017 · So you just used a name "lookup file" for a regular file, right? Possibly to confuse readers (and search engines' users) with Ansible lookups, right? And by "from above lookup" you don't mean actually a lookup. In most cases, you can use the short plugin name env even without specifying the collections: keyword. Apr 4, 2016 · The behavior of the lookup function is documented explicitly: plugins allow access of data in Ansible from outside sources. #!/usr/bin/env ansible . In this tutorial, we’ll see how to get the list of all Ansible variables for a host or group. Jinja2 variables use double curly braces. In most cases, you can use the short module name vars even without specifying the collections: keyword. file for easy linking to the plugin documentation and to avoid conflicting with other collections that may have the same lookup plugin name. Thing is that this works, for one host, but I have 6 hosts, where a value inside the lookup file should be different for each of the hosts. To gather the environment on the Remote Node it is recommended to gather_facts about the env. Avoid variable names that overwrite Jinja2 global functions listed in Working with playbooks, such as lookup, query, q, now, and undef. yml”, through which we define a number of default values for the role itself and the variables we override for the “dependencies” roles Nov 29, 2015 · Referencing simple variables After you define a variable, use Jinja2 syntax to reference it. computer | map (attribute=‘displayName’) | list The need to do all the { { dereference }} is Sep 14, 2020 · Hi, Is there a way to assign the value of a lookup (in this case a password) to a variable and register it so that the registered variable can then be used in different tasks of play without having to call the lookup itself multiple times? The closest I have got is using the debug module where I thought I could maybe register the msg. Nov 10, 2025 · Configuration entries listed above for each entry type (Ansible variable, environment variable, and so on) have a low to high priority order. Given the variables: key: bar foo: bar: baz foo_bar: baz I Jun 19, 2022 · Ansible File Lookup Example Simply put, Ansible file lookup helps to read the file content and load or display within the Ansible playbook. key }} which is simply a username and I am trying to find the appropriate syntax to call for the lookup value. Will have to try that. Can you pass a variable inside the file that is looked up? Nov 28, 2013 · Try { { lookup ('etcd', 'deploy/myapp/' + version + '/release') }} K Kahlil (Kal) Hodgson GPG: C9A02289 Head of Technology (m) +61 (0) 4 2573 0382 DealMax Pty Ltd (w) +61 (0) 3 9008 5281 Suite 1415 401 Docklands Drive Docklands VIC 3008 Australia "All parts should go together without forcing. The documentation references accessing variable on the target machine: { { lookup ('env', 'SOMEVAR') }} Is there a way to Apr 19, 2024 · I’m trying to achieve to lookup all variables in my Ansible configuration which end with "password" in their variables names. For example tasks: - debug: var: item loop: " { { query ('dict', hostvars [ Jun 8, 2022 · The token and url in the host file for example are not the env variables I have set in my . In a nutshell, the module allows you to debug variables or expressions without necessarily stopping the Oct 15, 2013 · Hi there, I’m attempting to configure a variable lookup to a public key file, and am running into some trouble. fileglob for easy linking to the plugin documentation and to avoid conflicting with other collections that may have the same lookup plugin name. Hardcoding the environment works, so, I could Lookup plugins allow access of data in Ansible from outside sources. Thanks! Quick public service announcement, assuming you are using a recent Ansible, you should simplify your clauses: when: none_name not in node_query. Learn from Luca Berton's books and guides on DevOps, Kubernetes, and cloud infrastructure. /play. Jan 12, 2024 · Ansible variables store and manipulate data that can be accessed and utilized across playbooks, roles, and tasks. They allow for dynamic configurations and flexible automation by enabling the abstraction of values that may change based on different environments or use cases. Jul 3, 2020 · AWX Project awx 6 88 October 22, 2018 Using extra_vars in playbook tasks Ansible Project 2 18 December 5, 2013 Define var if not defined Ansible Project 8 24 May 14, 2012 environment variables ISSUE " { { lookup ('env','HOME') }}" Ansible Project 4 30 June 11, 2014 [help] Ansible AWX and evn variables AWX Project awx , awx-project 0 10 Dec 13, 2024 · I'm trying to write an Ansible playbook to install my application. As passed to arguments in ansible modules that take booleans, both will do the right thing. In most cases, you can use the short plugin name password. You can use this syntax, and the syntax for lists and dictionaries shown below, in a variety of Jun 17, 2020 · The data returned by a lookup plugin is made available using the standard templating system in Ansible, and are typically used to load variables or templates with information from those systems. Feb 16, 2013 · This is fixed in Ansible's 1. 