Ansible Playbook Guide (playbook.yml)

This document provides a comprehensive and detailed explanation of Ansible Playbooks. It breaks down the syntax, logic, execution methods, and every single module used, designed to be a reference for beginners and pros alike.

Section 1: Introduction & Anatomy

Why Use Ansible? (the Benefits)

Based on core principles, here is why Ansible is powerful:

✅ Agentless: No daemons or agents installed on nodes (uses SSH).
✅ Simple: Easy to learn with YAML syntax.
✅ Powerful: Handles complex deployments and orchestrations.
✅ Repeatable: Ensures consistent environments.
✅ Idempotent: Tasks run only when needed (no changes if state is correct).
✅ Extensible: Use custom modules, plugins, and roles.

What is a Playbook?

An Ansible Playbook is a YAML file that describes a set of automation steps. Think of it as a "ToDo List" for your servers.

Basic Structure Rules

Starts with ---: This indicates the start of a YAML file.
Hyphens (-): Indicate a list item (e.g., a Play or a Task).
Indentation: Critical in YAML. Use 2 spaces for indentation. Never use tabs.

The "play" Hierarchy

A Playbook contains one or more Plays.

Play: Maps a group of hosts to a list of tasks.
- Hosts: Who are we automating? (e.g., web, db, localhost).
- Become: Do we need root? (sudo).
- Tasks: What are we doing? (The actual steps).

Section 2: Local Automation Example (understanding Syntax)

This play runs locally on your machine, not on a remote server. It's great for testing.

text

---
- name: Play 1 - Local Automation
  hosts: localhost
  connection: local
  tasks:
    - name: Execute command 'date'
      command: date

    - name: Execute script on server
      script: test_script.sh

- name: Play 2 - Web Service Setup
  hosts: localhost
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Install web service
      yum:
        name: httpd
        state: present

    - name: Start web server
      service:
        name: httpd
        state: started

Deep Dive Into Part 1

hosts: localhost: Tells Ansible to run this play on the machine you are currently typing on (the Control Node).
connection: local: Optimizes the connection. Since it's the same machine, Ansible doesn't need to open an SSH tunnel.
become: true:
- This is equivalent to typing sudo before a command.
- Required for yum (installing packages) and service (starting daemons).
command Module:
- Runs a raw Linux command.
- Note: It is not idempotent. If you run mkdir folder, it works once. If you run it again, it fails (folder exists). Use the file module for folders instead.
script Module:
- Takes a script from your local machine (Control Node), copies it to the remote node, runs it, and then deletes it.

Section 3: the Logic of "cleanup" (decommissioning)

This example teaches you how to logically remove software. You can't just delete files; you must stop the process first.

yaml

- name: Remove NGINX from Amazon Linux EC2
  hosts: all
  become: true
  tasks:
    # 1. Stop the service first. We can't delete running programs safely.
    - name: Stop nginx service if running
      service:
        name: nginx
        state: stopped
      ignore_errors: true

    # 2. Disable it so it doesn't try to start on reboot (ghost service).
    - name: Disable nginx service
      service:
        name: nginx
        enabled: no
      ignore_errors: true

    # 3. Now it's safe to uninstall the binary package.
    - name: Remove nginx package
      yum:
        name: nginx
        state: absent

    # 4. Clean up configuration files (yum often leaves these behind).
    - name: Delete nginx configuration directory
      file:
        path: /etc/nginx
        state: absent

    # 5. Clean up data/website files.
    - name: Delete default nginx HTML directory
      file:
        path: /usr/share/nginx
        state: absent

Deep Dive Into Cleanup Logic

state: stopped: Stops the process immediately.
enabled: no: Removes the symbolic link from systemd (systemctl disable).
ignore_errors: true:
- Why? If Nginx is already uninstalled, the service module would normally fail saying "Service not found".
- This flag tells Ansible: "Try to stop it, but if you fail (because it's not there), just keep going to the next task." This makes the playbook Robust.
state: absent: The universal keyword for removal.
- For yum: Uninstalls the package.
- For file: Recursively deletes directories (like rm -rf).
- For user: Deletes the user account.

Section 4: Common Tasks Library

This section explains the most used modules in real-world DevOps scenarios.

Web & Services

1. Install Apache (httpd)

yaml

- name: Install Apache Web Server
  hosts: all
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Install httpd
      yum:
        name: httpd
        state: present      # Ensures it is installed. Use 'latest' to update.

