Structuring Ansible Projects
Guide to starting and organizing Ansible projects, from basic inventory setups to advanced collections and execution environments.
Category: Guideline
Securely Accessing Ansible Vault in Development
Guideline for securely accessing Ansible Vault during development without storing passwords in plain files, using environment variables and scripts.
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Managing Dictionary Merging in C2 Platform Ansible Projects
Best practices for utilizing dictionary merging in C2 Ansible inventory projects.
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What is Docker-in-docker ( DinD )?
Docker-in-Docker (DinD) is a common technique used in GitLab CI/CD pipelines on Kubernetes to run Docker commands within Docker containers.
Distinguish Between Ansible Engineering and Operations
Ansible engineering and operations should be treated as distinct disciplines to promote high-quality, maintainable automation. This separation ensures that engineering focuses on building scalable, reusable code, while operations handles deployment, monitoring, and day-to-day execution.
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Group-based Environments
Use a group-based approach to organize your Ansible inventory and variables for different environments.
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Automating RHEL Registration and Subscription
Automate Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) registration and subscription in C2 Platform development environments using Vagrant for seamless access to Red Hat resources.
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Slashes vs Backslashes When Targeting MS Windows Hosts
When targeting MS Windows hosts, use slashes for all paths. Convert to backslashes only if necessary.
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Story Points and Velocity in Ansible Projects with Scrum
In Scrum-based Ansible projects, story points and velocity should be estimated and measured accurately, with a strong emphasis on the business value derived from automation content. Story points aren’t about time but about relative effort, complexity, and risk.
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Managing Secrets with Ansible Vault in AAP / AWX
Guidance on managing secrets using Ansible Vault in Ansible projects, with a focus on Ansible Automation Platform (AAP) and AWX.
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Semantic Sprints ( SemSprint )
Adopt consistent and meaningful naming for sprints, inspired by Semantic Versioning (SemVer) principles. This “SemSprint” approach makes sprint names descriptive, improving communication and traceability.
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Vagrant Sync Folders
Learn how to effortlessly synchronize a folder from your host machine to the guest machine.
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Variable prefix
Prefix variable names with role or project prefix.
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Avoid Hardcoding Download URLs and Paths in Tasks
Guidelines and examples on how to make Ansible flexible and easy to use.
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Definition of Done ( DoD )
Establish effective Definition of Done (DoD) criteria specifically for Ansible projects to ensure that deliverables are complete, tested, and ready for production. DoD acts as a checklist to prevent “done” from meaning “mostly done.”
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Local Stuff
Ansible configuration that should be local and ignored by Git.
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Enhancing Ansible Playbooks with Tags
Implement a structured tagging system in Ansible playbooks to increase task flexibility, enhance maintainability, and improve reusability, thus optimizing both development and operational efficiency.
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Branching and Merging Strategy
Guidelines for implementing branching and merging policies in GitOps pipelines for Ansible inventory projects to promote changes across environments.
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Clone script
Automate setup of the development environment with multiple Git repositories.
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Using GitLab Runner as Ansible Control Node
Guideline for using GitLab Runner as an Ansible control node when Ansible Automation Platform (AAP) is unavailable.
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Lazy naming convention
Naming with the least amount of keystrokes.
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Ansible Guideline: Using Internal Roles
This guideline is tailored for teams that are relatively new to Ansible and wish to gain experience by using internal roles.