5, a new Jinja2 function called query was added for invoking lookup plugins. yml: ansible. Nov 13, 2021 · In Ansible, how to query hostvars to get a specific value of a key from a list item based on the value of a different key? Read a JSON file into a variable - Ansible lookup plugin file How to automate the reading of example. password for easy linking to the plugin documentation and to avoid conflicting with other collections that may have the same lookup plugin name. 3 days ago · Note This module is part of ansible-core and included in all Ansible installations. That’s curious and may be related to how “default” is implemented. include_vars for easy linking to the module documentation and to avoid conflicting with other collections that Create a custom Ansible lookup plugin in Python to extend capabilities for reading file contents on the Ansible controller, enhancing file retrieval flexibility. 4 will also make remote environment variables available via facts in the ‘ansible_env’ variable: {{ ansible_env. These values are then made available using the standard templating system in Ansible, and are typically used to load variables or templates with information from those Mar 18, 2024 · Understanding Ansible variables enables effective configuration management. Oct 16, 2018 · I’m a bit confused how variables are defined when using include_role. In most cases, you can use the short plugin name file. { { lookup ('vault', 'pki/issue/webserver common_name=test Nov 15, 2020 · My issue is I created a task that create a new directory with a timestamp to store the relevant data, I was able to get the path to a variable where I added it as a dummy host so that I can be able to call that path with all my plays but it seems like I am unable to use the same variable in lookup so that I can be able to deploy the ssh key. Underneath the simplicity though lies extensive configurability and flexibility driven by variables. 0. This is also the reason most lookups output lists and take lists as input; for example, with_items uses the items lookup: May 5, 2021 · Whenever I try to make Ansible interpret a nested variable — so, a variable inside another variable — I cannot get the result I expect. In most cases, you can use the short plugin name varseven without specifying the collections:keyword. Aug 18, 2025 · By defaault ‘lookup’ enumerates env variables from locaal prcessor machine You need to gather facts on remote machine and extract from there, use ansible_env Making variables optional By default, Ansible requires values for all variables in a templated expression. Jun 12, 2017 · I would like to create an Ansible Module that can be used to lookup variables of a given role. Here we discuss an introduction to Ansible Lookup, syntax, how does lookup work with examples to implement Dec 27, 2023 · Ansible hostvars allow you to look up and reference variables from other hosts, unlocking powerful orchestration approaches. cyberarkpassword lookup plugin ANSIBLE_ADMIN_USERS list of users to be Oct 22, 2018 · into awx-task container playbook, I will get the env variable PWD value which is the current project path of the ansible AWX controller. in the following example, you could notice that the task1 and task2 are doing the exact same job of copying the public key from local and adding to the authorized Apr 10, 2017 · Hi all, I’m looking for any suggestions on how to work around the following issue: I am trying to use a lookup plugin but it is ignoring my environment variables. In most cases, you can use the short plugin name pipe. Dec 27, 2023 · Under the hood, Ansible executes lookup plugins on the control node during play runtime. 1 development branch. Expected Results The lookup should grab the env variables and use them in the hashi_vault lookup to connect to the vault server. A basic example follows. These plugins are evaluated on the Ansible control machine, and can include reading the filesystem but also contacting external datastores and services. However, we recommend you use the FQCN for easy linking to the plugin documentation and to avoid conflicting with other collections that may have the same lookup plugin name. env for easy linking to the plugin documentation and to avoid conflicting with other collections that may have the same lookup plugin name. Sep 28, 2019 · In this lookup I look for vars that contain my item following the _ -string, then the content of the variable stage (notice the missing curly braces here), finally the _password -string. Background: Our build Git repository is organized in away that we have one Ansible role per micro service (built repo). This will work for Windows Nodes too. Any thoughts on how to access it? I am trying to access the ansible_ssh_host in the test1 sectio 3 days ago · Note This lookup plugin is part of ansible-core and included in all Ansible installations. This lets […] This lookup plugin is part of ansible-coreand included in all Ansible installations. yml (playbook): hosts: git sudo: true roles: { role: git, git_users Jul 25, 2019 · Allows you to query the environment variables available on the controller when you invoked Ansible. Kindly assist, below are the relevant tasks. This works: - name: delete the 3 days ago · Note This lookup plugin is part of ansible-core and included in all Ansible installations. 