    - name: Start httpd service
      service:
        name: httpd
        state: started      # Starts the service now.
        enabled: true       # Ensures it starts automatically after reboot.

**2. Restart Ssh Service (handler Pattern)

yaml

- name: Restart SSH service
  hosts: all
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Restart sshd
      service:
        name: sshd
        state: restarted    # Stops and Start the service.

Use Case: You typically run this after modifying /etc/ssh/sshd_config.

**3. Configure Firewall (firewalld)

yaml

- name: Open port 80 in firewalld
  hosts: all
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Allow HTTP traffic
      firewalld:
        port: 80/tcp
        permanent: true     # Writes rule to disk (survives reboot).
        state: enabled
        immediate: yes      # Applies rule NOW (no reload needed).

Note: Without immediate: yes, the rule would only apply after a firewall reload or reboot.

**4. Start and Enable a Service (general)

yaml

- name: Start and enable firewalld
  hosts: all
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Start firewalld
      service:
        name: firewalld
        state: started
        enabled: true

User & Access Management

**5. Create a User

yaml

- name: Create a user called devops
  hosts: all
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Add user devops
      user:
        name: devops
        state: present
        groups: wheel       # Adds user to 'wheel' group (sudoers).
        append: yes         # CRITICAL: If 'no', it removes user from all other groups!

**6. Delete a User (deep Clean)

yaml

- name: Remove user 'testuser'
  hosts: all
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Delete testuser
      user:
        name: testuser
        state: absent
        remove: yes         # CRITICAL: Deletes /home/testuser and mail spool.

Why remove: yes? By default, Linux deletes the user account but keeps their files in /home. This flag ensures a clean wipe.

**7. Set Hostname

yaml

- name: Set system hostname
  hosts: all
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Change hostname to "web01"
      hostname:
        name: web01

File & Directory Management

**8. Copy a File (push)

yaml

- name: Copy index.html to web server
  hosts: all
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Copy file
      copy:
        src: ./index.html              # Source file on YOUR machine.
        dest: /var/www/html/index.html # Destination on REMOTE server.

**9. Create a Directory

bash

- name: Create directory on remote host
  hosts: all
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Make /opt/demo
      file:
        path: /opt/demo
        state: directory    # Tells Ansible this is a folder, not a file.
        mode: '0755'        # rwxr-xr-x permissions.

**10. Set File Permissions & Ownership

yaml

- name: Set permissions on a config file
  hosts: all
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Set mode and ownership
      file:
        path: /etc/myconfig.conf
        mode: '0644'
        owner: root
        group: root
        state: file

**11. Remove a Directory

yaml

- name: Remove temporary directory
  hosts: all
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Delete /tmp/old_data
      file:
        path: /tmp/old_data
        state: absent       # Recursively deletes directory and contents.

**12. Modify File Content (idempotent Edit)

yaml

- name: Add banner to /etc/motd
  hosts: all
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Add welcome message
      lineinfile:
        path: /etc/motd
        line: "Welcome to your server - managed by Ansible"

Magic: lineinfile checks if the line exists first. If it does, it does nothing (Idempotent). If not, it adds it.

**13. Create an Empty File (touch)

yaml

- name: Create a log file
  hosts: all
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Touch /var/log/app.log
      file:
        path: /var/log/app.log
        state: touch        # Like the Linux 'touch' command.
        mode: '0644'

System Configuration

**14. Install Epel Repository

yaml

- name: Install EPEL repository
  hosts: all
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Install epel-release
      yum:
        name: epel-release
        state: present

Why? Amazon Linux and CentOS often need "Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux" (EPEL) to install common tools like Nginx or htop.

**15. Mount a Volume

yaml

- name: Mount a filesystem
  hosts: all
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Mount /dev/xvdf1 on /mnt/data
      mount:
        path: /mnt/data     # Where to mount.
        src: /dev/xvdf1     # The device/disk.
        fstype: ext4
        state: mounted      # Mounts NOW + Adds to /etc/fstab (Persist).

**16. Set System Timezone

yaml

- name: Set timezone to UTC
  hosts: all
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Configure timezone
      timezone:
        name: UTC

Why? Servers should always be in UTC to avoid log confusion across timezones.

