readme.md

Lab: Using include_vars in Ansible

Overview

In this lab, you will learn how to use include_vars to include variable files into your playbook. This example demonstrates how to split variables across multiple files and load them using include_vars for better organization and reusability.

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Objectives

• Use include_vars to load variables from external files.

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Prerequisites

• Ansible installed on your ansible machine.
• At least one managed host configured for Ansible.

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Duration

Estimated Time: 15 minutes

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Instructions

Step 1: Create Variable Files

1. Create a General Variable File:

   • Create a file named general_vars.yml with the following content:

     app_name: "MyApp"
     app_port: 8080

2. Create an Environment-Specific Variable File:

   • Create a file named env_vars.yml with the following content:

     env: "development"
     db_host: "localhost"
     db_user: "dev_user"
     db_password: "dev_password"

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Step 2: Create the Main Playbook

1. Create a playbook file named include_vars_play.yml with the following content:

   ---
   - hosts: all
     gather_facts: no
   
     tasks:
       - name: Include general variables
         include_vars: general_vars.yml
   
       - name: Include environment-specific variables
         include_vars: env_vars.yml
   
       - name: Print app information
         debug:
           msg: "App: {{ app_name }}, Port: {{ app_port }}"
   
       - name: Print database information
         debug:
           msg: "Environment: {{ env }}, DB Host: {{ db_host }}, User: {{ db_user }}"

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Step 3: Run the Playbook

1. Save the playbook and variable files.

2. Run the playbook using the following command:

   ansible-playbook include_vars_play.yml

3. Observe the output. The playbook will load variables from both general_vars.yml and env_vars.yml, and the debug messages will display the variable values.

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Conclusion

In this lab, you’ve learned how to use include_vars to load variables from multiple files into an Ansible playbook. This technique allows you to organize variables into separate files and load them as needed, making your playbooks more modular and maintainable. 👏