10) Nov 27, 2024 · From the lookup synopsis, emphasis mine: Allows you to query the environment variables available on the controller when you invoked Ansible. Variables related to remote systems are called facts. Oct 26, 2015 · Ansible populates ansible_env values by gathering facts, so the value of the variables depends on the remote_user or become_user Ansible used when gathering those facts. So, how I'm attempting to go about this is as follows: # Oct 9, 2022 · How to automate the reading of example. The default behavior of lookup is to return a string of comma-separated values. yml ` hosts: localhost roles: one ` /roles/one/tasks/main. Some limitations apply, see the Known Issues section as the Ansible specification allows for a lot of different approaches to declare variables. Examples of commonly-used loops include changing ownership on several files and/or directories with the file module, creating multiple users with the user module, and repeating a polling step until a certain result is reached. This branch is a variable that changes regularly. So, while your facts come from the managed node the lookups mostly gets data from the controller. However, you can make specific module variables optional. Task nbr 1,2,3 fetch Jun 20, 2023 · Continue to help good content that is interesting, well-researched, and useful, rise to the top! To gain full voting privileges, Jul 18, 2014 · (A) The lookup plugin will return empty string, not None, if that env is not found. with Ansible file lookup you can read a file and assign to a variable for further processing. In most cases, you can use the short plugin name fileglob. SOME_VARIABLE Feb 23, 2022 · What if Ansible can’t find the file, or it doesn’t exist? Use Ansible lookup in Ansible debug module to manage how errors should treat Ansible tasks. vars – Lookup templated value of variables Note This module is part of ansible-base and included in all Ansible installations. The Ansible debug module prints the statements when you execute an Ansible playbook. Small request – can you please send just text based mail in the future? It would make this a lot easier to read. Jun 11, 2014 · Topic Replies Views Activity haw to get environement variables of remote host ansible 2. Basically , I’d like to construct a loop than can itself iterate over other variables (list or d… Aug 22, 2025 · In the fourth chapter of RHCE Ansible EX 294 exam preparation series, you'll learn about variables, facts and registers in this chapter. The extension features the following: Implement 'Go to definition' for Ansible 3 days ago · Starting with Ansible 2. The lookup plugin is always executed on the control node (that's your Ansible server), which is to say that the lookup plugin does not do something on your managed nodes (the target systems). csvfile for easy linking to the plugin documentation and to avoid conflicting with other collections that may have the same lookup plugin name. cfg, environment variables, command-line options, playbook keywords, and variables. 1 environement variables of remote host Ansible Project 4 18 April 4, 2016 Feb 18, 2022 · How to automate the reading of HOME environmental variable and use it in your Ansible Playbook code with lookup plugin env. It looks a little like this: ` --- - name: Get STS token hosts: "{{ hosts }}" connection Apr 6, 2023 · This is a gide to Ansible Lookup. 8. If you want to retrieve variables from a variables file you made remotely use include_vars: {{ varfile }} . I'm trying to detect that an environment variable is unset. Master Ansible automation with expert tutorials, practical examples, and resources. 