**17. Add Dns Resolver

yaml

- name: Add DNS server to resolv.conf
  hosts: all
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Add Google DNS
      lineinfile:
        path: /etc/resolv.conf
        line: "nameserver 8.8.8.8"

**18. Create a Swap File

This task involves multiple steps using command and file.

yaml

- name: Create 1GB swap file
  hosts: all
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Create swap file
      command: dd if=/dev/zero of=/swapfile bs=1M count=1024
      args:
        creates: /swapfile  # Crucial: Only runs if /swapfile doesn't exist

    - name: Set permissions
      file:
        path: /swapfile
        mode: '0600'

    - name: Make it swap
      command: mkswap /swapfile
      when: ansible_facts['swapfree_mb'] == 0 # Conditional execution

    - name: Enable swap
      command: swapon /swapfile
      when: ansible_facts['swapfree_mb'] == 0

**19. Reboot the Server

yaml

- name: Reboot server after changes
  hosts: all
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Reboot the machine
      reboot:
        reboot_timeout: 300 # Wait 5 minutes max for it to come back.

Magic: Ansible disconnects, waits for the server to restart, reconnects, and then continues the playbook.

Section 5: Advanced Execution Options

This section covers critical options for running playbooks efficiently and safely.

Verification & Dry Runs

Syntax Check: Checks for YAML errors without running.

text

ansible-playbook playbook.yml --syntax-check

Dry Run / Check Mode: Simulates execution.

text

ansible-playbook playbook.yml -C

Debugging & Verbosity

-v: Show task results.
-vvv: Show connection info (good for verifying SSH).

Controlling Execution Scope

Limit: Run only on specific hosts/groups.

text

ansible-playbook playbook.yml --limit db

Forks: Control parallelism (default is 5).

text

ansible-playbook playbook.yml --forks 20

Section 6: Managing Multiple Playbooks & Workflows

As your infrastructure grows, putting everything in one file becomes messy. Here are the methods to manage complex workflows.

Method 1: Multi-play in One Yaml File

You can define multiple plays in a single file (multi_playbook.yml), each targeting different groups.

text

# Play 1: Target Web Servers
- name: Install Apache on web servers
  hosts: web
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Install httpd
      yum:
        name: httpd
        state: present

# Play 2: Target DB Servers
- name: Install MariaDB on db servers
  hosts: db
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Install MariaDB
      yum:
        name: mariadb-server
        state: present

Method 2: the Master Playbook (`import_playbook`)

Use this to statically include other playbooks. It acts as a "Parent" playbook that calls "Child" playbooks.

File: site.yml

text

---
- import_playbook: web.yml
- import_playbook: db.yml

Execution:

text

ansible-playbook site.yml

Method 3: Dynamic Task Inclusion (`include_tasks`)

Use this inside a task list to organize large plays.

File: main.yml

yaml

- name: Common Setup
  hosts: all
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Include web tasks
      include_tasks: web-tasks.yml

    - name: Include db tasks
      include_tasks: db-tasks.yml

File: web-tasks.yml

yaml

- name: Install nginx
  yum:
    name: nginx
    state: present

File: db-tasks.yml

yaml

- name: Install mariadb
  yum:
    name: mariadb-server
    state: present

Method 4: Using Tags for Selectivity

Tags allow you to run specific parts of a large playbook without running everything.

File: site.yml

yaml

- name: Web tasks
  hosts: web
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Install nginx
      yum:
        name: nginx
        state: present
      tags: web  # <--- Assigned Tag

- name: DB tasks
  hosts: db
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Install mariadb
      yum:
        name: mariadb-server
        state: present
      tags: db   # <--- Assigned Tag

Execution: Run ONLY the web parts:

text

ansible-playbook site.yml --tags web

Method 5: Shell Scripts & Chaining

You can create a simple bash script to run multiple playbooks sequentially, or use one-liners.

Shell Script (run.sh):

bash

#!/bin/bash
ansible-playbook web.yml
ansible-playbook db.yml
ansible-playbook firewall.yml

One-Liner:

text

ansible-playbook web.yml && ansible-playbook db.yml

Module Quick Reference Table

Module	Use Case	Key Arguments
`yum`	Installing/Removing software	`name`, `state=present/absent`
`service`	Starting/Stopping daemons	`name`, `state=started/stopped`, `enabled=yes`
`file`	Files/Folders permissions	`path`, `state=directory/touch/absent`, `mode`
`copy`	Uploading files	`src` (local), `dest` (remote)
`user`	Managing Users	`name`, `groups`, `remove=yes`
`lineinfile`	Editing config files	`path`, `line`, `regexp`
`shell`	Complex commands	Used when `command` module is too limited (pipes/redirects)

Section 1: Introduction & Anatomy

Why Use Ansible? (the Benefits)

Based on core principles, here is why Ansible is powerful:

✅ Agentless: No daemons or agents installed on nodes (uses SSH).
✅ Simple: Easy to learn with YAML syntax.
✅ Powerful: Handles complex deployments and orchestrations.
✅ Repeatable: Ensures consistent environments.
✅ Idempotent: Tasks run only when needed (no changes if state is correct).
✅ Extensible: Use custom modules, plugins, and roles.

