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Many tools are in use in the IT industry, among which automation tools are getting more popular. These tools play an essential role in developing multiple apps and software. Ansible is a famous tool for configuration management and automates complex IT tasks. You may know the working of the Ansible suite of tools, creating and running Ansible Playbook, etc. Further, to simplify the Ansible Playbooks, Ansible roles are used. These roles include many playbooks where they divide the complex playbooks into different separate reusable parts. In this blog, you will learn about Ansible roles, how they are useful for Ansible, role structure, the creation of roles, and many other aspects.
Ansible roles are the primary process of dividing the Ansible Playbook into multiple reusable roles. However, roles are the small functions used inside the playbooks and don't need any specific setting. These roles play a great role in simplifying the creation of complex Ansible playbooks. Also, they make them available to reuse for different purposes. Further, roles allow us to combine various tasks into a single container that helps automate tasks effectively. It also helps reuse the codes if they are useful for anyone. Roles also allow us to share configuration templates.
Ansible is a popular open-source IT automation tool for configuration management, and it is written in Python. However, Ansible is known for its simplicity and ease of use features.
Further, let us know the Ansible roles function with a simple example. For instance, you can perform 5 different tasks on 5 multiple devices. For this, it is possible through a single system. But using a system machine for these tasks might be difficult, and you may need clarification. Here, you can create five different roles for each task where each Role will execute a single task. Further, you can define a name for each position in the playbook to call the roles for these tasks.
To start using Ansible, you need contrate on writing and creating playbooks that help automate repetitive tasks much more quickly. By automating more tasks using playbooks, users get more insights into Ansible and become experts. In this regard, at some point, Ansible Playbook may stop working. Here comes the Ansible Roles to safeguard the tasks and their execution.
Ansible Roles allow you to reuse the Ansible code for repetitive tasks and share it efficiently. These roles help you with the best structure to set up multiple jobs, handlers, variables, templates, etc. Further, you can reuse the same roles in multiple tasks without altering the code.
On the other hand, Ansible roles are independent and don’t depend on others to execute. Also, they are highly reusable in different tasks. However, arranging the Ansible code into Ansible roles offers a more easily manageable structure than simply using Ansible playbooks. However, the increasing number of playbooks creates complexity in tasks.
Further, putting the Ansible code within the roles allows you to arrange the automation tasks in a group of series. Typically, using Ansible roles enables you to reuse tasks and share them easily without creating duplicate functions for your design.
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Now, let us know the typical Ansible role structure. Ansible roles play a key role in writing complex Ansible playbooks by dividing playbooks into different small files. It makes them easy to execute and allows us to reuse them for routine tasks. However, each Ansible role has limited functionality, and no role is called a Playbook. These are the functions used independently within the Ansible Playbooks.
Further, the Ansible role structure uses a normalized directory design to manage consistency and easy usage. They can also delete where these are inactive. Here, the following example command is used to define the skeleton of the role directory structure;
ansible-galaxy init
Here, the command “ansible-galaxy” includes an Ansible package that doesn’t require additional installation. The following is a skeleton of a typical Ansible role structure:
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Ansible verifies the main.yml files, possible changes, and applicable data in each subdirectory. Further, you can add extra YAML files within some directories. Let us discuss the below files used in the Ansible role structure.
You only need a special directory structure to start developing an Ansible Role. The roles in Ansible require this directory format, which Ansible can locate and use easily. You can assume you use the user's main directory as Ansible's current working directory. Suppose you have the Ansible configuration within another location; then, you must change to the specific directory.
So, let’s start creating a Role in Ansible. Here, you can see the below code that creates a directory called “roles”.
cd ~
mkdir roles
cd roles
In this directory, you can define the roles of Ansible that you can reuse throughout different playbooks and servers. Further, you can reference the below Ansible Playbook to turn the same into a reuseful Role in Ansible. It is the reference code for the same:
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Then start building Apache DIR for the Role and open up the directories needed.
Later, start creating sub-directories as required, which will inform Ansible to use them as roles. However, these sub-directories will include the implementation code of your Role.
Now, let us discuss a few points that describe the creation of Ansible roles in detail.
After familiarising yourself with roles in Ansible, it's time to turn a playbook into a role. For this, you should have the sub-directories of roles /Apache2. Then, here you need to build files related to YAML, which will help you define roles in a better way.