3 days ago · In Ansible 2. Mar 6, 2025 · Hi there, I’ve been trying to do something I think I already saw done, but I can’t get it to work: I want to parse an inline template into a variable. pipe for easy linking to the plugin documentation and to avoid conflicting with other collections that may have the same lookup plugin name. I am trying to read the contents of a file, store these in a variable and then insert them into another file if they don't already exist. You can use Jinja2 syntax in playbooks. Environment variables used by the ansible-core configuration are documented in Ansible Configuration Settings. Dec 11, 2013 · Hi Roman, Happy to help. yml ` 3 days ago · When you execute Ansible, the variable ansible_search_path will contain the paths searched, in the order they were searched in but without listing their subdirectories. Simple variables Simple variables combine a variable name with a single value. These plugins are evaluated on the Ansible control machine There is a FAQ regarding access to remote environment variables: Ansible 1. json file on Ansible host, assign to a variable and use in your Ansible Playbook code. Great communication skills! Sep 26, 2018 · 1 I am currently using a k8s lookup to search for resources with a certain tag attached to them (in this case branch). For example, a variable that is lower in the list will override a variable that is higher up. Naming Variables The variable name should be self-explanatory (as brief as possible, as detailed as necessary), use multiple words and don't shorten Feb 7, 2010 · I'm trying to use a var in a var declaration on Ansible (2. However that is still False in Python. Jun 18, 2019 · In one Ansible playbook I include a variables file which contains one variable like this: dictionaries: - host1: - key1: - name: "Foo" params: - bar: "Baz" - host2: - key1: - name: "Foo2" params: - bar: "Baz2" - host3: - key1: - name: "Foo3" params: - bar: "Baz3" I want to take only the element of the list which key name is the Ansible { { inventory_hostname }} of the host Ansible is executing Aug 13, 2020 · Hi, I have been looking into nested , subelements and other lookups with no luck to make this working , using ansible 2. However, we recommend you use the Fully Qualified Collection Name (FQCN) ansible. Sep 13, 2013 · Hi, What is the way variables are resolved in Ansible? I got this non-intuitive result: hosts: [group] host playbook. zshrc, they are now replaced my localhost and just no token. In most cases, you can use the short plugin name vars even without specifying the collections: keyword. The api is returning an 3 days ago · Extending Ansible Developer Guide Adding modules and plugins locally Should you develop a module? Developing modules Contributing your module to an existing Ansible collection Conventions, tips, and pitfalls Ansible and Python 3 Debugging modules Module format and documentation Ansible markup Adjacent YAML documentation files Windows module development walkthrough Creating a new collection Apr 8, 2016 · I am having trouble using the file lookup plugin with a playbook that use two roles: roles: { role: role_1 } { role: role_Z } “role_1” sets a variable using the lookup plugin in: role_1/vars/main. lookup can be explicitly configured to return a list using wantlist=True. 5, lookups are used more explicitly as part of Jinja2 expressions fed into the loop keyword. Then I would like to access the values of the password variables and check their character length. 3 days ago · Note This lookup plugin is part of ansible-core and included in all Ansible installations. Ansible variable lookup Introduction This extension will try to find the possible values for Ansible variables, by parsing the YAML files in your current workspace. env – Read the value of environment variables Note This lookup plugin is part of ansible-core and included in all Ansible installations. 1 Ansible Project 4 48 April 4, 2016 Can not access environment variables via lookup module Ansible Project 1 12 May 18, 2015 ansible 2. 3 days ago · Ansible Configuration Settings Ansible supports several sources for configuring its behavior, including an ini file named ansible. Index of all Collection Environment Variables The following index documents all environment variables declared by plugins in collections. Aug 22, 2018 · Good morning, Is there a way to perform variable replacement in text read from an external file via the file lookup into a list, in the same way that it would be if the list was specified in the playbook task? I want to read a set of commands from a different file depending on the value of a variable (which is fine, that works) but also to be able to override a value on a case by case basis Mar 26, 2015 · Here is my problem I need to use one variable 'target_host' and then append '_host' to it's value to get another variable name whose value I need. Variables Where to put variables I always store all my variables at the following three locations: group_vars folder host_vars folder defaults folder in roles The defaults -folder contains only default values for all variables used by the role. In most cases, you can use the short plugin name csvfile. Loops Ansible offers the loop, with_<lookup>, and until keywords to execute a task multiple times. Read a file into a variable on host - Ansible lookup plugin file How to automate the reading of example. builtin. Jan 31, 2022 · I'm using the AWS SSM lookup plugin to grab a value from SSM — but wanted to dynamically set the path to the SSM variable depending on the environment. The difference between lookup and query is largely that query will always return a list. The lookup function You can use the lookup function to populate variables dynamically. What confuses me is that the variable substitution works fine in a debug statement, but then blows up in the lookup statement for assigning authorized key values. If you look at my playbook. For example, the expression users goes to {{ users }} demonstrates the most basic form of variable substitution. Lookup data can then be referenced in the same way as standard Ansible facts or registered variables. 