What is a Playbook?

An Ansible Playbook is a YAML file that describes a set of automation steps. Think of it as a "ToDo List" for your servers.

Basic Structure Rules

Starts with ---: This indicates the start of a YAML file.
Hyphens (-): Indicate a list item (e.g., a Play or a Task).
Indentation: Critical in YAML. Use 2 spaces for indentation. Never use tabs.

The "play" Hierarchy

A Playbook contains one or more Plays.

Play: Maps a group of hosts to a list of tasks.
- Hosts: Who are we automating? (e.g., web, db, localhost).
- Become: Do we need root? (sudo).
- Tasks: What are we doing? (The actual steps).

Section 2: Local Automation Example (understanding Syntax)

This play runs locally on your machine, not on a remote server. It's great for testing.

text

---
- name: Play 1 - Local Automation
  hosts: localhost
  connection: local
  tasks:
    - name: Execute command 'date'
      command: date

    - name: Execute script on server
      script: test_script.sh

- name: Play 2 - Web Service Setup
  hosts: localhost
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Install web service
      yum:
        name: httpd
        state: present

    - name: Start web server
      service:
        name: httpd
        state: started

Deep Dive Into Part 1

hosts: localhost: Tells Ansible to run this play on the machine you are currently typing on (the Control Node).
connection: local: Optimizes the connection. Since it's the same machine, Ansible doesn't need to open an SSH tunnel.
become: true:
- This is equivalent to typing sudo before a command.
- Required for yum (installing packages) and service (starting daemons).
command Module:
- Runs a raw Linux command.
- Note: It is not idempotent. If you run mkdir folder, it works once. If you run it again, it fails (folder exists). Use the file module for folders instead.
script Module:
- Takes a script from your local machine (Control Node), copies it to the remote node, runs it, and then deletes it.

Section 3: the Logic of "cleanup" (decommissioning)

This example teaches you how to logically remove software. You can't just delete files; you must stop the process first.

yaml

- name: Remove NGINX from Amazon Linux EC2
  hosts: all
  become: true
  tasks:
    # 1. Stop the service first. We can't delete running programs safely.
    - name: Stop nginx service if running
      service:
        name: nginx
        state: stopped
      ignore_errors: true

    # 2. Disable it so it doesn't try to start on reboot (ghost service).
    - name: Disable nginx service
      service:
        name: nginx
        enabled: no
      ignore_errors: true

    # 3. Now it's safe to uninstall the binary package.
    - name: Remove nginx package
      yum:
        name: nginx
        state: absent

    # 4. Clean up configuration files (yum often leaves these behind).
    - name: Delete nginx configuration directory
      file:
        path: /etc/nginx
        state: absent

    # 5. Clean up data/website files.
    - name: Delete default nginx HTML directory
      file:
        path: /usr/share/nginx
        state: absent

Deep Dive Into Cleanup Logic

state: stopped: Stops the process immediately.
enabled: no: Removes the symbolic link from systemd (systemctl disable).
ignore_errors: true:
- Why? If Nginx is already uninstalled, the service module would normally fail saying "Service not found".
- This flag tells Ansible: "Try to stop it, but if you fail (because it's not there), just keep going to the next task." This makes the playbook Robust.
state: absent: The universal keyword for removal.
- For yum: Uninstalls the package.
- For file: Recursively deletes directories (like rm -rf).
- For user: Deletes the user account.

Section 4: Common Tasks Library

This section explains the most used modules in real-world DevOps scenarios.

Web & Services

1. Install Apache (httpd)

yaml

- name: Install Apache Web Server
  hosts: all
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Install httpd
      yum:
        name: httpd
        state: present      # Ensures it is installed. Use 'latest' to update.

    - name: Start httpd service
      service:
        name: httpd
        state: started      # Starts the service now.
        enabled: true       # Ensures it starts automatically after reboot.