Here, it would help if you began with the subdirectory of tasks. So, let us proceed to this directory. The following is code for the same:
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Then, it would help if you built the file main.yml within this directory. Further, you need to populate the same with the whole Apache Playbook contents by editing it to consist only of given tasks.
nano main.yml
The file you will see will look like this:
IMAGE
Here, you can keep the initial three lines along with some other lines of the tasks section from the above code. Also, you can delete the external space on the tasks’ left side. Then you can add a new part to it to allow a module of Apache “ModSecurity”.
Now the file will be like the following:
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Now, it will be easy to follow and know the tasks file clearly as it only includes the real steps to be executed while using Apache Roles.
You can check how the lines of “template” & copy use index & virtual host to the source files in the Role without any prior path. Further, the DIR form of the Role enables sourcing files, templates, etc. straight through their name. Hence, Ansible will automatically locate them for you.
Also, you ensure that you save the file and close it after completing the editing work.
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You have the playbook inside the above file you created, so you have to shift the section “handlers” to the file at the handler's main yml file.
Then, cd inside the sub-directory “handlers” to the Roles:
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Then, open your file within the text editor, then copy the actual playbook “playbook. yml.”
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Here, in the following code, you must keep only the last three lines.
Now, delete the whitespace also from prior to the handlers. At the end, you can see this:
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Then must ensure to save it and close it once you complete it.
After having relevant jobs and handlers, you need to ensure that there should be an index file and virtual host template. It will help Ansible find and put the same on the remote server. As you referenced the files inside the task's main file, they should exist there, otherwise Ansible will not properly execute the Role.
Here, you need to build the index file within the roles DIR:
cd ~/roles/ apache/ files
nano index. html
Then, copy-paste the below code to the editor, and save & end up the same.
Manage Configuration Hands-On The existing server was provisioned through Ansible
After this, you need to edit the virtual host template. Now, you need to change it to the directory of the template and edit the same:
cd ~/roles/ apache/ templates
nano vhost. tpl
Then, please copy the following code to the editor and end it by saving it.
IMAGE
Suppose the Role depends on another role; you could insert another file within this directory, i.e., main yml. It may mention that the Role will rely on an “apt” role.
---
dependencies:
- apt
As we discussed previously, there exists a directory called “vars'', which is useful for setting variables for the Role. There is a possibility that you can set up default variables for the Role using a vars file. However, it is not generally suggested to use it for tiny roles. These variables are similar to configuration data for the roles.
Although, the directory “vars” is worth specifying in this case, as it helps when roles are more complex.
However, building roles, including many tasks, dependencies, etc., will be more vast and tough to know. In this condition, you can divide the functions into their files and add them to your file with the name; tasks / main.yml file.
Now, as the Role structure is configured, you can start using it with a small playbook instead of the earlier version.
To build the small playbook file, you can use the below code.
cd ~
nano playbook.yml
Then open the above file and copy-paste the below code by saving and closing it.
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However, there is only a little information needed for this file.
Thus, this is the playbook you finally have. Also, it is very tiny and easy to understand, which helps you focus on other goals to configure servers instead of individual jobs.
Ansible Galaxy is a public repository of the content available in Ansible and is open-source with online availability. You can search, download, and utilize the allocated roles and community power.
You can utilize Ansible Galaxy for browsing roles suitable for the use cases, saving you valuable time. But before you run a role, verify its code repository to check whether it is safe and provides output as you need.
Moreover, you can download the Role and install it from Galaxy using the command “ansible-galaxy install”. Then you can use the same inside the playbook while you override the variable of your default role.
The following are some tips and techniques for your Ansible Roles:
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Conclusion
Thus, you have gone through the Ansible roles, their uses, and how to turn playbooks into the roles and the whole process. Now you can create roles as required using Ansible. Also, you have learned various tips and tricks regarding roles in Ansible. Ansible is a useful tool for automating complex IT jobs and managing configurations well. We hope you enjoyed learning Ansible roles in a detailed way. Stay tuned for more insights in this space.
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Ansible roles are primarily responsible for dividing Ansible Playbooks into multiple reusable files. It helps to make writing a more complex playbook simple and reuse the same for various purposes.
Roles are just a small functionality that is used individually within the playbooks. Ansible Playbook is a unit of scripts arranged that describes the tasks that manage the device configuration with automation tools.
You can use the command ansible-galaxy to build Ansible roles, which offers several templates to create them.
Ansible generally looks for the roles within the subdirectory of roles related to the playbook file as a default. You can utilize the Ansible configuration roles_path to describe alternate role areas.
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