3 days ago · Note This lookup plugin is part of ansible-core and included in all Ansible installations. In this comprehensive guide, you‘ll learn how hostvars work and master techniques for using them effectively. See Controlling how Ansible behaves: precedence rules for details on the relative precedence of each source. Jun 25, 2020 · Use lookup/dynamic variable names in Ansible jinja2 template Ask Question Asked 5 years, 4 months ago Modified 3 years, 4 months ago Note This lookup plugin is part of ansible-core and included in all Ansible installations. In most cases, you can use the short module name include_vars even without specifying the collections keyword. For example: with_items: "{{ users }}" and also loop: "{{ users }}" Now, the following parameters can be Aug 22, 2022 · I'am using the lookup template plugin in order to create a json with a dynamic variable value1 that will be send as body in the http request. Oct 2, 2016 · How do you get the current host's IP address in a role? I know you can get the list of groups the host is a member of and the hostname of the host but I am unable to find a solution to getting the Ansible jinja2 template use variable into lookup Asked 6 years, 4 months ago Modified 6 years, 4 months ago Viewed 9k times Jan 29, 2019 · The only way I've found to select variables by a wildcard is to loop all variables and test match. Jun 24, 2020 · Hi, The playbook below should generate a file with the content: a,b ssh_host_key ssh_rsa_host_key However, the way I construct the variable names results in either syntax/templating errors or ‘variable name does not exists’. 1, I have a role being called by a playbook that needs access to a host file variable. The problem is that I can't seem to find the correct syntax for adding a variable into the lookup since it is itself using the Jinja syntax. Therefore, if you can I was a little bit surprised to discover that his piece of code fails with an IOError exception instead of defaulting to omitting the value. txt file on Ansible host, assign to a variable and use in your Ansible Playbook code. Wherever you see with_, the part after the underscore is the name of a lookup. I know I can use the lookup plugin to find an environment variable lik May 24, 2023 · the env lookup – Read the value of environment variables Allows you to query the environment variables available on the Controller when you invoked Ansible. Everything I find is either to file (ansible. In most cases, you can use the short plugin name vars. Environment variables are the special sauce that unlocks Ansible‘s full potential. The lookup plugin I am trying to use is credstash and the environment variables are being set because I am using AWS STS to assume a role. yml: file_contents:… Load environment variables from env_file into ansible fact This option is to parse the env file once and for all and load it in an ansible fact to use with the environment keyword. You cannot define these variables. May 27, 2025 · ansible_hostname This is a built-in variable in Ansible that holds the hostname of the target machine. Note This lookup plugin is part of ansible-core and included in all Ansible installations. 7) task that that has a single variable, which points to a host var that uses the file lookup plugin. (B) In YAML, the first is a string, the second is a boolean. With facts, you can use the behavior or state of one system as a configuration on other systems. Here’s the general idea; provisioning/git. The workaround for anyone who does not yet want to upgrade, is to upgrade, but failing that, you can use the "with_file" or "with_env" version instead and just reference the array when you use it. Ansible defines certain variables internally. Ansible evaluates the value each time it is executed in a task (or template). Introduction to Ansible Hostvars Ansible hostvars provide a "dictionary of dictionaries" that contains variables and facts about all managed hosts. For example, you might want to use a system default for some items and control the value for others. AIM_CLIPASSWORDSDK_CMD Cyberark CLI utility. If you run Ansible in verbosity level 5 by passing the -vvvvv argument, Ansible will report each directory as it searches, except when it searches for a tasks file. hezbse cvvha hxl rbt bzxix soxu myadmg vhas pjjn fjxa hxbzzj stbn fjaox ice tedbjj