**2. Restart Ssh Service (handler Pattern)

yaml

- name: Restart SSH service
  hosts: all
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Restart sshd
      service:
        name: sshd
        state: restarted    # Stops and Start the service.

Use Case: You typically run this after modifying /etc/ssh/sshd_config.

**3. Configure Firewall (firewalld)

yaml

- name: Open port 80 in firewalld
  hosts: all
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Allow HTTP traffic
      firewalld:
        port: 80/tcp
        permanent: true     # Writes rule to disk (survives reboot).
        state: enabled
        immediate: yes      # Applies rule NOW (no reload needed).

Note: Without immediate: yes, the rule would only apply after a firewall reload or reboot.

**4. Start and Enable a Service (general)

yaml

- name: Start and enable firewalld
  hosts: all
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Start firewalld
      service:
        name: firewalld
        state: started
        enabled: true

User & Access Management

**5. Create a User

yaml

- name: Create a user called devops
  hosts: all
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Add user devops
      user:
        name: devops
        state: present
        groups: wheel       # Adds user to 'wheel' group (sudoers).
        append: yes         # CRITICAL: If 'no', it removes user from all other groups!

**6. Delete a User (deep Clean)

yaml

- name: Remove user 'testuser'
  hosts: all
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Delete testuser
      user:
        name: testuser
        state: absent
        remove: yes         # CRITICAL: Deletes /home/testuser and mail spool.

Why remove: yes? By default, Linux deletes the user account but keeps their files in /home. This flag ensures a clean wipe.

**7. Set Hostname

yaml

- name: Set system hostname
  hosts: all
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Change hostname to "web01"
      hostname:
        name: web01

File & Directory Management

**8. Copy a File (push)

yaml

- name: Copy index.html to web server
  hosts: all
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Copy file
      copy:
        src: ./index.html              # Source file on YOUR machine.
        dest: /var/www/html/index.html # Destination on REMOTE server.

**9. Create a Directory

bash

- name: Create directory on remote host
  hosts: all
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Make /opt/demo
      file:
        path: /opt/demo
        state: directory    # Tells Ansible this is a folder, not a file.
        mode: '0755'        # rwxr-xr-x permissions.

**10. Set File Permissions & Ownership

yaml

- name: Set permissions on a config file
  hosts: all
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Set mode and ownership
      file:
        path: /etc/myconfig.conf
        mode: '0644'
        owner: root
        group: root
        state: file

**11. Remove a Directory

yaml

- name: Remove temporary directory
  hosts: all
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Delete /tmp/old_data
      file:
        path: /tmp/old_data
        state: absent       # Recursively deletes directory and contents.

**12. Modify File Content (idempotent Edit)

yaml

- name: Add banner to /etc/motd
  hosts: all
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Add welcome message
      lineinfile:
        path: /etc/motd
        line: "Welcome to your server - managed by Ansible"

Magic: lineinfile checks if the line exists first. If it does, it does nothing (Idempotent). If not, it adds it.

**13. Create an Empty File (touch)

yaml

- name: Create a log file
  hosts: all
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Touch /var/log/app.log
      file:
        path: /var/log/app.log
        state: touch        # Like the Linux 'touch' command.
        mode: '0644'

System Configuration

**14. Install Epel Repository

yaml

- name: Install EPEL repository
  hosts: all
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Install epel-release
      yum:
        name: epel-release
        state: present

Why? Amazon Linux and CentOS often need "Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux" (EPEL) to install common tools like Nginx or htop.

**15. Mount a Volume

yaml

- name: Mount a filesystem
  hosts: all
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Mount /dev/xvdf1 on /mnt/data
      mount:
        path: /mnt/data     # Where to mount.
        src: /dev/xvdf1     # The device/disk.
        fstype: ext4
        state: mounted      # Mounts NOW + Adds to /etc/fstab (Persist).

**16. Set System Timezone

yaml

- name: Set timezone to UTC
  hosts: all
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Configure timezone
      timezone:
        name: UTC

Why? Servers should always be in UTC to avoid log confusion across timezones.

