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Configuration Management Using Ansible

Ansible Tasks

Learn how to write Ansible tasks.

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What are tasks?

A task represents a single action within a playbook that we can perform on a managed node. Tasks make up plays and leverage modules to perform specific actions like installing software, copying files, managing users, etc.

In order to define a task, we have to specify a name, the module we’d like to use, and other relevant parameters. Here’s the basic syntax for defining a task:

YAML
- name: Description of the task

  module_name:

    module_parameter1: value1

    module_parameter2: value2

  # other task options like become, when etc.

In the syntax above, a task contains the following parameters:

  • name: Describes the task in a human-readable manner, e.g., “Installing NGINX.”
  • module_name: Used to specify the Ansible module to be used in the task in order to achieve the specific action
  • module_parameter: The arguments that we need to pass to the module that we choose for our task.

A working example of a task is shown below:

YAML
- name: Ensure Nginx configtest passes
  command: nginx -t
  register: nginx_config_test
  ignore_errors: yes
  become: yes

  • Line 2: The task uses the command module within an Ansible playbook to execute the nginx -t command on a managed node. This command is typically used to perform a configuration test for the NGINX web server and check ...