**17. Add Dns Resolver

yaml

- name: Add DNS server to resolv.conf
  hosts: all
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Add Google DNS
      lineinfile:
        path: /etc/resolv.conf
        line: "nameserver 8.8.8.8"

**18. Create a Swap File

This task involves multiple steps using command and file.

yaml

- name: Create 1GB swap file
  hosts: all
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Create swap file
      command: dd if=/dev/zero of=/swapfile bs=1M count=1024
      args:
        creates: /swapfile  # Crucial: Only runs if /swapfile doesn't exist

    - name: Set permissions
      file:
        path: /swapfile
        mode: '0600'

    - name: Make it swap
      command: mkswap /swapfile
      when: ansible_facts['swapfree_mb'] == 0 # Conditional execution

    - name: Enable swap
      command: swapon /swapfile
      when: ansible_facts['swapfree_mb'] == 0

**19. Reboot the Server

yaml

- name: Reboot server after changes
  hosts: all
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Reboot the machine
      reboot:
        reboot_timeout: 300 # Wait 5 minutes max for it to come back.

Magic: Ansible disconnects, waits for the server to restart, reconnects, and then continues the playbook.

Section 5: Advanced Execution Options

This section covers critical options for running playbooks efficiently and safely.

Verification & Dry Runs

Syntax Check: Checks for YAML errors without running.

text

ansible-playbook playbook.yml --syntax-check

Dry Run / Check Mode: Simulates execution.

text

ansible-playbook playbook.yml -C

Debugging & Verbosity

-v: Show task results.
-vvv: Show connection info (good for verifying SSH).

Controlling Execution Scope

Limit: Run only on specific hosts/groups.

text

ansible-playbook playbook.yml --limit db

Forks: Control parallelism (default is 5).

text

ansible-playbook playbook.yml --forks 20

Section 6: Managing Multiple Playbooks & Workflows

As your infrastructure grows, putting everything in one file becomes messy. Here are the methods to manage complex workflows.

Method 1: Multi-play in One Yaml File

You can define multiple plays in a single file (multi_playbook.yml), each targeting different groups.

text

# Play 1: Target Web Servers
- name: Install Apache on web servers
  hosts: web
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Install httpd
      yum:
        name: httpd
        state: present

# Play 2: Target DB Servers
- name: Install MariaDB on db servers
  hosts: db
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Install MariaDB
      yum:
        name: mariadb-server
        state: present

Method 2: the Master Playbook (`import_playbook`)

Use this to statically include other playbooks. It acts as a "Parent" playbook that calls "Child" playbooks.

File: site.yml

text

---
- import_playbook: web.yml
- import_playbook: db.yml

Execution:

text

ansible-playbook site.yml

Method 3: Dynamic Task Inclusion (`include_tasks`)

Use this inside a task list to organize large plays.

File: main.yml

yaml

- name: Common Setup
  hosts: all
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Include web tasks
      include_tasks: web-tasks.yml

    - name: Include db tasks
      include_tasks: db-tasks.yml

File: web-tasks.yml

yaml

- name: Install nginx
  yum:
    name: nginx
    state: present

File: db-tasks.yml

yaml

- name: Install mariadb
  yum:
    name: mariadb-server
    state: present

Method 4: Using Tags for Selectivity

Tags allow you to run specific parts of a large playbook without running everything.

File: site.yml

yaml

- name: Web tasks
  hosts: web
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Install nginx
      yum:
        name: nginx
        state: present
      tags: web  # <--- Assigned Tag

- name: DB tasks
  hosts: db
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Install mariadb
      yum:
        name: mariadb-server
        state: present
      tags: db   # <--- Assigned Tag

Execution: Run ONLY the web parts:

text

ansible-playbook site.yml --tags web

Method 5: Shell Scripts & Chaining

You can create a simple bash script to run multiple playbooks sequentially, or use one-liners.

Shell Script (run.sh):

bash

#!/bin/bash
ansible-playbook web.yml
ansible-playbook db.yml
ansible-playbook firewall.yml

One-Liner:

text

ansible-playbook web.yml && ansible-playbook db.yml

Module Quick Reference Table

Module	Use Case	Key Arguments
`yum`	Installing/Removing software	`name`, `state=present/absent`
`service`	Starting/Stopping daemons	`name`, `state=started/stopped`, `enabled=yes`
`file`	Files/Folders permissions	`path`, `state=directory/touch/absent`, `mode`
`copy`	Uploading files	`src` (local), `dest` (remote)
`user`	Managing Users	`name`, `groups`, `remove=yes`
`lineinfile`	Editing config files	`path`, `line`, `regexp`
`shell`	Complex commands	Used when `command` module is too limited (pipes/redirects)

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